BRAVING THE DARKNESS: One Night With The Demon King
BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon Book 2
Chapter 2 – Deal With The Demon
LUCIUS.
I hid my aura and made myself invisible in the eyes of all the adults in this dining hall before I sat on the empty small chair at the kids’ table.
The kids were able to see me, and since the adults were conversing on their own, they had no idea I was already having fun with their kids as they engaged me in their conversation.
Ever since Lucija became the Luna of the Mystic Pack, Stone’s whole family has learned to accept me as part of theirs. In the beginning, I could feel the awkwardness and the uneasiness in the air whenever I would appear, but after seeing me too many times already within the last six months, they were getting used to my presence.
I get invited to lunch and dinners, which I never decline, as long as Patrea is not there.
I didn’t tell anyone I had no palate. That the food just melted on my tongue, and I had no idea what sweet, sour, or spicy tasted like.
When it came to taste, all I could taste were the females I licked and s*cked. And I was sure food didn’t taste like that, or I would crave it.
But then tonight, Patrea decided to bust me in front of Stone’s family. I almost laughed out loud when they all realized I was faking it when I told them the food was delicious. But then I should get credit for trying to make them feel good — not all demons could do that.
I tried to stay low-key and just watch them while entertaining the kids until my mother f*uc*ker brother-in-law threatened me that he would not allow Luther, my only nephew — the only one that I acknowledged — to enter the underworld if I decided not to show up tonight.
Stone and I had a mutual dislike for each other. He was arrogant. He thought he ruled the world, but he only ruled his own territory. But my sister Lucija wanted him, so I tried to tolerate him. And I believed he was trying to tolerate me as well. O
But we’re making it work.
Even if we never really liked each other, I knew there was no one else better for Lucija and Luther than him. O
And it was enough for me that he trusted me to hold his son and promised me that he would introduce Luther to the underworld when the right time came.
So I knew that if he threatened to take Luther away from me, I knew he could do it.
So here I was, raising a white flag and appearing before them, sitting on the only empty seat around the table — which happened to be beside Patrea.
“How are you doing, Lucius?” Petra’s voice came out soft, and I was not able to stop my head from snapping in her direction.
Was it her asking me?
I stared at her for a few seconds before her eyebrows raised and she pushed a forkful of meat into her mouth. My eyes focused on her plump lips as she chewed her food slowly, and I felt a thirst I hadn’t felt in a long time, and it made me lose my sense of time.
“Was my question that hard?” She asked again after she was done chewing her meat, her eyes not leaving mine.
A smirk formed on my mouth before I licked my lips and shifted my body slightly in her direction, my hand still holding my fork. “I thought you didn’ t want to hear anything about the underworld?”
“Well, I thought I asked about you, and not the underworld.” She emphasized the ‘you’.
“They’re the same thing. I and the underworld can’ t be separated.”
“I see. It’s okay if you don’t want to talk. I was just being polite as we sat next to each other.”
“How have you been, Patrea?” I knew I didn’t need to ask. I’d been watching her from day one.
“Seriously, Lucius? You’re asking me when you ignored my question?” She glared at me as she spoke in a hushed, angry tone.
I missed that, her, glaring and snapping at me.
“I was just being polite as we sat next to each other, ” I repeated her words before pretending to eat.
“Unbelievable,” she said in a frustrated voice, and I knew I should make up for it, but I didn’t.
I stayed quiet in my seat and watched as everyone enjoyed their food until I heard another soft voice calling my name.
“Lucius…”
“Yes, witch?” I leaned my head a little back so I could see past Patrea and look at Althea, who was leaning back as well.
“Can we talk later?” She asked before giving me a warm smile.
“Sure, my place or yours?” I teased her.
“Cut it out, Lucius.” Patrea scolded me in a hushed tone, and it made me cackle.
“Isn’t that what humans say when someone of the opposite s*e*x wants to talk with them?”
Patrea rolled her eyes at me before tilting her head to the other side to look at Althea. “You’re not talking with him. I will speak to him about it.”
A smirk formed on my lips the moment Althea gave her grandmother a thumbs-up sign. I was looking forward to speaking with Althea tonight, but it would be far better if Patrea would tell me about her nightmares herself. And maybe we could also discuss the deal we made, because the sight of her rolling her eyes at me, was making my c*oc*k twitch inside my pants.
“You will walk?! Are you sure you don’t want to take the car with us? The packhouse is too far from here.” Lucija asked, her gaze shifting between me and Patrea.
“I can travel faster than your car, Lucija.” I chuckled as I slipped my hands inside my pants pocket.
Patrea was standing beside me, clutching her small bag in her hands. “I just need to talk with him. It won’t take long.”
