Page 30 of Hunted By Fear

“The first time I saw you, I was in awe of you. When you came into the apartment with Asta to look around, I wasn’t aware you were a woman. Asta had told us that someone was coming to look at the room, but he conveniently failed to mention that you were a female.” She stays quiet, but I can feel that I’ve piqued her interest, and that gives me the push to keep going.

“I don’t have a lot of history with women in the last few hundred years. Once upon a time, I filled all my time with all means of men, women, lust, torture, fear, and excitement. I craved the feel of their emotions since mine had dulled so much in the fall. Lust was the strongest, like a drug, but it was lonely; nobody actually cared about me. At first, I told myself I didn’t care, but I could only believe my own lies for so long. With our positions here in Hell, it’s even worse.”

Aeri slowly pulls away, and I let her, setting the brush aside as she turns to look at me. There’s no judgment in her gaze, only curiosity and something else I can’t put my finger on.

“Sounds a lot like Talian,” she says as she cocks her head to the side as if trying to see this version of me. I snort a laugh, caught off guard by her assessment, but she’s not wrong.

“Yes, back then I was a lot like he is now, and he was a lot like I am now. Maybe we wore off on one another or simply got bored with our old selves after so many long, miserable years that way.” If I thought she was shocked by hearing of my past, she’s even more so hearing about Dantalian’s. Her brows shoot up before her face pinches, as if deep in thought. By all the rings of Hell, she is adorable.

“Hard to imagine, I know.” Her face relaxes, and she gives a nod, smiling up at me, and it’s as if I’m lost in her.

When was the last time I sat down and had a real conversation with someone, and someone who wasn’t my brothers… I don’t even know.

I hesitate for a moment, unsure if I should continue, when her stomach rumbles and her cheeks heat, clearly embarrassed.

“I’ll go grab something and be back in a second.” I’m moving off the bed, my back to her, when I feel her hand tentatively press to the top of mine, and I freeze.

“Thank you,” she says, her voice so low I wouldn’t have heard it if not for my heightened sense.

I turn to look at her over my shoulder, and the sight of her makes my chest constrict as if I’m being squeezed by a basilisk. Tears well in her eyes, but she doesn’t let them fall. She looks up at me, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, before she sucks in a deep breath and releases it.

“Thank you for not giving up on me,” she sobs, squeezing her eyes closed as a single tear runs down her cheek.

I move back to her, unable to leave now. I reach out and brush the tear away, cupping her face and turning her head back up to look at me.

It takes a moment, but I don’t rush her. I have all the time in the world. I’ve waited for her for so long; what’s a little longer when it’s her comfort on the line?

When she finally blinks her eyes open, I smile down at her, and she gives me a watery smile in return.

“I’ll never give up on you.”

I’m not sure whether she believes it or not, but I mean it. I’ve never meant anything more than those six words.

She holds my gaze for a moment as if looking for something, but whatever it is, she must find it. I watch her throat work as she swallows hard before pushing up on her knees until we're only a breath away. She pauses, looking up at me through her lashes. I don’t even dare breathe, unwilling to ruin this.

Fuck, I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest as I wait for her to move. It’s only been a moment, but it feels like it’s been multiple lifetimes.

Finally, she does.

Her eyes fall closed as she moves forward, her hand pressing to my chest to steady herself. I feel like I’m on fire everywhere she touches me.

I soak her in, committing this moment to the deepest recesses of my mind so that I never forget it. Even if I live for eternity, I want this moment, always.

Her lips are plush, if not a bit chapped, and I make a mental note to grab her some Chapstick. Hell isn’t the best place for moisture, so maybe some lotion, too. She tastes like candy, and I find myself wanting more as I wrap her in my arms, tangling one of my hands in her hair to get a better taste.

Talian had me try some recently. He knows my fascination with the mortals, but also knows I don’t go out much, so he often brought me random things, from candy to books or random trinkets. I don’t remember what it was called, but it was like a cloud that melted in my mouth. It was delicious, but Aeri put its flavor to shame.

We kiss, and I smell her arousal as it begins to fill the room. If I thought she smelled good before, I was mistaken. Even back in the apartment, it was never like this, and I get the feeling it’s because I know I’m the reason for her arousal.

I feel how eager she is, how easily she would let me push her for more, but I can’t. Not when she could slip back under his control at any moment.

With control I wasn’t aware I possessed, I run my tongue over her bottom lip before pulling away. Slowly, as if in a daze, she blinks her eyes open, and I find her pupils blown wide with lust. Her chest heaves as she attempts to get control of herself, only to realize she’s pretty much in my lap. Her cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink, and I’m weak because I can’t resist leaning in to run my tongue up the beautiful color.

Aeri’s eyes go comically wide, like in the cartoons mortals love, and I chuckle.

I don’t know what made me do it, but I’m not surprised that every bit of her seems to be delicious.

“I’ll be right back.” I move off the bed, and this time she doesn’t stop me. She remains where she is, watching me as I go, her hand pressed to her cheek, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.