4. Im glad you summoned me, darling boy.

The soundof shattering glass blasts in my head, and I open my eyes as the night's chill fills my lungs and slathers my exposed skin.

Shit. We're falling. We're falling. This fucking demon just jumped out of the window on the second floor and is going to kill us both?—

But we don't fall. Not at all.

We float, and when I look up at Lucian's face, I blink twice because behind him is a pair of feathery dark wings flapping in the wind.

They make us soar. He makes us soar. Lucian. He's flying. He's fucking flying. And he takes to the skies, past the pollution, past the clouds, where the stars shine so clear they could make anyone believe in wishing on them.

But it isn't a star that made my wish come true. It's him. Lucian. The demon of protection straight from hell. He's fought my battle and defeated one of my villains. Because Mason is dead. He's fucking dead.

The height makes me woozy, but I don't care, even though I feel like I will pass out anytime now. I lift my hand and touch Lucian's neck. His skin feels hot and smooth, what I imagine lava would feel like if it wasn't so deadly. The starlight paints it a faded blue, making him appear almost inhuman, almost godly. And his lips…

They're so plump, so inviting.

I've never felt like this for anyone. No one in real life. I always thought I was broken. Or more accurately, that they broke me with their abuse. Because I was a twenty-one-year-old with no interest in sex or anyone of any gender. No interest in pursuing anything with anyone. And who could blame me?

No, I've felt nothing.

Until now.

Until Lucian.

He looks down at me, his eyes reflecting a piece of the moonlight. It makes my heart swell and before he can say anything, ask me anything, I close the distance and connect my lips to his.

The second they clash, an explosion happens inside me. A mix of need, gratefulness, and relief. He tastes heavy and woodsy, smoky almost. It's odd and out of this world. Yet it soothes the pain inside and out like medicine. A medicine I don't want to stop drinking.

I feel his hand slide up my back until it settles between my shoulder blades, where Mason kicked me only moments ago, and his tongue teases along my lips. Its delicate move gives me goosebumps, and I open my mouth to receive him.

His tongue adds a sweetness to the flavors lighting up my taste buds, and I squeeze my eyes shut to control this newfound sensation traveling through my entire body and tame the headache piercing my eyeballs.

This moment is so surreal that it's like a dream. But I know it's real because I could never make up the feelings swelling inside me.

Lucian's hand reaches the back of my head, and I pull back to breathe in some fresh air. I can feel him watching me, and I try to reciprocate, to open my eyes, but all I manage is a blink.

Tears form in my eyes, making it even harder to see, but as they roll down my cheeks, I give Lucian another quick peck.

"Thank you," I whisper before the darkness hiding behind my eyes spreads through the rest of my consciousness and claims me completely.

* * *

A soft breezecools my face like ice-cold water, and as my breathing deepens, I open my eyes only to find a different shade of black staring back at me.

"Shit." I rub my eyes, trying to kickstart my vision, but it has no effect. "Fuck!"

But then Lucian's face appears in front of me, and I take a deep, calming breath.

"You're awake." He almost sounds relieved, and I can't help but smile a little.

"You're still here."

He purses his lips into a smirk and puts his hand on my back, helping me sit up.

"I can't leave you. You are my summoner."

I rub my face and blink some more. I have no idea where we are, but I do know Lucian's wings are huge and envelop us both. I want nothing more than to reach out and touch them, but I restrain myself. I don't know the etiquette for touching a demon's wings, but I assume permission is a must.

"I'm your summoner? What does that have to do with anything?" I ask when his words finally click.

Lucian raises an eyebrow.

"Did you not read the instructions before you cast the spell?"

I bite my lip and think back to the attic. I was in such a rush to get out of my mess of a life that I didn't really read the book past the step-by-step summoning spell.

"You're a peculiar man, darling boy." Something pulses in the pit of my stomach when he calls me that. "The summoner is the master of the demon until they release him or die."

"What?"

Whatever sleep has been weighing heavy on me is gone, and I lean away from his touch.

"You mean I control you? I…don't want to do that."

"You don't?" He smiles.

I shake my head.

"I've lived the last five years of my life blood-bound to those monsters. Why would I want to do the same to someone else?"

