Page 12 of A Cursed Heart

Malacoda

Seemed as if Ryan had already forgotten the most important thing about me: I was a liar and a cheat. My bond with him was not so fragile that I could not exist in another room without him. The couch just sounded like an uncomfortable and lonely place to sleep.

His fate was solidified the moment he didn’t kick up a fuss when I accidentally ended up in his lap in his vehicle.

Purely by accident, not design. The space had been much too small for both of us to reappear inside.

I had misjudged the room available and, luckily, found a sort of comfortable place to land, if I ignored the steering wheel in my back.

Ryan’s body was hard and soft in all the right places.

There was more to like about him than just his perfect body.

He did present a challenge, since he had not responded to my flirting.

Ryan hadn’t reacted either way to my current form in his arms, he hadn’t balked or complained.

There had been no physical reaction. Was he just indifferent to me, or was he not interested in men in general?

Time could overcome both situations given enough effort.

I wanted to make that effort for him. Gone were the thoughts of controlling this man.

Just up and vanished into the chilly spring air.

He had a certain ruthlessness about him that I appreciated.

For a change, I wanted to follow and not lead to see where he would take us.

Ryan, though human, possessed a strength of character I felt could overcome the pull of the gem.

He could be my long wished for master. The one to end it all. If that meant my death, then I was ready. I was tired.

Truthfully, I had expected more of a fight about sleeping in the same room with him.

I certainly had not expected to be permitted to share the bed with Ryan.

After so long in my gem, I would have been content with the floor.

Just being able to stretch out would be a luxury.

To have a form once more was like a dream.

Having a soft, comfortable place to rest was heavenly.

Even with how little I knew about Ryan, it was doubtful that he even considered the floor as an option. He had been far more affected by my story than I thought possible. Was my history so bad it elicited sympathy from a virtual stranger?

When I thought about it objectively, yes, it was.

Though I had committed many, many crimes against my brother, and also the rest of my family, my punishment felt disproportionate to those said crimes.

Centuries trapped alone, only being set free long enough to serve a revolving door of owners…

it was a wonder I had any sanity left. Yet, here I was on the other side of it, with a chosen master for a change, and I felt like even if he wasn’t the one to grant me my freedom, then spending time with Ryan would be enough to get me through the years after him.

I followed Ryan into his building. It was in a complex of buildings with assigned parking, as he explained.

All were clean, with trimmed bushes and neat lawns bracketing the parking lots.

The area had a pleasant feel. Ryan’s hands twitched at his sides as he walked us in.

He appeared nervous to take me home. Common sense, really.

I was a stranger to him. A demon, too. He had to be reeling from that alone.

In such a short space of time, Ryan had to adapt his worldview to add in the supernatural.

It was remarkable how well he was taking it all.

We took the elevator to his floor, delightfully pressed together in the small box as we rose through the building. Ryan kept looking at me and shuffling away. His reaction to me now was more uncomfortable than when we were pressed together in the car or even when I was in my true form.

“Mal, there’s no need to stand so close,” Ryan grumbled.

Heeding his warning, I took two steps away.

“Thanks.” He visibly relaxed. “Okay, my sister, Lydia, is two years younger than me and knows some of my college friends, so I guess we can say we met recently through my gym… not that I’ve been going much.

You called me needing a place to crash, and I picked you up after I was done with Salvatore. ”

“Your sister knows about Salvatore?” I asked, surprised.

“My sister knows everything,” he said in a flat tone.

“Even about your ex-wife?”

“Yeah.”

If his sister did not condemn him, it truly had to have been accidental, not just a lie he told Salvatore.

I had no opinion either way, and as his pet demon, I would obey him in all things.

Alright, that was a lie. There were things I would not do.

If I truly did not like a task, I would refuse.

Ryan did not have the power to make me do something outside of my will, unlike many of my previous masters.

He had no magic, after all. Neither was he a violent man.

Still, I believed Ryan would not ask me to do anything truly heinous like those in my past had.

When I had refused them, often resorting to magic to distort their order or outright avoid it, I had been punished, sometimes even breaking and performing the task ordered of me.

In my heart, I knew Ryan would not ask me to do anything he would not do himself, or anything I would disagree to.

The elevator opened onto a clean hallway. The tile floor shone, though some tiles were worn by regular footsteps. No doubt someone would replace them when necessary. “My neighbor likes to clean and check up on us,” he offered as an explanation when he caught me studying it.

“Do you like living here? All on top of each other?” This way of life was strange to me.

He studied me. “Not what you are used to?” he asked dryly.

“Not really, though it has been so long since I lived in the castle or my manor.” My words came out a little wistful. “I like this. Being so close to others.”

“Really?” When I nodded, he appeared relieved. Did my opinion matter to him? “I wish I could have afforded a place with a yard so we could get a dog, but this was in my budget, in a good area for school for Freya, and had a great reputation for safety.”

With a child in his life, that was important. Ryan was an impressive young man.

Ryan’s hand paused on the lock. “Please don’t tell Lydia anything other than our cover story, okay? I’m too tired for drama. I’ll tell her, just not now.” Looking closer at him, I could see dark circles under his eyes and feel the air of exhaustion around him. My master needed sleep.

“You have my word.”

He scoffed. “Could you try to sound more normal? Your speech is weird.”

“It’s difficult to stay updated with vernacular and accents. The technology you have these days is remarkable, connecting people so readily from all over the world. I have spent much of my time observing it rather than how your language has evolved.”

