The Demon Duke and I (5 page)

         
Desire and confusion were warring in her turquoise eyes, and Silviu knew that the girl was still doing her very best to stay immune to his touch. “It won’t work,” he said simply. He tried to touch her face, but she turned her head to the side, avoiding his touch.

          “You are my heartkeeper---”

          “I don’t want to be your fucking housekeeper!” Her captor’s lips tightened at the words and George tensed again, wondering if she had finally pushed him beyond his limits.

          Silviu gazed at her, knowing his face would appear coldly furious to her even though it was all he could do
not
to laugh.
A housekeeper
, he thought. The urge to laugh became stronger.

          He cupped her face, and this time he did not allow her to avoid his touch. She flinched as he briefly caressed her cheek, but he ignored it. Soon, she would know he would never hurt her and that the kind of pain he could inflict as a half-incubus would always give her pleasure.

          “What is your name?”

          “Asshole.” His lips tightened again, and George lifted her chin defiantly even as her stomach churned in fear. She would not give up – she would fucking fight to her last dying breath.

          “Stubborn girl.” But the growled-out words sounded more like an endearment.

          She glared at him. If this bastard thought he could make her relax with stupid shit like that, he was in for a fucking surprise.

          Silviu started to speak, but then all of a sudden a current of power pulsated through the darkness. He froze, realizing what it meant.

         
No.

          Thousands of miles away, a wolf howled, a terrifying sound that even this far had the hairs on his skin bristling in awareness of the fury that went with it.

A second after, there was the sound of exploding glass, as if reacting to a supersonic wave that only a powerful vampire could release.

And lastly, there was the haunting roar of a tremendous wave rising in the middle of the ocean before crashing down, the kind that could only be commanded by the mightiest of ceti.

          It was a tribute, a threat, a warning – all of it, the work of Silviu’s Galeré, once the abandoned bastards of demon dukes before his mother, Magdalene, took them in.

          For almost an entire millennium, his Galeré had served him with unwavering faith, their bond forged in ways their demon kin would never be able to comprehend.

          To give him up to Death went against everything they believed in, and their pain lashed out at Silviu, jerking him back to awareness, telling him that he had to let his comrades know the Fates were no longer forcing him to welcome death with open arms.

He looked down at the girl he had caged with his powers of compulsion, her body so stiff it was obvious she was just waiting for the killing blow. But even though she was afraid, he could see that she was also aware of what was happening around them, her eyes darting around warily, as if searching for other imminent signs of danger.

How could a human girl be so intuitive, so brave – so fucking perfect for him? Silviu had seen the heartkeepers of other demons and they had not been like this. Not one of them had even a fraction of this girl’s immense strength, and not even the most beautiful of those women had been able to hold sway over the demons whose souls they shared.

This girl was…like no one else.

Everything in Silviu clamored to woo her with kisses, to make her body long for his touch until she would capitulate to his every wish. 

But right now, it wasn’t meant to be.

His Galeré waited, and he would not be the duke he was if he was to put his own selfish needs before those who had risked their lives countless times for him.

“My lady, I bid you to listen.”

You can fucking bid to death, but I won’t listen.

His lips tightened.

Her courage wilted. She nodded jerkily.

His lips tightened even more, but his voice was soft and gentle as he said, “I shall let you go unharmed on one condition, milady.”

          She didn’t answer, the wariness only deepening in her gaze.

          “You must agree to be my heartkeeper.” This time, Silviu lent emphasis to the word, needing her to truly hear what he was saying.

          George didn’t know if she wanted to roll her eyes, laugh, or weep.
Oh my fucking…how crazy could this psycho get?

         
The look his lady unconsciously gave him threatened Silviu’s tight rein over his emotions, making him want to smile. But Silviu did not – he must not. He needed her to be so terrified of him that she would not ask any questions.

To always speak the truth was one of the unassailable conditions of heartkeeping, but Silviu could not afford to be truthful with her right now. How was he to explain to a human girl that he was half-demon, half-angel and that without her, the fate of Brimstone – and eventually the whole world – was doomed?

No, for now – it was best if she simply said yes of her own volition, without making Silviu utter a single lie.

          When the stranger said nothing else, only gazing at her implacably, George knew she had no choice but to take the bait. “A heart…keeper,” she repeated slowly even as her mind raced.

          She might be drugged, but she wasn’t crazy. On the other hand, this guy was definitely out of his mind. If George said yes, maybe he would let her go.
Maybe.

          George closed her eyes. In the end, she really didn’t have a choice.

