Page 18 of My Demon Charming
He steals a kiss from me. A deep, passionate kiss that’s also tender and soft and so heartwarming it’s unbearable. Everything he causes inside me is a constant escalation of emotions I’ve never felt before. I just hope I can take them and they won’t utterly overwhelm or destroy me.
His taste lingers long after he puts an end to the kiss, and like any good drunken man, I follow his mouth.
What am I doing?
I pull back and apologize.
“You’re so sweet, Yu-jin. You’re the sweetest boy I’ve ever met. Don’t ever apologize for being you.”
I know it’s cheesy, sappy, or cliché even, but…I haven’t heard anyone tell me these kinds of things in so long. Since my mom died. Even longer, actually. Kevin broke her spirit long before he broke her body and soul.
So I don’t care that his words are cheesy, sappy, or cliché. They’re everything I’ve longed to hear.
“So…that’s Brimfang?” I turn away from his gaze because how do you even reply to such things.
“Yeah. Brim for short.”
Brim cuts the distance between us, and I have half a mind to step back, but A: that would mean jumping to my death, and B: she’s not going to hurt me. He promised.
“Hi, Brimfa—” I start when Brim butts her head against my stomach and knocks the wind out of me.
She hates me. She fucking hates me, doesn’t she?
But then, why is she rubbing herself against me?
“Sorry. She can be a little rough with her affection sometimes.”
At that, Brim looks at Lucian, and when she returns her attention to me, she headbutts me once more, then continues rubbing her cheeks all over me as if it’s the most normal thing in the world.
“That-that’s sweet. Nice to meet you, Brimfang.”
She does it again. This time, she does knock me. Not my wind, but off my feet. I lose my balance, and a quick look confirms that, yeah, I’m about to fall to my death.
But then Brim paws at me, and her claws hook on my shirt, pulling me back to safety like nothing happened.
“Careful, silly girl. You know he can’t fly.” Lucian pats her back, and when she headbutts me again, she’s much gentler, as if she’s apologizing for almost killing me.
I raise my hand and, with some hesitation, scratch behind her ear, and that about does it. It seals our friendship as Brim melts under me, her purr so loud I bet they can hear it all the way down the bridge and across the city.
“She’s very sweet,” I tell Lucian. “She must be the best company.”
Lucian nods. We’re sitting, gazing at the business center of Amethyst City with all its skyscrapers and lights and the sun coming up behind them all like it’s a live performance.
“She’s my best friend. My only friend. Demons are…not easy people. That’s why most of us bond with animals or humans.”
“I thought humans entrapped demons.”
“They haven’t always. It used to be that we could walk amongst you whenever we wanted. But…things changed. At least for us.”
“What do you mean us?”
Lucian gives me a soft smile and lifts his hand. It immediately catches on fire.
“Hell-demons are different from other demons. We’ve always been abused or taken advantage of. Especially since mortals started believing in heaven and hell. Although, in all fairness, my kind has always been a tad mischievous or downright evil.” He twirls his fingers, playing with the fire. I can’t look away.
“That doesn’t justify enslavement.”
He shakes his head.