Chapter 17

ChapterSeventeen

The first day she came to him and said she was going back to the clinic, Gluttony had no issues with it. He knew there wasn’t enough to do here, and they had made no progress in his laboratory. Of course, she wanted to do something with herself.

He’d paced beside the front door for hours at a time, waiting for that knock that made his soul ease, but he had not argued. He’d let her go, and then she’d returned. Just as she promised.

The relief he’d felt when she walked through those doors again? Ah, it was better than anything he’d ever imagined.

And yet, the more she did it, the worse he felt. He didn’t want her leaving the castle. He didn’t want her returning with the scents of so many people on her. He wanted her to stay here, and he wanted to rub himself over her entire body so he could forget that she’d spent hours with others.

Gluttony knew those thoughts made him almost like Greed. But he wanted every part of her, every ounce of her time and attention as well. He wanted to swallow up all those hours with her and consume them until there was nothing but him and her and the rest of the world was gone.

And then the madness set in.

He could feel it even now, crawling up his throat and gripping him by the neck. She didn’t know that when she left, he could do nothing but sit on the floor beside the door. At first, he’d tried to busy himself with work or with cleaning. Katherine deserved a castle that was built for a queen and he wanted to be the one who gave that to her.

But he couldn’t. He’d tried to force his limp body up, but all he could do was sit in the shadows, waiting until she knocked on the door.

Tonight, she was late. So late that it made his heart thud harder in his chest. Should he go and get her? No, that was an overreaction. No one in the town wanted to see him, anyway. They’d run from him screaming if they realized their demon king was in their town. She was a capable woman. She’d lived there her entire life and hadn’t fallen into the swamps yet.

But what if she had? What if she had fallen, and some creature had snatched her up? He could help her. He could save her from that situation like no other mortal could.

A black mass coalesced beside his hip and he knew the little spirit was only going to make this worse. It did every single day, and yet he couldn’t care less.

Gluttony almost wanted to feel its words digging into him like sharp knives. He was not and never would be, what she needed.

Spite sat down beside him and hissed out a long breath. “She’s not coming back this time.”

“She’ll be back,” he replied, although there was no certainty in his words. “She promised.”

“Promises mean nothing to her kind.”

“She has come back every day. She won’t leave us here alone.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” The dark spirit rolled in front of him, rising a little taller. It hadn’t been feeding off Katherine, Gluttony was relieved to see. The spirit was still rather small. “She has nothing here, and no reason to return. You haven’t convinced yourself that she feels something for you, have you? That girl has a life outside of you.”

“I have given her so much here.” Gluttony had to believe that. He had to believe that she would return, because otherwise he was just the monster in the castle who hadn’t changed. Who hadn’t proven to anyone that he could change.

“What? A comfortable bed and food?” Spite snorted. “You do not know humans if you believe that will satisfy her for very long. She does not care if you are a king, Gluttony. She wants a life and people to be in it. You’ve asked her to rot here in this castle with you.”

Had he?

Gluttony had thought they’d started a rather decent life together. She worked with him in the laboratory most days, cleaning up everything that he’d made a mess of. And then she’d head off to the clinic, after which he would unfortunately sit frozen in this same spot. Once she returned, he made sure she had dinner and then popped her off to bed.

Then, once he returned to his lab and realized he needed to feed, he would...

Spite hissed. “Do you really think she wanted to be your blood donor forever? Gluttony, you fool. She doesn’t care for you, or me, or this place at all. This is a transaction and you haven’t given her any reason to stay. She’s going to remain in that village just like the rest of them. She’s no different from any other woman who came here and asked for something.”

A stuttering breath escaped him. He couldn’t... He couldn’t believe that. She would return. She always had, and there was no reason for him to question her integrity.

Until she didn’t come back.

He sat there, frozen as the night came. The sound of crickets erupted into a symphony that then died down yet again. Until there was nothing. No one. Just him in the darkness.

The next day came and went. The sun rose and the moors burst into life. He could hear the dragonflies flitter past his door and the burbling sounds of kelpies and their kin. He could hear it all, and yet, no human came to his castle.