          “Answer me.” His voice was harsh this time.

          She choked out, “Yes.
Yes,
I’ll be your fucking heartkeeper---”

          Her captor fell to the ground on his knees.

          The earth underneath them shook.

          And when she saw the creatures crawling out of the darkness, George screamed, “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!”

So here’s a little Photoshop digi artwork I made for my name.

Yes, I was named after two Beatles members – George McCartney.

#parentsplayingGodwiththeirchildrensnames #parentswithbadsenseofhumor

          Why had no one told Silviu that heartkeeping would be like being literally torn into pieces?

          The pain was unimaginable, and Silviu’s body jerked in agony as something like liquid mercury shined underneath his skin, moving along every vein in his system, mingling with every blood cell. It took him a while to understand that it was
her
soul – the half she was sharing with him making itself at home in Silviu’s body now that this girl agreed to be his heartkeeper.

          “Fuck, shit, hot damn…” Those were just some of the less colorful curses that the girl was spewing out above him. Silviu forced himself to ignore the pain and lift his head up. Alarm struck him at the fear on her face, and he demanded hoarsely, “What is it?”

          She tried to move her hands as if wanting to point towards something, her beautiful naked breasts swaying as she tried to break his compulsion.

          With a near-draining burst of power, Silviu took away the compulsion. It took her by surprise and she fell to the shaking ground on her knees next to him.

          The drugs had worn off!

          But George had no time to wonder why or how it happened. The rumbling coming from underneath her was growing louder and becoming more terrifying by the second, as if there was a legion buried underground trying to claw its way out of the earth’s core.

          All around them were creatures with horns, fangs, and tails, their skin flaming red.
But
none of them, unfortunately, looked even as remotely friendly as a candy-bar-eating Hellboy.

          Not taking her eyes off the monsters staring at them with menacing red-rimmed eyes, George hastily groped around for her jersey even as she hissed at her captor, “Look at them.”

          Even though his body felt like it was being pummeled by light, Silviu turned to where the girl was looking with such intense wariness. A hiss of fury escaped his bloodless lips at the sight of the imps. These were the worst of the lot – soulless and mindless creatures that faithfully followed the bidding of the demons who created them.

          To George’s shock, the growing crowd of nameless creatures scurried back, terror falling on their horrifying faces. Even so, she had the presence of mind to take advantage of it, quickly pulling her shirt over her head.

          When she was dressed again, she saw that their numbers had swelled by the dozens. The trembling of the ground had worsened as well, as if the earth was about to give birth to something heinous.

          George’s fingers were moving on its own accord, curling around the arm of her captor.
Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,
she told herself grimly.

          A jolt of shock ran through Silviu’s body at the girl’s touch, and a fierce wave of protectiveness surged inside him as he saw the way she was trying so hard to look strong despite her world being turned upside down – by him.

          “What’s your name, milady?” he rasped out.

          Without taking her gaze off the monsters, George hissed, “You’re going to fucking ask me that now? Really?”

          Somehow, the snarky words only made Silviu want to protect her more – as well as take her lips for another deep kiss. He said simply, “Yes.”

         
It was just her luck
, George thought despairingly, to be almost raped by a psycho. Now the said psycho was her best bet at staying alive against the Woods of the Wraiths’ terrifying inhabitants.

          Feeling the heat of his gaze on her face, she growled, “George.”

          Silviu blinked. “A man’s name?”

          “No, it’s actually a homosexual name, haven’t you heard?”

          He didn’t answer, his gaze remaining questioning, her sarcasm easily missing its target.

          Mentally cursing her captor, George snarled, “
Georgina –
which is fucking short for George McCartney, named in honor of two fucking Beatles. You want my fucking Social Security number while we’re at it?”

          A small distance away, the sound of the ground exploding reached them, like a geyser shooting up. The imps howled and his lady –
George
– stiffened.

          Immediately, Silviu sensed the presence of a higher-ranking demon, the leader whose command the imps had been waiting for.

          In his mind, Silviu called for his Galeré.

         
Your Grace.
Mihail was the first to respond, and the markings of their bond blazed into life, showing Silviu the image of the vampire prince starting to run towards him. The others answered his call not seconds later, all three of them expressing shock and, after a few moments, gratitude at the discovery that Silviu had not yet killed himself.

         
I have found my heartkeeper but we are in grave danger. The heartkeeping process has started, and it has unexpectedly weakened me. I will hold them off for as long as I can but you must come quickly.

