Page 27 of Satanic Shadow

“Okay,Peter,” I reply, walking to the desk and collecting the list. “Read it.”

“Do not call me by another’s name.” He snatches it from me and reads each word of task two with a deepening scowl, then squeezes the scroll in his fist. “No.”

I raise a brow. “No?”

“I will not touch you for six hours. What kind of challenge is this?” He rips and tosses the paper, but with the magic the professor cast on it, it just unravels and floats back to us.

“It’ll make task three easier.”

He glares at me. “And what is task three?”

“You need to kiss me.”

Dane looks like I just killed his mother.

He turns and walks towards the door.

“Where are you going?” I call.

“To hang myself.”

“Stop being dramatic. Just…” I bite my lip, unsure how to word this. “The professor said we can sleep in the same bed and it would count. We’re supposed to share during the weekends anyway.”

“Is this your way of seducing me? Because it isn’t working.”

I snort. “If I wanted to seduce you, I could.”

His eyes flicker from green to silver then back to green. “I will not fornicate with a human.”

I just roll my eyes again because I’m sure he has no idea what that means. “I’m going to shower and get ready for bed. If you’re serious about these tasks, come back here in an hour.”

Dane looks at me.

I pull my shirt off, throw it at him, and head for the bathroom.

By the time I’m washed and in my nightdress, he’s gone. I tuck myself into bed, blow out my candles, and melt into my pillow.

The door creaks hours later, but instead of barreling in and demanding boundaries, I hear him mutter to himself that he can do this followed by the sound of fabric hitting the floor.

The mattress dips behind me, and I hug the duvet to my chest as Dane settles into my bed.

His shoulder is to my back. “Is this good enough?” he asks quietly, a whisper in the dark. “For the task?”

I nod once. “I think so.”

“Goodnight, mortal.”

I flatten my lips. “Will you ever call me by my name?”

“No.”

I huff, and the bed shakes. He’s… laughing?

“I hate you,” I say, battling a smile. “I really hate you.”

“That’s why you want me to fuck you.”

I turn to face him, not realizing how close we actually are. “If you got my text, I said it was an in-the-moment thing. I’d rather fuck a cactus.”