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But his fingers dig into my shoulders as his lips curl up into a snarl so soft and terrifying, I don’t think the three girls in the room next to us even hear him. “What are you doing in the hall?”
I want to answer him. I’m not being purposefully difficult. It’s just that as I stare at his face, which is sharp and has harsh markings on his face that make him appear more frightening than I remember. My jaw hangs open slightly as I stare up at him, and my pulse picks up.
His jaw tightens. I think he might be trying to show restraint with me because he doesn’t yell or beat me. I can tell he’s growing frustrated though, and just as I try to calm myself enough to explain that I am absolutely starving, a zap of electricity runs through the air that makes my mouth snap shut.
“I asked you,” he grinds out. “A question.”
My eyes widen as pulses of energy radiate off of him, and the longer I remain silent, the worse his magic gets. It starts to audibly crackle, sparks flying around his frame, and I wince as I fear one will cut into my flesh of its own accord.
Fierce lines of magic blast around him. It’s like his own personal lighting storm to accentuate his mood, and as the magic flashes over his face, it only highlights the fierceness of his features.
My self preservation kicks in right about then, and I don’t even make the conscious decisions to flee. Something about staring up at a massive, powerful demon that can conjure his own storm sends me fleeing. I’m not even sure how I’ve managed to tear free of him, but I don’t think too hard about it as I scramble up the steps.
My chest is heaving as I round the corner into my bedroom, and I slam the door behind me. Throwing my body against it, I lock it, and keep my back pressed to the heavy wood. I know that if the demon wants, he could barge in, but I feel a little better putting some distance between his magic and me.
I sink to the floor, and though hunger tightens my stomach, food is the furthest thing from my mind. I don’t think I could even eat right now with the way that the fear is turning my stomach.
What am I going to do when I can’t face this demon?
I’m also curious about the girls downstairs. He doesn’t seem like the fatherly type, but I don’t see another reason they are here.
I’m so dizzy from all the thoughts racing through my head, and my heart is pounding so hard in my ears that I can’t hear anything over it. As I curl back up into my little ball, I beg all the gods there ever were to just give me one moment of peace.
65
KHA’ZETH
Rarely in my life have I been stunned. Yet, I find myself frozen in the hallways as I stare after the stumbling girl, her feet nearly slipping as she rushes up the stairs to get away from me.
When I first spotted her out of her room, I thought that maybe it would be a good time to introduce her to my nieces. If she’s going to be in the house, they all need to meet at some point. But then she turned and ran straight into me.
I don’t understand if she was running away from the girls or if she was just afraid to be caught out of her room, but either way, I did not help matters. I’m not trying to scare the poor thing into hiding around the house, but I’ve never met a creature so quiet. I can’t get a single response, not even an incoherent one out of her, and all I’ve managed to do is drive her into a state of panic.
Gritting my teeth, I inhale deeply through my nose. My magic is flaring out around me, and as I hear the door to her room slam closed, I can’t control the violent pulse that emits from me.
“What am I supposed to do with a pest like this?” I mutter to myself.
Truly, I don’t understand the purpose she is supposed to serve. How am I to bed a creature that just scurried around my house? I’ve seen the Kennel Master have more meaningful interactions with a litter of ur’gins than I have with that girl.
She couldn’t even answer a simple question.
Shaking my head, I decide to go after her. I can’t have someone in my house that won’t speak to me and wanders about. I need to at least know what she was doing.
Silently, I curse myself for being such an obedient servant. I wish I could ignore the King’s orders and just let her hide in her room, not worried at all about taking her. I’m not that kind of demon, though.
I fulfill the tasks bestowed upon me without hesitation.
And yet the thought of forcing myself upon her makes my stomach churn. I can’t do that to anyone, so I guess now is as good a time as any to try and amend this relationship that has already started so badly.
I linger outside her door, listening intently. I barely make out her panicked breathing, and I know that I’ve frightened her. I don’t want her to fear me, necessarily. That makes our entire arrangement much more difficult to execute.
Trying to keep my annoyance in check, I knock on the door. It’s soft but loud enough for her to have heard it. Clasping my hands behind my back, I wait.
My anger surges when I don’t hear a voice or footsteps. Is she just going to ignore me? In my own home, no less? Without managing to reel in my flickering emotions, I raise my fist to knock on the door once more, and blue sparks fly from my fingertips as I knock harder.
Again, there is no answer, and I have lost all remaining patience. This time, I pound on the door, forgetting to keep the snarl out of my voice. “I’m coming in!”
I do manage to reign in my temper to avoid disintegrating the door. I don’t want to break down the girl’s only semblance of privacy, and my nieces do enough damage to my home as it is. With restraint, I place my hand on the doorknob, sending a zap of magic through it that turns the mechanisms. It pops open, and I step inside.