         
His Galeré did not answer and so it should be, with all four of them trained to rely on their instincts and their bond. Silviu had asked, and his Galeré would follow. No other words had to be spoken. It had been so for a thousand years.

          “Something’s coming,” the girl beside him suddenly whispered. She – George – was doing her best not to let her voice shake, and again her courage impressed him.

          “Georgina.” Her beautiful name suited her, and it rolled off his tongue easily, like he had always been using it.

          “Yeah?” But she didn’t look at him, didn’t take her eyes off the dark hulking creature slowly heading their way. What the hell was happening? Did these mini-monsters call for backup? It was just the two of them against their army and they needed to call for fucking backup?

           “Georgina, look at me.”

          “Are you crazy?”

          “
Georgina
.”

          There was something about the steel underlining her captor’s quiet command that made Georgina turn, even though she was mentally cursing as she did. “Wha---” Ah, fuck!

          It was her last thought just before her captor stole yet another kiss from her, his lips covering hers completely, his tongue boldly thrusting in her mouth, leaving his brand all over her.

          Just as George was about to close her eyes – ah, well, it was a fucking nice way to die, with a hot kiss like that – her captor pulled away.

          And then he whistled.

         
Oh my God, he’s really gone cray-cray.

         
But a second later, his whistle was answered by the beating of wings, a horse’s neighing, and the crush of pebbles under strong hooves.

          She nearly fell in her haste to turn around, and George’s jaw dropped when she saw a powerful stallion glaring at the monsters around them as it raised its hooves in the air in challenge.

          George couldn’t help but turn again, needing to know if the monsters had been scared away. And they were – but the larger, darker creature behind them was so close now. She didn’t think she could take it if that being ever came to light and its entire visage was revealed.

          “Aaah!”

          George was suddenly lifted in the air and then plopped down on the stallion’s back.

          She looked at her captor in a daze.

          “Tell Granite where to take you and he will do as you bid.”

          George’s lips had a hard time moving. Finally, she asked, “You really want me to
talk
to your horse?”

          His eyes bored through her. “My lady, after everything you have seen, you are still doubting this?
Really
?” He mimicked her tone.

          Even as she became red-faced, George glared at him. “No need to be fucking sarcastic and you can’t blame---what the hell!” Her captor had stiffened, and a second later he was sending out a powerful blast from his hand, creating a literal wall of fire around them.

          She gaped. She choked. She---

          ---was pulled down for yet another kiss. The movement of her captor’s lips was slow, damnably so, like they weren’t in a middle of some jungle war and it was man against beast. It was also firm and commanding.
Trust me to keep you safe,
those beautiful lips said.
Trust me to see you in the morning and fuck the daylight out of you.

         
Silviu pulled away with an effort, the taste of her lips somewhat calming the liquid light that was still running through his veins as it purged the blackness inherent in him.

His powers were near drained by now, but he had to make sure that his diversion would be enough to let her get away safely. Beyond the wall of fire, the imps were hissing, wanting to go through the fire but unable to because it was created by a demon with a much higher rank than them. Even their leader could not get past it, but the wall of fire would not last – and Silviu and his opponent knew it.

“I smell your weakness,” the other demon spat in their language.

“No, demon,” Silviu answered in the same language, his lip curling. “You are smelling
yours
.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” George demanded in a furious, anxious whisper as something beyond the wall started having what sounded like a tantrum. The ground shook even harder underneath them.

          Silviu shook his head. “Do not concern yourself with that. You must go now, milady. I need to be sure you are safe.”

          Yes, go. She had a flying horse. She could totally be safe. George knew that was the totally sensible thing to do. Her fingers tightened on the stallion’s reins, but somehow she couldn’t make herself say or do anything that would tell his horse to fly her away.

          Before she could stop herself, George said, “Come with me.” She swallowed. “Please.”

          “I cannot, milady. It is the only way I will be able to ensure your safe return.” His face turned hard. “But I promise you, I will see you again. Now go.”

          He slapped Granite’s back and the stallion neighed before he started to run towards the wall of fire.

          What the---

          Her fingers tightened their grip on the reins, and she wondered if the horse was as crazy as its master and intended to burn them both to death.

          Granite was speeding up now, and they were inches away from the wall of fire.

          Oh my God, oh my God, oh my---shiiiiiit!

          Granite took off at the last possible moment, so close to the fire that George had actually started to sweat due the intense heat it gave off.

          “That was so fucking close!” she yelled at the horse as they rose into the air. They were flying now,
flying
! If it had been under other circumstances, George would have probably enjoyed the experience of being thousands of feet above ground with the skies seemingly within reach.