Page 35 of Unbinding the Demon

Bright lunar rays set the scene below me aglow in a sea of glittering pale blues and shimmering silvers. The lofty mountains reached majestically up to the star-embellished skyline. Frosty forestland adorned each peak, glimmering in the moonlight. Shadows from the rugged cliffs and rolling hills obscured the deep crevices hidden between the towering rocks like blackened icy tombs. They reached out with their darkened hands to caress the soft dips in the valley below.

The inky-black waters of a large meandering river gleamed as it cut through the forested landscape. It flowed from the prodigious falls that cascaded down the side of a cliff-carved mountain. Tiny streams broke off from the river and spread throughout the land like thin little veins bringing life to the forest. Black, glassy lakes were ringed with layers of sparkling ice that had only recently formed around their curved edges. And in the distance, specks of warm light glowed from the town like fireflies in a midsummer field.

The scenery was breathtaking and never had I gotten such a magnificent view of the valley before. Unfortunately, I had no breath left in me for it to take away because I was screaming my fucking head off while clutching onto my demon boyfriend for dear life.

The frigid air bit at my exposed skin, causing me to savor the heat from Ashton’s body. He flapped his large black wings in a way that brought his soaring to a stop. I quieted down, but kept my arms wrapped tightly around him in fear as we hovered high up for a moment. Black mist surrounded us and then dissipated again. Ashton’s fiery eyes contrasted sharply with the cold, dark blue scenery of the night as he furrowed his brow and searched my face in confusion.

“Oh, here’s the problem,” he muttered in realization. One of his claws slashed through the sapphire necklace I was wearing. He pulled it from my neck, then carelessly tossed it away.

The deep blue gem glittered beautifully in the moonlight as it disappeared into the glimmering forest below. Black mist surrounded us yet again, but this time I felt the relief of warm air on my skin and heard the soft crackling of a fireplace. I looked around in a confused stupor, finding that we were standing in the middle of the living room, back at the house. The only sources of light were the peacefully flickering flames and the silvery lunar rays shining through heavy black curtains.

What the hell just happened? Did we just teleport?

Ashton looked like his regular human self again, but blood was still splattered across his chest and face. It dripped from his mouth and down his chin, making him appear like a vampire who had just fed. He collapsed to his knees while holding me tightly in a relieved, loving embrace. I continued to grip his neck, trembling in terror. My body felt frozen from both being cold and in absolute shock. The frazzled thoughts whizzing through my mind nearly drove me insane as I tried to comprehend all that had happened.

The dim light from the crackling fireplace danced across our embracing, half-naked forms. We stayed like that, unmoving for what seemed like a long time. Ashton eventually turned his head to look into my eyes with an apprehensive gaze. Another long, silent moment passed as we stared at one another. It was as if we were both stuck in a paralyzing trance, too afraid to speak.

“I was going to tell you.” He finally broke the ice with a deep but quiet voice as he searched my face. I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stared up at him with wide, shocked eyes. Both concern and fury etched his features as he gently ran a hand along my bruised cheek. “He hit you.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

His eyes glowed with a flash of rage for only a mere, measly second, but it was enough to break me out of my stunned spell. My nerves went haywire; anxiety spread through my veins like liquid ice. I panicked as the trauma of what had just happened sank in, and I wasn’t sure if I was having a moment of sudden sanity or insanity.

Oh my god. That actually just happened. The blood. The carnage. Ashton turning into a demon. A real-life bona fide demon... demon.. demon.. DEMON!

All the things Adelstein had said began racing through my mind. My eyes widened warily up at him, and a look of terror and betrayal fell across my face. “P-Put me down!”

I stuttered, gripped by fear while I wiggled and pushed to escape his tight hold.

“Wait, no!” he panicked and held onto me even tighter. “Please don’t be afraid of me. Let me hold you.” His voice went back to being soft as he clung to me, pressing my bare breasts against his bloodied chest in a steely death grip. “I almost just lost you,” he whispered, as though he were in pain.

Being confined by him only worsened my anxiety and sent me into full-blown hysteria. “Get away from me!” I screeched, with tears falling from my eyes as I thrashed to get away.

He realized that restraining me was making it worse, and reluctantly let me go with a sorrowful expression. “Gwendolyn, please. I need to explain.” I barely registered his deep, desperate-sounding voice as my weak, trembling hands clawed at the rug to pull myself off his lap.