Even Spite said nothing. And in his mind, even though he knew the spirit was enjoying this terrible thing that had happened to Gluttony, he liked to imagine that the spirit had some sense of guilt.

He had been left alone, yet again. And never in his life would he find another like her, because he didn’t think he had it in him to do this with another.

Katherine would be the last, he decided. He would lie down in one of the comfy beds upstairs, perhaps hers, and then he would waste away into nothing.

It was long pastime. Maybe someone would eventually come to the castle again, and then they would spread the rumor that Gluttony had left. He would disappear into the storybooks and nightmarish stories that people told. Not even his brothers would look for him.

No one cared about the monster in the castle. Their lives would be better without him, and they certainly had no pity in their hearts if he simply disappeared. They’d rejoice, and the world would be a better place for it.

“Get angry at her,” Spite hissed. “She made you a deal.”

“And she went back on it.” What was the spirit’s point? “They all do, in the end.”

“No, they don’t. They all get what they want. They give you something in return. You should be furious! So angry that you could tear out her throat and take all that you want in one swallow.” Spite rolled in front of the door, staring up at the wood before turning to look at him. “If she ever walks through this door again, you should feast upon her.”

The need was there. Oh, it burned inside him. He hadn’t gotten a taste of her last night, and he had been so certain that those little tastes were holding the hunger at bay. Now he wanted more. He wanted everything she could give him, and he knew it was wrong.

He sat in that hunger, in that terrible feeling until suddenly, a knock at the door.

Gluttony surged to his feet, ignoring the creaking sound of his knees and hips. He stumbled, catching himself on the wall before he staggered over to the door.

Wrenching it open, he braced himself on the door frame and stared down at her.

She had dark circles underneath her eyes. She looked as exhausted as he felt, and Gluttony rarely slept at all. The same clothes she’d left in hung from her body, limp and wet at the hem from her journey to his castle. Those green eyes stared up at him, and he could feel something unspoken pass between them. His Katherine was home. He was too addicted to her, too reliant on having someone in this cold house with him.

And yet, on the tail end of that thought, came the anger that she’d left at all. She hadn’t needed to go to the almshouse. And she hadn’t even asked if he was all right with her going. She’d done this to him, leaving him here on his own and with all these emotions festering deep in his core.

The anger was swift. It scorched through his chest until he could hardly think of anything else. But he pushed it aside for a few seconds.

He quietly asked, “Are you well?”

“Tired,” she replied, but her shoulders squared like she already knew what was going to happen. “But well enough.”

“Good.” He moved only slightly to the side, one arm still braced over her head. “Get in.”

She had to skirt past him, her body brushing against his as she moved underneath his arm and into the house. He told himself to have better control, to not give in to this anger and temptation and... fuck, he just wanted to hold her, but he wasn’t capable of doing that.

He wasn’t a man. He was a monster. And now he would prove that to her.

Hissing out an angry breath, he spun and let the door slam shut behind him. To her credit, Katherine didn’t even flinch at the sound. She froze in the center of his hall, waiting for his next move.

“You’ve been gone for such a long time,” he snarled, moving closer until he was right behind her. She must be able to feel the heat pouring off his body in waves of rage. “Where were you?”

“There was an accident. The almshouse needed assistance, and I stayed overnight to help.”

“What kind of accident?”

“The kind only a demon can cause.”

He had done nothing, but if she wanted to think of him as the monster, then that suited him. Gluttony didn’t care what she thought of him tonight. He only cared that she was here, and he was hungry.

So hungry.

Brushing her hair off the column of her throat, he licked the pointed tips of his fangs. “You did not warn me that you would be gone for so long.”

Her bravery was admirable, but it was not limitless. Katherine swallowed hard, then took a step away from him. She turned, her eyes narrowing upon him. “I wasn’t under the impression that I needed to tell you where I was going, as long as I was here for your food at the end of the day.”

“And were you?”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “No.”

He could see her highlighted with a red glow. It played across her features and set her hair on fire, blazing with all the anger that she likely felt as well. And oh, he was nothing but a moth to her flame.

