Things Forbidden (2 page)

He knew it was wrong, even as he decided to do it.  But there was something about this confounding creature that was making him act entirely out of character.  He mentally berated himself as he stepped out of the bushes that were concealing him.

“Why are you following me?” she said, her face forced into a scowl.  Try as she might she wasn’t truly angry with him.  More just curious as to why this strange creature suddenly seemed to be so attached to her. 

“Why do you behave so recklessly?” he asked, ignoring her question.

“I asked you a question first,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.  He stepped closer to her, his peculiar features once again becoming apparent as he stepped into the moonlight that spilled into the clearing around the small pond.  His silvery eyes held her in a trance that made it hard to maintain her composure.  She felt a heat growing inside her at the hunger that hid just beyond his stoic gaze.

“And my question should clearly answer yours,” he said.  His voice was thick and creamy as it spilled from his lips.  He was calm, his steps calculated as he circled around her like a predator sizing up its prey.  The intensity of his presence threatened to buckle her knees as she whipped her head around her, following his movements. 

“So…what?
Are you protecting me or something?” she asked.

“No,” he scoffed, his eyes narrowing on her as he stopped circling.  The thought of him protecting a human was absurd at best.  “I am merely curious.  Your kind is usually stupid, but you are exceptionally so.”

She was taken aback by the unexpected insult.  For a moment, her mind tried to contemplate a sufficient comeback.  But then she realized the situation she found herself in, and a comeback seemed of very little importance. 

“My kind?” she said, her eyes following him as he once again began circling her.  He was dressed impeccably, in a suit and tie, as he was the last time she had seen him.  There was a look in his eyes that told her she should be running from him right now.  “What are you?”

“I am curious,” he said, fully aware that it in no way answered her question.  He always enjoyed toying with his prey.  It made his usually droll work somewhat entertaining.  And now, it was making the girl’s growing frustration with him even further entertaining. 

“That’s not what I meant,” she said.  She forced her voice to be harsh, her brow to be furrowed.  She wanted to sound fearless, to sound like she was not terrified by the creature that was before her.  Her fake emotions could never fool him, though she didn
’t know it.  He could read
every feeling that ran through her as easily as a book. 

“I know what you meant, girl,” he said, suddenly standing behind her, his words a harsh whisper in her ear.  His speed and sudden proximity made her jump, and she cursed herself for allowing a sliver of fear to show.  A rumbling chuckle echoed in his chest, causing the heat in her stomach to grow.  A ghostly smirk worked its way onto his face before it vanished and he moved to face her directly.

“How…” she breathed, her words failing her at his speed. “How do you move so fast?”

“You ask many questions,” he said, his narrow silver eyes focused on her wide blue ones. 

“And you don’t answer any,” she countered, forcing her fear away.

“So why do you continue to ask,” he said.  He could play this game all night if that is what the girl wished.  But she would most certainly lose.  He was enjoying his new little toy so much that he didn’t even realize how off the reservation he was.  If the wrong person caught him actually conversing with this human in such a way there would be no saving him. 

“Ok,” she said, inspiration firing across her mind.  He was toying with her.  And he was clearly enjoying himself.  But she was by no means stupid, as he had so rudely put it, and she was going to show him that by beating him at his own game.  “I will satisfy your curiosity and then you can leave me alone.  Ask me whatever you want and I will answer.”

For a moment, just a split second, he was at a loss.  Of course he quickly recovered, stepping back from the girl.  Could she possibly mean what she had just said?  She must be entirely stupid to say such a thing. 

“You will satisfy my curiosity?” he said, a slender brow arching in interest. 

“And then you will leave me alone?” she said with a firm nod, hoping he would accept her proposal. 

“Very well,” he said, a devilish smirk working it’s was onto his handsome face, “I accept your deal, girl.”

“Fine then,” she said.  She wanted to sigh with relief, but the newfound confidence that seemed to radiate from him told her she had just done something very bad for herself. 

“You do not know what you have done, do you?” he said.  He commenced his circling of her, licking his lips hungrily.  She had just given him everything he could have possibly wanted, and she didn’t even know it.

“I’m hopefully getting rid of you soon,” she said, and although she thought she meant it, she felt the oddest pinch of sadness at the thought that he actually would leave her alone.  She had sought him out for a reason.  She wanted answers. 

“Oh, but my curiosity runs very deep,” he said, his footsteps once again coming to a halt just in front of her, “and I intend to be fully satisfied.”

Chapter Three

He had to give the girl some credit.  In spite of the fear that permeated her scent, she was maintaining her outward composure remarkably well.  Most humans ran at the mere sight of him.  The question again popped into his head.  Was this girl completely stupid?  Perhaps she was.  But there was still something about her. 
Something that made her so different from the rest of her kind.
 

“Will you just get on with it?” She said, forcing herself to be strong.  The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was scared of him.  She would never give him the upper hand, even if she was absolutely terrified.  She swallowed hard as his steps brought him closer to her, a dangerous smirk on his lips. 
Fleshy lips that looked firm and oh so seductive.
  She wondered what those lips would taste like.  She quickly kicked herself mentally for thinking such thoughts.  Now was definitely not the time.

“Very well,” he said, noticing the girl’s sudden fascination with his mouth and pleased to pick up the faint smell of arousal once again mingling with her scent.  “Do you touch yourself often? Or has that just been this past week?”