I suddenly feel so horrible. If I'd known the summoning would bind a demon to me, I'd never have performed it. I'd rather die than enslave someone to me.

"Don't worry, darling boy. Like I said, it's only until you release me. So if you don't want to control me, you just perform the exorcism spell, and that's that."

I release a long sigh and nod in understanding.

"But…I left it at home. I can't do it. If you take me back, I c?—"

Lucian touches my face with the back of his hand and strokes my cheekbone with his thumb. It feels so warm and intimate that I find myself frozen in place, embracing the sensation that ripples through me. One of serenity and safety.

"Relax. We can get to that. I just want to make sure you're all right first."

He does?

"I think so. I probably need to eat something. That always makes me feel better after a feeding."

His hand pauses, and he pulls away.

It feels like a slap, but how can I blame him. What the Taylors have been doing to me is disgusting. I wouldn't want to touch me either if I'd witnessed that.

"How long has that been going on?"

I hug myself as I answer him.

"Five years, give or take. Since they killed my mom."

Lucian grimaces.

"Are you trying to tell me that little shit did the same thing to your mom?"

"No, not him. His father. Mom married Kevin about ten or so years ago. They were happy at first. But then…he showed his true colors. He was jealous of my mom's power and wanted it all for himself. Which was when he started feeding on her in order to steal it. Which was when we found out he was already married to Michelle and that he had a grown son. But it was too late then. We were both trapped by that point."

The demon narrowed his eyes and licked his teeth.

"What is he? This Kevin guy."

"The same thing as Mason—that's my stepbrother you just killed. A witch with the power of blood bonding."

"Blood bonders, huh? I haven't seen those in some centuries."

Did he say…?

"Centuries? How old are you?"

"A few hundred years, but don't concern yourself with my age, darling boy. Demon years don't compare to human years. We live far longer."

"Oh," is all I say. What is there to say? For demons, we're probably like dogs are to humans. These pathetic, brutal creatures who live only a fraction of a life. And yet we're the ones who summon them—and, as it turns out, enslave them—for sport.

"So father and son are blood bonders. That means they can borrow the powers of whoever's blood they drink, right?"

I nod.

"Why are they…assaulting you too?"

That's a nice way of putting it.

"You mean, why are they raping me? Because they're vile, sick bastards. Kevin has convinced himself sex magic intensifies the effects of his power, so it makes the borrowing last longer. He's still trying to find a way to make the transfer more permanent."

"That's disgusting." He spits on the floor and kneels next to me. He brushes my hair and gazes into my eyes. "You've been through so much, darling boy. I'm so sorry."

I shrug.

"It's just my life, I guess."

"Yeah, but it shouldn't be. No one should be enslaved and abused like that. No one. No one should hold so much power and control over another creature."

I cock my head and stare back at him.

"You sound like you're talking from experience."

Lucian looks away, up at the sky, even though there's nothing to look at. Not even the moon. I do the same. Where have all the stars gone? They were so bright before I passed out.

"Let's just say you're not the first human to summon me," he says.

I put my hand on his, resting beside mine, and purse my lips.

"I'm sorry for summoning you. If I knew, I'd never?—"

"If you knew, you'd still be enslaved to those dickheads."

Well, that's true. But still.

"I'm glad you summoned me, darling boy."

I smile. I want to tell him I'm also glad I did, but that would mean I'm okay with enslaving him, which I'm not.

"What's your name?"

I jump in place and curse under my breath.

"I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. I'm…my name is Yu-jin. Yu-jin Jung."

Lucian stares at my extended hand and smirks but doesn't shake it.

"Yu-jin, huh? I like it. It's cute."

Heat clusters around my cheeks instantaneously, and I have to look away.

He thinks I'm cute?

"Thanks. I say." The feathers of his wings dance with the breeze, and it looks like they're breathing. "They're gorgeous," I say before I can stop myself.

"Thank you," he answers.

I almost look back at him, but I remember how red I probably look and stop myself.

"Where are we?"

"Oh," Lucian says as if he's just realized he never told me. His wings part to reveal the bright lights of Amethyst City in the distance and the glorious structure of the Amethyst Bridge stretching out under our feet.

