Simone woke up, immediately disoriented. She sat up quickly, heartbeat in her throat. It smelled wrong here, of dryness and dust and a faint smell of something musky. She wasn’t in her room, so where was she?

Last thing she remembered was Raum hacking apart that weird creature in her room and Anri nearly losing himself to bloodlust. Thank god that Seth had some sense. They were going to have an intervention with Anri about refusing to feed if he didn’t get his act together soon, especially now that he had Seth. He needed to get over his pride and actually accept his Wren. What he really needed to do was stop neglecting himself to the point of bloodlust. She knew he would never forgive himself for the scars on Seth’s neck, so why would he put himself in a situation where he could do something like that again, or worse? She couldn’t understand.

Unsettled, Simone looked around the room, subconsciously pulling the blanket a little higher around herself. It was dim, but light peeked brightly around the cracks in the heavy curtains, indicating that it was definitely later than morning. She was wearing the clothes from last night. God, she hoped she had only just slept one night.

A ponytail holder was still in her hair and she pulled it out, shaking her head. She ran her fingers through it like a makeshift comb, taking in the room. This room was very obviously not used, probably a storage room that had a bed. A large stack of boxes was mounded up in one corner of the room. A large antique dresser with a sideways oval mirror encircled with hand carved wood stood against the opposite wall, small porcelain figurines of kittens and farm animals littering the surface, coated in a thick layer of dust.

The room smelled unused. And…it smelled of something else, very faintly. Something that smelled kind of…spicy? She couldn’t put her finger on what it smelled like, exactly, but it teased her senses. It smelled…oddly delicious. The bed she was full sized with four posters, hand carved like the dresser. There were two doors in the room, both closed, both identical next to one another on opposite walls.

Simone stretched out, feeling more rested than she had in ages. As if it had been waiting for her to move, hunger hit her hard. First, actual hunger, then the need to feed. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, her feet touching the cold wood floor, sending a shiver through her.

First, she would eat. She focused on listening, trying to hear if anyone else was in wherever she was with her. Straining, she didn’t hear anything, no breathing, no creaking of floorboards, no rustling of cloth. Nothing. When she was sure she was alone, she crept to the door closest to her and slowly turned the handle.

Inside she found more boxes and two fur coats in clear garment bags. A closet. The furs were obviously not real, they smelled of plasticy, imitation fibers.

She slowly closed the door, trying to avoid making noise as she turned the brass doorknob, clicking the catch back in the doorframe. She tried the other door.

A cold draft swirled in around her legs as she opened the door a crack. The hallway was well lit, much brighter than the room. Light streamed in through a window at the end of the hallway, gauzy, pale yellow curtains hanging limply in the frame. The other side of the hallway ended into another hallway. There was another door across from her own, also closed, and one more before the hallway turned.

Simone looked both ways, listening carefully, before she crept from the room. She smelled more familiar things now, the smell of toast recently cooked, cinnamon air freshener, and the smell of people she knew, faint traces of Anri and Seth’s scents.

Her tension eased and she relaxed a little. She didn’t know how she had gotten here, but she must have passed out from exhaustion. Not sleeping in over a week, only a few hours here or there didn’t count, had taken its toll on her body, and had probably made her irrationally afraid of Raum’s ghost.

What happened last night? Things were confused in her head, like she had been out drinking and not home, scared out of her mind. She tried to sort it all in her head. Anri had nearly lost control of himself again. Again. The thought of his stupid, stubborn pride spiked her anger. She and Anri were going to have a talk.

And Raum. What the hell? He had left her apartment a week without so much as a goodbye, and he left his ghost child to haunt her. Despite his short stay with her, something about him nagged her, sticking in her head, driving her to distraction. She found herself thinking about him more than she cared to think about anyone in particular. And then that ghost girl. How could she forget him when he left a constant calling card in her kitchen? Her favorite room! Then, he comes back, barges into her house and murders a ball of electrical wiring, again in her kitchen.

That demon had no respect for a perfectly good kitchen.

The sudden need for the bathroom had her emerging from her room, despite her hesitation. She tiptoed lightly out of her room and down the empty hallway. The doors were all shut, because of course they were. She bit her lip, then smelled the crack of both door until she smelled water.

She turned the knob carefully, pushing the door slowly, trying her best to avoid making any noise. The hinges squealed in protest, despite her best efforts. She cringed, then snuck inside and closed it, hinges screaming in protest the whole time. There was a bar lock along the top of the door, obviously not original to the door. All of the doors in this house so far were identical, heavy wooden doors with brass door knobs with actual keyholes in them. Simone wondered if there were actually keys for these doors. Did they all use the same key?

After relieving herself, she washed her face and did her best to rub the grime from her teeth with her fingers, swishing water around her mouth to try and alleviate her morning breath.

She crept back out of the bathroom, flinching as the door hinges protested use again. She still didn’t hear anyone moving around the house, she had to be alone if no one was moving after the door made that much noise. Moving on the pads of her feet, she peeked around the corner. The hall ended in a closet and another door.

She went the other direction. The hall opened into two rooms divided by a wall, the first room at testament to old cat ladies everywhere. Two completely uncomfortable looking couches, perhaps cream colored at some point, now yellowed with age, were arranged in an L shape around a coffee table with nothing on it but dust. It looked like a bouquet of roses had thrown up on the furniture, large splotchy flowers exploding over the upholstery like obnoxious fireworks. There was a large curio overfilled with various chachki and pictures of children hugging dogs and horses.

