Page 29 of Fated to the Demon Lord

“There is one more thing.” He took an additional step so that our bodies brushed as if his nearness was a test of what I’d allow him to do to me. “For this to work, it’ll require utter and total surrender on your part.”

I swallowed, looking up into his face. “I won’t stop you.”

A warning crossed his expression. “I’m going to need more than that.”

“Just do it.”

The pressure of his body against mine eased, and he turned to mist and it streamed into me.

No. I didn’t like this. I disliked how effortlessly he entered my thoughts. He tried to move my lips, and I locked up. It wasn’t painful as with Raxus, but that nearly made things worse. Vaelor moved through me too easily, and there was something deeply unsettling in letting go enough to allow it.

He relinquished his hold on me and formed facing me, a frown on his lips. “You must not fight me. We must be united from the start.”

“I’m sorry,” I gasped as I struggled to breathe. Relief flooded into me at the control back in my limbs. “It’s difficult to adjust.”

“Try again.”

He didn’t wait before fading into me. It was a coldness reaching into my body, into my mind. He sought to move my fingers, to make me blink. But if I surrendered even once, I feared I’d lose everything.

Vaelor faded out of me and back into existence, looking frustrated. “This is unacceptable.”

“Why is it unacceptable if I take a second to adjust? You’ve barely given me any time. When we were outside⁠—”

“Outside you almost died,” Vaelor snarled. “You were lucky we had a short time to adapt. In a surprise attack, we may not be as fortunate. The surrender must be instant.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t fully trust someone who attempted to end my life barely a day ago.” And would kill me as soon as he no longer needed me.

He released a low growl, and he stalked away, running a palm over his face. He turned to me and held out a hand. “Dance with me.”

A laugh burst out of me. “W-what?”

“If you can’t trust me, then we must build it. An ability to yield to the movements of another can also happen through dance.”

I eyed him. “Where did a demon learn to dance?” I’d never received formal training, but the towns I’d lived in had thrown festivals since I was a child. Dancing was a human endeavor, not a demon one.

“Does it matter? Take my hand.”

Never in my life had I thought I might dance with a demon. I pushed off from my spot on the wall and came toward him. He watched me as if I were nothing more than a rabbit he was about to frighten off with the wrong move. Or maybe that was how I felt. Vulnerable to his power. Vulnerable to my situation. Vulnerable to a demon who only wanted to use me for his purposes.

With a deep breath, I stopped in front of him without taking his hand. Still, he claimed he needed me. Didn’t that grant me some sway? He’d come to my room to explain and to practice. That was not the behavior of someone who wanted me killed.

I could work with him. For my life. For the chance to live another day, waiting for the right instant to break free and find Gerand. That was still possible and would remain so as long as I wasn’t dead.

I reached out and placed my hand into Vaelor’s. His clawed nails closed over mine like a trap. He pulled me close, his arm extending out and his other hand coming to my back. His body felt real, firm despite the mist swirling at my feet, and my ability to see through him.

“Move with me,” he commanded.

He stepped forward, guiding me backward. I stumbled, and he hissed in irritation. Then he moved more deliberately this time, steering my body where he wanted me.

“Sense the pressure from my hand. It will tell you where to go.”

“I know how to dance,” I said through clenched teeth as we glided about the room.

“Then you know I lead and you must follow.” He dipped me backward and my entire body went rigid, my hand on his shoulder gripping his neck hard, even though it brought our faces inches from each other. I took in his square jaw, his high cheekbones, the cold yet elegant curve of his lips.

He held me there, his wings barely spread, his presence suffocatingly close. “Do not resist me, Denara. I do not intend to hurt you.”

I met his red eyes highlighted by that orange glow, fire seeming to burn straight through me, and I tried to steady my breath. “How can I know that?”