Chapter 17 Chapter 17
“How did you make this?” she asked when her curiosity boiled over.
“Everyone can follow simple instructions,” he said, rolling his eyes at the silly question.
“It’s delicious. Thank you,” Valerie replied, a tiny smile appearing on her face. He didn’t answer, but his calm gaze and the slight tilt of his lips told her he appreciated her praise. “How did you know this is my favorite?” she asked a while later when she had finished eating, her stomach not feeling empty anymore.
“I asked Nicholas Clarke.” The demon avoided her gaze as if he didn’t want to admit it. Valerie’s eyes widened, catching on to where he had gone.
Frankly, it was the very last thing she expected him to do. Preparing her favorite food was a kind gesture—maybe she had judged the demon too early. Perhaps he wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Her mood improved, and she smiled at the idea of Thorne and Maxwell talking about cooking, of all things. A spark returned to Valerie’s brown eyes, lighting them up. Finally, the pain in her heart eased.
—
“May I ask something?” Valerie said, prompting Maxwell to sit next to her on the couch. She fidgeted with her blanket, feeling his heavy gaze on her.
“Yes?” He put his arm over the sofa's backrest and turned his body in her direction.
“What if we never find a way to break the bond? What if it will stay?”
His gaze darkened, and he took her wrist, turning it over to reveal the glowing crest. Running his thumb over it, the light brightened. Valerie had always found this phenomenon strange and wondered why it happened.
“It can’t,” he growled. “I won’t go down like this. Even if I have to search the deepest pits of hell, I will find a way to get rid of it.”
Valerie agreed with that but also feared what he would do to her when the bond wasn’t there to protect her. She would have to find a solution before he did, but she didn’t have a clue where to start looking. He let go of her wrist, moving his hand to his thigh.
“What about the demon who killed Seth? Who was responsible for his death?”
Maxwell’s head snapped around, eyes focusing on her and taking her breath away with their intensity. “I don’t know who it was, but I have a suspicion. If it truly was him, well… he should pray we never meet.”
“He might come after us, too,” she said, shuddering at the prospect. “What if he targets people who are bonded?”
“It’s possible.”
That wasn’t very helpful and didn’t ease her fears at all. She glanced at Maxwell, realizing he was close enough for her to see the faint white spots in his blue irises.
They appeared like glowing particles of light, but they would vanish whenever the color of his eyes changed to blood red, swallowed by the darker shade. His gaze wasn’t focused on her but on a spot behind her, his fingers drumming on his thigh.
“What will happen when this demon finds us?” she whispered, more to herself than to him. His eyes moved to her, taking note of her defeated posture and the hopelessness it conveyed.
“Someone will die, but it won’t be us.” He arrogantly raised his chin, a smirk curving his sinful lips—the latter never failed to distract her.
Even now, her eyes were drawn to the sharp lines of his lips, remembering how gently he had kissed her last night. A blush crept up her neck, so she averted her gaze.
“You seem confident in your words.”
“I’m one of the strongest demons you will ever meet,” he drawled, smirk widening. “Of course, I won’t be defeated easily.”
Even though his arrogance was annoying, his confidence to prevail convinced her not to worry too much. Suddenly, Mochi arrived in the living room, padding in her direction.
The smile on her face brightened when the small demon came closer, jumping on the sofa and sitting on her lap. She ran her hand through its fur, marveling at its silkiness. The only good thing about this predicament was her adorable new pet.
“How odd,” Maxwell commented. “Why are you so close to this lowly creature?”
“Mochi isn’t some lowly creature, you arrogant ass,” she countered defensively, hugging the cat. “Physical strength isn’t everything, you know?”
“It makes you happy,” he commented since the pain in his chest had vanished entirely. He hid his feelings behind an indifferent expression, but the disbelief in his eyes gave her a little bit of insight regardless.
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Valerie awoke on the sofa the next morning since she had fallen asleep while watching TV the night before. It was turned off now, and the room was dark. What had woken her was the muffled ringing of her phone. She groaned, rubbing her eyes and pulling it out of her pocket. It was Ashton, so she picked up immediately, hoping for some good news regarding the breaking of the bond.
“Hello,” she rasped before clearing her throat.
“Good morning, Valerie,” she said, amusedly. “How are you?”
“Could be better, but it also could be worse. So far, I haven’t died yet,” Valerie explained while she combed her tangled black hair with her fingers. “The bond is getting stronger, and it worries me. I can already see light demons, so it would be an understatement to say that I’m scared. Maxwell has started to… feel my emotional pain, which means I can’t even hide my feelings from him anymore.”
Her desperation hit her in an instant, clawing at her heart. Ashton was silent for a few heartbeats, and her voice sounded gentle when she answered. “Does he mistreat you?” she asked carefully.
“Well, at least he doesn’t threaten to kill me anymore every five minutes, and yesterday he made dinner for me… which came as a huge surprise,” Valerie answered, her lips twitching when she imagined the grumpy demon standing in front of a stove. “His presence sometimes still unnerves me, but I know he can’t hurt me even if he wanted to. He wouldn’t do himself any favors if he did.”