“Dude, that’s not helping.” He gave a sigh and shook his head.

“I’ll try harder to fit in.”

“Thanks.”

Ryan swung the door open to reveal a similar looking dark-haired woman on the other side. Her hands were on her hips, her lips a grim line.

“We’re cooked,” Ryan muttered for only me to hear.

“Hello,” I said with my most charming smile, stepping closer and letting out a tendril of magic. “You must be Lydia.”

What I assumed was Freya’s bedroom door closed with a soft click, closing Lydia inside with the little girl I had yet to meet. Ryan glanced at me, then tugged on my arm, pulling me into his bedroom.

“What the fuck was that?” he hissed, all signs of tiredness gone with his anger now in place.

“I merely used some suggestion on your sister. Nothing harmful!” I insisted when he shot me a disgusted look.

“Seriously?” His disbelief was hurtful, though I did not let it show.

“Yes. You said you were tired, and I was concerned Lydia wanted to know everything, which would keep you awake far longer. Using a tiny amount of magic on her, so little it will wear off by morning, felt like the right thing to do.”

Had I pushed him too far already? Would he hate me? It felt utterly ridiculous to be so concerned with this young human’s opinion of me, but here I was, justifying my behavior regardless. Gods, I wanted Ryan to like me.

Ryan’s rage seeped out of him. He had such a good soul, so pure despite his actions with his ex-wife. He was a protector at heart. I should have felt hurt that he believed I would harm his sister, except I understood why he had leapt to that conclusion. I was a demon after all.

“It’ll wear off?”

“By morning. My magic is low, meaning the effects of anything like suggestion wear off faster.” I was holding onto the remains of it for emergencies and to hold my glamor.

“Low? Are you sick?”

“No, I am well, thank you. I just need to replenish.”

“Like eat? You’ve not had food in a while, I guess.”

“Not only food, though I am not hungry in that sense. It is more… energy.” It had been too long since I had properly fed. I had almost forgotten it.

“Okay… how do you recover your energy?”

“Usually sex helps.”

Ryan made a choking sound. “Sex?”

“It is where the demon myths come from after all. We share energy while being intimate.”

“You aren’t sleeping with my sister! You can’t use her to recharge.” So protective. Such an attractive trait.

“Oh, she is the wrong Mallory sibling for that, Ryan,” I purred, leaning close. “While I am happy to bed females, I much prefer males for sexual pleasure.”

His mouth snapped shut, his cheeks flushed. It was a delightful look on him.

“Even a kiss could help in a squeeze.” He had to offer it or it would not work.

Ryan’s lips thinned. He seemed to shake himself out of whatever thoughts he had. “I’m going to wash up. There are spare clothes in the closet over there that might fit you.” Ryan closed the bathroom door firmly behind him. I heard the snick of a lock.

“Shame, but you’ll come around,” I murmured. The way he looked at me told me so. I just had to be patient. Not necessarily my forte, however, after all these years alone, I’d grown as a person. Maybe. I could handle waiting for him to come to me. Didn’t mean I wouldn’t flirt.

A moment later, the sound of water escaped the bathroom. Ryan was naked on the other side of the door and such a temptation. To push him so soon would be terrible for our future relationship. I could charm him, even without my magic, I was sure of it. I just had to give him time.

Inside the closet were so many items of clothing, it was difficult for me to choose what to wear. In my human form, our builds were similar. We were around the same height, too. Eventually, I found something that appealed to me.

By the time Ryan emerged from the bathroom, I was dressed in a pair of soft shorts and a worn t-shirt. Ryan scrubbed a towel over his damp hair.

“The gem’s hidden, okay?” I nodded, grateful he’d thought to do that so quickly. “There’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom for you. I left it on the counter. Need me to show you how anything works?”

“Could you show me the shower in the morning, please?” I asked, suddenly desperate for the feel of hot water sluicing over my body. It could wait. Ryan’s needs came first. “You are tired, so I would like to brush my teeth and go to sleep now.”

Truthfully, I was starting to feel a little worn around the edges without my magic to increase my stamina.

There was so little of my magic left I feared we could be left vulnerable if Salvatore figured out Ryan had the heart ruby.

While I thought I had enough if we were attacked, I felt so out of my depth here, it was possible I was wrong.

I couldn’t afford for anything to happen to Ryan. It made me anxious to think of it.

I quickly cleaned my teeth and rejoined Ryan in the bedroom. He looked distinctly uncomfortable in the bed. There was a bunched up blanket separating the two sides.

“Ryan, I would never touch you if you did not welcome it.” I sat on the edge of the bed near him.

“Please forgive my teasing. While sex is useful for replenishing my magic, being in my true form and taking in the ambient magic already in the air will help. I can even do it in this form, though it is slower by far, which is why I did not mention it before.”

He sighed and relaxed somewhat. “Alright. Get in bed, okay? And don’t go over the line.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

We both wriggled in the bed, getting comfortable.

Neither of us spoke, but the air lacked the tension that had been there before.

I wished to let my demon form out, but until Lydia and Freya knew about me, I had to keep that side locked down while they were in the apartment.

I thought I would struggle to fall asleep, yet with Ryan’s deep breathing next to me, I soon drifted off.

In the night, it was Ryan who moved first. I woke when he tossed his arm over my chest. By morning, he was tucked up against my back, his face in the crook of my neck. He felt perfect against me. Like he belonged there.

His proximity was electrifying, filling the well of my magic as swiftly as any kiss could.