"We…we're on top of the bridge? What?" I glance around me. We seem to be sitting on the bridge's south tower, a narrow but long pedestal with all the satellites and aviation obstruction lights flashing every two seconds.

"We are. Are you scared of heights?"

I look from the edge of the tower back to him and ponder it. I've never been up high before, so I have no idea.

"I don't know. But…if I fall, you will catch me, right?"

Lucian looks at me over the rim of his glasses and, without a grin, smirk, or anything to indicate he's joking, says, "Always."

I don't want to admit the kind of somersaults it causes on my insides. I don't want to admit how being with him, in his presence, in his company, makes me a whole new person. A person I might actually like.

"You mean because you have to. Because I'm your summoner."

Lucian runs his hand through his perfectly trimmed beard. "No. I mean always."

I swallow whatever knot has formed in my throat. How could he say that when he barely knows me?

"Ha. I'm sure that's what you say to all your masters," I say when the silence and intensity of his gaze get to be too much.

"I don't, as a matter of fact. You're different, Yu-jin. You're not like all the other humans who have summoned me. You don't want to use me. You are…special."

"Yeah. A special kind of pathetic."

"Don't talk about yourself like that." He hooks a finger under my chin and lifts my head to look into my eyes. "You're special. I can feel it in my soul. And my soul is never wrong."

I swallow again.

What on earth does he mean by "in my soul?"

"I know you don't believe me, but I felt it from the first moment I set my eyes on you. But I've been fooled before. It was your kiss that sealed the deal for me."

"Sealed the…what do you mean?"

"You, Yu-jin." He takes no pause. "Are my soulmate."

My breath catches, and I feel the shiver running a whole new course through my body.

Did he just say…?

"Soulmate? You-you barely know me."

Lucian shakes his head.

"I don't need to know you. My soul does. And that's all that matters."

"You must be mistaken. I can't be your soulmate." I turn away from him and try to focus on the Quartz Peak skyscraper. The trademark of my home city.

"And why is that?" He pulls my gaze back to him, and my cheeks flush again.

"Because…look at me. I'm a sorry excuse for a human. I didn't even inherit my mom's powers or any powers whatsoever. I'm…"

"You need to cut yourself some slack, and believe me when I tell you you're worthy, Yu-jin. Demons can sense these things."

I want to believe him. I want to let him fill my head with sweet little lies like that, but I can't.

"I…I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it." He doesn't shout it, but I feel it reverberate through me as if he has. "And what are you talking about being powerless?"

I shrug.

"I don't have one. Kevin did my ignition ceremony, and I didn't manifest a power."

The ceremony to ignite a witch's power is an important ritual in a witch's life. Without it, not only can we not perform magic, but we could never express the natural magical power within us.

And mine failed.

Which means I'm just a mere mortal.

"So why are those dickheads feeding off you?"

"Wouldn't I like the answer to that question? They…they think even though I'm mortal, they can find a trace of my mom's magic within me. Or at least that's what they told me. I just think they're perverts."

"Oh, that they are. But they're not liars."

"Huh?"

What is he saying? Is he taking their side?

"You are magical, darling boy. There's no denying it."

"You're wrong. My ignition failed. I have no powers. I'm just Yu-jin."

Lucian rubs his thumb on my cheekbone again, and I catch my breath. Wouldn't it be great if I could live in his fantasy land where what he's saying is true?

"And that's more than enough. But…I can feel the magic emanating from every inch of you."

Fuck. Why does my mind go to some dirty places, thinking of the dirty things he could be doing to some inches of me when I hear that word?

"I don't know what to tell you."

He places two fingers against my lips, and I look into his beautiful brown eyes.

"You don't have to say anything. I'll just have to find a way to show you I'm right."

I push his hand off me and turn my back on Lucian.

He doesn't know what he's talking about, and I don't need to believe anything. I just…I need him to protect me. If he wants to.

I don't even manage to take a step when a big furry creature appears out of thin air and snarls at me.

It's big, and its spotty fur shines almost gold. It looks like a giant cat. But it's not a tiger, more like a lynx.

A lynx that starts walking toward me.