My body flopped off him, and I scrambled across the room as I stood up. I turned and stared at him, my body shaking like a cowering rabbit. “Why didn’t you respond to anything Adelstein said?” I asked, my heart racing.

“Because there’s no point in wasting my breath on a dead man,” he replied while rising to his feet and offering his hand to me. “Please, come back over here. You don’t need to be afraid of me.” His voice was soft and calm, but his eyes were pleading and anxious.

Tension filled the room as we stood there for a moment, once again not moving, just staring into each other’s eyes. He may have been in his human form, but he still looked like a monster with all the blood smeared across his body. My hands trembled at my sides as I braced myself to ask my painful question, dreading his answer. “So, if the whole demon thing is true, then is it also true that you... killed my aunt?” I whispered the last part with hesitation. There was another long, tense pause between us. The only sounds were our strained breathing and the crackling fire. Tears welled in my eyes because his silence was already enough of an answer.

He ran his hand through his hair, his fingers shaking, while he looked down at the floor. “Yes,” he responded in a low voice. His eyes filled with remorse as he looked back up at me and took a step closer. “But it wasn’t intentional. It was an accident. Please let me explain what happened.”

I took a timid step back. His gently spoken words might as well have been venomous daggers stabbing at my fragile, broken heart. “An accident?” I scoffed as warm droplets streamed down my cheeks. “Well, what do you need my blood for then? Are you planning to kill me, too?” I struggled to ask, feeling a deep sense of bitterness and betrayal. I wished with all my heart that none of this was true. That I hadn’t fallen in love with my aunt’s killer. That this was all some cruel joke.

He looked hurt and taken aback by my last question. “I would never even dream of killing you. Please don’t ever think that.” His voice was gentle but firm. “And yes, I need your blood. I have a binding spell on me that renders me powerless except for a few minor abilities.” The warm firelight reflected on his silky raven locks as he nervously ran his hand through his hair again. I stayed quiet, but rage was building within me. “I need you to use your blood and perform an unbinding spell for me. It would only take a finger prick to reactivate and complete it, though. Nothing like what Adelstein was going to do.”

I took a deep breath to help compose myself. “And why do I have to be the one to do this?” My eyes narrowed at him.

He paced back and forth, his hands fidgeting as he spoke. “Because when Elowynn freed me from The Abyss, she used her blood to awaken the magic for the unbinding incantation, but she wasn’t able to complete it, because...” He froze with obvious reluctance to continue. “Because she died,” he almost whispered. “And so, only someone of the same bloodline can reactivate the magic and complete the spell for me.” He stared off into the crackling fire, unable to look at my tormented face.

This treacherous motherfucker .

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh. “Wow, so you’re the evil demon who was imprisoned in the Abyss for destroying several cities?” I muttered while shaking my head. A look of shame crossed his face. My blood felt like it was boiling within my veins, evaporating the remaining chill from my skin. “So it’s all true then, and this entire relationship has just been some crafty scheme to get me to perform a spell for you,” I scoffed, revealing my contempt. “That’s why you were so determined to get to know me!? Not because of a genuine interest in me, but because of an egocentric machination that involves my blood!?” A hurricane of fury swirled within my soul, his betrayal cutting deep. My gaze darkened over at the man—no, the demon— whom I had so foolishly fallen in love with.

A look of panic flashed in his eyes as he tried to speak. “Gwendolyn, please try to understand—”

“You killed my aunt and then tried to seduce me for your own ulterior motive!” I cut him off while seething. “You really are an evil demon!”

“Please, I need to explain further—”

“I can’t believe I ever trusted you!” I whipped a heavy book at him, with tears of both anger and sorrow falling from my cheeks.

He caught the book and gently tossed it onto the couch. “Look, yes, it’s true that this relationship began with some duplicity on my part, but—”

“But what!? You’re a fucking monster!” I began to full-on freak the fuck out.

I probably looked downright crazed, considering I was still half-naked, with ropes tied around my limbs and covered in blood, but I didn’t care. “How fucking dare you! You liar! You evil fucking liar!” I screamed like a maniac while furiously throwing more books at him.

