Page 28 of Boyfriend From Hell

My head was on the devil’s chest, I had no idea how long we had been like that, but somehow it felt like home. Nothing made sense—yet, lying here with him felt right. I couldn’t discern my exact feelings for him, but I no longer felt the urge to flee.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I feel…good. Nice,” I said, and shrugged.

I honestly didn’t know how I was feeling, all I knew was that I didn’t feel bad. I couldn’t share that I felt like a part of me was missing, that seemed to me like it would be a mood killer. Besides, I knew he already knew exactly how I felt, on account of the mind reading.

“You feel nice?” He laughed.

“Yes, I feel nice.” I chuckled along with him.

“So, are you…really?” I wasn’t exactly sure how to ask the question.

“Is it not obvious by the horns? Yes, sweet one. I’m a devil.”

Looks like I didn’t have to know how to ask it after all. He laughed, probably at the randomness of my question.

I shrugged. “Hey man, I don’t know. We were in Portland after all. So like, it’s a valid question.”

“Does that not freak you out?”

“What? That you’re a devil? Well, yeah. It does—it did, I guess. But now, not so much. I don’t know what changed my mind, but it’s kind of hot. The whole devil thing. Besides, you’re pretty decent for a devil.” I glanced up at him and winked.

“Well, so long as you think I’m decent then.” He laughed and kissed the top of my head before gesturing to the room we were in. Surrounded by several fireplaces and rough stone walls. “And this?”

“And this what? Your room?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

Talk about awkward pillow talk.

I shrugged again. “I don’t know. It’s your room, so I don’t feel my opinion of it matters?”

“True, but this is also to be your room. We are in Hell. We’re in Hell. This is Hell,” he said with a tone so serious; I couldn’t help but laugh. “And granted, to me, this is comfortable. I want you to be comfortable as well and I want you to enjoy the spaces we will share.”

When I didn’t stop laughing, he said, “I’m serious.”

This all should have sent me on a downward spiral, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Tears began pooling in the corners of my eyes, and apparently, my fit of giggles was contagious, because Raios began to laugh too.

And, that sound? Worlds better than his moan.

“You’re so weird,” I wheezed between laughs.

I looked up at him and watched as the corners of his eyes crinkled and his laughter vibrated off the stone walls.

“What?” he asked, wiping the corner of his eye. “What is so weird about wanting my mate to be comfortable in her space?”

I rolled my eyes at his words.

“Who said I’d stay here?”

“First off, you did, when you came for me. Second, you don’t have a choice, considering our deal now, little love.” He chuckled again.

Oh, right. That. Would I really be okay with staying here in Hell? What would I even do here?

“You’re staring,” he cooed, and brushed his thumb along my cheek.

I shrugged, “you’re insane but beautiful—I mean, your laugh is beautiful.”

He rolled his eyes. “Well sweet one, you’re insane for suddenly being fine with the whole abduction to hell, fucking a devil thing.”

Was I fine with this whole situation? I wasn’t not fine about it, I felt finer about this than anything else recently.

I shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, bat-shit insane I guess.”

Truth is, if I really sat with these emotions, the reality was I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. Sure, this happiness was given to me by a legitimate devil from Hell, but it was happiness nonetheless. That, and I actually felt sexy and worthy of someone’s time, for once.

His smile faltered. “You will always be worthy of me. I will worship you until the stars fall from the sky and consume all the worlds, little love.”

I groaned. “Will there ever be a day where you’re not eavesdropping on my thoughts?”

"Oh, I’m always listening, little love," he winked, "and I always will be." “And what’s with all the pet names?”

“Pet names—for my pet," he said with a mock frown. "You don’t like them?"

I elbowed him in his side playfully, and he clutched it with a fake yelp.

“Such brutal strength for such a small mortal,” he groaned, pretending to double over in pain. “The agony! I think you’ve broken a rib!”

“Oh, shut up!” I giggled.

Mortal. The word stuck out to me. If he’s calling me a mortal, does that mean he’s not? Something about that made my heart ache.

“Enough of that, Deer. I will outlive you technically, yes—but I will not allow you to die without me. We are in this for eternity; besides, Death is a close friend of mine.” He winked. “Once bound, always bound.”

I chewed the inside of my lip. It wasn’t like I was going to die soon; I was only twenty-five. But the thought was a buzzkill nonetheless.

“Come on, you, we need to get up and get you something.” He moved to slide off the bed and part of me wanted to yank him back. “We should get you some clothes and whatever else you may need. Some food, perhaps?” He stretched.

“I only really need another pair of underwear—and something other than a dress would be nice. It’s not like I need clothes clothes.” I looked up at him. “There’s food in Hell?”

He looked surprised by my question. “Gluttony is a sin, baby. We got it all here.” He winked again.

“Come, I’ll show you. You’re in for a treat because if there’s one thing I know about humans, it’s that your idea of hell is outlandishly far from the reality.

” He raised an eyebrow playfully. “You’re here to stay, sweet one.

That was the deal you made, you’re mine, love.

You will get all the same perks I do, my future Queen. ”

Something twisted in my stomach at those words—Queen. Maybe living in Hell wouldn’t be so bad.

Wait. “Work—” I blurted out.

“Work?”

“Yeah, work. It’s a thing us humans do to survive. I can’t just leave my career…” I waved my hand above my head, causing Raios to sneer.

He knelt on the side of the bed and ran a finger over my chest.

“The mark on your skin is a symbol of our bond. It’s our symbol that we own each other, you own all that I own. You will never have to work to survive, love,” he said, caressing the raised skin I had forgotten about.

That’s right. Something burned my chest before, but I was too distracted to consider what it had been, let alone inspect it.

“But still, I—I’m a writer. I can’t just give up on my work. I’ve spent my whole life writing and building my reader community—”

He tilted his head to the side.

“Ah, your passion. Well, just tell me what you need and I’ll make it happen.” He nodded.

“Also, what do you mean we own each other?” I was beginning to panic. “I don’t really remember our deal—”

“A bond… we mate for life down here. You can think of it as me being your boyfriend, if that’s easier.

” He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“It’s not as scary as it sounds, and the scar of the bond is hardly visible to the naked eye.

It feels more raised than it is—it’s fresh.

After a few days, you’ll barely be able to notice it at all. ”

The word boyfriend struck a chord in my brain, and suddenly fragments of what initiated the deal flashed through my mind. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause, but I could recall the raw feeling of desperation and heartbreak.

“Come on, I’ll explain while we’re at the market. We really do need to get you some new clothes.”