Page 16 of Promised to the Demon King (The Demon Brides #1)

It was dark.

Nova struggles to see in front of her. It smelled damp and musty, so much so that the pungent and offensive smell burned her nose and brought tears to her dry eyes. It reminded her of something from a horror movie. There was a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her something was not right.

Where was she?

“Hello?”

Nova called out, unsure.

“Roz, are you there?”

She tried again but was only met with an eerie silence.

She needed to find her way out of this room; it didn’t feel safe. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that although no one responded to her calls, she felt she wasn’t alone in the darkness. There was someone or something in there with her.

“Hello? I know you’re in here. Answer me, dammit!”

She steeled her emotions and steadied her trembling fears.

A sinister chuckle was heard, echoing throughout the darkened room she was trapped in. A chill ran down her body, causing a sudden and visible shudder, which was met with another chuckle.

The realization or confirmation that she wasn’t alone set her fight-or-flight instincts on edge.

“Roz!”

She cried out. Where was she? Roz always came to her when she was scared or in danger.

"You will be mine. You will never escape me," the dark, sinister voice growled. Another uninvited shiver crawled through her body, seeming to please the monster in the darkness.

“Stay away!”

she shouted with authority, still unsure where the voice was. There was a fire sparking deep within her. A powerhouse was pushing forward. Protecting her.

The voice laughed with a smugness that irked her. She heard the scuffing of heavy footsteps, and they were approaching her. She could sense the heat of another body growing closer. Instinctively, Nova took a cautious step back.

“You will be mine!”

The voice threatened with a hiss.

“I said, stay away!”

she struggled to keep her voice firm and determined as she took another step back.

The room fell silent, and a heavier sense of eeriness filled the air. Although she could not see into the darkness, she still looked back and forth wildly in hopes of seeing something or finding an exit hidden somewhere.

She took another step back and then another, failing to realize that her cautious retreat had led her blindly into the threatening presence—the voice.

Two arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms firmly to her side and pulling her tightly to their much larger body. Fight or flight mode kicked in and Nova thrashed and struggled to fear herself. Unsuccessfully.

The voice laughs again, this time in victory.

“I told you; you will not escape me!”

The voice whispered in her ears as she struggled to break free. “The moment you stepped into my line of sight, you were claimed to be mine.”

“Help!”

she screamed, only to be met with a mocking laugh from the male behind her.

“No one is around to hear your cries; save your voice. You will need it to moan my name later, Nova. I am going to enjoy breaking you.”

The voice hissed; it’s harsh, hot breath on her skin sent unwelcome goosebumps across her body.

“Someone, please! Please help me! Roz, where are you?”

Nova screamed as though her life depended on it because it did. She needed to get away.

A doorway opened directly in front of her on the furthest side of the room. The light from the entrance shone through, almost blindingly so. Nova squinted to see the tall, imposing figure marching toward her. This figure's approach to her invoked a sense of determination and possessiveness.

“Help!”

She cried out again, trying to shake out of the attackers obstructive arms. The approaching figure picked up his speed at her words. His urgency matched her own.

“Stay away! She is mine!”

The male behind her hissed.

“Let her go, or die!”

The mystery hero in the darkness roared with raw power. Something about his voice, the edge of his words, struck her deeply. The earlier spark she felt within her was reaching out to the hero. It was like a beacon from a lighthouse and the hero was an approaching ship coming into shore.

She couldn’t explain it; the feeling erupting within her. This hero felt like a breath of fresh air, and she struggled hard—not just to get away from her attacker but to get to the hero before her. She knew he was male. His very presence called to her, and her body responded to the commanding aura. His masculinity was electric, shocking her heart back to life.

“Stay back!”

The villain behind her shouted as he tried to pull Nova deeper into the darkness behind them.

Nova twisted and yanked against the offensive body trapping her. Her head twisted around to look at her attacker once more; stunned, Nova gasped when she recognized the face of the man holding her.

It was Timothy!

“This is your final warning!”

The hero growled low. Nova looked at him. The now dim light made it hard to see the details of his features, but she noted his long raven black hair was braided, and his eyes were a beautiful but chilling icy blue that almost seemed to glow opaque white when he roared in anger. He stood at an imposing height, easily seven feet, and was as wide as the door he pushed through, if not wider. She had never met a man so large and imposing. She was in awe of his presence, and something was awakening within her, demanding her to stand by his side as though that was her place in this world.

Her heart began to race, her lips ran dry, and her fingers itched to reach out and run through his silky hair. She couldn’t see their details, but he was covered in black tattoos. She loved the idea of a man covered in tattoos. It screamed edge and danger. He was bare-chested, without a lick of chest hair to be seen.

‘Lick—’ Nova thought, quickly shaking the dirty thoughts away. She needed to focus on escaping but then, her eyes traveled back to finish her assessment of the hero before her.

Her eyes continued to travel-- lower. She subconsciously found herself licking her lips.

He was wearing incredibly tight leather pants that left nothing to the imagination. Even in the dim lighting, a dark shadow seemed to deliberately cast in one particular area. Wow! Was the first thought that ran to the forefront of her mind.

Quickly followed with;

Sinful!

Lusty!

FORBIDDEN!

