3. Livy

CHAPTER THREE

LIVY

" I s there acid in that stuff?" I cried as the doctor dabbed the cotton-soaked antiseptic to a wound on my neck. It burned like hell.

"I'm almost finished. Please stay still." The doctor grasped my shoulders, positioning me in the center of my chair. He reached into his supply bag and poured more antiseptic onto his cotton applicator.

We were in a large, beautiful living room. The walls were a pristine white, the brilliant sun shone inside through the large bay window across from me. A couch sat between me and the window. A large flat screen TV took up half the wall behind me. And a small round table sat in the corner with three chairs around it.

Aside from my stinging wounds, the atmosphere was pretty relaxing. At least if you didn't count the over seven-foot tall, gray-skinned Demon King who sat with his legs folded, one atop the other, on the couch.

He silently watched the doctor work. His eyes trained on me for the last half hour, his brows furrowed with anger as if he wanted to say something. But since we arrived at the palace and he called the doctor, he hadn't said a word .

"I never thought I needed to lock up my own bride. Why did you run from me?" He asked, sounding mildly irritated.

"How did you find me?" I asked, ignoring the fact that he'd called me his bride. His head tilted backward.

"Surely by now you can see I'll always find you. No matter where you go, I have my methods of tracking you down, Sunny." His tone was sharp, menacing, even a little threatening. Almost like he was daring me to try running away again.

He was right, he could communicate with me through my dreams. And when I summoned him, he immediately came to me through a portal. Did this mean we were now tied together and he could find me no matter where I went?

"The lone she-wolf in a city of demons was not hard to find." He shrugged. "I followed your scent."

"Okaaay." I drew out the word. "Now that that's settled. Who is this Sunny person and why do you keep calling me your bride?"

He leaned forward, the tension easing in his face as he rested both elbows on his legs.

"This was the nickname I gave you years ago. And back when we were children, I asked you to be mine and you said, ‘Yes.' That formed an unbreakable contract. That agreement makes you mine, now and until the end of time."

He said it with such surety and plainness, as if he was telling me something I already knew.

"Excuse me, what?!" I jumped, almost tipping out of the chair, knocking the cotton ball out of the doctor's hand.

"Clearly, this is the best I'm going to get." The doctor affixed one last bandage to my neck and forearm, packed up his bag and left.

"When we met in your dreams, and you said you didn't remember me, I was hoping you merely didn't recognize me since we hadn't seen each other for thirteen years. "

He glided across the room as if he weighed nothing, and kneeled at my feet. The pads of his fingers smoothed over my cheek and wildfire burned under my skin.

My body craved his touch, and I was drawn to his dark soulful eyes like a moth drawn to the flame.

"I don't remember much before the age of thirteen. Not my original pack, even most of the memories of my family are gone. Still, I think I'd remember being friends with the Demon God. That's kind of a big deal."

"Well, I didn't exactly introduce myself to you as the Demon God. When I came to Earth, I was reborn as a preteen, to you I was just ‘Mally', your friend. We played together in the forest near your village. Almost every afternoon, after you left school. How could you not remember?" His cold hand cupped my forehead as if to make sure I was alright.

This had to be some kind of trick. Ask anyone from New York to LA. The Demon God was the greatest liar ever born and impossibly charming. He could sell snow to an Eskimo.

"I don't know you," I said, pulling away from him.

He stretched on the couch, brushing his long black hair behind his ear. The two, long black horns that protruded from his head appeared to grow a little longer than it had been a moment ago. "In time you will remember that you are mine. Until then, know that I will never let you go. Never again."

Profound emotion bled in his voice, his eyes reflecting a sadness and vulnerability I didn't think possible for a being as powerful and old as him.

A million questions ran through my mind. He said he was reborn as a preteen when he came to Earth. Malek is supposed to be thousands of years old. Why did he need to be reborn? And even if what he was saying was true, and we were friends years ago, why did he think that meant he owned me and could prevent me from leaving ?

"I'm not your property. Even if I did make a promise as a child, that has nothing to do with now. That was a long time ago."

"Our promise is forever." He showed me his fangs as ridges formed over his nose and his eyes squinted in anger.

My jaw tightened and my mouth gaped to yell at him. But instead of words, a big growl flew from my stomach, so loudly the birds outside could hear it.

"You must be starving. You've been here two days and haven't eaten a morsel." Malek marched to the door and called out for a servant to bring in some food and drinks.

