Incubus

15

CELIA COULDN'T SIT STILL. She had taken Cain's threat seriously and she planned to save Aiden— but not without  a plan in mind. The mere thought of Aiden getting hurt by the twisted demon caused her blood to boil. She couldn't simply burn the book to get rid of him as she had previously planned, given the situation Aiden had put her in— now grams' had given both young adults no other choice than to sit through a meal with her.

Celia glanced toward the window in the dining room for the millionth time, knife clenched tightly in her fist beneath the table. If Cain decided to make a move, she would be prepared for him.

Okay, so her plan wasn't perfect. Nor was it elaborate. But at least she had a means to protect herself whenever Cain decided to show his annoyingly perfect face.

"So, Aiden, have you met a special girl in college?" Grams' inquired out of the blue, causing Aiden to nearly choke on his chicken dumplings.

"Umm... Yes, actually." Aiden shifted uncomfortably, coughing slightly. A stab of jealousy spiked through Celia. She, of course, hadn't known this. After all, college kept the redhead busy, and it gave him less time to visit his sister or Celia. If he was in a relationship right now...then what about the moments they had just shared? Did...did they mean nothing to him? Perhaps she had overly-interpreted their interactions. With a thousand thoughts spinning through her mind, she lowered her gaze and painfully swallowed.

"Really? Tell us about her. How serious is it?" Grams interrogated him. Celia watched him anxiously, awaiting his response.

Aiden hesitated and glanced at Celia before responding to grams'.

"Umm... actually, Tatiana and I broke up." He awkwardly stirred his dumplings, the steam rising from its hot surface.

Relief washed over her as soon as the words were spoken. He wasn't in a relationship.

Nonetheless, she shot him a look of sympathy on grams' behalf. With the pained look on his face, she knew he was hiding something. She wondered who Tatiana was, and why they had broken up.

"Ahh, I see. At least you aren't afraid to date. Celia here has boys chasing her from all around, but she'd rather give them a few rude words and tell them where to put it, than date them." Grams' said scoldingly.

"Hey!" Celia crossed her arms and flushed, throwing her grandmother a daggering glare.

"I know. That's one of the things I love about her." Aiden chuckled bemusedly, relaxing visibly in his seat. He was clearly glad that the heat had been averted away from him.

Celia's cheeks were on fire, as his words repeated in her head.

That's what I love about her.

"I'm going to go get some more soup." She mumbled incoherently, picking up her bowl and heading toward the kitchen. Aiden's amused laughter followed her until she closed the door behind her. She took in a deep inhale as she leaned against the wall, red still staining her skin.

"I thought I warned you to get rid of loverboy." A deep, accented voice suddenly spoke into her ear, causing her to gasp and whip around. Instinctively, she made a stabbing motion toward him with her knife. Unfortunately, the culprit was too fast for her, vanishing before her eyes.

"Really? A kitchen knife?" Cain's laughter sounded directly behind her, and she felt two arms grab her from behind. She let out a scream as his muscular arms encircled her stomach, trapping her against his hard chest. She was immediately enveloped in his intoxicatingly musky scent. Sandalwood and citrus. In her distracted state, she didn't realize what he was doing. The kitchen knife was violently ripped from her hands, and she let out a small whimper of pain.

"Celia? Are you okay?" Aiden's concerned voice called out from the dining room. She opened her mouth to call out a warning, until a warm hand suddenly covered her mouth and a low voice spoke into her ear, preventing her from doing so.

"Tell him you're okay, or this goes into his heart." Cain's murmured lowly, his hot breath fanning her ear as the sharp blade of the stolen kitchen knife pressed against her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded quickly, heart racing out of fear for Aiden's safety.

Slowly, Cain removed his large hand, allowing oxygen to once again flood her lungs.

"I-I'm fine! I just dropped something, that's all." She called out, her voice quivering.

"Do you need any help?" Aiden called back, and she felt Cain's grip tighten around her waist. "N-no! Thanks though!" She called back in a rush.

As soon as it fell silent again, Cain roughly spun her around so she was facing him. She was practically weightless in his arms.

"You are playing a dangerous game, little girl." Cain spoke darkly, gripping her waist possessively. His eyes seared into her like two burning flames, a hint of red swirling within their depths.

She looked up at him as she breathed unsteadily, her heart racing.

No matter how many times she saw him, she would always be stunned by the epitome of his beauty. He looked like what she imagined a Greek god would look like. Tall, muscular, angular, art. Only he was covered in intricate black tattoos, and he wore a black v-neck, dark jeans, and combat boots rather than a toga.

"You belong to me, and only me." He murmured darkly, tracing a lithe finger across her cheek. The gentleness of his touch shocked her, contradicting the fierceness of his hold. She shivered.

He was terrifyingly alluring, with his musky masculine scent, with his his dark beauty and rage.

"You like the ginger. I could see it in your eyes, I could hear it in your voice. I might just have to get rid of him." He spoke nonchalantly, as if killing was a normalcy to him.

"You aren't touching a goddamn hair on his head, you monster," She bit out angrily, struggling against him.

"The look on your face when you thought he was with another girl. It was utterly pathetic." He smirked, his red eyes flashing with malice.

She froze, her eyes widening in horror. "You were watching?"

"Darling... I see everything." His dark, knowing eyes almost burnt her. She shuddered, feeling deeply violated.

"He's nothing but a boy. Yet you care so deeply for him." He continued on patronizingly, despite her fervid movements.

"He's more a man than you'll ever be...!" She tried to knee his crown jewel, but he pressed hard against her before her target could be hit.

"Not this time, sweetheart." He growled, pressing her roughly against the kitchen counter and lightly wrapping his hand around her neck.

"He's a good person. You're nothing but vile." She spat in his face.

Cain wiped his face, his expression deadly. He chuckled darkly, the sound deep and thrilling. It sent shivers down her spine.

"My love, we both know you don't want a good guy. After all, you summoned me."