“Please tell me this isn’t some trap and like some Bond villain, there is a pit of death behind this door you're about to push me into.”
I chuckled at this, unable to help myself from leaning in close and teasing her.
“No, Inanna…that door is on the left.”
I forced myself to straighten, though not before indulging in a slow, measured breath, drawing in her scent until it flooded my senses and left me near intoxicated. Then I passed her, placing myself deliberately ahead of her path, and when the fear that she might run flickered through me, I reached back and closed my hand around her uninjured one.
The instant our skin met, desire struck with violent force. It surged through me so suddenly and so completely that it nearly staggered me where I stood. My breath hitched despite my control. Power that flared in response, instinct screaming possession, recognition, and fateful inevitability. The contact was far more than touch, it was more like an impact. A jolt that reverberated through my entire being, unsettling in its intensity and one that was impossible to ignore.
I tightened my grip just enough to steady myself, keenly aware that this single point of contact had already altered the balance more than I was prepared for.
It had, in fact…
Altered my entire world.
13
A DEVIL’S LOVE
“You’re teasing me,” she said, surprise coloring her tone, and she wasn’t wrong. Teasing her came far too easily, a response that seemed to surface instinctively in her presence. When I glanced back at her and allowed myself a wink, I felt the moment change. Her beautiful eyes widened and, in such a way, that I knew she was silently questioning my motives.
Not that I could blame her, as I too was questioning my own.
Then, with her hand in mine, I pulled her through the doorway, forcing the choice from her before hesitation could grow teeth. She hadn’t taken more than a single step into my office before the shift registered, her attention no longer on me but on the room itself.
My office would naturally have that effect on mortals, as it was no doubt like stepping back in time. To an age where physical books still mattered and were not merely decorative relics. These were not volumes collected for sentiment or display, but tools I used daily. Each one bound with purpose, filled with spells, castings, and ancient knowledge that predated most of the realm’s mortals believed to exist.
Every book housed within these walls had been earned, bargained for, or taken at great cost. The contents powerful enough to shape realms or unmake them entirely if placed in the wrong hands. This was not simply an office, but a vault. A repository of power and memory, where knowledge was both weapon and shield. Every spell etched into parchment answered to my will alone.
I tried to view it from her perspective. Through the eyes of a mortal, not born of this dark world I commanded. So, I allowed her that moment to take it in.
Then, while her attention wandered, I removed my cloak with habitual ease, unclasping it at one shoulder and letting it slip free in a single controlled motion. My shoulder armor followed, detached from straps hidden beneath the fabric, its weight striking stone sharply enough to make her jump.
Of course, I noticed.
Everything about her registered within me now with unsettling clarity. From the way her breath stalled to the faint tension gathering in her shoulders as the scale of the room revealed itself in full. Floor-to-ceiling shelves heavy with old volumes, the massive desk carved into the form of a creature that was both regal and monstrous. The vast window offered nothing but darkness and her anxious reflection. This was not a place meant for comfort or reassurance.
It was a place of command.
And she knew it…smart girl.
I leaned back against the desk, folding my arms across my chest, watching as the understanding settled in. Her gaze lifted, taking note of my height, my large frame, my dark presence, and she froze, just for a breath. As if her body had not yet decided whether standing still or running would serve her better.
She could try.
Chasing her would be fun,my demon hummed… umm, indeed it would, I agreed. Yet despite these dark thoughts, I still chose to offer her a shred of comfort.
“There is no need to fear me, little human,” I said after her appraisal of me, making her swallow hard, as if just being caught doing so. Something that fed my ego more than I cared to acknowledge.
“No? Not even after I snuck in here?” Direct. Honest. And brave enough to surprise me.
“It is true that there are a limited number of mortals who know of my kind…” I replied calmly, purposely tempering my tone.
“…but it is not entirely unheard of.”
Her shoulders eased, only slightly, but it was enough to tell me she was listening intently.
“I didn’t know what to do, and then your name came up and I…” Now that certainly caught my attention.