Her mouth flopped open as her mind tried to reconcile the shock it had just received.  That was definitely not the type of curiosity she was expecting.  She considered not answering the question, and rightly so.  That was absolutely none of his business.  But then another thought jumped out at her.  How did he even know what she did in the privacy of her own home?

“What are you a peeping tom?” she seethed at him, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“No,” he said flatly, his eyes narrowed in indignation.  To think he would ever stoop to such a dastardly thing was absolutely insulting.  However, he wasn’t about to tell her exactly how good his sense of smell was.  “I will be asking the questions, to which you will reply. 
As per our arrangement.”

An odd chill ran down her spine as he said those last words.  His smug expression told her there was more meaning behind those words than she thought.

“What exactly do you mean, ‘our arrangement’?” she asked.

“Again, I will be asking the questions,” he said.  His lips cracked into a half smile and an ever so slightly pointed canine popped out, glistening softly in the moonlight.  “However, since I am inclined to, I will inform you of the stupidity you have demonstrated.”

“Stop calling me stupid,” she said, her voice tinted with hurt at the continued insults, even though she tried to hide it. 

“You actually offered
me
a deal,” he said, a ghost of a chuckle in his voice.  “In all my years, I have never received a contract so easily. 
And such a lucrative one for myself.”

She felt the blood drain from her face as his half smile spread into a full one.  Things were starting to sound very bad for her, and the cocky grin on his face confirmed it.  She had to ask.  But oh how she did not want to.  She wanted to curl up under one of the many rocks that littered the edge of the pond and die, far away from this frightening, intoxicating, devastatingly handsome…she mind-kicked herself again.  These thoughts were entirely out of place in her current situation. 

“What ‘contract’?” she asked, furrowing her brows in concern. 

He was entirely enthralled and amused by this creature.   The way her emotions flitted through her at such a neck breaking speed was so incredibly entertaining.  He wondered if it was typical for humans to experience their emotions in such a manner.  None of the ones he had ever dealt with were like this.  He once again suppressed the itching thought that he shouldn’t even care, and definitely should not be enjoying her the way he was. 

“You offered me terms, girl,” he said, “and I accepted.  It is a binding agreement.”

“I didn’t sign anything,” she said.  She crossed her arms across her chest, her face shining with self- satisfaction.  There was no way he could hold her to anything if she didn’t sign something.

“You don’t have to,” he said.  He instantly appeared behind her, and once again reveled in the way she jerked at the unexpected move.  But still, she didn’t step away from him.  She stood her ground, and in a small way he admired her for that.  She had more backbone than most males of her kind, which wasn’t exactly saying a lot. 

“Ok, look,” she said, turning around.  She came nose to nose with him, and she realized a little too late that he was even more intimidating this close.  She struggled to pull the words from her mouth, trying to muster up as much courage as possible.  “I don’t have time to stand around here all night.”

“You stated terms, I verified, and we agreed,” he said, his voice calm as he stared back at her.  Their bodies were so close he could feel the warmth coming from her supple skin.  It sent an odd wave of desire over him that he quickly forced himself to ignore. “You are now under a binding contract to me
to,
as you put it, satisfy my curiosity.  Luckily for me, that is an extremely vague term.”

“That’s not a contract,” she said, shaking her head.  She wanted to step back, wanted to get away from the suffocating trance he put on her.  But she would not.  She would be stalwart in her resistance to him and not show any signs of weakness if she could help it. 

“But it is,” he replied, the smile once again forming on his lips.  “It is a demon’s contract, girl.”

She stared blankly at him as his words sunk in.  Had he not looked the part of being entirely not human she would have laughed.  But this was no joke, and the gravity of her situation was beginning to sink in.

“What do I have to do?” she asked, her heart sinking into her stomach with each word.  She was beginning to realize that he wasn’t going to be leaving her alone anytime soon.

“You simply have to satisfy my curiosity.  The contract will be fulfilled, and you will be released from any bond,” he said, his silver eyes searching every expression flashing across her face.

“And what happens if I just walk away?” she said.

“I believe you remember your unwelcomed visitor from our last encounter.” he said, an eyebrow cocked
and a half smile on his lips
.  “The things I will be allowed to do to you will make that look like tame.” 

Chapter Four

“Allowed?” she questioned.  For a split second the upturned corners of his lips flinched.  That was not something he had wanted to let slip, and now that she had asked
,
he was obligated to tell her.  It was typical demon contract protocol.

“Yes,” he said, not letting his disappointment show through his voice.  “As things are, I am not allowed to harm you in any manner.”

“Oh really,” she said, her lips curling in a smile.  Now she knew she had the upper hand on him.

“However,” he said, breaking through her momentary victory, “if you were to breach our contract…”

His words trailed off and a chill went straight into her bones.  She knew she had to ask, but she knew she didn’t want to know the answer.  She could feel her heart racing in her ribcage.  She swallowed hard.

“
Wha
…what would happen if I breached the contract?” she asked.  His eyes were constantly scanning her with such intensity it made her knees weak.  He used his speed to suddenly appear behind her, leaving barely more than a sliver of air separating them.  She was getting used to his movements, this time she didn’t flinch, and she mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

He leaned into her, his lips stopping beside her ear.  He said nothing, but she could hear his steady breaths, could feel the warm of his exhales on her neck.  A strong arm wrapped around her midsection, and he pulled her tightly into his chest.  She could feel the heat of his body even through the layers of clothes that separated them.  She sucked in a sharp breath and held it, waiting for him to answer her question, or release her, or ravage her, or whatever the hell he was planning on doing.  She just wanted him to stop toying with her.