Bound to the Demon Lord ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Two

Phoebe couldn't sleep. She wasn't sure how much time had actually passed. She couldn't even tell if it was day or night. There were no windows or even a clock. But based on the number of long sleeps she had had, it had been at least four days. If she stayed here much longer, she feared that she would go crazy.

With a sigh, she sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair. Her hand brushed against the hickey still on her neck. An uncomfortable shiver went down her back, suddenly feeling itchy. But as much as she wanted to scratch it away, she didn't dare try. Not when Vesper had promised to leave another one if she attempted to heal herself.

She didn't want to test them. If they tried to touch her again, she would have to relieve all those feelings and memories of Seraphine's. When a man who should have been her friend attacked her so cruelly... It wasn't a wonder why Krios hated Edward as much as he did.

And now she understood why he never wanted to talk about Edward. Perhaps it was for her sake, so she wouldn't have to recall such horrific memories. Or maybe it was just too painful for him to talk about. Not that she didn't understand. How could anyone want to talk about it?

Now she just wanted to apologize to him for blaming him for everything. As far as she was concerned, Krios had every right to kill Edward. She would have done the same. Monsters could be anyone, whether or not they looked like demons... and Edward had definitely been a monster for assaulting someone who called him a friend.

Her only respite was that Vesper had no interest in doing anything to her outside of the hickey. They had visited yesterday again, and she made sure that they were sitting as far from her as possible. The conversation did not last long; they only came in to check on how she was faring. They did not come too close to her, nor did they make any move to touch her. It seemed that they were telling the truth when they said no harm would come to her.

Still, they made it clear they were drawn to her, just as all their previous incarnations had been. Even though she was still anxious around them, she appreciated the transparency. Considering what they were doing and had done, she never expected them to be so honest with her.

Maybe Vesper did carry some guilt over his past actions, not just from previous lives but this one as well. Or perhaps they were just unable to lie to her. Previous incarnations couldn't lie to her either. At least in the few memories she had, Edward had never lied to Seraphine, and neither had any of the other incarnations.

Phoebe looked to the door. Every night, she thought of attempting an escape. But the barriers were far too strong. Even if she were to make it out, she had no idea where she was. She would be caught long before she could make it out of the Temple. She highly doubted Vesper was working alone. If they were planning to capture Krios, they would still need help.

A loud bang made him jump. Looking to the door, the barrier began to hum loudly and fluctuate. More bangs echoed in her room, and no doubt throughout the temple or wherever Vesper had hidden her away. Her mark grew warmer, making her tense up. Damn it, he was already here! She had to warn him. She had to tell him to flee before it was too late!

With a final boom, the barrier shattered and the doors swung open. Phoebe threw up her arms to shield herself from the blowback. But when she let the mana buffer fall, she came face to face with a humanoid Krios standing between the now opened doors. He was caked in blood, both his clothes and his skin. His eyes were wild, blaring brighter than the other had before.

And when they locked onto her shocked expression, deep relief crossed his face. "Phoebe!"

He rushed to her before she could even get a word in. Desperately, he grasped her face, cradling her cheeks in his hands as he looked her up and down for injuries. "Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?"