“I have waited a very long time, Kat.” He backed her down the hall toward one of the receiving rooms. It was covered in dust, white sheets over the furniture and every mirror in it covered. The only decorations were the spiderwebs above their heads that hung from the chandelier like strings of pearls.

Once inside, he slowly sat down on what he remembered was a couch. Spreading his legs wide, he placed one hand on his knee and the other gestured for her. “Come here.”

His little pet took one step and then stopped.

Did she really think it was a good idea for her to toy with him? Now?

“Closer,” he snarled.

“I can find the goblet, if you desire—”

“I don’t.” Gluttony shouldn’t interrupt her. He shouldn’t be this demon that turned the room red with the power of his desire, but he... wanted. “I have waited long enough, don’t you think? We’ve played this game for quite some time.”

“And I have yet to lose the game.”

“Checkmate.” He curled a single, taloned finger. “It is time, Katherine.”

“Because I left?”

“Because I stayed in front of that door for hours waiting for you to return! And you didn’t. Do you know what that does to a man?” He was saying too much, damn it. He was supposed to be the monster, not the pathetic sap who waited for her. “Now, come here.”

She was so beautiful walking toward him. It took everything in him to not reach out and slam her down onto his lap. But she did that on her own.

Delicately. Gracefully. Katherine strode between his open legs and then set herself down on his thigh. With a practiced move, she brushed the hair from her throat and looked at him defiantly. “Shall we, then?”

The deep groan in his throat proved just how much of an animal he was. Gluttony lunged, his arms locking around her and tilting her entire body. He dragged her where he wanted her, spreading her thighs over his hips as he positioned her. He wasn’t sure Katherine was even aware of how she draped her arms delicately over his shoulders, or how she’d pressed her core to his.

Blood, life, the smell and taste of her surrounding him. That’s what he wanted. Needed. Desired.

Until her fingers ghosted over his lips as he descended toward her throat. And he paused. Somehow, he held himself back as her fingers traced the outline of his lips.

“Not there,” she whispered, gently moving his face to a higher portion of her neck. “You’ll hurt me.”

And he didn’t want that. No, he didn’t want this to hurt her. He wanted her writhing on his lap, moaning in his ear, enjoying this as much as he would. And yet, he realized he was too far gone for that. Too far gone for any of it.

Fangs flashing, he sank his teeth into her throat. The long points did the job so quickly she only had a chance to stiffen before he drew them out of her flesh. It was a simple puncture, enough for him to draw deeply from her throat.

Her blood splashed out on his tongue and oh, honey. Pure honey straight from the hive poured down his throat, and it was divine. It was everything. It was life, warm and glowing as it spread through his body.

He was vaguely aware of his hands flexing against her waist. How he dragged her even closer, setting her down hard upon his stiffening cock so that he could grind up into her.

And Katherine... Oh, his pet pressed back.

Her long fingers carded through his hair, rasping her nails down his scalp as he bent over her like the monster he was. She held him closer, her legs clamping down around his hips. She even moved. Shifting against him. Rocking back and forth like she couldn’t help herself.

The gods looked down upon them and wept.

His pet in the arms of a devil, giving away her very soul so that she could save countless others. Ah, he was the monster he always feared.

But he couldn’t stop. He clutched her harder, drawing her further into his embrace and drinking so deeply he felt her shudder. Yes, this was what he wanted. He wanted her shivering and shaking and needing him for all eternity.

She would never leave this place. He would keep her safe and sound for the rest of her life because he couldn’t ever let her go. Not after this. Not after knowing what her blood tasted like pouring down his throat and into his very being.

He would smell like her. Taste like her. He would consume her until there was nothing left.

Katherine tapped his shoulder once, twice, but he couldn’t let her go. His hands curved into claws, sinking into the fabric of her dress and through the soft skin beneath. He snarled at the scent of more blood. Would it taste better from her back? Her breast? That pretty little dip where her hips and waist met?

She sagged and clarity hit him as hard as a gong being struck.

His Katherine, limp in his arms because he hadn’t been able to control himself.

Gluttony wiped at his lips, licking the blood off the back of his hand, and he stood with her in his arms. Though fear made him sick to his stomach, he also felt stronger than he had in centuries. She was his elixir, and now he would keep her.