I woke to shadows and silk, the weight of an arm draped across my waist heavily. The bed swallowed me whole. Even in its expanse, there was no escaping him.
Darius's body was pressed against my back, solid and naked, his breath warm against the nape of your neck. It was steady and rhythmic. He had been awake, watching me sleep.
Or perhaps he never slept at all.
My body ached in ways i couldn't name.
That's when it all came back to me like a truck.
What have I done?
Was I drunk or just out of my mind?
Why did I go so crazy for him last night? Those damn pheromones must've driven me crazy? Did he use a condom? Do demons have STD's? Wasn't the first time supposed to hurt? Why was it so mind numbingly amazing? Why am I feeling less scared of this guy and more attracted to him now?
I gave my virginity to a fucking demon! Not even a Prince Charming that saved me like I dreamed! A fucking demon!
I'm screwed aren't I?
"What are the benefits?" I asked him not bothering to move.
Darius chuckled not even pretending to sleep. "We're officially entangled for eternity and you'll stop aging." He said. "You'll be safer too. Lesser demons won't mess with you-"
"Cut the shit. I meant how does it benefit you," I said.
"Insurance. The more you can make others suffer the stronger I get. The stronger I get, the more your wish comes true. See the ring?" Darius asked. The black ring had spread to all my fingers and joints.
So I'm a power source he uses as he tries to gain influence over my mind? Through sex? "What side effects aren't you telling me about?" I asked.
"Smart girl. You'll instinctively be attracted to me from now on," he said.
Fuck, I don't want that! It'll be like losing my autonomy I bet. "Will I be able to tell because I definitely don't feel attraction towards you."
Darius smirked. "You'll be able to tell when your mind tells you no but your body can't resist me."
I could feel the dread creeping in.
"So now that I confirmed the marriage with you, I get better protection, I'll be entangled with you for an eternity, I'll be attracted to you and I'll stop aging?" I asked. Sounds like more cons that's pros to me. "But you'll be using me as your power bank? And you getting power depends on my actions towards others?"
"Pretty much."
Even if all that's true, there's got to be something he's leaving out. I may not know much about demons but I do know with my luck, one would never give an unfavorable contract out like this.
"My dad huh?" I guessed.
Darius exhaled. "Since you want to pry then I'll tell you. Your dad tricked me and you'll be the one to pay off what he did by making a meal of him. Until then I need a source of power. The better you do, the more powerful I get, the more your wish comes true. And now you know the real reason."
"You're so petty. Why not just kill him yourself?" I asked.
"I can't directly intervene with him."
"Why?"
"He wished for it, and it still stands since he added a clause that I couldn't touch him even after the contract."
I see. "So why not kill me?"
"Because the contract was intentionally vague about the breach. I didn't have to kill or enslave you when I could just marry you and have you fulfill an obligation." Darius explained.
Wait a second. "You think I'll do what you say just because we're married? What era are you from? When's the last time you've been around humans?" I asked.
"1711," Darius said. "Your father believed the same thing."
No wonder he got tricked. "It's a new era. Wives aren't obligated to do anything they don't want to do." I said. "Women are equal to men now."
Darius looked taken aback. "Have times changed that much?"
"Well you can experience what life is like now at school," I said.
"I go to your school already."
"Are all demons this bad at lying?" I asked. Darius pouted. "Why don't you just come to school with me and see what it's like?"
"Why should I bother? It's your job to get me food!" He hissed. Maybe this wasn't the best conversation to have at the moment. "Do you understand what kind of demon I am now?"
"One that manipulative and explorative," I said.
His eyes flickered. "I'm just a guy who enjoys balance more than anything. I feed on my contracts being sustained. Escalation, revenge, betrayal, blood spilled for desire, flesh offerings, sex, anything tied to extreme emotions are all things that give me power."
My pulse quickened. "Sex too?"
"I already told you it's binding. With the right entanglement, it strengthens your connection to me which will let me draw what you generate more easily."
"So everything can feed you?"
"everything intense can feed me."
I let the silence stretch for a bit. "So marrying me was what? Merciful?"
"Yes. If I'd taken a standard contract like your father did, you would've been property with a limited lifespan that'd just expire in three years. I'd then be sent back to the demon world until someone tries to contract me again. This way I have a choice on when I want to go and come back." Darius explained. "If you hadn't killed the man that night making a stronger contract that your dad, you wouldn't have died then but you lived well either."
I shivered. "Why's mine stronger?"
"Your father offered me blood, you offered me flesh."
None of this makes me feel any better, just more sick and curious. "So I'm like some kind of blood cow-"
"If I wanted livestock I would've just found some little one. Don't twist my words. Your father tricked me by manipulating the breach clause. Clever, for a human. But in doing so he gave me something better," Darius said. "By marrying you, I avoid violating the standing wish he made. I remain within the contract's framework. I gain access to a long-term power source and physical human form. And I gain someone positioned directly within the human world to cultivate high-grade resentment."
Me?
A source of power?
Maybe this demon was stupid.
"And you get revenge on him through me," I finished.
"Correct."
"And if I refuse to cooperate?" I asked.
"You won't." He said. Why was he so sure about that?
"Because?"
"Because you want revenge and protection and not to feel alone anymore. Why else would you kill a man just because I told you to," he said.
Fuck now I didn't want to talk about this. "So to summarize, sex strengthens the bond so it's easier to feed, revenge can feed you a bit too, blood can seal in the power and flesh helps sustain your human form in the human world and this marriage keeps you contractually in the clear?"
"Nice summary."
"And the catch?"
"I already told you, an irresistible attraction to me." He said. He definitely wasn't lying but he definitely wasn't telling me everything. But I could also feel he wasn't going to tell me so easily.
I could feel a coldness run through my veins realizing this probably means I'll be losing my humanity too at some point. If I haven't fucked up and disposed of it already.
"Was it worth it?" I asked him the question I didn't want to ask myself.
Darius's smile returned. "You did a stand up job for a virgin. If I didn't watch over you myself, I wouldn't believe that you were one."
That's not what I meant!