AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I raise an eyebrow, my gaze following hers. The huge slice of cake looks ridiculously out of place in her small hands.
“What’s this?” I ask, even though the answer is clear.
She bites her lip, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. “It’s, um, cake. For the anniversary. I noticed you didn’t join the celebration, so I thought I’d bring you a piece.”
She sets the plate down on my desk, her fingers brushing against mine. A jolt of electricity shoots up my arm, and I have to force myself to stay still.
She’s trying to be kind. To make a peace offering. But all I can think of is what she might taste like on my tongue.
“Is this some sort of human custom?” I question, trying to keep my voice steady. “Bribing your superiors with cake?”
She looks taken aback. “No, it’s not a bribe—”
“But it’s a manipulation,” I interrupt, leaning back in my chair. I need the distance to think clearly. To remember she’s my assistant, not some tantalizing temptation.
“No, it’s not like that,” she protests, her eyes wide and earnest.
“Then what is it, Elara?” I ask, my voice softer than I intended.
She hesitates, wringing her hands in front of her. “I just…I thought you might like some. That’s all.”
I study her for a moment, her flushed face, the way she nibbles on her lower lip, the nervous flicker in her eyes. And I realize she’s telling the truth. There’s no hidden agenda, no ulterior motive. She’s just trying to be…nice.
How utterly blasphemous.
It’s a concept so foreign to me, so out of place in the depths of Hell, that for a moment, I’m at a loss for words.
“Demons have no need for inclusion,” I dismiss. Yet, even as I speak the words, I’m unsettled by an unfamiliar pang. I harden my gaze to hide it.
Companionship is a weakness demons like me eliminated long ago.
Sensing my indifference, Elara squares her little shoulders. “Well, I wanted you to have this. Enjoy, Mr. Daemonus.” Politely defiant, she holds my gaze.
I admire her boldness, misguided as its intent may be. With a small sigh, I levitate the plate and take an experimental bite from the lurid cake. The taste is foul, but I force myself to swallow.
“Satisfied?” I raise a brow. “I assure you, I won’t wither away without tasteless pastries.”
With a curt nod, she gives me a small smile, turns, and leaves my office, leaving behind a slice of cake and a swirl of emotions I don’t quite know what to do with.
I stare at the door long after she’s gone, her scent still lingering in the air. I’m left with a strange feeling, a mix of frustration and…something else. Something I can’t quite put my finger on.
This persistent mortal continues to invade my thoughts and blacken my mood. I should incinerate her. Yet, the idea brings me no satisfaction. I find myself anticipating her next annoyance. What else will she do to disrupt my days?
I swivel my chair slowly, pen spinning between my clawed fingertips as I attempt to refocus on work. But concentration eludes me. Sighing, I conjure a viewing portal and check on my vexing assistant.
Even though the workday is done and her colleagues are partying around her, Elara sits at her desk, sorting through a stack of soul contracts. Her brows are drawn in concentration, lips pressed together. A lock of hair falls into her face and she brushes it back absently, oblivious to my attention—and the attention of all the other partying demons in the department. The fools should be working, I realize with a frown. I should go out there and send a few of them down to level four for torturing, but I can’t pull my gaze away from the human.
Watching her, an unfamiliar restlessness stirs within me. The need to speak with her again, to see those eyes alight. Feel that intoxicating purity wrap around me.
I close the portal with a growl. This fascination needs to end. She’s complicating my existence here in ways I cannot allow.
A knock at the door provides a welcome distraction. I close down the portal and straighten.
“Enter.”
A demon from deliveries peeks inside, his ram-like horns curling around the doorframe. “Apologies for the interruption, Lord Bax. But you wanted to be informed when the new shipment of torture devices arrived.”
“Excellent.” I stride toward him, thoughts of work driving out my previous distraction. “Show me these acquisitions.”
