Wicked Obsession

23.

Friday, July 26th

He places one of his large hands on my waist while the other clasps mine. His hand is warm and my heart thuds louder at how amazing it feels in my own. I place my other hand on his shoulder and he gracefully begins to move. I'm not the best dancer but with Harry, it's almost too easy. We glide easily across the dance floor and I can feel eyes on us. I look around the room and several of the other dancers are staring and whispering.

I try to ignore them but I'm not used to being in the spotlight and it makes me feel uneasy. I'm always the person sneaking around behind the scenes to find any skeletons, not the one in  plain sight.

"Is it all the stares or Darcy that has you so tense?"

"Both." I answer honestly. "How is she still here? I saw you kill her."

"Always digging for answers." He chuckles shaking his head but surprises me when he continues. "Demons are no longer flesh and bone. We bleed and feel but death cannot touch what is not of this world. If a demon dies a mortal death, they go back to Abbadon until their human body has healed. A demon must have a vessel to walk the Earth."

"Is this not the body you had when you were human?"

He nods. "It is but if I were to die and my body remained damaged, I would have to find a temporary vessel until I could retrieve my own. Although that can be risky. Demons were not meant to possess humans despite common belief, just corrupt them. If a demon stays in a vessel too long, it weakens them and slowly the body will start to deteriorate. If a demon dies in a vessel that is not his own, it could take years to recover enough strength to come back to Earth."

"Hmmm." I hum, processing everything he just told me. He spins me away from his body and when I twirl back into him, we are closer than we were before. His eyes memorizing me and I'm glad that this is his body. The idea makes him seem more human. His soft breathing blows across my cheeks sending fire throughout my body. I'm so affected by him in every way and my mind goes back to what Liam told me about Harry's creator.

"How did you become what you are? You don't seem like the kind of man who is easily influenced."

He gives me a curious look. "Why the sudden interest in me?" I hear the caution in his tone.

"I want to know you."

His expression grows unreadable as he searches my face for any deception, finding none.

"My demon father first approached me when I was young, 17 maybe. It is hard to remember my human life as it was so long ago. He spoke to me of doing horrible things to improve my circumstances but I refused.

"It took years before he finally managed to corrupt me and only months after that to break me. That I remember clearly, it's something every demon remembers." The pain in his voice is undeniable as he remembers something from long ago.

I want to ask about it but a more pressing question comes to mind. "Is that what you planned in the beginning? To break me and make me like you?" The revelation is staggering and my heart seems to hang on his response.

"Yes."

"Why?"

His eyes seem to dull slightly but his voice remains calm. "Every soul is different and some burn brighter than others, making them more appealing. Yours is rare, different in a way that I have never experienced in all my years walking the Earth as a demon. It is like a sirens call, drawing every demon to it. You would make a powerful demon and be an irreplaceable asset to whomever turns you."