Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

A she stared at Lily, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t know whether to be thrilled that the angel-like creature had appeared, embarrassed that she had interrupted such a private moment again, or furious that she could enter and observe without permission.

“You could have saved me this entire time?” She pushed away from Leviathan, surprised when the demon’s hand let go. Her legs still trembled from her orgasm, but her anger at Lily mounted.

Lily’s silver wings shimmered as she hovered in the air, her eyes filled with understanding. “I apologize, my dear. I meant no intrusion, but it is time for this entire charade to find some truth.”

Ashe narrowed her eyes, her trust shattered. “You’ve been lying to me all these weeks?”

“You’ve been here with an angel?” Leviathan snarled as he stalked up beside Ashe.

“Obviously not,” Ashe’s bit of anger was impossible to control. That he even believed she knew Lily was here and would have stayed captive was ridiculous.

Lily’s expression softened, and she ignored the demon prince. “Your mother was a demoness who’d escaped this realm with another prince’s kiss long ago. She had enchanted the ring you wear to hide the fact that you were half demon, but when you were dragged back here, the enchantment started to weaken.”

Ashe grasped the ring against her neck, her knuckles white. “Why? Why would she leave me to fend for myself in the human realm if she knew I wasn’t human?”

Lily sighed, her wings drooping slightly. It was the first time Ashe had ever seen the angel sad. “I do not know the reasons behind her actions, but she must have had her own motivations. However, I believe it was for your own safety that she sent you away.”

Ashe’s anger dissipated, replaced confusion and hurt filled her. She had always felt like an outsider among humans, never truly belonging anywhere. And now she found out that she wasn’t even fully human to begin with.

“If I am part demon, why were you pulled down with me?”

“When Belial found out who and what you were when dealing with your stepmother, my tie to you was created. I did not lie to you about any of that.”

“Belial knew?” Leviathan snarled beside her. “He knew what a prize he had, and he threw her in the dungeons?”

Lily arched her brow. “Seems familiar.”

“I had no idea she was anything more than human!”

“Ahh, but you were attracted to her in either form, were you not?” Lily crossed her arms and stared at the demon now.

Ashe turned to the prince, surprised to see no anger on his face. She hadn’t misunderstood their connection at Belial’s then.

“Which is her true form?”

Ashe swallowed at the question, uncertain she wanted the answer.

“She is somewhere between. When I told you I enchanted your appearance previously, I did tell a small untruth. This form is what you would appear to be if you were fully demon. The version of you that killed Belial is your true form, a mix of the two. Other wordly beauty, but the coloring you wear when you believed yourself to be human.”

Annoyance flared hot and Ashe tugged at the ring in her hand, jerking the chain from her neck. As before, the similar sensation of a shift took over her. She dropped the ring, no longer caring for the comfort it brought her.

“Still stunning,” Lily said with a small smile. “Ashe, you are part of both realms, and able to stay in either thanks to his kiss.”

A mix of emotions rushed through Ashe - fear, excitement, curiosity, anger, confusion - all threatening to drown her like a rapid current towing her downstream.

It took a moment for the reminder Lily gave her to sink in.

You can be free.

“You are too unique for that world.” Leviathan said as if reading her thoughts. “Your place is by my side– the envy of all, including the lord of the realm.”

A rush of giddiness washed over her - the idea was intriguing. At home, she would be her stepmother’s daughter again. Here, it sounded as if she would be a princess.

Important.

Envied.

But I would not be home. With the sun and flowers—with my father if I ever found him. She stopped mid thought. He wasn’t her father and now she was stuck.

“Such a unique creature,” he whispered, so close to her that she could feel the heat from his breath in her ear. His voice was dark and seductive, like a melody that echoed through the caverns he called home. His hand slid up her hip, drawing circles on her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine. “You are worth so much more than mere humans can give.” His fingers danced over the curve of her waist as his eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her heart race. “Allow me to show you.”

Ashe screamed as she was outside a second later, transported without her awareness or permission.

The realm of demons was alive with movement below them. She could somehow hear their envious whispers filling the air like a thick fog that surrounded them as Leviathan flew her over the realm she’d been trapped in.

She could feel the gazes burning into her skin like hot coals from where they stood beneath her, their envy directed so intensely at her that Ashe couldn’t ignore the warmth it brought her.

These creatures, demented as they were, paid her more mind than any would at home. She’d be a slave the way she’d been to Belial. But here?

The way their gazes followed where Leviathan carried her was intoxicating. All eyes were on her, on them.

Ashe found herself wanting to believe him that this was not merely a momentary response from the demons.

She could want this. To stay where she would be cherished, worshiped like no other. She could have everything she ever dreamed of here - power beyond measure and a life devoid of hardship or want. Yet, all she could think about was escaping back to her world, back to sunlight and freedom. She closed her eyes tightly against the temptation, feeling trapped within his web of seduction.

