Chapter 15 Chapter 15
“I should have known,” she heard Maxwell’s enraged voice snarl. She had no idea where he came from or how he found her, but for the first time, she was glad to see him. His white hair stood out in the dark, the silver chain on his cheekbones shining ominously in the dim light of the street lamps. “You chose the wrong human to mess with,” he threatened, approaching Reed’s fallen body.
The hunter pushed himself up, his eyes darkening in rage. He pulled out a small dagger engraved with strange symbols. Valerie couldn’t see it properly from afar, but it seemed to be a weapon to kill supernatural beings. “You must be her demon,” Reed remarked, not backing down yet.
“What does it matter? You’re going to die anyway. I can’t have a human challenging me; you need to learn your place,” Maxwell said in a bored tone before the ferocity in his voice returned without warning. “Do you really think this puny blade is enough to stop me?”
A tinge of fear appeared in Reed’s eyes as he stared Maxwell down. Valerie couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry for him since he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her had the demon not interfered. Didn’t Reed realize his actions weren’t any better than those of the demons he despised?
Maxwell followed his words with actions, and a blinding light flooded the alley. Valerie closed her eyes and heard a terrifying scream. Her pulse raced in trepidation and horror. She pressed her palms on her ears until it was over, and the alley was shrouded in silence. Only then did she dare to open her eyes—Reed was gone; no trace of him was left.
She tensed up when Maxwell approached her, but the hand that touched her cheek was gentle, even though its owner was a demon. “Why am I babysitting a human?” he sighed. She met his gaze reluctantly, shame flickering through her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. All of this could have been avoided had she listened to Maxwell. She felt uneasy in her own skin, haunted by memories she would rather forget. Maxwell didn’t say anything at first and studied her silently. His eyes weren’t all blue; hints of red had seeped into his irises.
“What did you do to him?” she asked quietly.
“I sent him to hell,” he said without batting an eye. By his nonchalance, he did this kind of thing quite often…
“And how did you find me?”
“You’re asking an awful amount of questions tonight.” His eyes flitted to her bloody lip. “Let me take care of this.”
He leaned in, capturing her gaze. She didn’t know what he intended to do, so she simply stayed where she was and watched him. His unnaturally white hair seemed to emit a faint glow. She wondered if the braids on his shoulder felt as soft as they looked, but she didn’t dare touch them.
The ends of his silver chain dangled down from behind his ears and glinted under the light of the street lamps. He intrigued her, and in this brief moment, her panic was forgotten. All she wanted was someone to comfort her, and if that someone was actually a demon, well… right now, she doesn't care.
Tentatively, he touched her cheek. It was red from the earlier assault and needed to be cooled once they were home. His fingertips brushed over her skin, leaving a tingling feeling. Maxwell’s demonic blue eyes flickered to her bleeding lower lip, and something in them changed. Valerie didn’t know what it was, couldn’t name it. He leaned closer, holding her gaze, and when she didn’t move away, he bridged the gap between them. The touch of his lips felt different than before. This time, I was hesitant.
He was mindful of her injury, his tongue sweeping over the cut, cleaning the blood. Valerie tasted iron mixed with cinnamon as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers clutched the fabric of his black hoodie, and she subconsciously pulled him in, which prompted him to smirk into the kiss. Valerie was breathless when he leaned his forehead against hers after planting another feathery kiss on the injury on her lower lip.
“Is he still the better kisser?”
She flushed, telling him all he needed to know.
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Valerie sat cross-legged on her bed and absentmindedly petted the fur of her demonic cat. The feline always wanted to be close to her when she was home and trailed after her wherever she went. It was quick to follow her, especially when it had the opportunity to snuggle up to her on the bed. Valerie had decided to call the demon Mochi since it was unexpectedly cute for a creature from hell. Usually, she would be delighted when the cat joined her, but now she had too much on her mind. A day had passed since she had discovered Reed’s true identity and since he had betrayed and nearly killed her. She felt pathetic for letting herself be deceived when she should have known better, but Valerie had been sure his interest in her had been genuine. She was unlucky regarding relationships with men since they tended to end badly, more often than not. Her last boyfriend, Uriel, was the best example of this. Reed’s betrayal had revived the unpleasant memories she had buried deep in her mind. It hurt to have her trust broken for the second time. She felt worthless.
The pain in her heart surged. She rolled herself into a ball, hugging her knees with her arms. It felt like she was ripped apart from the inside, the anguish growing steadily. Pitiful sobs shook her body. She didn’t notice Mochi meowing at her, the sound falling on deaf ears. There was no strength left in her to get up.
She was sick of everything. Needles pierced her heart, the ache intensifying and dulling in turns. Valerie rubbed her bloodshot eyes, sitting up and glancing at the blanket draped over her legs. Her stomach was empty, but she didn’t have an appetite, preferring to just sit here, to stare at the wall.
Minutes later, the door to her bedroom opened, and Maxwell walked in. He stopped in front of her bed, wearing an odd expression on his features. His brows were furrowed, and his lips curled in disapproval.