Page 62 of Demon Heart: The Complete Series

ROMAN

I froze as a shrill keening rolled across the swamp.

Oh, shit. What now?

I waited for the storm to land, but nothing happened. I didn’t hear the noise again.

“Fuck…” I carried on, my spell still up and hiding me.

Intermittent lampposts shone their lights on insects hovering over the dark water, bubbles popping before a tongue poked out to munch on them.

As far as my eyes could make out, there was swamp in every direction, this walkway weaving toward a horizon of night sky and blue stars.

Man, I hoped an end point would show itself soon, or even a hint of different landscape. Give me a mountain, a hill, even a couple of trees.

Just keep going…

On and on I went, freezing cold yet sweating profusely, hands hot with pain. I should get back to my flat, down some Synth pills for the pain so I could use Synth for longer and get myself a magical boost. Basically, recharge before going after Xavier.

But Butterfly was in my time now. He’d be hunting me down for killing his friend and blasting him with magic. He wouldn’t give me the chance to shower, rest, and guzzle chamomile tea.

I seriously wanted to beat the living shit out of him. And myself for allowing him to be in the future. For not being strong enough to resist, for allowing myself to fall into his trap of curiosity and heartbreak.

Because my heart, real or not, would not stop hurting over what I’d discovered. I might be keeping the shock at bay, but it still sent tremors through my soul. Still rocked my world. Hard.

Everything about me threatened death and chaos on a mass scale if the demon got his wish.

I didn’t want to die. Even when my grief got too much to bear, taking my life wasn’t an option.

But as I hurried across the swamp, I wondered if maybe it would for the best to dive into the water and let whatever lurked in the inky dark take me off the playing field.

For the greater good.

But I carried on. Despite everything, I wanted to hold onto my life, to explore this thing with Xavier, even if a part of me told me I didn’t deserve happiness.

Fuck that voice. Fuck that thinking. I might be a killer, but the world was full of devils, me one of many.

If I wanted to fight for a new life, the possibility of a relationship, then I wouldn’t willingly lay down and die.

What if you have to?

Beating wings sounded above my head.

Huh?

A demon cut across the sky. Humanoid, covered in white feathers apart from exposed breasts of blue skin, nipples pieced with silver rings.

White horns covered most of a blue scalp, wings as white as a dove’s.

And huge. But not as huge as the talons at the end of her feet, or the curved claws on her fingertips.

I stopped. The spell might be hiding me from her roaming white eyes, but it didn’t give me the confidence to keep going.

The demon landed on the walkway, her wings folding up behind her. “I’m sure I heard commotion here. There is never commotion.”

I waited for another demon to respond, but none did. She was thinking out loud.

She sniffed the air. “A strange smell…”

Shit.

“Is anyone here?” she wondered, sniffing again. “I smell blood that is…I’m not sure.”

A figure appeared in the distance, practically a dot. Moving fast.

The swamp equivalent of a mirage?

The winged demon walked to the edge of the walkway, sniffing the water. “Something down there?”

I held onto my diversion spell, as still as a rock.

“Something is here,” the demon said. “Something is hiding.” She moved around me, sniffing the air, crouching to dip a finger in the water. “Ooo!” The demon snagged a frog, the poor thing kicking its legs on the end of her blade-like claw.

The demon’s face changed, her features narrowing, her mouth transforming into a blue beak, white eyes now very bird-like.

Her prey screamed its froggy scream before being tossed down her gullet.

Snapping her beak closed, she rubbed her belly.

Gross.

“I do love swamp frog,” the demon said, eyeing the water.

The figure inched closer and closer. Pale, familiar, looking like Xavier.

“One more for the skies.” The demon caught another frog.

That was Xavier approaching, close enough now for me to make out his features.

Oh, thank God.

Excitement got my feet wanting to perform a celebratory jig. I held firm, not dropping my spell. I’d wait and see how this played out before I revealed myself to him.

He’s here. He’s here. He’s here.

Man, listen to me getting all happy in the face of danger!

After eating her second frog, the demon shifted her face back to her other form. “A spider approaches.” A blue tongue ran over those blue lips.

And then he was there, slowing to a jog, coming to a stop at a safe distance from her. He ran his hand through those platinum blond locks, his whole demeanor shaky, a far cry from his usual terrifying yet sexy aura.

My skin recalled his touch, the way he’d held me, how he’d made me feel so warm and safe even though he was supposed to be the enemy.

Thank God he was safe.

“Hello there, spider.” The bird demon waved her claws at him.

“Hello.” Hearing Xavier’s voice weakened my knees.

“You’re in a hurry?”

“I’m looking for a friend.”

“Oh? What do they look like?”

He described some of my features.

“Handsome.”

“He is.”

“Does he live on this level?”

“Not usually. We had an argument, and he ran away,” he lied.

Good little spin from the, er, silk spinner.

“Arguments are terrible. I do hope you can find this handsome demon and resolve your issues. I lost my lover after an argument. He ran into the human world. A witch slaughtered him. I will never be over it.” Paradoxically, she offered him a bright smile.

“I’m sorry,” Xavier said.

“No need to be. But do tell me one thing.”

“What is it?”

