BRAVING THE DARKNESS: One Night With The Demon King
BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha’s Little Demon Book 2
Chapter 22 – Gathering My Thoughts
LUCIUS.
I was lost for words and just watched as she walked away from me. She didn’t even take the flowers with her.
I peered through the shelves and saw her return to the middle counter, where she began shuffling books and papers without saying anything.
The blonde girl began to ask questions, but she simply nodded her head without responding.
Was she mad?
I didn’t do anything. I didn’t f*uc*k Nyneve? I didn’t even spend time alone with her.
So what the f*uc*k was happening?
I cleared my throat and walked straight ahead to where she was, taking the flowers with me. The blonde girl smiled before she moved away from the counter and helped a teenager.
“Patrea…” I placed the roses in front of her, which she took without looking at me.
“Hmmm…”
“Say something?”
“Like what?”
“Anything. Are you mad?”
“I just need time to gather my thoughts.”
“Do you want me to leave?” My lips pursed into a thin line. If she asked me to leave, I would lose my cool.
She snapped her head up as her forehead creased. “And where are you headed?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to Kalmerus.” Her voice sounded hostile.
“I won’t go there if you don’t want me to. But it looks like you don’t want me here either.”
“Here,” she said as she handed me four books.
“What do I need to do with these?” I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips.
“Pick a table and a chair, sit there, and read those. I just want a moment of silence, but that doesn’t mean you need to leave and go back to Kalmerus.” “Oh.”
“Questions?” She asked, raising her eyebrows, and I just shook my head, my mouth pursing to suppress my smile this time.
I had many questions, but if she needed time to gather her thoughts, then I would give her the time she needed. I was sure it wouldn’t take an hour.
I picked up the books she gave me and sat somewhere I could see her.
I chuckled at the books in my hands. One was a book of recipes for dessert, while the other was how to use Excel like an expert.
She probably just picked up what was nearby. The other one was for decoding things on the computer. But the last one sounded good. Maybe I should read this one.
Relationships and dating.
As much as I wanted to concentrate on reading all the funny anecdotes about dating, Patrea’s sighs and loud footsteps kept distracting me from time to time.
I was already planning to approach her when I heard footsteps getting louder, and I was right — she was heading this way. I watched as my temperamental witch walked toward me and let my eyes feast on her perfect form — her b*rea*sts and hips were nothing big but still fit her perfectly.
But those long legs were my weakness. I wanted them around my body, or one day, around my neck.
I sat up straight and was about to greet her when she hurled a question at me as soon as she halted walking.
“Do you like her?” She asked as she gripped the chair tightly in front of her.
“Who?” I knew who she was talking about, but what the hell? I didn’t even think of her while I was here.
“Nyneve.”
“No.”
“You’re lying. I heard your thoughts.”
I looked around. There were more people now, so I created an illusion around us that no one could hear or see Patrea’s expression because she looked as if she wanted to claw me, which, by the way, I found s*e*xy as hell.
“Then I should let you hear my thoughts when they’re about you.” I flashed her a smug smirk as I leaned back on the chair without taking my gaze off her.
“You can’t divert the topic.” She huffed and crossed her arms against her chest, and my gaze slid down to her b*rea*sts.
How could she think I was thinking of another female when all my thoughts were about her and the many ways I would make her scream in pleasure?
“The thoughts I had for her are the same thoughts I will have if another she-demon comes and uses her allure on me. But I didn’t do anything.”
“You didn’t? Didn’t you spend time with her this morning?” She asked, her voice faltering as if she didn’t want to say the last sentence.
“No. I went here directly after that conversation.” “Don’t lie, please.”
“I never lied to you. And I never sugar-coated my words around you.”
“Okay.” She was about to turn around when I coiled my hand around her wrist, stopping her from leaving.
“Are you still mad?”
“I’m not angry. I’m just gathering my thoughts.” “How long before you can gather all your thoughts? II
“I don’t know. If you’re bored, then you are free to go.” She tugged her arm gently away from my hold, but she turned to face me and f*orc*ed a smile out of her mouth.
“Where should I go then?”
She bit her bottom lips, and her eyes were turning glassy. “Wherever you want to go. I can’t stop you.” “I want to be here.”
“Then stay…” She said it in almost a whisper, and I was sure a tear was about to fall from her eye, but she turned around and walked away.
And I just let her.
I had no idea what to do next aside from sitting down here. I was sure I was not allowed to go to my own kingdom at the moment, or until I could figure out a way to read her actions or get her to tell me all her thoughts.
I didn’t know I had the patience to just sit and not do anything. Although my mind was in conversation with Dorion and my other demons, I was just sitting still like a f*uc*king good boy when asked to behave and not make any noise.
