Jasper was standing near a table. He was peeling a shimmering, swirling layer of black magic off his shoulder as if it were a stubborn band-aid. Beneath it, Daniela saw a black, spider-webbed injury. It was no longer actively bleeding, but the skin looked rough and swollen.
"What happened to you?" she demanded, walking toward the steaming tea on his side table. Without asking, she poured herself a cup.
"A bit of backlash," he said simply. "So tell me, what have you been up to today?"
"Eric!" The name alone was its own sufficient answer.
Jasper knew this had to be the reason his powers had lashed out. Eric had managed to destroy his pendant.
He willed a jet of black flames to ignite in his palm. The magical fire gave off no shadow as he pressed it firmly against the open wound on his shoulder. He let out a sharp sigh of relief. A ribbon of black smoke began to rise from where his palm touched his shoulder, dancing more alive than any candle flame before it was sucked back into his body.
When he removed his hand, his skin was scorched—a burn now, rather than a raw wound. It instantly began to heal with remarkable speed. Demons didn't possess a naturally strong healing ability, but they were impervious to their own demon fire. If they used it to burn their injuries, the body registered the attack as self-inflicted demon fire rather than an opponent's ability, allowing it to heal instantly.
"Do you need to cry on my shoulder, or will you just tell me what happened?" he asked, extinguishing the demon fire in his hand.
"Do I seem like a wilting flower?" Daniela asked, stepping closer to him. She assessed his shoulder, intrigued by the little trick he had performed.
Grinning, Jasper stared down at her.
"Definitely not, my Queen!" he said possessively. He took her cup of tea and chugged the rest of the contents before handing it back. He was surprised she liked the Demon Realm tea; it was far spicier than human blends.
Sniffing the air, he could once again detect the faint scent of her blood. He gently pushed the curtain of hair that fell on the left side of her face behind her shoulder. A long, thin scratch ran from her upper cheekbone to just above her lips.
Frowning, he used his demon magic to instantly create a shimmering, protective layer between the marred skin and the rest of the world. The magic vanished on contact, molding perfectly to her skin, hiding the damage.
"Don't heal it!" she said quickly, rubbing at her cheek as if she were trying to get rid of his magic.
A smile that he could no longer contain curved his lips as he watched her frantically wipe at her cheek. He found it immensely amusing that she was so ignorant about how magic truly worked, thinking it could be simply rubbed away with a flick of the fingers. "I can't heal you," he explained. "It's a barrier. It makes sure it cannot get infected and also hides the mark."
"Oh," Daniela said, walking over to his looking glass. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail so she could properly see her cheek. It looked as if nothing had happened, her skin appearing perfectly healed. Yet, she could still feel the marred flesh just beneath the surface.
"Interesting," she murmured. "I was ambushed. A manservant brought me to the Queen for tea, and I ended up in some weird room. Once the door closed, it looked like runes appeared and glowed. It was a stone room, no windows. Eric attacked me, and he destroyed the pendant you gave me. I managed to get away." Daniela carefully omitted critical details, like disappearing through the floor and landing in the necromancy chamber. She hadn't fully figured everything out yet, and she needed time.
Jasper would have peppered Daniela with more questions if he didn't already know the truth. He chose to leave her to her secrets for now. They were nothing that would be too harmful, but he would need to keep a closer eye on her. This was one of the reasons why he had used his essence to create the barrier on her cheek; he would now be able to find her anywhere and hear and speak to her if necessary.
Daniela gathered her long hair and twisted it quickly into a messy bun high on top of her head as she took off her robe, draping it over the back of a nearby chair. Then, she crawled into his bed. A million different thoughts were swirling in her mind.
Jasper stripped off all of his clothes and slipped into the bed next to her. He stared at her as her mind seemed to wander to a million different places.
"Hungry?" she asked casually, knowing he was still learning how to control his perpetually burning hunger.
"A little," he admitted. It wasn't the ravenous, mind-consuming hunger today, but it was still gnawing at him. He had a feeling it was because when his essence had been destroyed, some of it had seeped into Daniela's skin, only to escape shortly after, bringing his appetite down to a more manageable level. "I could taste you."
Daniela turned up her lip and shook her head. "I'm far too irritated for that!" she rejected instantly. Too much was on her mind for her to get into the zone.
"Your manservant, Hermes. Give him something. A gift. He might be sweaty and gross, but he's good at his job," she said abruptly, thinking about how Hermes had helped her today.
"He's sweaty because his sweat is an aphrodisiac."
Scrunching her nose, she thought that was truly unfortunate. Then she remembered how he had tried to flick his sweat on her. "That bastard tried to flick his sweat on me. I thought he was just being gross!" she exclaimed.
"Not that I would ever let his filthy perspiration touch me, but what is it like?" Daniela was curious, though not curious enough to try it.
"I can show you," Jasper offered, trying to hide the growing smirk on his lips. Daniela didn't truly know what she was curious about. All demons had the ability to use a type of aphrodisiac. Some needed to touch you with their sweat or their sexual fluids. Then there were the demons at the top of the pile, who only needed to will it. Eye contact was enough.
Popping up from her seated position, Daniela moved to her knees and stared up at him. "Show me. But only for a few seconds," she said, her eyes locked on his. It seemed as if Jasper had an endless supply of power, and she wanted to know it all.
Jasper stared into her eyes until he felt as if he were sinking into them. Until it seemed as if Daniela was in a trance. And then, he let her feel his hunger—what it was truly like—a telepathic transfer of his most carnal desires.
Instantly, Daniela's eyes rolled back into her head. Her mouth opened on a silent scream that tore at her throat. A wave of sensation, like an electrical storm starting deep in her core, slammed into her mind and body. Her vision whited out as every single nerve ending ignited at once.
The feeling was not pleasure, but pure, overwhelming need. It was a hunger so vast and consuming it felt like being submerged in boiling water while simultaneously being frozen solid. Her breath hitched in her lungs, momentarily forgotten. Her nightgown instantly became damp then soaked with sweat, and her nails dug deep into the mattress beneath her as her back arched violently and painfully.
A searing, demanding heat rushed to her lower region. She felt a sickening, powerful surge as her womanly juices flooded her so profusely that she could hear it trickle down her legs, dripping rapidly onto the sheets. Her entire body was locked in a spasming, trembling vise of sensation. It was a terrifying, beautiful, and utterly destructive moment of pure primal lust and agony. It was only one, maybe two seconds, before he pulled back his influence, not wanting to kill her.
When it stopped, Daniela collapsed onto the mattress, lying on her side. Her breath was ragged and hard. Her head was spinning and throbbing with pain, and she felt as if her body wouldn't stop convulsing. Every inch of her skin was covered in a thick layer of sweat, and her vocal cords ached as if she had been screaming for an hour. Her muscles felt raw and strained.
Jasper smiled as he leaned his face above her own, enjoying the pungent scent of her that would now be permanently etched into his bed.
"How long was that?" Her question was a shaky, breathy whisper.
"Two seconds," he gave her a smug smile—a bit of vindication. She had asked to understand what it was like to be starving as a demon, and now she understood, but this was nothing compared to what he felt all the time.
"It felt like years. I wanted to die!" she admitted honestly.
"Normally I want to kill, but we're in the same mindset," he said. He gently sat her up and pulled her drenched nightgown over her head, then simply threw it onto the floor. Leaving her in her nude state seemed far better.
Grabbing the cup of tea, Jasper pressed the porcelain cup to her lips, encouraging her to drink. It would help to ground her.
"You proved your point! I will come here every night," she told him honestly. They were partners, and now she knew how hard it was for him to function. She could help him, ease his cravings.