Ashton just stood there, not bothering to block the books from bouncing off him. Each one thumped to the floor as he stared over at me with an apprehensive, tormented look on his face. Even through my rage, I could see that he wanted to make this right somehow. But how could he? He was a deceitful, murderous, self-serving demon, and I suddenly hated him!

“You robbed me of the only family I had! You planned to use me! You deceived me!” I threw a maroon throw pillow from the chair at him and watched in dissatisfaction as it bounced off his hard, unharmed body.

“Gwend—”

“You’re a fucking demon, for crying out loud! Your name isn’t even Ashton! You’re not really from Helsinki, fucking Finland! No wonder you don’t have a stupid fucking accent!” I screamed and hurled a large, colorful vase at his head. He blocked it using his forearms, causing the ceramic to shatter all around him and fall to the floor.

“Buttercup, please—”

“Don’t you dare Buttercup me! You deceitfully toyed with my heart and made me believe you wanted to be with me! You even tricked me into believing that you loved me!” My tears streamed down my face like little waterfalls with that knowledge.

“That wasn’t a lie!” His deep, demonic voice boomed through the room, causing me to stammer back a bit. He swiftly closed the distance between us and gently but firmly grabbed my upper arms with his large hands. “Yes, I have told you many untruths, but that was never one of them.” His golden eyes glowed like embers as he stared into my fearful, teary ones. “I do love you, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”

“Well, I hate you,” I whispered, my voice filled with venom as I glared up at him with loathing.

We both stood still again, staring at one another for a minute. I was panting and probably looked manic with fear, hurt, and rage all swirling around in my eyes. While he appeared remorseful and tormented, like I had just stabbed him through the heart. I wasn’t sure if I should believe that he loved me or not, though. For all I knew, he could have been saying that so I’d perform the stupid spell for him.

A wispy black mist appeared next to the fireplace. I froze up and stared over at it, wondering what it might be. To my relief, Belzar’s normal wolfish form emerged from the dark swirling cloud with the book still in his mouth. My anger cooled, and my heart broke at the sight of him limping and whimpering in pain as he stumbled into the room.

Ashton released me from his strong clutches, then walked over to him. “Shhh, shh, it’s alright. You fought well out there tonight. You’re a good boy,” he cooed at Belzar while crouching down, wrapping him in a warm hug and kissing his head. Belzar let out another pained whimper as he shakily placed the book in Ashton’s lap. “Shh, I know. I know it hurts,” Ashton said, his voice gentle as he stroked him behind his ear.

Ashton’s large, muscly arms and back flexed in the firelight as he gently scooped Belzar up and carried his limp body over to the couch. He laid him down with care and began inspecting his wound.

“You’re lucky that poison isn’t nearly as toxic to you,” he murmured to Belzar, whose big, sad, puppy-dog eyes landed on me. I stood there, still frozen, unsure of what to do. “Belzar wants me to tell you that he apologizes for frightening you back there,” Ashton mentioned, without taking his concentrated gaze off Belzar’s wound.

Wait... Belzar can talk to him?

I softly smiled at Belzar, then tried to peek over to see just how bad the damage was. But it was too dark to see anything since his fur was black. I also didn’t want to get too close to him. “Will he be all right?” I asked with hesitation, feeling conflicted. I loved Belzar, and it pained my heart to see him injured. But I also had witnessed him transform into a terrifying, undead beast; then he mauled and partly devoured six people.

Ashton gave me a small, sad half-smile. “Well, luckily, he’s an abyss wolf, so he’ll be fully healed within two to three days. But he’s still going to need lots of rest.” Belzar let out an annoyed whimper as Ashton continued stroking behind his ear.

The room went silent as I stared over at them for a minute. My heart started pounding in my chest as another wave of anxiety crashed over me. This wasn’t Ashton and his dog that I was looking at. This was the demon Azathoth and an abyss wolf... whatever that was . One thing was certain, they were both otherworldly monsters, bloodthirsty killers, and I was in danger here. I glanced through the archway, over at the front door, then back to Ashton, who seemed occupied with tending to Belzar. So I rushed to make my move.

My eyes shifted around, then I ran for it like my butt was on fire. I bolted through the foyer, snatched the car keys from an end table, then sprinted out the door and into the dark, cold night. If I'd had the agility and skill to have cartwheeled out of there without killing myself, I would’ve frickin’ done it. I jumped down the porch steps and hysterically dashed along the cobblestone path toward the car. I didn’t even care that I was topless. Fuck it! I gotta scram!