"I don't want your demon food, whatever that might be." I was hungry, but more than that, I was so tired of men treating me as property. I lunged from the chair and met him by the door. "Just send me on my way and I'll pick up something at the nearest McDonalds."

"Just as stubborn as ever." He shook his head, hiding the faint smile that wrinkled his cheek. "I'd like to see a McDonalds top what I've got in store for you."

His expression brightened and his tone softened as if for the first time today he was asking instead of commanding.

"Please." He outstretched a hand in the table's direction and his head dipped.

Deciding it would be a bad idea to leave on an empty stomach, I reluctantly sat at the table, and he took the seat next to me.

A team of male servants marched in, trays in hands. They set a plethora of colorful and delectable dishes on the table. There were baked hams covered in glaze and pineapples, roasted lamb chops and mint sauce, macaroni and cheese with the most pungent of smells I'd ever scented. And those were just the dishes I recognized; the rest looked delicious but too exotic for me to identify them.

"Well, what do you think?" He poured me a glass of wine .

I gazed across the amazing spread before me, and my eyes showed I was impressed, but I didn't want to say it. Every cell in my body told me it was a bad idea to get too chummy with the Demon God.

I needed to appear stoic and unaffected so he wouldn't easily pick up on my weaknesses.

I took a bite of the ham, and my taste buds sang. I tried the chicken and what might have been squab next. A party went off in my mouth. So many flavors, and seasonings, most of which I didn't recognize, melded together to create pure culinary perfection.

My muscles softened to jelly as pure ecstasy overcame me.

"It's good, isn't it?" A knowing grin graced his face.

It didn't matter how perfect his food was, I still didn't trust him. Everything was too perfect. It was like everything had been chosen for my exact taste and preferences.

"It's good." I said, trying to downplay how impressed I was.

"Good." He appeared pleased as he helped himself to the lamb chops and mint sauce. "I want you to be as comfortable as possible here. You are free to roam the palace grounds as you wish and do as you desire. And you may ask me anything you wish, and I will answer as best as I can."

I was happy to prod deeper and hopefully catch him in a lie.

"Okay," I set down my knife and fork and took a sip of the wine. "How exactly did a lowly she-wolf cub come to be friends with the all-powerful Demon God?"

He choked, coughing as if I'd said something that surprised him. "You sell yourself short. There is no one else in this world capable of doing what you did for me." His eyes light up like diamonds.

"Oh, and what's that?" I wiped my lips with the napkin.

"I lived in the dark, bleakness of the underworld for thousands of years. My role was to oversee the torture of all the wayward souls sent to my realm. I was becoming a monster and grew to lament my fate. I left the underworld and came to Earth, reborn as a child so that I could learn what it meant to be a man and not a monster." Something smoldered in his eyes as he spoke. He looked right through me as if he were looking directly into the abyss of his past.

Oh, he was good. If this was a trick, he was an excellent liar. His eyes even glossed over as he spoke.

"When I left the underworld and came to Earth, I expected paradise, but all I saw was more cruelty. Here the rich take advantage of the poor while the poor die from starvation. The powerful enjoyed life from their high towers while the weak struggled just to survive. After seeing this world, I felt like I'd walked right into another hell… But then I met you." He no longer looked through me, his eyes twinkled, appraising my face like I was made of solid gold.

I swallowed the wine in my mouth.

"Me?" I pressed a hand to my breast plate, and he nodded, taking my hand.

"I met you on a day when you were playing in the forest near your village alone. You were an innocent ball of energy, a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world. You befriended me. You showed me that there was beauty on earth. You taught me to love this world."

He sounded so earnest and something in me wanted to trust his words.

"I don't remember any of this. Why do you have all these memories while I'm here drawing blanks?" I asked.

"Something must have happened to you when the demi-gods attacked your village all those years ago. Maybe you sustained an injury to your head or something."

"What do you know about the demi-god's?" I asked as memories of my last interaction with Chasten, Blake and Payton ran through my mind. They all but admitted to killing my parents, deciding to keep me in the dark so I'd continue getting closer to them. They wanted me to think they were my friends instead of the evil monsters they were .

"The only thing I know is that after we met, we spent every afternoon in the forest together for almost a year." He shrank inwardly as if the memory made him uncomfortable. "Then one day when I went to our usual meeting place, you weren't there. I went into the village to find you. Your parents were dead, along with almost all your pack. You were gone and I've searched for you ever since."

His story filled in some blanks I'd been trying to fill for years. When Alpha Prometheus found me, and brought me to his pack, I'd already lost most of my memories. The only thing I knew was that my parents had been killed by demi-god monsters. All of my other childhood memories were a faint whisper.