“Ashe,” he purred softly into her ear as they moved together back toward the ground, “stay with me.”

Each step they took matched perfectly even without looking at each other. Their bodies knew what the other needed before their minds did.

“You would want a half-breed by your side?”

His chuckle was deep. “A demon does not love by conventional human standards, but I am attracted to everything that makes you, you. This is not an offer of happily ever after as you humans call it. This is about sinful needs.”

The demon prince’s gaze was intense, burning into her soul with promises of unimaginable power and unparalleled luxury. He leaned in close to kiss her tenderly on the lips, shocking her with his words and actions.

Ashe knew she could leave this place anytime she wanted. She could be back in the human realm where life was unforgiving but free from this dangerous allurement. Yet here, she would never be just another face in the crowd like back home. She would shine brighter than any star, more radiant than any flame. An object of desire for demons and humans alike.

She could choose to stay and leave only if it proves to be more deadly than she could bear. Demon or not, she did not enjoy torture and the things it appeared demons thrived on.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she followed Leviathan, his strong presence guiding her through the twisting alleys and shadow-filled streets. The scent of sulfur and brimstone filled her nostrils, mixed with the wet heat of sweat and desire that hung thick in the air. Every glance from another demon was like a caress on her skin; their lust for her palpable, their envy directed so intensely at her that she couldn’t ignore the warmth it brought to her cheeks. These creatures, demented as they were, paid more mind to her than any would in her old life. She’d be a slave either way, but here, at least, she’d have the illusion of choice.

It shouldn’t be hard to decide, but her mind was torn with every step they took, another thought pulling her closer to this realm when she did not align with the darkness that dwelled within it.

Ashe couldn’t deny the allure this place held; she could have anything she desired: wealth beyond measure, servants at her fingertips, and influence over any demon who dared cross her path. But at what cost? To stay would mean abandoning her humanity—her very soul might be at stake—she knew it deep down. She tried to push away these thoughts as she allowed him to lead her closer to the gates of his castle where she could once again enter, could probably always have entered.

“Home is home,” she whispered at the gate.

“But does your home have a demon prince?”

She looked up at Leviathan, taking in his sharp features and the intensity in his piercing blue eyes. He was beautiful. And dangerous.

“I know what you offer here is tempting,” she began, her voice shaking just a bit. “But I can’t ignore the truth. My home has my family, friends, memories. Even if they’re not perfect, they’re still mine.”

He hadn’t intended to tighten his grip on her hand, but her words struck him off guard.

“You’d be by my side—ruling at my side. You would never lack anything, ” His voice trailed off as it should have been enough to convince her to stay.

And why do you want to stay here so badly? Leviathan scoffed at his thoughts.

She was stunning and one of a kind, it made perfect sense he wanted the halfling to stay. Her beauty and passion were previously unmatched from any realm. It made sense that she stayed. She would be a fair rival for the throne and one the other princes would agree to.

He’d not spent a great deal of time with her, but her presence was not unappealing to him. He had no doubt that in time, Leviathan would grow more attached to her, the way a human believed love to be.

For a demon it was more. It was an all-encompassing connection that many were too afraid to give. But not Leviathan. He told himself long ago if he ever found a demon that could be his equal, he would see to it that their lives were forever entangled.

Which is what you are attempting to do.

“I need more than that,” she replied honestly. “I need someone who loves me for me, not for what I can give them.”

“And what about what I can give to you? What I’ve already given to you—three times if I’m not mistaken.”

She did not smile as he’d assumed.

“The sex is amazing. It’s better than amazing with you, but I want to be more than a toy someone throws in his bed when he needs to spill his seed or prove he’s the most important.”

“You want someone who worships you,” he stepped closer, leaning down to speak directly into her ear so only she would hear his next words. “You want me to tell you that no other woman has drawn my eye except for the human version of you since the night I fucked you in front of half the kingdom.”

She shivered when his words brushed over her skin, and Leviathan found himself once again filled with the need to make her scream, this time behind closed doors where he could be the only one in envy.

“Do you feel that,” he took her hand and set it over his erection. “There’s only one creature that I will ever be envious of, and that’s myself knowing that for all eternity I will claim you as mine.”

She was silent, but the hitch in her breathing was what he needed to hear. The dilation in her eyes when he looked into them was damn near akin to her hand stroking over his cock.

“Stay here with you?” She asked, her eyes trying to look away from his.

“Stay here with me.” He was on the verge of grabbing her and tossing her where she couldn’t escape when a smile played over her lips.

“I think I need a reminder - what happened on the balcony that it would be enough for me to leave behind everything I know?”

His low growl was almost followed by a smile of his own. She was playing with him, leaning into a very different kind of torture than he ever employed himself, but one he was not opposed to.

“Those memories are absolutely not enough to make a decision with.”