Page 51 of Demon Bound

“That’s all?”

“Yes.”

She crossed her arms. “Perhaps you should ask me what I plan to do, instead of telling me.”

He scowled. “What do you plan to do?”

“I don’t know. I hadn’t decided yet, and I was considering my options.”

His lips twisted downward. He glanced away, and she could see the muscle in his jaw silently flexing before he returned his gaze to her. “You will remain with me, and I will feed from you.”

“Is that a command?”

“If it must be.”

It felt like a knife twisting in her chest. “You can’t do that. You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my master.”

“There is nothing you can do to stop me. You are weak.”

Raiya gaped at him. She shut her book and stood up. “Howdareyou talk to me like this?”

He stood up too, towering over her, unapologetically intimidating. “You give me no choice. I must feed, or I will grow weak and die. There is no other option.”

“Perhaps I would have continued to help you if you had just asked me. Did you think of that?”

“You said you were considering leaving me.”

“So you’ve decided to force me to stay?”

He waved his arm in a rare outward display of frustration, baring his teeth. “If you refuse, you will force my hand!”

“So if I tried to leave you, you would keep me against my will? And how will you feed from me? Do you plan to hold me down and torture me?”

“I do not want to hurt you.”

That made her feel a little safer, but not much. “Then what is your plan, exactly? How will you feed from me if I’m unwilling?”

He had nothing to say to that, apparently. The silence was deafening.

“I thought you—I thought we were getting along.” It sounded stupid now that she said it aloud. This was his nature. What else had she expected? It was only just recently that she’d started to think of him as a companion instead of an enemy, anyway. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t have my trust and friendship while also holding me hostage.”

“I apologize if I gave you the impression that you should trust me,” he said sarcastically.

“You’re right. That was my mistake.” She shoved her notebook under her arm and shelved the book she’d been referencing before stalking toward the door.

Azreth grabbed her arm to stop her, and she stiffened, looking back at him nervously. His expression was hard but wavering slightly, like he was wrestling with several emotions. “Where are you going?”

“To my bed.”

“It’s only midday. You will not require rest for hours.”

“And?”

“Aren’t you going to try to undo my binding?”

“When I’m not feeling so exhausted, maybe.” She glanced down at his hand on her. “Release me.”

He hesitated, then let go. She left without another word.