Page 77 of Devour
“You’re not going to like it, which is why you haven’t considered it.”
“Try me.”
“I could eat him.”
I frowned. “Could you?”
“Yes.” Her eyes hardened as much as her tone. “I have no emotional investment in him. No hesitation or holding back on my part.”
“Would you hurt him?”
“Most likely.”
“No.”
“I can try to be humane. Try. No promises.”
“No,” I emphasized. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
“You dumbfuck.” She smiled back at me. “Well, it’s been nice knowing you, Rhory. Text me if you make it out of this alive.”
Rhory was most certainly avoiding me again, and I disliked it even more than the last time he vanished. Texted him—no response. Called him a couple times—no response. Mentally scolded him for worrying me—no response. Technically, it’d been a week since I saw him last, and technically, I knew he wasn’t likely to be too hungry, but technically, I got used to seeing him almost every day so I didn’t care about any of that stuff. I couldn’t even remember the last time he didn’t spend the night, and it wasn’t the same without him.
I missed his face.
The more days and nights that passed without him, the more I wondered if this was really it. His silence stung like the equivalent of breaking up had we been together. Rhory must’ve decided ignoring me now would make it easier when he finally ate me. Whatever sort of relationship we had was over.
Maybe that much shouldn’t come as a surprise. Rhory told me once about how demons felt about each other. Even if my feelings for him had stayed the same, his must have changed. Maybe the changes even made it easier for him to decide to keep our promise.
So, that was that… I guess. Becoming a demon had never been a part of the deal, but oh well. Admittedly, I couldn’t bother myself to care thanks to the current state of my life. I still couldn’t believe it, either, despite all the signs. Hindsight had that advantage. At one point, I worried that Rhory and I were becoming too much of the same person. The closer we got, the harder it seemed to separate back into our distinct, conscious selves. And look where it got us.
How enmeshed we’d become had never been clearer to me than the night I realized how much I wanted him. For the briefest of moments, I got a glimpse of myself from the outside—worried to the point of agitation—and reflected right back at me as if Rhory were the mirror. From then on, part of me knew something had become different and now… I was what was different. Once that kernel of truth dislodged, I received the complete package: the sharp canines, no desire for food, insomnia, every sense heightened, so hot (well, more an inability to regulate while clothed), and so horny. Worst of all, hungry. A persistent hunger that ate at me in a way I could not even begin to describe.
Didn’t mean I got a reprieve from our agreement. Rhory had been clear about my free will and… yeah, I hadn’t bothered to do everything in my power. I never pursued taking vows to become a priest, which I didn’t regret. And even though I could have found someone—anyone—to marry, even as a farce… I hadn’t. I didn’t want to be with anyone else. And if I couldn’t be with him then… ugh, I felt pathetic embracing that outcome.
Night before my birthday, I made sure all my affairs were in order. Already stepped down from my position earlier in the week, because if Rhory didn’t kill me, staying with the parish absolutely would. Called Asher and Ember for no reason. Didn’t want to get too deep and freak them out, so we talked about the most mundane developments possible. Asher got a raise and was trying to buy a house with Owen. Ember got another promotion and wanted us all over for a game night. They both wished me a happy early birthday. Thought about calling my dad, then thought better of it. Called my cousin instead.
I didn’t know for sure when Rhory would come, but what I knew—and I could almost feel—was how close he loomed, like something stalking me from the shadows.
Before midnight, I crawled into bed but with no intention of sleeping. Grabbed a bottle of wine only for the taste since I couldn’t get drunk anymore if I tried, put on one of my favorite movies, and waited. Didn’t seem productive to fight the inevitable, and I wouldn’t waste the last of my time hiding or panicking. Most people didn’t get to know when their time would be. I’d been reminded of this night for over a decade and still did nothing to save myself. I changed my fate by falling in love instead.
The movie was about halfway over when I looked at the clock on my phone. Past midnight, but still a minute or so from my actual birthday. I had been a middle of the night baby, and I knew this since my mom used to let me stay up to my actual birthday every year like a New Year’s countdown. And… now it was my birthday, technically.
The room filled with black mist, same as the night we made our pact. Much less unnerving now that I’d been around and seen some things, kind of like seeing a lion at the zoo for the tenth time. Still sort of impressive, but any sense of a threat long since disappeared. Then, the smell came. Maybe a fire-and-brimstone sulfuric stink? Something like microwaved rotten eggs heated until each one popped. I instantly gagged, and by some miracle, I only gagged. My stomach threatened to empty from something so vile. My hand went to my nose on reflex and even that did almost nothing to help.
All the darkness dispersed, and my room came back into focus, lit only by the screen of my television. Rhory stood stock still in the corner, almost silhouetted, yet I could see every detail of his features. And he kept the red for once. I loved the red. But not as much as I loved him.
“I know you’re there,” I said to him.
Rhory’s shining eyes tracked my every move. When I sat up in bed, he backed across my room and away from me.
“Are you scared?” Even as I asked, I knew. This must be the smell of fear.
No, he thought. He was utterly terrified.
What’s wrong? What happened?
Nothing.