Page 27 of Demonic Affliction

“I was thinking about how amazing you are. How beautiful, strong, and wonderful you are. I’m in awe of you, Willow.”

Her breath catches, and whatever she was going to say gets stuck in her throat. “I… what?”

I rise slowly from the water, giving her every chance to look away. Only, she doesn’t.

Water sluices off my shoulders and down my chest, sliding through the deep grooves of my abdomen. My wings unfurl once I’m waist-deep, and the droplets slide off the edges, dripping steadily into the pool. It’s the only sound in the room besides Willow’s labored breath.

The ring around her irises glows bright red as I step onto the stone ledge of the pool, baring every inch to her. Her gaze dips low, and her mouth pops with shock as she takes in the hard length of my cock. The velvety, tail-like projections unfurl from the base, pulsing and reaching toward Willow with a mind of their own.

“Holy shit.” She’s unable to move her gaze. “What…?”

My body fills with warmth as I watch her try and fail to look away. I walk toward her, my movements unhurried, leaving a trail of water in my wake.

"Cin…" My name comes out unsteady, but there’s something beneath that nervousness. Desire.

She wants me, too. Just as much as I want her.

I stop when we’re a breath apart, close enough to feel the heat rising off her skin. The air between us buzzes with tension—and something darker, more dangerous. It takes everything in me not to close the remaining distance and claim her the way I’ve been wanting to. The way I’ve been dying to.

If the world really is going to end, why do I keep denying myself? Why can’t I lean in and do what we've both been thinking about for cycles?

Her pulse is visible at her throat, fast and shallow, and I can hear it from here—beating a frantic rhythm that matches my own. My whole body is tuned to her, waiting for a word, a sign, anything to permit me.

I refuse to touch her until it comes. I look deep into her eyes instead, clenching my hands at my sides hard enough that my claws bite into my palms and draw blood.

“Gods, you truly are astounding,” I say, gazing deep into her fascinating eyes.

“How so?”

“There are a million reasons. Currently? Because the way you are looking at me makes me feel warm, when all I have known is cold loneliness.”

I reach up. My hand hovers near her cheek for a moment, close enough that her gentle warmth sears my skin. I hate how long it takes me to close the last inch. I haven't let myself touch her in so long, and I’m worried what will happen when I finally do.

She nods, and my thumb finds her cheek. The second my skin meets hers, something in my chest gives way. It doesn’t break—rather, the wall of ice around my heart thaws, allowing the sheets of armor to fall away.

Willow doesn't pull away. Instead, she leans into it, closing her eyes and releasing a gentle breath, like she feels the same relief I do. I trace the curve of her cheekbone once, twice, memorizing it in case this is all I will have of her.

“What else do you find amazing?” she asks, her voice low.

“Your heart,” I answer without thinking. “You have so much love to give, and all of it freely. Because you love, you are willing to fight that much harder.”

She opens her eyes then, and I gaze deep into them, my head filled with the sound of my wildly beating heart. “What else?”

“Your resilience.” I brush my thumb over a small freckle at the corner of her eye. “You take everything in stride, no matter how challenging. Even with the voice… most would crumple under the weight of that responsibility, and you’re taking it astoundingly well.”

“Who said I was taking it well?”

I raise a brow, the corner of my lip twitching. “There’s another thing. You make me smile. I think that’s pretty amazing.”

She grins shyly, lowering her eyes. “Fine. I’ll give that one to you.”

I lean closer, closing what’s left of the space between us. Catching her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I tilt her face up. Her lashes stay low a moment longer before she looks up, but when she finally meets my gaze, it steals my breath away.

The ring of red around her irises is brighter now, pulsing in time with the quick rhythm of her heartbeat. Her lips are parted, her breath quickened, and a beautiful flush spreads across her face.

I hold her chin steady, forefinger resting just beneath her jaw, stopping her from looking away. Neither of us moves for a long moment. With each passing heartbeat, I feel the thread of my resolve fray a little more.

“Cin…”