Page 6 of King’s Obsession (Obsessions #5)

Asmodeus

“Go. Be well.” The words tumbled through Asmodeus’s mind like daggers cutting and slicing. His thoughts were so chaotic at the sudden change to his world, he’d not found the words he needed to make it right.

Pain—it was all he could feel at seeing the crystal turned to sand in front of his eyes. Losing the connection stole his sanity, and he left before he did something utterly ridiculous, such as weeping like a child on his knees.

He didn’t go far, just to the edge of the forest, to the small peach orchard. He couldn’t bring himself to leave… yet, despite the breath-stealing crushing weight of loss that came with Dougal’s actions.

His scent was everywhere. Every breath filled his senses, taunting him.

What have you done?

His large body shuddered violently at the wrench, and wetness clung to the frozen skin of his cheeks.

He dashed at them with the back of a shaking hand, struggling to draw in another breath as his heart bled, sliced open by reality.

By harsh words. When he stared at the orchard floor, he expected to see his blood shimmer in the moonlight.

Go back, now! His human half became incensed, pounding at his skull.

It’s too late. He’s rejected us.

Fuck, did you not listen? Did you not hear?

I heard everything. I feel everything. He did. Even the gentle breeze touching his skin hurt.

As do I, his human half snapped back. He’s ours.

We claimed him the moment we touched each other all those years ago.

Centuries we have waited, his troll and I, for you to come to your damn senses and see that it doesn’t matter what the damn historians find, we have never needed the answers.

You’ve always had them. It is your fear for our troll that controls you.

I have nothing to fear. I am the king of the demon realm.

Stop lying to yourself, because we both know different. You fear everything about the demon realm and what it will do to our sweet troll. Yet here we are, alone, because fear is governing your actions. Do you want to lose him eternally?

If the histor—

Fuck that nonsense. Accept Dougal is our blissful one. Admit it and find a way to move forward. Say it, he is our blissful one.

He’s…

Our blissful one, say it or you’ll find out exactly how bad things can get. The pain you feel now will be nothing to the torment I will inflict on top. He deserves to be acknowledged, can’t you see that?

Asmodeus sucked in a breath, resisting letting his human side take the lead.

He had always wanted them to show Dougal that they accepted him.

Yet, the fear of someone taking Dougal from them had grown into a monstrous beast of terror.

It ruled Asmodeus’s demon and was stronger than their human half.

The fear, your terror, over the realm, it’s gone now, you win.

What are you saying? How do we win, he doesn’t want us?

Exactly, your stupid fear means they never will know about how blessed we were, because you’re too blind to see.

“Is there a reason you’re standing there like a statue in the moonlight?

” Wanda asked softly as she appeared as if out of nowhere.

Her dress was demure and landed on top of bare feet as she walked towards him, hair swaying over her shoulders, making strands glimmer in the moonlight as she moved.

Eyes as green as the forest pierced him and he sensed she saw more than he was willing to share.

“My trees are nervous even when I know you mean us no harm.”

“We do not,” he rasped, doing his best to keep his emotions in check. The dryad had suffered enough at the hands of demons. He knew her, and at Christa’s request, had come to make restitution for those demons who had attacked her. Their deaths had not allayed her fears, his actions had.

“Then did you get lost in the forest searching for Dakata?” she persisted.

Her head quirked to the side and though she never let her gaze wander down his body, he caught the apprehension at his state of underdress.

“Although the lateness of the hour would suggest that calling now may not be appropriate.”

With a thought, he covered himself in a long flowing robe and tied it at his waist, uncertain why he lingered. Liar.

“Where is Christa?” he asked like an idiot when he had no wish to speak to a demon of his… issues.

“She has some business to take care of in the demon realm, she will be along shortly. Did you wish to speak to her?”

The lie was there on the tip of his tongue, and it burned with all the others, he had told himself. “I… there… yes… see…” A demon king, known for being eloquent, here he was a stuttering fool.

“Is this about Dougal?”

The quiet question got his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “What do you know? What has he said?”

She giggled, and her curls shook around her shoulders.

“You and he are a lot alike. Dougal has said nothing to me.” Her expression lost the playfulness and turned serious.

“I am part of these trees, therefore part of the roots that reach into the ground. There is little in the forest that escapes the true forest dwellers, and I would say all that Dougal has been feeling of late, we feel, too.”

