13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Celeste

" W hy are you always covered in blood when you come back? Do you bathe in it or something?" I asked as I watched Beleth from the bed while he wiped the thick black and red substance coating his chest and arms. He had been gone for four days—or so Nym informed me since I had no other way to track the time—and when he returned, he looked even more sour and battered. His clothes, if one could call them that, were so torn that he barely had to touch them to have them pool around his feet.

When he stripped to a pair of tight boxers, deep pale lines charted a path over his skin like the nails that shredded the fabric had tried to do the same with his flesh. I thought about asking him what kind of creature left such marks, but I grew distracted by the way his abs bulged when he twisted and bent to get the remaining gore off his body.

Beleth might have been an absolute asshole, but at least he had good taste in vessels.

He had more tattoos than I initially thought. In fact, his face was the only place that wasn't covered—current blood situation notwithstanding—although I couldn't be sure what I might see under the last piece of clothing that barely hid his tight, muscular ass.

"Fucking stop that!" Beleth snarled without even looking at me. He hadn't greeted me or Nym when he returned, but at least now I knew he was aware we were there.

"Stop what?" I smirked as I ran my fingers through Nym's smooth fur. Beleth's absence had given us some time to talk and process—especially after my nightmare—so while things were still a little odd and new, I could feel the bond between us mending brick by brick, creating a bridge even sturdier than before. I wasn't happy about the pain and turmoil I had been drowning in the past few days, but I was glad it was all out. It forced us to be honest, both to ourselves and each other, and shattered the illusions we had been living in for so long.

We were not just a witch and her familiar. We never had been. And that was a good thing because Nym was so much more than I could have ever hoped for in a companion.

"Stop fucking me with your eyes. It's annoying," Beleth spat, throwing the rag in the water with such force it splashed half of it over the table. He cursed, his shadows rushing to clean up the mess that was now dripping on the floor while I leaned my head on the headboard.

"What makes you think that's what I'm doing?" I asked. "Maybe I'm trying to decide where it's best to stab you next time." I tapped my lips, pretending to think it over while the demon glared at me over his shoulder. "It'll have to be somewhere soft, vulnerable, and extremely… painful."

My eyes lowered to the front of his boxers and he froze like he could feel my attention there. The way the spark in his gaze grew brighter told me I had won this round.

"I fucking dare you." The challenge in his voice was unmistakable, but before I could answer, Nym's teeth dug into my finger in warning. I held back a sigh.

"Or maybe I'm just enjoying the view. You do have a spectacular ass."

Beleth made a sound that was somewhere between a snarl and a snort, returning his attention to what he was doing. I made a sign for Nym to move, and I slid off the bed, making my way to the table. Beleth pointedly ignored me.

"What exactly do you do all day in Hell?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that. I hoisted myself up on the table, determined to make him talk even if it was just to tell me to shut up.

I already had a plan in motion, one that would involve chatting up the other side of him, which, as Nym helpfully informed me, was gentle and sweet and hated confrontation, so dealing with him would be a breeze.

But first, I wanted to see how far I could push him before he snapped.

"So what will happen to me when I die?" I asked, kicking my legs back and forth. "If my soul is gone, as you say, does that mean I'm not required to stay in Hell?" He said nothing, so when he moved toward the table, I kicked a little too hard, almost hitting him in the balls. A low, annoyed growl reverberated through his chest, but this time, I ignored him. "I go where my soul goes, so do I just poof out of existence? And how do you still have my power if you don't have my soul?"

Again, he didn't answer, but I could swear I heard him grind his teeth.

"How close are you to beating one of those princes? Because I'd like to go home soon." At that, he finally met my gaze, surprise flickering in his eyes. My smile widened as I rubbed my chin, pretending to be lost in my thoughts. "Your hospitality needs some work and I have at least three men I'd very much like to fuck one of these days. Maybe even together, although I think that would be too much for Isaac. He's still so young."

Beleth sighed again, this time loud enough for me to hear him clearly. He lifted the dirty rag with two fingers, ignoring the bloody drops that dripped from the end.

"Do you see this? I think it will fit rather nicely in your mouth."

"That's what they all say, but usually, there's always room." I winked at him and he gave me the deadliest glare I had seen in all of my lives. I offered him my most challenging smile in return. "You'll find out I'm much more amiable when my questions are being answered. You say you want me to cooperate, but you make it awfully hard."

The chair screeched against the floor as he got up, turning his back on me and striding toward the other side of the room. I watched the tattoos on his back move, almost like they were alive, as he bent over and left the basin in its usual place. With a wave of his hand, the red water inside vanished. He leaned on the wooden surface, cracking his neck and staring at the naked wall like it was much more interesting than looking at me.