“It’s dangerous out there,” Stone stated, but his mouth was twitching into a grin, while Lucija slapped her hand on his chest.
“Who would dare touch a witch and a demon in Alpha Stone’s territory?” I asked.
“I’m not saying the danger is the people around you. I meant both of you. If you decide to k*il*l each other, I’m sure my people will end up as casualties.”
Patrea chuckled softly, “I’ll make sure to k*il*l him first before he hurts anyone.”
“Be my guest. You can eat my heart too. I won’t complain.” I winked at her before I faced my sister and her mate again. “We’ll walk ahead. We’ll see you at the pack house.”
“Be careful,” Lucija said in a defeated voice before she pointed a finger at me, her eyes squinting at me. “Don’t shut off your mind. I want to know where Patrea is.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I gave her a salute and watched as Stone wrapped an arm around her. They finally decided to leave us alone.
“Ready to go?” I turned my body around and looked at her, and I just realized I was licking my bottom lip, which was what her gaze was looking at.
“Do you even know the way to the packhouse?” She asked.
“No. But if we get lost, I know what to do.”
“I’m sure you do. Let’s go.” She spun her body around and began walking on the sidewalk toward the exit of the restaurant.
I walked behind her for a while, checking her from the back, letting my eyes revel in the way her @ssswayed as she walked before I decided to walk beside her. “Are you cold?”
“Are you going to give me a coat?” She asked back.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I made a black coat appear on my hand and stopped walking. She halted as well and let me a*s*sist her in putting on her coat. “Next time, you can just make it appear on my body. I won’t mind.” She said that before she thanked me.
I didn’t reply again. I wanted to feel her skin, so I did it that way.
“Lucy told me Luther likes you.” She spoke as we began walking again.
She was trying to make conversation, and here I was, still thinking about how I would ask her about her nightmares or the contract. Being a king wasn’t helping me tonight.
“It was no surprise. Everyone likes Lucius. ” I smirked at her before I continued. “Except you.” “I never said I didn’t like you… It’s just that…” “You didn’t like my father.” I continued for her. “You remind me of him.”
“Do I need to change how I look?”
“No. You don’t even look like him.”
“So what do I need to do now?”
“Do for what?”
“I don’t know.” I scratched my head with my fingers, as I had no idea where this conversation was heading.
“Are you here to ask about our contract?”
There. I wanted an answer for that one too.
“I was hoping the six months would be enough…” I stopped talking when I saw her swallow. The dimmed light of the lamp post didn’t hide from sight the way her face lost its color at my words. ” Forget it.” “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have made that deal with you.”
“But you did,” I answered out of spite. “You shouldn’t make deals if you have no intention of fulfilling them. I thought by now you should have learned that after what Lucien did to you.”
f*uc*k. This was the f*uc*king reason I wanted to be away from her because I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from becoming the demon that I was if anger flared up inside of me.
Her jaw tightened as her lips quivered, but she bit her bottom lip hard to stop it. I saw anger flitting in her eyes, and I knew she would blow up at me, so I had to do something.
“I’m sorry…” I raised my hands in the air. “I
shouldn’t have said that.”
“But you did.” She threw my own words back at me. “If you want to take what I owe you, then fine. Take it. But don’t expect anything from me. I will just lay down there…”
She stopped as her lips quivered and tears streamed down her face. “… and wait for you to finish what you want with my body. Just seal my mouth so I can ’t scream. I’d been doing it for decades. I should get used to it by now…”
“Patrea… ” I hissed. sh*t. f*uc*k.
She wiped her tears with shaking hands while she stifled her sobs.
What should I do when someone cries?
“Can I hug you?” I asked.
“No.” She snapped at me.
“Do you want to sit down?”
“I want to rest now.”
“I can take us back to the packhouse, but if Lucija sees you crying…”
“Let’s walk.” She said this and began walking faster. “Do you want me to void the contract?” I asked, but something inside me clenched as if it restricted air from reaching my lungs.
“It’s up to you. Because I’m not sure how long before I can be ready or if I will ever be ready for it.” “How about we change the terms of the deal?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” She stopped on her track and turned her body to look at me.
“Allow me to stay with you for a while, and if you don’t become comfortable with me and continue to refuse to give me the s*e*x I want, I will void the contract and release you from me. And you will never hear from me ever again.”
“And when you say stay with me for a while, do you mean a year? A decade? Centuries? And where? I’m not going back to the underworld, Lucius.”
A smug smirk tugged on my mouth as my brows hiked up. I hadn’t thought of this idea until now. ” Let me stay with you and be a part of your daily routine for three weeks – which means I will live in your house and stay in your bedroom.”