“Feel? What does he feel?” he asked before he could stop the question tumbling from his lips. From his heart when it hurt at what his rejection of Dougal had caused.

“Everything.”

He huffed angrily. “What kind of answer is that?”

“The only one.” She came closer, and her hand reached and touched his arm. “Fear, it can kill everything that is good with its shadow. It will smother a heart, the love within it, if one lets it.”

He stared down at the tiny hand daring to touch him.

No one in his realm would ever be so brave.

She had been the only person to touch him since the first time Dougal had.

He wasn’t sure how that thought ripped away his shield, but it laid him bare.

The truth of what life would be like to never know gentleness again. Care. Love.

A sob tore from his throat, then another, and he ended up sitting on the ground, Wanda sitting next to him, patting his hand.

“That’s it. Let it out.” She entwined her fingers with his clawed hand like it was nothing, but it was everything.

“It’s a heavy burden you carry. Put it down a while, then you might see your way more clearly. ”

Sometime later, when he had finally pulled himself together, or more tied himself into massive knots, he returned to the demon realm.

The moment he stepped through the portal, Asmodeus felt the burden that Wanda had spoken of more than ever.

He used a spell to remove evidence of his moment of weakness before leaving and heading through the palace to his bedchamber.

He looked right through the demons who kept the palace safe, not noticing arched brows or odd looks.

Tiredness dragged at his limbs, and his ass was numb from sitting on the hard ground.

Wanda’s words about sleeping first before acting on his decisions were wise.

Yet when he bathed, dried himself, and finally lay down on his soft bed holding the other half of the crystal Dougal had crushed to dust, nothing felt right.

He lay there until the day broke, his eyes never closing as he stared at the crystal, willing it to work so he could check on Dougal.

But with its counterpart crushed, nothing worked as he knew it wouldn’t.

The action Dougal had taken had made him acknowledge that he had to trust himself to protect Dougal.

With the instilled belief he could fight the whole damn realm and their snobbish beliefs about mixed bloodlines, he rose, dressed, and walked through the palace. He found himself outside the scroll's room, more out of habit than thought.

With his hand on the door handle, he stared at the wood, Wanda’s words running through his mind. Fear, it can kill everything that is good with its shadow. It will smother a heart, the love within it, if one lets it.

His hand fell away, and he swung around, his boots the only sound against the marble as he walked to the council chamber. His secretary, Baal, sat behind his desk dealing with all the requests that came with the responsibility of managing the realm.

His head bobbed, and the only sign of shock was the slight widening of his eyes as Asmodeus never entered his office until after noon. “Your Highness, good morning. What can I do for you?”

“I wish to organize a demon ball.”

“A demon ball,” he squealed, eyes bulging.

“Yes, a ball. We can use the large courtyard at the back of the palace. That should fit all the elite bloodlines and their families. Also invite all those who run the different parts of the realm and their immediate family, too.”

“All of them? That would be potentially over a thousand demons, Your Highness?”

Having organized nothing like this since his coronation, he understood Baal’s shock, but the demon forgot his place when he questioned Asmodeus’s actions. He rose to his full height, his gaze steely as it held Baal’s. “Do as I say.”

“Y-yes, sorry, Your Highness.” His cheeks darkened, and he dropped his gaze, hands nervously twitching in front of him. “When do you wish for this event to occur?”

He considered what he might have to do to get his blissful one to agree.

You did it!

He ignored his smug human half. “One week.” He didn’t await an answer and strode back out, his heart pounding as he went back to his chamber to change when he caught sight of the formal robe he’d put on.

Dressing more like a human and keeping his demon form, he slipped unseen back into the portal room. He fidgeted with his black shirt cuffs and realized he was delaying.

He sighed and stepped through the portal into the forest, into daylight. He inhaled and followed his nose. At Dougal’s house, he came up empty. He looked around and listened, hearing nothing.

Where is he? Never had he had any patience, so his level of tolerance at not finding Dougal left his demon ready to go on a rampage.

He’s here. I feel him. It’s like the first time. Maybe it’s time you remember how much fun it can be playing hide and seek.

I’m not a child. Even as he said it, his blood burned hot at the idea of this time catching his troll and keeping hold of him.

See, you can see the benefits. Now let’s find him.