Belial - a fateful night (Vol.1) ✅

Chapter 8

Confused and overwhelmed, Aleks dropped onto his sofa. Damn, what was that?

He passed his hand across his face and tried to calm his erratic heartbeat by deliberately taking deep breaths. He knew he had acted instinctively at that moment, but certainly, his survival instinct should have kicked in.

"This isn't helping..." he muttered.

He couldn't run away from the demon in his bedroom. The reality was that he was there, and he had to handle it, but the matter of how still evaded Aleks.

Music. He went over to the music system he had placed on the left side of a small table and turned it on. Eve, I need that now.

Aleks' taste in music was, shall we say, somewhat unusual. He loved the hard and punk rock genre, including Sum41, Rise Against, and Breaking Benjamin, but on the other hand, he loved J- and K-pop/rock. Some of his other favorites were One OK Rock, Spyair, Eve, and one which would make many girls scream, BTS. He kept the last one a secret from Rika, otherwise, he would never have another minute of peace. Rika really loved "the seven gods from South Korea" as she had dubbed them. Even when they were mentioned, she began to drool. So, he had gotten accustomed to their music style, but psst, it was a secret.

His taste in books was as special as his taste in music. He loved adult fantasy books, and his favorite writers were Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, and Nalini Singh with their guild hunter series. His second loves, and currently more dominant loves, were manga and, as expected, anime. He and Zack were both passionate anime fans. So, it was no surprise that they always watched the long-awaited, new episode of their favorite anime on Crunchyroll every week without fail – in the original language, of course.

お気に召すまま by Eve quietly began to play. He gradually increased the volume until he felt it was just right. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the music, felt it vibrate on his skin and he slowly began to relax. But he knew he had to eventually face Belial, so he rose as soon as the last note of the song sounded. Despite all odds, he had overcome every obstacle in his life so far and he would certainly do it again.

Belial knew that his human hadn't yet left the apartment. He noticed his smell and he knew that Aleks was next door. But he couldn't reach him. Silence. Broken shortly after by noise. With a smile, he realized that Aleks had probably turned on some music. He had a very keen sense of hearing and could perceive even the slightest noise in the distance, which acted as an advantage in the field. He was a born mercenary.

The reason for his smile, however, wasn't Aleks' unusual taste in music, but the fact that he quietly sang along. He may not have been aware of it, but it made Belial's heart skip a beat. Belial relaxed, listening to the music and the sound of Aleks' voice.

When Aleks calmed down a bit, he made a decision. No matter what had just happened between them, he didn't want to explore it. Nervously, he stood in front of the door to his bedroom. It's my bedroom, it can't be too hard to go in there. He won't eat you.

"Aleksander?" a voice said on the other side of the door.

Aleks went in but stopped in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Belial asked in an anxious voice.

"It's all-" Aleks broke off. He took a deep breath before he started anew. "Belial, what just happened. It... please forget it... Now rest."

Belial remained silent for a moment and then he nodded.

Relieved, Aleks retreated and closed the door.

The next few days passed in a flash, repeating the daily routine of getting dressed, taking care of the wounds, redoing the bandages, cooking, showering, cooking, sleeping, and getting up again. In between, he and Belial had a few conversations, but they were short-lived and superficial.