The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Twelve

Three days.

How the fuck had he allowed three full days to pass?

Armaita lay naked beside him – her tiny body curled into his side. From the moment she appeared in his domain, he couldn't keep his hands off her.

No longer an innocent, his little angel had become intimately acquainted with every part of Asmodeus' naked body. She hadn't bothered surfacing to check on her charge, nor had she reported back to Heaven during that time.

She spent every waking moment with him – kissing him, making love with him, and sleeping when her body became too fatigued to go on. He kept waiting for reality to set in – thinking he would be waking up from the best dream of his life at any moment.

But he never did.

It was real.

She was real. And she was everything he never knew he wanted.

They were both changing. He could see it happening clearly, but he was unsure what it meant. All he knew was that he felt better the more time he spent with her.

She nuzzled into his side – her leg draped over his thigh. She breathed deeply as she slept quietly – trusting him with her body when she was vulnerable. Her guard down.

He loved watching her sleep. He liked waking her up with warm kisses on her naked skin. Her scent was sweet and addictive, her taste divine.

He couldn't get enough of her.

She groaned and shifted beside him – her face screwing up with discomfort. He repositioned himself between her legs and kissed her neck, darting his tongue out to taste her. She mewled again, and her eyes slowly opened. She blinked up at him and gave him a bright smile.

A moment later, she furrowed her brows and scrunched up her nose – her hands flying to her belly.

Concern washed over him immediately. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I feel pain here."

His gaze followed her hand to her upper belly, and he rested his palm over hers. A moment later, he both felt and heard the growling in her stomach. She cringed.

"You're hungry," he said, trying to hide his worry.

She gave him a wary look. "How can that be?"

He shrugged, downplaying just how much this bothered him. She was already sleeping when she shouldn't be. Now she was feeling hunger – the need to nourish her body.

Asmodeus sat up and waved a hand in front of him – conjuring a bowl of fruit. He presented it to her and helped her into a sitting position. Armaita picked up a grape – plucking it from the small vine it was attached to – and rolled it around between her fingers.

She brought the plump fruit to her lips and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes shut the moment her teeth closed over it and its juices filled her mouth with a burst of delicious flavor. She hummed in appreciation and took the bowl from him, helping herself to more grapes.

He watched her pick up a banana and peel it – more than likely having learned by watching over humanity all her life. She bit into it and hummed again, really enjoying her first formal meal.

Part of him wanted to smile and enjoy the adorable way she discovered each new flavor and texture. The other half was already trying to think of an explanation for the physical changes both he and Armaita were undergoing.

It seemed the more they spent time together, the more they changed. Asmodeus looked himself over, mentally checking every one of his senses and parts of his body to make sure nothing else was unusual. His heart still beat in his chest, but apart from that he didn't feel any different.