Page 15 of Stalked By the Demon

My soulmate.

Epilogue

The bedroom is dark when I wake up. I’ve got a few more hours before I need to be up, but somehow, I’m wide awake. Frowning, I turn over and go to bury deeper into Bas’ arms. But instead of his warmth, I’m met with empty space.

His side of the bed is cold, like it’s been unoccupied for a while.

Worry coils my stomach into knots. I’m out of bed before I know what I’m doing, grabbing a random shirt from the floor and tossing it on. Only when I’m halfway down the hall do I realize it belongs to Bas, so long that it hits the top of my thighs.

The light’s on in the kitchen. Bas leans against the counter and stares out of the large windows above the sink, a mug of what smells like his favorite cinnamon coffee in hand.

Coming up behind him, I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face into his back. “What’re you looking at?”

Bas hums. “The city. No matter how many months I’ve been here with you, I still can’t get used to it.”

“You’re up early. It wasn’t another...?”

“It was.”

He turns and gathers me in his arms, coffee forgotten on the counter beside his hip. Since turning human, Bas found he lovescaffeine, and his tolerance is way higher than mine. I don’t think he’s ever gone without at least a few cups a day.

Maybe it’s because he struggles with falling and staying asleep. Every so often, he’ll wake up in a cold sweat with a wild look in his eyes, muttering about demons and curses. I’ve learned not to scare him when he’s vulnerable like this. Soft words and sweet kisses are usually enough to bring him back down to earth, and when he’s feeling better, I’ll ask him if he wants to talk about it.

Sometimes he does. Usually, he keeps it to himself, saying he doesn’t want to scare me. Which is kinda fair. I'm the biggest scaredy-cat I know.

With Bas, none of that matters. I want to know every little thing there is about him.

What makes him tick. How he’s feeling. If he needs me to back off and stop being so clingy.

But Bas is perfect. He doesn’t hate that I love to cuddle or berate me for my distinct lack of personal space. The way I see it, we really were made for each other. My touch helps him feel less alone, and his rock-steady presence calms me down.

Sighing happily, I reach up and pet his stubbled cheek. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

It seems tonight is a talking night, because after a bit of hesitation, he finally nods.

“I was in the field, once again a demon. Cornstalks rising around me and stretching on like a blanket with no ends. But none of that scared me as much as when I realized that you weren’t there.” His lips curl. “But the demon was. He was laughing, a cruel, mocking sound like creaking waterpipes. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone.”

A shadow crosses his face, and the words die away. Heart clenching, I throw my arms around his neck and pepper everywhere I can reach with fluttering kisses. His sharpcheekbones, the cut of his jaw, the hollow at the base of his throat.

The last one lands on his lips. Bas groans and clutches my hip, deepening the kiss until it turns filthy sweet. He tastes like cinnamon coffee and promises.

“I’m not going anywhere, Bas,” I say when we part, catching his gaze and holding it. “I'd follow you back to that damn cornfield if that's what you wanted. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”

The moment we met, this man felt like home. As I’ve learned who he is, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper for him.

He flashes me a crooked smile that makes my heart stutter. “You’ve become an essential part of my life, Charlie. Most people would have run for the hills if they learned I was a demon, but you stayed with me. You listened. My sweet angel.” The arms around my waist tighten. “I want to be together for as long as you will have me.”

Does he mean..?

Calm down, Charlie.He isn't talking about marriage, for fuck's sake. It's way too soon for that. Right? But it’s too late, the thought's already flashing in my head like a beacon.

“Okay,” I manage to croak out, trying not to get my hopes up.

But Bas knows what I’m thinking, even if I don’t say it. He always does.

His smile makes my heart flutter. “Don’t worry, sweet thing, I will make you mine in every sense of the word. But I won’t ask you for that tonight. When I do, it will be special.”

Tears prickle the corners of my eyes, but I wipe them away before they can fall, instead burying my face into his chest.

“Yes. A million times yes. It’ll be yes when you ask, too.”

“Are you sure? I know that I am not exactly easy to deal with.”

I kiss him again, and again, and again, until I’m panting and flushed hot from head to toe. “Don’t care, I want all of it.”

“Greedy brat.” But he grips the back of my legs and hauls me onto the kitchen counter, before stepping in between my parted thighs, arms bracketing my waist. “I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

This time, when he kisses me, he doesn’t stop. And I don’t want him to.

The End