“I’m ready to go home.” She approached me, holding her coat and handbag in one arm while the other held the flowers I gave her.
My eyes darted to the clock. It was not even two o’ clock in the afternoon.
“I thought you were ending at three?” I asked as I stood up.
“I didn’t take my lunch and told Stefanie I needed to be somewhere this afternoon.”
That answered why she didn’t take any breaks at all. “Okay. Should I just leave these books here?” I had taken more during the time I was seated.
“You can leave them on the counter. I’ll fix them tomorrow.”
I nodded my head and gathered them before I walked back to the main counter, handing the books to a smiling Stefanie.
“I’ll take that. Have fun!” she said.
I just nodded my head before I walked to where Patrea was, and we exited the library and the building without any of us talking.
“I can drive.” She laid her hand on the key, but I ignored her and opened the door of the passenger seat instead.
“I said I could drive.”
“I’m not sure what your mood is, but I don’t want to die yet.”
“A car crash won’t k*il*l you.”
“But a woman’s wrath can. Get in. I’ll drive.” I c*oc*ked my head to the side, urging her not to make any more arguments.
She didn’t say anything, and I took the flowers from her hand, along with her bag, and placed them in the backseat.
In five minutes, we were home, but she didn’t wait for me to open the door for her or acknowledge my presence and just went directly to get her things and proceeded inside the house.
I was already losing patience with how she was acting. Why she couldn’t open her mouth and tell me if she was angry? And at least tell me what I needed to do next.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I leaned on the wall, arms crossed against my chest, looking at her as she fixed the flowers on a vase.
Even though she was unpredictable at the moment, at least she was handling the roses with utmost care. Lucky roses.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re too cold and refuse to speak with me.” “I’m just…”
“Gathering your thoughts.” I finished for her. ” How long do you plan to keep gathering your thoughts.”
“Leave if you want to leave.” She snapped back at me.
In seconds, I was already behind her, pulling her body around so she would face me. Her hand reflexively raised as if she were expecting impact, but I coiled my hands around her balled fists and just held them.
“I won’t leave until you tell me what I did wrong,” I told her as I tried to catch her gaze.
“Nothing. You did nothing wrong.”
“And why do I feel like I’m being punished if I did nothing wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
“This is about Nyneve?”
“Of course, it’s about her!” She let out a sigh before she continued. “Everything is perfect, then she has to show up and make her grand entrance, and you have to share with me that you were lusting over her while I’m not even allowed to speak with my neighbors,” she said in one breath.
“Lusting over her?”
“You found her attractive!”
“Did you ask me why I showed you my memory instead of simply stating that I met the princess of Athwart?”
She just looked at me, her chest heaving while my hands still held hers.
“So that, I will not miss any details, and you cannot accuse me of concealing something from you.”
“But it’s not nice to hear your thoughts about her.” “Are you jealous?”
“Of course I am. I don’t want your attention focused on her. Now every time you go back to
Kalmerus, I will be thinking if she’s at the tower, if you’re joining her for a hot bath, or if you’re f*uc*king her.”
“Patrea.”
“It was not enough that I already knew you couldn’ t stop yourself from f*uc*king someone because that’ s what you are. Lust ruled your whole body and senses. You would f*uc*k every time you could, and now I have to have an image of what the female looked like. And she’s not just an ordinary she- demon, she’s a princess. And she can seduce you with her allure… While I was not even allowed to smile with my neighbor.”
“So this is about you, not allowed to spend time with Bernard?” I asked, my forehead creasing.
“No! The hell I care about him! This is about you spending time with her, or f*uc*king her.” She tugged her hands from my grasp.
“I didn’t f*uc*k her!”
“Maybe not yet. But you will! I’m sure it will happen soon!”
“You’re judging me for something I didn’t do yet.” “I don’t want you to do it.” She swallowed, her jaw clenching.
“Then just f*uc*king tell me you don’t want me to do it. No need to be hostile.”
“You’re still going to do it anyway.”
“How sure are you?” “It runs in your blood, to f*uc*k. And I can’t blame you for that.”
“Did I f*uc*k you, Patrea? Six months and more, and I’ m still here..”
“But she’s willing.”
“But I’m not.”
“Lucius… Please.” She let out a sigh and took her gaze off me. “I don’t know what’s happening with me, but I want to be selfish. I don’t want your attention elsewhere.”
A smile cracked on my face as I cupped her cheeks, my thumb brushing against her skin. “Tell me, where do you want my attention? I want to have clear instructions.”
“I don’t want to boss you around.”
“I’m sure you’re not bossing me around. But tell me, I want to hear it.” My gaze locked with the amber eyes that had been haunting my thoughts whenever she was not around me. A smug grin tugged on my mouth as I let my thumb brush against her bottom lip. “Again, Patrea, where do you want my attention to be?”