Page 8 of Demon Daddy

Nothing horrible or traumatic ever happened in any of the villagers' homes…it was more like they were volunteering to sell tickets to the school fundraiser.

You smile and pretend you are all in and happy to contribute, but deep down, you just want to burn the damn tickets, write a check, and be done with it.

I’m the tickets.

No one ever burned me, but their indifference was impossible to hide. I grew up cold, even in the hottest of summers.

Then there’s the teasing. I mean, it’s not like there weren’t other overweight people in town, but when you’re the local orphan and one of your few comforts in life is food, it starts to show.

The townspeople rarely used my given name. Instead, I was Chub, Chunk… Fluffy. Nicknames are fun, right?

He leans in, his breath cooler than the steam rising from the pool and scented with something that I swear smells like chocolate. “I am older than your entire bloodline. I devour. I desecrate. My entire purpose has been to create fear. I know nothing else.”

“Okay, big man, but you’re getting ready to bathe me. So, that doesn’t track.”

A long pause. “You are right. I wish to bathe you. Before, I would think of this as only cleansing, toying with my brides, elevating their fear in order to feed the emptiness inside me.”

“Cleansing is different than bathing? I mean, you put them in the water naked? It’s the same thing.” A spike of rabid, fiery jealousy engulfs me as my heart races, and I think of those that came before me. “I hate that you put them in this pool naked before me.”

What’s the harm in a little honesty between a sacrifice and a demon?

“No, not naked.” He shakes his head as if the thought is offensive. “I cared nothing for seeing their flesh. Your human words are limited, but what I want to do to you is nothing like what I did with them.”

“Well, variety is the spice of the afterlife, I guess, so whatever.” Irrational jealousy sticks in my belly as I grit my teeth, my fingers balling into fists under the water.

He slowly blinks, and the silence stretches between us as the demon's erection starts to shake between his legs.

A sound cracks from his throat, something like a chuckle, demon-style, and its vibration prickles my skin, warmth growing in my chest that both confuses and comforts me.

“You are a puzzle, little one. Nobody has ever talked back to me. I enjoy this…talking. It is something else I’ve never done with a human. I terrify them, they scream, I feed.” The red in his eyes turns deep crimson, sparks flickering deep inside like low flames. The muscles under his fur flex as his chest expands, then lowers as he exhales.

His tongue extends and flicks at the air around my head, his nostrils flaring as he draws in a long breath.

He extends a hand toward my chest, one sharp talon hooking the hem of my crop top. “I will see the rest of you.”

I lift my arms, the damp fabric clinging to my skin. “Go ahead, I’m all yours, Daddy Demon.”

He shudders, a tremor running through his massive frame. “Daddy,” he repeats. It comes out rough and careful, like the word is unfamiliar. “Why do you call me this, Little Dolly?”

Oh Lord. “Okay, look, let’s just forget I ever said—”

“Tell me why!” His eyes blaze again and a low spike of fear lances through my chest. “I know this word, but I am not your mother’s mate.”

Jesus.

“Fine, well… the short version is, you take care of me.”

Among other things. But that will do for starters.

He goes very still. “Then for you, I am Daddy.”

Chapter 4

Icatch sight of a bat slicing through the air by the stairs, then disappearing down a long hall, a heavy silence pressing down onto my chest.

Even the water's soft movement turns to glass

I reach up and press my palm to the demon’s chest, splitting the fur between my fingers as something thumps on the other side of his chest wall. I gather my courage and look up, up, up, and when his eyes are on mine, his mouth open, air moving raggedly between his teeth, I say it again.