Once Upon A Demon [ ON HOLD ]

16.

kard is back yasssss 

wasn't a fan of the song in the beginning but it kinda grew on me 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I'm in my sweatpants when there's a knock at the door.

It was a hard day at work. We had the technical experts over to fix the portal damage which I'd had to monitor, then the witches arrived to secure the enchantments around the institution, I had to accompany Claire to a board meeting about the wolves using the Primrose's portals and we had two new additions to the institution so I had to handle them as well. Tired, I'd showered and changed as soon as I got home and then crashed on the couch with a pillow under my head. After that, I'd switched on the TV, flipping through shows while eating chocolate.

Picking myself up from the couch with a groan, I head towards the door and open it, not bothering to check the peephole.

"Hello, little demon."

I groan loudly inside my head. See, this is why I should've checked the peephole.

I go to close the door but Auden blocks it with a foot. I've never understood how people can do that without experiencing immense pain. I apply more pressure to the door hoping to bruise him. He blocks it easily, then uses his hand to push the door widely before entering the house. I stumble back and then stare openmouthed as he roams around my place, hands clasped behind his back. Closing the door gently, I trail behind him, stopping his tour with a hand on his arm. I gasp, pulling my hand back.

Auden stares with a smirk.

Touching him burned. Not like the scalding pain, you feel when you accidentally touch something burning hot but the somehow pleasuring kind of pain that pulls you back. My hand twitches and I flex my fingers to stop myself from reaching out to him again. "Feel that spark, little demon?" He asks, leaning in. I nod almost immediately. "That's your demon recognizing what her's." I take a step back. "What?" I ask, eyes wide. "I feel the same way when I touch you." He continues, taking a step forward. "What do you mean recognizing what's her's?" I take another step back. He licks his lips deliberately slowly and I can't help but watch him do it. Heat pools in between my legs, the dream I had the other day coming back in full force. "It means, your demon finally recognized the mating pull." He says with another step forward.

We continue that little game until he has me backed against the counter.

I lean my upper body away from him. He's close it's getting hard to breathe. I avoid looking at his face, feeling like this proximity may compel me to kiss him if I do. The words he last spoke echoes in my head. "Mating pull?" I whisper. We demons don't believe in the concept of mates. In fact, our species don't really have mates. We fall in love like humans and then mate for life with the person we choose for ourselves. It's the same for almost all the other species in the underworld. But werewolves are different. They're under the control of the moon goddess, Selene. And besides inventing the concept of matehood for her wolf children, she sets them up with mates when she's bored. That's why it takes wolves so much time to find their fated.

Some give up and mate with a person of their choosing.

Some wait a lifetime to find their true mate.

And some wolves like Auden, the sneaky, back-stabbing kind, lie to demons about what's supposed to a sacred concept among their people.

"Stop your games, Auden," I warn, pushing him back with a hand. The talk about mates sobered me from whatever spell I seemed to fall under his presence. "There are no games, Alexa. It's just the truth, my love." His lips brush against my neck. I swallow. "Auden, stop this..." I make a weak hearted attempt to push him back. I'm craving this on the inside but I can't show it. He's a liar. I try to stabilize by reminding myself exactly who Auden is. He has a mate. That does it. I push him away and he stumbles a bit. I know my eyes are glowing purple by now. "Get out of my house," I growl.

"You know I didn't want to have to do this but I need you to listen to me so I'm going to do it anyway."

Before I can blink, he has me trapped in his arms and I'm taken to my bedroom and thrown on the bed. Injecting me with something unknown, Auden weakens me, stealing away my strength. He moves away, dragging a chair to sit on. "What was that?" I ask. I don't feel sleepy or anything like that, but when I try to conjure my strength, I feel like there's none left. "Wolfsbane," He says. "It'll weaken you for an hour or two. Nothing else." He says. I sit up on a bed, my back against the headboard. "You'll be mostly resistant to it after we mate." He says like it's a matter of fact. I narrow my eyes, "After we mate?" I laugh, "You're delusional. And stupid. And you have a mate." I remind him.

"I'm aware," Is all he says.

"I'm aware?" I cock a brow. "God, Auden, what are you doing here?" I groan.

"Alexa," He takes my hand in his. I want to pull away but can't. Tingles run up and down my arm at the contact of my skin with his. If he feels it, he doesn't show it and that bothers me because I don't want to be the only one experiencing this. "Feel the tingles?" Auden asks. I nod. "Alexa, I'm not a good man." He says, seriously. I snort, trying to suppress a sarcastic laugh. He narrows his eyes but continues. "What I mean to say is, I'd never thought that Selene would be so generous so as to pair me up with a mate considering I was a bastard child who rose to prominence in the underworld through murder." His tone is ice-cold. I feel bad for him. Obviously, he had reasons to why he was like this but I didn't think his past would be so brutal.

I'm sure there's more, much more, he isn't revealing.

And I'm itching to know all his secrets.

"Alexa, you are my mate." He says. I suck in a breath. I expect to feel extremely shocked or surprised but I feel none of that. It's more of like I needed these final words to convince me that I was his mate. It's like I've known forever that I'm his and wasn't ready to accept it.

No. No. No.

I try to pull back my hand but Auden doesn't let me. "Auden, you are...you are scum!" I say. "You have a mate. Rowan, remember? How can you do this to her? Let me go!" My struggle is futile. I don't have enough strength to pull or get away from him. Weakened, I'm forced to stay in the same spot with Auden in front of me. He looks calm and relaxed and it pisses me off. I want to hurt him. He was lying. He had to be.

"Rowan isn't my mate, Alexa." He says.

"What?" I ask.

"You see, little mate, I have a plan. A plan that has been in the works for years. To achieve the final step of the plan, I needed Rowan. I used her. But I didn't mark her." He says. Eyes locked to mine, Auden adds, "How can I when the other half of me is a few hours away? I may be a cruel bastard but there was no way I'd mark someone else knowing that I have a mate." I purse my lips. "Other half of you? Mate? God, you sound like you're in love with me. And I know that's not true. You've always been an asshole to me." I say, shaking my head.

"I know I have." He admits, "But I have a reason for all of that." Auden adds. "I'm asking you for forgive me, Alexa." He says, eyes pleading me to comply. "Why now?" I question. "Because I'm finally the King." He says and looks at me, eyes beginning to glow a little.

"And it's time for my Queen to come home."