If I can just make it out of the valley—Oh no! Pepper Paws!

Realizing that I almost left my sweet little kitty in the hands of an actual demon, I swiftly turned around, planning to grab him and then make another run for it. The moment I turned, I collided with a large, hard chest. Big arms instantaneously wrapped around me. Black mist clouded my vision, and I was suddenly standing in the kitchen, held hostage in Ashton’s relentless embrace.

Maybe it isn’t such a smart idea to run from a demon who can fucking teleport.

“Let me go, you awful beast! You monster!”

I screamed while I squirmed and kicked, attempting to escape his powerful grip.

“Absolutely not,” he stated firmly, leaving zero room for argument. “Listen to me, and listen well.” He spoke with intensity while looking at me with glowing, infernal eyes. “I understand that you’re upset and want to get away from me. But let me remind you that Adelstein now has a small army of Abyss-corrupted souls, and they’re all out there looking for you . You are staying with me, and I am going to protect you until Adelstein is dealt with, whether you like it or not.” I stopped struggling against him, but his grip was still firm. “After that, I won’t force you to stay. You can leave if you wish.”

I didn’t know what to say or do, so I slumped against his chest in defeat and allowed my tears to flow. His grip loosened, and he caressed my back as he cradled me. I wanted to fight him and get away from his touch, but I was too upset and fatigued to even try.

“I’m so, so sorry,” he whispered. His hand gently lifted my chin, and his glowing eyes searched my face with concern. “We need to get your wounds cleaned. But first, you should drink some water. You’re severely dehydrated.” He swooped me up and placed me in a chair at the table. I squinted as he flicked on the ceiling light and grabbed a large glass. The faucet hissed as he began filling the cup. “I know I can never undo the wrong that I’ve done to you, but please, Gwendolyn, at least give me the chance to explain everything.” He handed me the water and grabbed my free hand as he knelt down in front of me. “I love you, and I don’t want to lose you.”

I looked into his sorrowful, pleading eyes and squished my lips into an angry flat line. “You’re right. You can’t undo being the demon who killed my aunt and then used me for your selfish agenda. There’s no need to bother explaining anything, because once this whole thing with Adelstein is over, I never want to see you again.” I yanked my hand away from his and turned my head to gaze out into the darkness through the window. I refused to look at him as I drank the much-needed water.

He remained crouched in front of me, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see he had his head bowed. Still not wanting to look at him, I let my attention drift back to the window, where I noticed my bedraggled reflection and sighed. “I need to go take a shower,” I muttered while holding back more tears. I placed the now-empty glass on the table and moved to stand up.

Ashton looked up at me and reached for my wrist, causing me to still. “Of course. Let me just get these ropes off you first.” Long, black claws extended from his fingers as he gently spoke. I ripped my arms away and tried to back up against the chair in fear. He grabbed my wrist anyway and gave me a reassuring but stern look.

“It’s okay. I’d never hurt you.”

Never hurt me? Yeah, fucking right. Tell that to my broken, bitter heart.

His sharp claws looped under the thick, bloodstained rope, then effortlessly slashed through it. I remained rigid while waiting for him to finish, as he moved onto my other wrist and then down to my ankles. I grimaced at the sting of my rope-burned skin. It was bright red and beginning to blister. He gently grabbed my hands and inspected my wounds. “Death will not be enough for that man,” he mumbled to himself.

I looked over at him in annoyance. “I’m not going to do the unbinding spell. So you can stop pretending you care,” I stated and tried to pull my hands away.

His grip tightened, refusing to let me go. The action caused a wave of fear to crash into my gut. “I am not pretending to care about you,” he stated in a tone that reflected his vexation. “Believe me, if I didn’t care about you, I’d be locking you away and ensuring that you never left my side. I’d drag you back to Hell with me. I’d force you into completing our infernal matrimony, regardless of your feelings about it. I would never even consider giving you the option to get away from me. I would possess you brutally and fully.” My eyes grew wide as he kept talking. “But I’m not going to do that because I do truly care about you and I do truly love you.”

I gulped and leaned back stiffly, as far away from him as his grip on my hands permitted. “Um, what do you mean by ‘back to Hell with you’ and ‘infernal matrimony?’”