She sniffed in my direction. “Do you smell the strangeness in the air?”

Xavier took a deep breath through his nose, his mouth quirking slightly.

Did he catch my scent? He shouldn’t be able to with my diversion spell up. Same for the bird demon.

“I don’t smell anything but swamp,” he answered.

“I see. No. No. No. There’s something more to this air.”

Shit.

The bird demon shrugged and caught another frog. “Just one more for the skies. Truth this time.”

As cool as ice, Xavier watched her eat.

Please don’t run away… I begged him, hoping he’d catch the words in his mind.

“Good luck!” the demon yelled, beating her wings. She took to the air, flapping away and out of sight.

My shoulders sagged with relief.

“Roman? Are you here?”

I dropped the spell, my legs giving out.

He caught me, clutching me to him. Unable to hold them back anymore, my tears broke free. I sobbed into his chest, grabbing handfuls of his jumper.

“Oh my God…” I spoke through the sobs. “This is so fucked.”

He stroked my hair, speaking in a soothing baritone prickling every hair on my body. “You’re in my arms and that’s all that matters right now.”

His words jolted me out of the tears. I peeled my face off his chest, looking up into his icy blue eyes. “Did you really just say that?”

“Don’t you like it?” He rubbed under my eyes with his thumbs.

“I forget how smooth your skin is.”

Xavier smiled. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Huh? Oh right. No, I liked it a lot. I’m just not used to hearing that stuff.” I dabbed at my eyes and nose with my sleeve. “Man, I feel grim.”

“It’s true.”

“The grimness?”

“Yes, but I’m talking about you being in my arms.” He cupped the right side of my face, his natural heat so delicious.

“I like being in your arms. But this isn’t the place.”

“Absolutely.” He scrutinized me properly then. “You’re covered in so much blood.”

“Not mine. It’s a long story.”

“One you can tell me in better surroundings.” He looked behind me. “I gather you escaped Butterfly’s lair?”

“I did.”

“It’s back there?”

“Yeah. Think the door might move around. It disappeared when I escaped.”

“I see.”

“We don’t have to go find it again, do we?”

“Of course not. Climb on my back. Let’s get you to hot water and clean clothes. I enjoy you smelling nicer than this.”

I laughed lightly, ready for another meltdown. “What…” My voice cracked. I swallowed back the trembling agony trying to escape my lips. “What level is this?”

“712. Part of the insectoid levels.”

“Right.” I climbed onto his back, relieved to have his strong body beneath me. His natural warmth kissed my aches and pains, immediately shoving the chill of the demon realm away.

“Oh, God. You feel so good,” I said.

“And I’m not even inside you. Yet.”

I batted him on the shoulder. “Behave.” His remark felt as good as his body.

You are safety.

You are…

…I didn’t know what he was, really. A sight for sore eyes, my glimmer of hope in this swamp.

“Could you smell me?” I cast diversion over us. It flickered, pain shooting through my fingers.

“No. But I knew you were here after she said what she said.” He started walking back the way he’d run.

My magic wasn’t strong enough to fully resist that bird demon’s nose, apparently.

I tried the spell again. “Fuck.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m trying to cast some diversion on us.” Locking my legs around him, I lifted my arms, trying to shake some energy back into my hands. Synth sputtered, then came to life. But my God did it hurt.

“Don’t force it,” he said.

I tried again, the pain too much. “No, I’ve got to stand it. I’ve got to cover us.”

“You don’t. There is a gate to the next level at the end of this walkway.”

“What if that bird thing comes back?”

“I’ll rip her beak off.”

I locked my arms around him again. “Deal.”

“Brace yourself for some speed,” he said. “The sooner we’re out of here, the better.”

“Amen, my demon friend.”

“Just a friend?”

“With many benefits.”

“Soon.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ll let you ponder that.”

Sex, sex, and more sex? Who had the damn time for being naked and seeing how far my legs could bend behind my head?

Ah, what a dream.

But what about spending more time together with clothes on, too?

Think about it later!

Xavier picked up speed. We were getting out of here. I was happy to play the helpless guy to his big strong demonic energy if it meant getting clean and away from this place.

He hit full force, tearing across the walkway. I closed my eyes, wondering if I’d pull a few Gs, the air whistling in my ears. I wrapped my arms more tightly around him, losing myself in his solidity.

“Thank you for coming for me.”

I didn’t expect him to hear, but he answered with, “Of course, Roman.”

That set off the warm and fuzzies.

I heard a heavy thud and Xavier came to an abrupt stop, my insides rattling.

“What the fuck?”

The bird demon was back, blocking our path. There were trees here, kind of like palm trees but with fluffy-looking leaves, poking out of the water in a uniform line along the walkway.

“You found him,” she said, sniffing the air. “So much blood.” She licked her lips. “I smell fairy. Is he a fairy?”

Xavier tensed, whispering for me to stay on his back.

“No, he’s not a fairy,” the spider demon answered.

“Then he killed one?” She sniffed deeply again. “I knew I smelled something strange. I just knew it.” Her eyes went to the water. “Wait. He’s not the strangeness. That’s not right. Something is not right with the?—”

A tentacle lashed out of the swamp, catching the bird demon.

And then the rest of the creature followed.