I bit the inside of my lip, swallowing my impatience until I was sure my voice was cool and calm when I spoke. "And here I thought it was my job to make things hard. "

His shoulders stiffened and for a moment I thought he'd snap at me, but then his shadows slid around his body, making him vanish out of the room. Nym made a low, warning sound, but I ignored him as I rolled my eyes and jumped to my feet. Beleth was as bad as Roman when it came to provocation, but unlike my vampire, this demon had no problem staying away from me.

I stepped away from the table, determined to try the exit again if only to provoke his return when the air in front of me darkened and a few shadows glided over my neck. A second later, Beleth appeared in their place, his fingers tightening around my throat while he pushed me against the door.

Before I knew what was happening, I could no longer feel solid ground beneath my toes. His eyes had turned black and the rage in them gave me pause. I had wanted to annoy him and see how he'd react. I didn't expect him to flip like a maniac from just a few jokes! I was usually so good at reading people, but he was just so… inconsistent! Damn demon!

"I'll say this one last time. Do not play games with me because you will not win, Red," I tried to swallow, but his fingers were too tight. "While you were busy dying for two thousand years, I spent them killing and torturing people. I know every way to break a person."

He leaned in until our noses touched, and I shivered at the sight of his wicked smile. I wasn't sure he realized just how close he was… or what that closeness was doing to me. Goosebumps spread over my skin when his lips grazed mine and the smell of blood and smoke filled my being. A dull ache formed between my legs when I kicked in an attempt to reach the ground and he slid a knee between my thighs, pinning me against the wood.

"I can make this place a hell for you, a true hell the likes of which you could never imagine. And do you know why?"

He waited, looking like he expected me to answer, but I could hardly breathe, let alone speak. My head was spinning, but it wasn't just the lack of air. Beleth drew back, eyes lowering to my parted lips, and I realized then, crazy as it was, that if he fucked me against that door right now, I might not resist all that much.

The thought was so ridiculous, it made me chuckle and I was sure if I had more breath to spare, I would be laughing. If I was already thinking about fucking him—and not because of my plan—then I was drawing dangerously close to losing control. And that couldn't happen. Not with Beleth .

"Because I'm a demon. Because I do not want you, I do not like you, I don't care about your thoughts or feelings," he continued, sounding a bit hesitant until I looked back into his eyes. Then, like a switch had been flipped, his voice grew hard as steel, eyes full of anger and nothing else. "You cannot sway me with your pretty face and body. All I care about is that you're breathing." I choked as his grip tightened again, and I dug my nails into his hand when his smile turned mocking. He didn't release me. "And once I have my own power, one that does not depend on your puny little heart beating, I will let you rot inHell for all eternity. And after every horrid creature here has had their fun with you, if I ever get bored, I might come and have a taste of what you're so willingly throwing my way. Do you get it now?"

Darkness crept on the edges of my vision, so I nodded and he unceremoniously dropped me to the floor. I landed badly and fell to my knees, coughing and rubbing my neck. Nym had risen in the bed, looking between the two of us like a child who didn't know which side to choose. Our eyes met and his turned red, but I just shook my head. I couldn't have him interfering now, not when I have finally found Beleth's tipping point. A few bruises were a small price to pay for it.

Beleth watched with an air of superiority as I staggered to my feet, gulping air like my life depended on it. When I pushed away from the door, he smirked and taunted me with his back while headed toward the cupboard. It took everything in me not to attack him.

"You know, I used to think I was nothing but a monster, too." I let my hand drop from my throat, ignoring the unpleasant itch that grew with each word uttered. "But someone recently showed me that I was wrong." As expected, he disregarded me, opening the cupboard and searching through it for something. "We do things we must do to survive, bad things, but even monsters can be good, can be loved, can be happy. So save your scary speeches and evil looks, Beleth, because I can see you." His hands paused, but then he straightened up, holding something that looked like clothes. "I can see there is a good in you. And I can see power is not the only reason you're keeping me alive."

He whirled around so fast, it took everything in me not to jump.

"You see nothing!" he snarled, his shadows spreading around him like a nest of vipers ready to strike. Black overtook his eyes, the tattoos on his skin clearly moving this time. "There is no good in—"

I raised my chin and smiled at him. "Cyrus," His eyes widened in surprise and his step faltered as I beckoned him with my finger. "Come out now."

Something akin to panic rippled through Beleth's face while his tattoos started to shine with faint light. On a second glance, it wasn't his tattoos that did that, but something beneath them that I hadn't noticed before. The shadows slithered into his body and he sucked in a breath, taking a moment to steady himself.

When he looked at me again, his eyes were back to normal, the edges softer and the color warmer. Despite his hulking frame and menacing appearance, the smile that blossomed on his face was shy and uncertain.

"Um, hi," he said in a voice that held none of the previous coldness or threat.

"Hi back," I replied, offering him a hand to shake. "It's been a long time."