He squeezed my hands and gave me a sad but loving smile. “I mean that once all this is over, I want you to come back to Hell with me willingly and be my bride.”

He can’t be fucking serious, can he?

I just about choked from shock. “I, um, well, I think I should go take a shower now.” I jumped up and scurried over to the archway, where I turned around and stared at him skittishly for a moment.

His blood-splattered frame rose with effort as he looked at me with a stoic but longing expression. His eyes were still glowing, and he hadn’t retracted his claws yet, making him a terrifying sight to behold. “Gwendolyn,” he softly called out to me, sending a shiver up my spine.

Yikes!

Without saying a word, I darted out of the room and up the creaky stairs. I almost tripped as I dashed down the hall and then scrambled into the bathroom. I frantically locked the door behind me, then scowled as I realized how pointless that was... No point in locking the goddamn door when he can literally teleport in! I threw my hands up in frustration and huffed.

I stripped out of my remaining clothes, then turned the water on. As I waited for the water to get warm, I peeked in the mirror and was shocked by the damage done to me. My eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles beneath them. There was a large bruise forming all along one side of my face and another one on my cheek from Adelstein smacking me. Dried blood and black zombie drool were splattered all over my skin, and I had an angry shallow cut on my throat. And to top it all off, my hair looked like a disheveled bird’s nest.

I sighed as I stepped into the stream of the hot, soothing shower and let my tears mingle with the rivulets of water and blood cascading down my fatigued, achy body. As I soaped up, I began to cry hysterically, causing my chest to heave with so much force that it became painful. I felt so weak and pathetic. Red and black swirled down the drain, growing lighter as the minutes passed. Once I washed away all the grime, I could barely stand. I sobbed as I slowly sank to the shower floor, cradling my knees to my chest. My eyes squeezed shut as every painful detail sank in.

Why was my life such a cruel joke? The man I loved and wanted to spend my life with turned out to be a literal demon who had killed my aunt, then used and deceived me because he was after my blood. And now he apparently wanted to drag me down to Hell and marry me. I didn’t know what to do. The only logical thing that came to mind was to go see a priest about it, but I certainly couldn’t do that. I was traumatized, my body ached, and I wanted regular human Ashton back. I wanted him to canoodle me and make the memory of Adelstein and the zombies go away. But regular human Ashton was a lie. He never existed, and I could never get him back.

I felt like an idiot for not suspecting something amiss sooner. I thought of all my weird erotic dreams, all his odd sayings and strange behaviors, his otherworldly growls and vocalizations, his tendency to literally kill people... Wait a minute . My eyes flew open at a sudden realization, snapping me out of my mini mental breakdown.

The two guys who had tried to kidnap me at the club... They had spoken about the clergy, which turned out to be real. I had watched Ashton kill them with glowing eyes while using his sharp claws, which he actually has... That wasn’t a hallucination.

I gasped as I remembered my vivid dream that night, wondering if that could have been real, too. I trembled as I recalled what Aunt Elowynn had told me. I had replayed the entire dream over and over in my head in a lame attempt to hold on to her memory, so I still knew every word that was spoken by heart. “Promise me that you will unbind the power that can avenge my death. Extend mercy to my killer and forgive him.” She had pointed into the well at Ashton’s image when she’d said that .

Oh my god. I didn’t even know she was killed by someone when I had that dream. I thought her death had been an accident!

I scrambled to stand up, then turned the water off. Small beads of water clung to my skin and induced shivers throughout my entire body, adding extra tremors to my already shaking frame. I jumped out of the shower and reached for my favorite fluffy red towel. I wrapped myself up in its snug embrace, then rushed down the hall and into the bedroom. I began rummaging through all the useless junk in my nightstand drawer like a crazed lunatic. Come on, where is that fucking journal!? I slammed the drawer shut in frustration, then rushed over to the bookshelf. My eyes scanned over all the weird knick knacks and books until they landed on the little green journal.

Bingo!

I snatched the journal up, then sat down on the bed, searching through it with a sense of desperation. My hands trembled as they flipped through the slightly yellowed pages. Water dripped from my soaking hair, leaving little wet spots on the velvety coverlet, but I was too busy hyperventilating to notice or care. My crazed eyes raced across the last pages, and I gasped as a very shocking realization hit me like a pile of bricks.

Oh my god... She wants me to unbind the demon.