"Well at least you've told me more than Prometheus had. I always wondered why my old pack never came looking for me. I thought I was just an orphaned pup to them, unwanted and easily forgotten."

"No. You were loved by your pack and by your parents. I want to make that absolutely clear." He smoothed a hand along my forearm to comfort me. "Your community was a loving one. They took care of their own."

His kind words were encouraging, the deep hum of his voice was lyrical and reassuring. It was like even if my mind didn't remember him, my soul did.

"I can see that life hasn't been kind to you, Sunny. The day your wolf awakened, it strengthened your ties to the magic realm." He looked at me with pity in his eyes, like I was a frail treasure, easily broken. "Only then, could I find you in your dreams. I had hoped to find you happy somewhere, living your best life. But instead, I watched your nightmares, heard your cries night after night."

"I never cried." My shoulders raised as did my chin. "I fought, no matter what Prometheus and the elders put me through."

"That was before. You don't have to do it all by yourself anymore, Sunny. That's what I'm trying to tell you. I'm here now." He cupped my cheek, wiping away a bit of sauce from my lip with his thumb. "I won't let those vicious demi-gods lay a finger on you. You asked for my help in getting revenge on them for killing your parents. I haven't forgotten. One day soon, they will be sorry they ever looked in your direction. I promise you."

"You do know they're my fated mates, right?"

His expression darkened. Shadows danced along the walls, dimming the once bright room. Cheer and joy fled as the temperature dropped several degrees as if magically compelled to do so.

He took a long breath, slowly shaking his head.

"I saw the red string of fate tying you to them when we first met in the dream world. Fate makes mistakes every day." He said coldly. "Fate's first mistake was taking you from me. The second was mating my bride to anyone other than me."

Jealousy dripped from his lips like hot acid. Hatred burned in his eyes as an animalistic hissing sound snaked it down his tongue. His fists balled tight at his side.

If this was all some type of ruse to trick me, it was a damn good one.

I leaned back into my seat and took another sip of wine. "And just how do you plan to help me get my revenge?"

"All in due time, Dearest One. Phase one comes first." He wiped the sweat from his face with the back of his hand.

"Phase one?" I downed the rest of the wine, knowing I'd prefer to be a little tipsy before he dropped another bombshell.

Looking me dead in the eyes he casually explained. "Now that I have you with me, it's time to stop stalling. By this time Friday, I will officially wage war on the shifters, mages, humans and the demi-gods."

I was shocked, wine spilling down my chin as I gasped.

"Are you okay?" Alarmed, he slapped me on the back.

I stared at him blankly. "Are you fucking crazy? My beef is with the demi-gods. Three of them in particular." I held three fingers up, inches from his face. "What are you going to do that for? Millions would die. "

This entire conversation he appeared so measured and reasonable that I almost forgot who I was talking to. Regardless of any past friendship he and I may have had, Malek was the farthest thing from a peace loving ruler. He was king to the millions of demons who live on Earth, but that wasn't enough for him. For the last two years he's been expanding his territory, forcing hostile takeovers against shifter-packs and mage occupied cities.

He occupied more and more territories, forcing the local population to pledge fealty to him, stopping just short of declaring a full blown war against them. But he knew all this was coming, my pack had been preparing for a demon invasion, intensifying combat training and stocking up on weaponry.

The demi-god's pack had been doing the same, making all young shifters attend a military academy so they'd be ready to fight in case Malek waged war on them. But up until this point, nothing was sure. We could only guess at Malek's plans. This was horrifying news.

I shot up from my chair and he mirrored my move.

"No! You absolutely can't do this." I sliced the air with a flat palm.

"Sunny, this is the price for peace. This world is fractured and broken to its core. I will create a new world, a beautiful and just one. One that is worthy of my bride." He bellowed like the heavy winds, his expression said that he was firm and certain enough that nothing could dissuade him.

"Wait. You mean this entire time, you were stealing territory after territory, oppressing millions of people for…. for me?!" My voice was shaky and disbelieving as I stabbed my thumb into the center of my chest.

His head slowly bobbed up and down.

"I needed to wait until I had you safe and secure before progressing to all out war. Now that you are here, the true change will begin. I will cure the disease that is killing this world."

It was like the world had stopped spinning on its axis. And the sky was suddenly down and the floor up .

"No. I don't want this. I demand you stop," I shouted.

