Page 36 of Her Demon Daddy

Theliel rolls his eyes. “Disrespectful and asinine.” He looks at me with kind eyes again. “We are called xaphan, loyal servants and chosen people of Solas, the one true God.”

Grawlin and Theliel start walking, and I follow unwillingly. “Why are you at war with the demons?”

We make a turn down dark alleyways between the backs of tall townhomes. The only light is from the red sky, and I wonder if they have a planet similar to the sun behind it. I also wonder where they’re taking me. I assume they’re going to try to keep Asmodeus and me separated as much as possible.

Grawlin and Theliel exchange a dark glance after my question before Theliel sighs. “Xaphan and demons are natural enemies, as I’m sure you’ve known your whole life. It’s a tale as old as time. We are holy warriors here to do Solas’ bidding. Demons are…” He pauses and taps his chin before looking at me. “A scourge, a blight on the land. Selfish and brutish. They choose to actively defy all that is good, right, and moral. Their mission was to steal more territory from nearby continents to unseat Solas himself and drain his power. They hoped that in acquiring more wealth and space, they could spread their message of evil to Solas’ followers.”

This sounds like a sermon. Ithink as I remain silent.Maybe a borderline cult, but then again, Asmodeus kind of had his own on Galmoleth, so it’s really not that surprising.

“Are there other humans here?” I ask with hope. If there are, perhaps I stand a chance of being reunited with some semblance of familiarity, possibly a new home with beings I could actually trust.

“Of course there are. Xaphan are travelers in every sense of the word. We’ve visited many planets, even your origin planet, Earth. Theylovecalling us angels there. Unfortunately, it’s more of a slur to us, but we don’t fault them for it.” He looks at me again. “We actually were humans at one point, most of us. Becoming a Xaphan is the highest honor one could receive, a blessing derived from those who sacrifice their selfish tendencies for the greater good of all humanity. Actually, many humans have traveled here from faraway planets to join our kind. It’s a selective process, but each who makes the decision to try is considered.”

I can’t believe I’ve been kidnapped by angels. Ithink as my mind reels from all the new information.That the man I fell for lied to me about everything, and now he’s going to be punished for a multitude of crimes. How did I not see the signs? How could I have been so stupid to trust a demon? What’s wrong with me that I could be so blind?

My mind keeps turning in circles, a wheel of heavy information that makes me question my reality and myself. I’ve been cast out into two different worlds now, and I start to wonder if this has all been a dream or some kind of sick joke. It doesn’t seem real, and I wonder if it ever will.

We turn another corner in an alley and walk through winding arches. The cobblestone beneath my feet makes me wobble as I try to keep my balance. I look up and see a large, gothic palace, black and tall against the devilish sky. I debate asking them what’s going to happen to me, but ignorance is bliss, and I don’t think I can handle any more information.

I’m escorted into the palace and walk along black marble hallways, Theliel and Grawlin’s footsteps echoing off the dark stone walls. We climb winding metal staircases to the fourth floor, and I’m walked down a red and black paisley-carpeted hallway to a door on the left. I don’t know what I should expect to see.Will it be Asmodeus’ dead body? Will they take mercy on him and have him wait for me? Is this going to be a chamber where I’m chained up and left to die?

I never thought angels could be cruel, but nothing makes sense anymore. They open the door, and I’m surprised when I see a beautiful bedroom. I sigh in relief as I look at the mattress. The only thing I want to do right now is sleep and rest my tired mind and body. Grawlin releases my arm, and they walk out of the room without a word, but not before Theliel stops and glances back at me with sad eyes.

He closes the door, and I flop on the mattress, feeling my muscles relax and the pain throbbing in my arms fade slightly. My feet hurt from walking such a long distance, and my head is pounding.

As I lie on the bed, I glance at a door on the edge of my room. Curiosity awakens my body from its weak state, and I walk to it to see a large bathroom with a giant black tub and lit sconces on the walls. I look at the faucet over the bathtub and sigh as I walk toward it. My glance is fixated on it like I haven’t eaten in weeks, and a feast is laid before me.

I look around and hear no footsteps outside the bedroom door. After closing the bathroom door, I begin to run the hot water and undress. Once the tub is full, I step into it and sigh as I sink into the slightly scalding water.

I was told a long time ago that lonely people take hotter baths and showers. I always thought it was a stupid myth, but now I wonder if there was some truth behind it. I try to shove Asmodeus out of my mind as I run my hands through the water, creating small ripples. It reminds me of the beaches I visited as a kid back home, and I close my eyes, pretending the salt water is stinging my cuts. While the memory seems painful, it’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in a while.

I open my eyes and wash myself with the soap provided. They smell like patchouli and musk, a scent I don’t particularly mind. Anything smells better than sweaty demons lining the back alleyways of a crowded city. Once I’m clean, I take one more breath and make more small ripples before reminding myself of the comfortable bed in the other room.

I get out of the tub and wrap myself in a towel, looking at my dirty clothes on the floor and sighing. I wonder if there are more clothes in the dresser of the bedroom, and I open the bathroom door, focusing on adjusting my towel.

When I look up, I see a large demon standing before me. My mouth drops, and I clench the towel to my chest in fear. I look into his eyes and feel shock race through me. This must be the true demon King everyone’s been talking about.

20

SIARA

I’m speechless, and I can’t stop staring at him. He looks so similar to Asmodeus but also vastly different. The main consistency is his eyes-they’re pitch black, and I can see my reflection in them. The armor and robes are similar, too, but his are a deep purple, unlike Asmodeus’ typical red or black attire.

He’s slightly taller than Asmodeus, and his hair is long and black, tied in a low ponytail beneath his winding deep purple horns. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t attractive, but no one can replace Asmodeus, not even the ‘real’ demon King.

“Um…” I look down at my towel. “I uh…I’m sorry, I…”

He points to the dresser. “There are robes and gowns in there. I’ll wait.”

I nod slowly and walk past him in my towel, the cold air hitting the water that falls from my hair like ice. At least I hope it’s only the air and not his icy stare on my partially covered naked body. I open the drawer so quickly it almost falls off its hinges. I catch it quickly, almost dropping my towel, but catching it in enough time that it doesn’t fall off me. I breathe out and grab the clothes from the door, and scurry to the bathroom.

Closing the door behind me, I look at the bathroom and breathe heavily.Why is he here? He almost saw me naked. Does he know where Asmodeus is?Exhaling slowly and trying to lower my heart rate, I drop the towel and put on the robe and gown. When he said ‘gown,’ I thought it would be something more covering than a nightgown, but it’ll have to do. It’s better than a loose towel.

I look at the bathroom windows and think that I can run. Then I remember I’m four floors up. I almost walk over to them to peer down and see if there’s anything I could land on, but I know this place must be very heavily guarded. I wouldn’t stand a chance even if I tried.

I turn around and open the bathroom door. Upon seeing the King again, my skin feels like it’s transparent. He radiates power, and I can almost feel it shooting through me as I approach him. I wrap the robe around my nightgown and cross my arms, trying to conceal any part of me he could find attractive.

Instead, he scoffs and shakes his head while he inhales. “Why my cousin would choose to keep such company, I can’t understand.” His eyes move over my body, and he cocks his head to the side quickly. “But I guess you do have a certain…appeal.”