Too many words flooded her mind when it came to describing her hero. She wanted to---

“I said, she is mine!”

Timothy tightened his binding grip, causing her to cry out in pain, drawing her back to the present situation. The hero snapped. His eyes indeed glow white as his teeth begin to elongate, and he lunges at Timothy, full of pure rage.

Timothy’s hold on Nova loosened as he stood there with his mouth gaped open in disbelief as her hero neared. Nova used this moment of distraction to twist herself free and--

“Nova! Nova, wake up!”

Timothy’s voice echoed in her ears, and she sprung awake in fright.

“Timothy? What the heck are you doing in my room?”

She demanded as she clenched the duvet closer to her chest, covering herself in panic.

What just happened? Was that all just a dream? Or nightmare, as she saw it. Who was the sex god who came to save her? Why was Timothy in her room?

“I will second that question!”

Allister stood in the doorway of Nova’s bedroom, his eyes burning into Timothy, who was still bent over closely to Nova.

“Brother, this is not what it looks like.”

Timothy began to stutter as he straightened himself up and cautiously stepped away from Nova and her bed.

“Is that true? Then tell me why I have now found you, not once but twice, bent over this young lady while she looks terrified?”

Allister spoke low and threateningly so. Something in his undertone drew Nova’s head to snap in Allisters direction. Her real life unsung hero?

Nova didn’t know much about Timothy or his family, but there was something about Allister that screamed, 'Don’t fuck with me!' It was a dangerous edge that many high-powered businessmen developed. Success taints a soul quickly if you let it, and everything about the way Allister moved and spoke told the story true. Although Nova didn’t fear him, she could see that Timothy did.

She was confident that if Roz didn’t trust him, she would be just as terrified as Timothy was. Allister moved into the room slowly. His movements were calculated and lethal. Like a predator locked on its prey in the wild. His eyes never drifted away from Timothy.

“I will ask you once more, brother. Why are you in Nova’s bedroom late at night?”

Timothy put his hands up in surrender and took another step back. He looked between Allister and Nova nervously. He licked his lips before speaking. “I was getting a bottle of water from the kitchen. I heard Nova screaming in her sleep. I tried to wake her up, that is all. I swear.”

“Then why was the door closed?”

This caught Nova’s attention. She looked at Allister. Now that she thought about it, her door was closed when she woke up startled. Timothy had entered her room and then closed the door.

“It must have closed behind me when I rushed in. I was trying to wake her up before she woke up the whole household.”

“What is going on in here?”

Carol’s voice broke through the building tension between the two brothers.

“It would seem as though I found your husband trying to take advantage of your daughter. Any thoughts on that, Carol?”

Allister didn’t spare her a glance.

“What?”

“No, I was just checking on her. Sweetheart, I would never cheat on you and have never lied to you. You know that.”

“Then why did I walk in on you attempting to assault your step-daughter in your office earlier sexually? You had her pinned under you then, too. I am noticing a theme here, brother.”

Allister threw out, and Nova wanted to hide under the covers. Her mother had a hateful stare, and it flashed over to Nova without hesitation.

“You whore!”

Carol hissed and stepped towards Nova but was stopped by Thomas, who almost seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“I wouldn’t do that, Ma’am. Your daughter has done no wrongdoing in this matter, and if you touch her, you will be charged with assault. I promise you that.”

Thomas warned her in a bored tone as though Carol’s presence was insignificant to him.

“Nova, pack your things. You are coming with me. I will not allow you to stay in this house one more minute longer.”

Allister's commanding tone snapped Nova back to the present. Her mind wanted the hero from her dream again, but looking up at Allister and Thomas, she knew they would do for now.

‘Roz?’ She called out.

‘Let’s pack up, little star. We are safer with Allister and Thomas.’ Roz whispered back, and Nova nodded at no one in particular.

She sprung out of bed, still in her pajamas. She quickly ran around her room, gathering her things. Ten minutes. That was all it took her. She knew she wouldn’t stay long with her mother, but a week. That was a new record, she was certain.

The group waited downstairs while she did. She could hear all the shouting and her mother's horrific cries. She listened to her name being shouted throughout the arguments, which was frequently in fits of anger from her mother's mouth. It stung but not as much as it once did.

Carol would never be the mother Nova had always longed for. Roz had become that role for her. She taught her more things than Carol ever had and was always there to keep her safe and comforted. Perhaps that was why she was nearly eighteen and still maintained an imaginary friend. Most kids lose theirs long before puberty, but if anything, Nova and Roz became closer, navigating life together.

Either way, Roz says they need to go with Allister and Thomas, and that is what she will do. Staying with her mother and Timothy had crossed too many lines. It was time for her grand escape now before the irreversible damage was done.

Nova looked around the bedroom one last time, exhaling deeply. She turned and looked at Roz standing beside her with a smile.

“Are you sure?”

she asked, and Roz grinned mischievously.

‘Are you doubting me suddenly, my little Queen?’ Roz's tone was teasing, causing Nova to roll her eyes and shake her head.

“You’re impossible sometimes.”

She chuckled.

‘You have no idea,’ Roz teased back, and they exited the room. The plan was never to set foot in this house of sin and mistrust again.