Chapter One Hundred Three

My chest raised and fell. In the past, that man’s voice had made me smile, cry, moan, and bite my lips in ecstasy. Now, it filled me with different emotions. I felt protected, heard, and important. After everything I said and did, Desmond didn’t give up on me and kept following me to come to my rescue at the perfect time. Was he deranged or seriously in love with me?

“Yes, I did. I called for your help,” I said.

My eyes searched for a glimpse of him around the height of the great hall and ground level. The cold and warm air against my skin felt like him. I sniffed it, and it smelled like him, too. Desmond had a distinctly pleasant scent to him. It was incomparable, as I had never smelled anything remotely similar to it. The fragrance was as enigmatic as him.

“What do you want, Cass?” Desmond spoke again. I still couldn’t see him anywhere. His invisibility had always irked me. It was not the time to hide and test my patience.

“Anyone can mimic a voice. How can I believe that the person I am talking to is Desmond? Come before me. I want to look into your eyes as we talk.” Even though I could feel him with every fiber of my being, I had to lie to conceal my familiarity and connection with his incorporeal form.

“As you wish, my princess. To see me, you must follow my voice into another room. Too many ears are on us here. Come at once.” Desmond’s voice became distant after he said that.

My demon was asking me to go somewhere unknown. I had nothing but my heart’s testimony telling me it was Desmond. The time we had spent together was enough for me to trust my intuition and follow the voice.

Desmond hummed and occasionally gave me simple instructions on where to turn. I got a little suspicious because how was not anyone but me hearing his voice? According to Lily, we were constantly being watched by the Astors’ demon slaves. Why were they not attacking Desmond, then? He was also a demon. Did that make a difference in their treatment of him?

My desperation didn’t allow me to stop, and I kept following his voice until we reached a room deep into the ground floor. Once I entered that room, Desmond fell silent, and the door closed and locked. Was it a trap?

A scream was about to escape my throat when I suddenly felt a hand on my mouth. My eyes met with that person who was trying to muffle my screams. I could recognize those mint-green eyes from a mile away.

Desmond’s fleshy lips spread into a soft smile.

“How have you been, Cass?” he asked.

Tears quickly filled my eyes, and I melted into his arms. I gripped his body as tightly as possible and buried my face in his chest. Something about his warm smile made me wildly emotional. Desmond might be a demon, but he had always helped me in every situation.

“Desmond, they are pure evil. Benedict framed my brother for murder and rape. The police will be here any moment to take Derrick away. It will ruin his life. I hate them so much. Why are they doing this to you? What did we do to deserve this?”

“Evil doesn’t need a reason to hurt others, Cass. I believe it to be a disease of the mind,” Desmond spoke softly, brushing my hair with one hand.

“If it’s a disease, then what’s the cure?” I asked, fisting the back of his jacket.

“Love and empathy. But wicked people have blocked these emotions in their hearts. That’s why they need someone stronger than them to take their power and teach them a lesson,” Desmond replied softly into my ear.

“Would you help me, then?” I looked at him with sad and quivering lips. “I don’t want my brother to go to jail. They have already taken so much from us, Desmond. I don’t have it in me to endure more.”

“Of course. I’ll do anything you want me to do, Cass.” Desmond traced his finger along my sad lips. “You can count on me. I’ll make everything better.”

“Really? How did you even get in here? Isn’t a demon army spread around Rothslor Manor?” I questioned.

Desmond's eyes squinted as he stared into space, trying to remember something. “I only saw two demons, and they are on the upper floor with Benedict Astor and the others.”

“How is that possible? I thought they were hiding a Satan’s temple somewhere here. Did you check the basement? They didn’t take us there on the house tour.”

“There is only dust and broken furniture in the basement. I am afraid they perform witchcraft elsewhere. This house is clean of any unholy objects,” Desmond told me.

Jane and Benedict Astor were too clever. When they had the entire town to themselves, why would they taint their home where their child sleeps with the devil’s magic? That reminded me of the little boy we had met at the door. Why didn’t we see him again? Was he their child or a demon pretending to be one to fool us?

“Desmond. Did you see a child? Around eight to ten years old?” I asked.

“No. Why?”

It was a demon all along! They planned to welcome us into their home and trap us. Many people had seen us come there, and their nephew had to visit on the same day of our arrival. That’s why they chose to trap us with the law. On any other, they would have made their shadow slaves snap our necks and drink our blood.

I moved on to the more urgent problem. “Will you prove Derrick’s innocence and give the Astors what they deserve?”

“Anything. Tell me what you want me to do. I’ll do it right away,” said Desmond, touching my face gently.

“Anything?” I confirmed in my weepy voice.

“Yes.” Desmond’s breathy reply fanned my face.

It all felt normal. It felt like we were still as close as before. I forgot about who he was for a moment and expressed my heart’s desire to him. “I want you to blame the maid’s death on Benedict and Jane Astor. Let them rot in jail for murder. I can’t wait to see their malicious plan backfire on them. Will you help me?”

“Yes. Yes. I will do anything for you, Cass. Today and always,” Desmond answered with a sweet twinkle in his eyes.

“We don’t have a contract anymore. It’s not your responsibility to do anything for me. I tried to trap you with the help of other demons and witches. I told you I would die before ever asking for_”

Desmond’s hand again fell on my mouth. “Don’t repeat anything from the past, my love. I don’t care what you said. I would sacrifice my life for you. Sending two Satanists to jail is nothing.”

I looked at him in shock. His words had touched my heart. The love that I had pushed down began to emerge. Desmond was a demon who loved me better than a human. Was our love story possible?