He chuckled, placing a hand on his belly. "You are my bride but you cannot command me. Not when it comes to the matter of your safety." He looked at me as if what I'd said was silly and he continued cracking up.

His smile shrank away as he seemed to notice how deeply distressed I was.

"I would set fire to the world around me, but I will never let a flame touch you. I made this promise to you back then and reaffirm it now. I promise you, this is what is best for the world and all who live in it. I have a plan to fix this world, but first I must control it." He fisted his palm.

"A plan to kill innocent people is no plan I want any part of." I shoved him in the chest and made for the door.

"Oh, but you are a part of it, Sunny. The most important part." He captured my waist pinning me to his wall-like chest. He turned me around and he stole my gaze with his fiery one. "One day soon I will make you remember that you love me every bit as much as I do you. Then you and I will rule this new world. We will mold it in the image of our love. And no one will ever have to suffer unnecessarily again."

He gazed down at me with a hopeful twinkle in his eyes, like he was lost in a dream. A dream that happened to be the nightmare of everyone else on the planet. I wouldn't join him in his delusions. I couldn't.

"I could never fall in love with a warmonger." I grabbed his arm and tried to peel it off, but it wouldn't move.

"But you will. I know you. No matter how hard you may try, you are powerless to stop your heart from embracing me." Throwing his silky, long hair back, he shot me a wicked grin, the kind that said he was irresistibly gorgeous, and he knew it well.

He was having fun with me. He actually thought he could seduce me into going along with anything he wanted. He was so used to getting his way that failure wasn't even a possibility in his mind .

It came to me. Like a lightbulb lighting up in my head. An idea so brilliant it might just save the world. I'd use his confidence and arrogance against him.

"And what if I don't? What if I don't fall in love with you?" I asked and his lip curled up with intrigue, his eyes wide and bright.

"I'd give a month, two at the most before you love me," he said without doubt.

"And what if I don't fall in love with you after two months? Will you cancel your war plans?"

He went quiet, seeming to mull it over.

"Are you making a deal with me?" his voice dropped an octave and its bassy-ness made goosebumps raise along my arms. The darkness beckoned behind his eyes. I'd stirred something in him, something that touched the darkest part of his nature. All of my instincts screamed at me to not say another word. I'd come here for Malek to grant me revenge against the demi-gods. But I didn't offer him anything in exchange. It wasn't a true bargain like this and wasn't very risky. What I was suggesting now was.

"Yes." I firmly said. "I want to make a deal."

His firm body went rigid as a plank as he held me tighter. His heart roared like an engine. Our deal deeply excited him. Something wild and dangerous swirled in his eyes.

What was it with demons and deals? Demons were like gambling addicts unable to resist the thrill of a good game of chance.

"Deal," he purred, pressing the tip of his index finger to the crest of my shoulder. A black, heart shaped tattoo appeared there, the center of it empty and hollow.

"You want to play a game, Sunny? I'd love nothing more than to play games for all eternity with you. But know this." He pinched my chin, craning his head down so his face hovered inches from mine. "When I play. I play to win. "

His breath smelled of mint and spices, tickling my nose and awakening all my senses. He traced the tattoo with his finger tip, the touch sending sparks of heat searing under my skin.

"When this tattoo fills in completely, it will mean that your heart belongs to me. If that should happen before the 16 th of October, exactly two months from now, then you will be mine." Dark possession seasoned his words.

"And if it doesn't fill in by then?"

His eyes squinted harshly and a hundred watt smile stole his face. "I will abandon all my war plans and return the territories I've acquired."

Just looking at his shit-eating grin made one thing clear. Malek was so sure he'd win our bet, he would bet his entire future on it.

I grabbed his hand and gave it a shake. He wasn't the only one who was sure. I had the entire world counting on me now and I sure as hell wasn't about to let them down. This demon wouldn't be hurting anyone else, not if I could stop him.

Malek was irresistible; no one who saw him could deny it. But behind the glistening darkness of his eyes lived an evil unlike the world had ever known. How else could anyone justify the deaths of millions for his own wants?

I broke our hand shake and resumed my seat at the table, and put three BBQ chicken legs and a helping of rice onto my plate. Malek joined me, serving himself some ham and macaroni.

I watched the ancient demon eat, contemplating the fact that now, for the second time, I had broken our world's most sacred law. Mine was a crime that could get me hanged a hundred times over.

I heard the elders' words of warning as clearly as if they were sitting right beside me.

‘If you want to keep your life and your soul intact, never make deals with demons, especially if that demon happens to be the Demon God.'