Page 22 of Stalked By Pestilence
He must’ve picked up on it because he bent down and lifted me into his arms. Without saying another word, he walked us to his bedroom, cradling me close to his chest.
After a moment of hesitation, I put an arm around his neck and buried my face in his throat, fighting the burn in my eyes that threatened tears if I wasn’t careful. His steady pulse lulled me into a freer place inside my head.
I couldn’t say how long he held me. It could’ve been hours before he let loose a sigh and helped me out of my damp clothes. I complied quietly, my movements lazy and somewhat stilted. He didn’t say anything, just pulled one of his shirts over me. It was big enough to be a dress.
Zelus eyed my skinned knee and the place where I’d been grabbed around my neck. Did the hand leave a burn? A bruise? A mark I’d forever carry? My throat seized at the thought of being forever marked as a victim. In truth, a part of me had been marked as one ever since I was thirteen.
The giant redhead raked a hand through his hair, muttering something I couldn’t hear under his breath. His eyes went to my knee. “Let’s get that fixed up, love. I’ll only be a moment. Get under the covers and warm up.”
It was a command that toed the line of dominance, and normally that type of tone had my hackles raising in disgust, but it was exactly what I needed right now.
If I got into his bed voluntarily, would that reaffirm this thing between us? What did a joint delusion mean for us? Did something like that make a relationship more or less likely? Any therapist would argue it was trauma bonding in that case. Not that I ever considered dating anactualmonster.
But I did what he wanted. I crawled under the comforter. His bed was ridiculously soft and welcoming. The shivers that had taken hold of me after the weird demon attack had subsided some, but the shadowy face with terrifying eyes was always there when I closed my eyes, its hand searing into my throat with the promise of violence.
Strolling back into the room with a little box, Zelus eased his way to my side and only lifted the blanket around my legs, keepingthe topmost part on me. His jaw clenched a few times before he gently moved my leg and started to clean the wound. I might’ve hissed, but unlike the jokester I met the night before, he never called attention to it.
After applying a band-aid, he got up and set the first-aid box aside. Then his shirt was off and falling to the floor. I tracked it with a sharp rise of my eyebrow.
The glance he gave me was full of mischief. “I might be a lot of things, but an absolute twat who takes advantage of a woman who’s been put through hell isn’t one of them,” he assured me, his raspy voice carrying across the room with all the confidence he owned.
He traded wet denim for grey sweatpants—a few hilarious comments came to mind, but I swallowed them—and then he was getting under the covers with me. After a brief moment of hesitation that was very unlike him, his arm went under my back and he drew me in close.
His heat was the sun on my skin, pushing out the chill that had taken hold of my bones. I couldn’t help the soft sigh of contentment or the little shift closer if I’d tried.
His hand traced the front of my neck in a barely-there caress, as if he was worried it’d hurt me. I didn’t feel anything there, but the creature must’ve left a mark by the way he seemed to trace the same path as the fingers that had previously squeezed around me.
Finding my courage, I finally asked, “What are you?”
His huff of laughter lacked the usual amusement. “Not a demon, if that’s what you were thinking.”
His muscles were tense under my hands. “I didn’t think—well, you do have fangs and claws. It’s an easy conclusion to draw.”
His chuckle was a lot more amused this time. “I can’t argue there, Viper. I am something of a beast. I guess humans would call me a demon or monster.”
It should overwhelm me with panic that he’d essentially admitted to being some sort of supernatural beast, but it didn’t. Maybe because his hold on me was so gentle, as if I’d come apart in his arms if he put any strength into it. Maybe because he whispered his pet name for me with such reverence. Maybe because he was the one who’d come to my rescue.
He might be an arrogant asshole who needed to be dropped down a peg or two, but I didn’t really feel unsafe with him. Or maybe a therapist would argue this was the Suspended Bridge Effect. Bonded through trauma. Either way, I embraced the crazy and his warmth.
My eyes lifted, finally looking at the odd reptilian pupils and studying the pretty fluctuations of light that played in his irises. Beastly eyes like these should be horrifying, but on him they were gorgeous. Fitting, I’d argue.
After the brief spike of caution subsided, I traced his cheek and marveled at the scales that seemed to ripple across before disappearing. “A snake monster, then?”
One side of his mouth hitched up at my whispered comment. “Not a far-off guess. My original form has a lot of similarities to a snake.” As if to prove it, his grin broadened and the fangs from earlier were back. “Does it bother you?”
If I hadn’t known better, I might’ve thought I heard the briefest hitch of apprehension in his question. But it was swept away with another one of his sly grins.
I hummed in my throat, daring to trace one of his fangs, and my eyes flickedup to his. “Do they hurt?”
His reply was a guttural husk. “Not if I don’t want them to.” His knuckles brushed my cheek. “They can bring as much pleasure as they bring pain.”
Heat unfurled between my hips, but I chose to ignore it. Sex was my go-to response for everything, and this situation wasn’t any different, but I didn’t want to lose the chance to ask questions. He’d been cooperative in a way I hadn’t expected, so I pried deeper than I probably should’ve.
Blame the lawyer in me.
“Is that demon the reason you’re hanging around me?” I asked, almost afraid of hearing the answer. “Is it some…you know, big and bad supernatural beasties battle over prey?”
By the way his eyes glinted and his smile faded, I’d struck a nerve. “My interest in you is mine alone, Emily. The rest of them can bugger off.”