The other room was a dining room with a huge wooden table, almost too big for the space, a large chandelier hanging over it, covered in dust. She saw the hints of a kitchen further down the wall, and she headed for that, her stomach driving her forward.

There was about two seconds of regret over eating food out of whoever owned this house’s refrigerator, but only two seconds. She couldn’t stop herself from giving in to the growling of her stomach. She walked over to the fridge, eyes scanning the countertop for a coffee maker.

No coffee maker in sight. Just a tea kettle. Maybe there was instant coffee? It wasn’t ideal but…any port in a storm, right? She opened the fridge, a prehistoric, yellow affront to modern appliances. This fridge was probably older than she was. Inside, the light bulb flickered to life, illuminating a mostly empty fridge. A carton of milk, a carton of eggs, some cheese and butter in the cheese drawer, about three pickles in a jar, a jar of jelly, and condiment containers. Strike that, an empty egg container. She threw it away, frowning at laziness in general.

Returning to the fridge, she thought about the cheese but decided against it. Instead she abandoned the fridge and began rifling through the cabinets. The first three she opened were dishes and cookware. The fourth she opened had canned and dry goods. She pawed through this one until she found some dried fruit, some nuts and crackers. This would do.

Now to find the coffee.

Not even feeling bad about it anymore, she dug around in all of the cupboards. Then she did it again. And a third time, just to make sure. No coffee. Not even instant.

She bit her bottom lip. She went to grab her cellphone and realized she didn’t have pockets in her clothing. She hadn’t seen it in the room, either. No one around, no cell phone, no idea where she was, and no coffee. Today wasn’t in the running for best day ever, and at the rate it was going, probably wouldn’t even meet the minimum requirements to compete for a meh-day.

She didn’t even bother to pull out a plate, eating the nuts and fruit and crackers right out of the packaging. She eyed the teapot on the stove with a mixture of hatred and anxiety.

That smell teased her again, a spicy, almost nutty flavor in the air. She whipped around, knocking the now empty canister of nuts to the floor, spilling crumbs and salt on the linoleum.

Raum filled the door frame behind her. Her heart jumped in her throat, she was so sure she had been alone. He leaned casually against the frame, one leg crossed over the other, looking like he walked straight out of men’s fashion magazine. A tight fitting black v-neck tee  complimented his large form, and those leather pants, they clung to him like a lover. How had she not heard him move? She hadn’t even heard him breathing. The stress from him surprising her, that anxiety pushed her closer to her lust.

Anxiety, real hunger, stress, desire, pretty much any intense emotion could push her closer to bloodlust. She couldn’t have been that close, she had Maggie maybe only five days ago. Right? Wait..maybe it was longer. More like…well, she couldn’t remember when she last fed. What right did she have being mad at Anri when she couldn’t take care of herself?

Her eyes traveled over his casually positioned, muscular frame, drinking in the way his shirt stretched enticingly over his chest, the way his strong arms crossed over it. She wondered how it would feel to run her hands down his braid. He looked delicious.

Jesus, what was she thinking! Imagining sinking her fangs into his neck just above the collar of that tight black shirt? She was not thinking about how nice it would feel to drink from him as she ran her hands over the snug fitting shirt, over his chest, and especially not about how it would feel as she ran her hands under that shirt. She obviously wasn’t in her right mind. This was her lust, and she usually never let it get this close. Anri did that shit, this wasn’t like her.

Raum appraised her for a tense moment, neither of them moving. God, he smelled so good, like something spicy and ethnic. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, couldn’t identify. Raum’s scent, delectable. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her desire for blood. Trying to convince herself she wasn’t aching to discover if that spicy, nutty smell tasted as good as it smelled.

He smiled at her in what she thought might be his attempt at ‘non-threatening’. Nothing about the man, no, the demon, casually leaning in the doorway said ‘non-threatening’. He was tall, at least half a foot taller than her, and wide, his chest solid muscle under that tight shirt. His raven colored hair was pulled back in a tight braid, his features reminding her of someone with Native American heritage. Those high cheekbones, his sharp nose and those strong, dark eyes, beautiful and haunting at the same time, as if he could see into her soul with those eyes. Though he was attempting a relaxed position, she could see he was on edge, ready to react, dangerous. He had this look to him, worn down in some way, as if he had lived through some shit.

He broke the silence first. “Good morning, Simone Rousseau. I can see you have broken your fast.”

She looked back at her food, then back to Raum. “Where are we? Is this your house?”

He looked around, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “I am not from this realm.” She looked at him impatiently and he rolled his eyes. “No, this is the domicile of your brother’s Wren, Seth. How did you sleep?”

She nodded. That made sense. She could smell Seth more strongly in this room. And…something else, now that she had eaten and she could focus on other scents. She caught a trace of something that smelled like honeysuckle and lilacs and old blood. Something distinct, but again, she couldn’t seem to make sense of the smells. She tucked it away for later thought.

Raum’s distracting scent filled the room now, and her senses. “Fine,” she replied shortly. Anger flared and she struggled to control it, and her bloodlust along with it. “Why am I here?”

“Your residence was compromised. We required a new place that was secure. Seth offered his home. We did not have a large variety of choices, since your brother Anri resides with you.” He paused here thoughtfully, running his fingers over his chin. “I am willing to place a heavy wager that he does not return to your home after this…” Raum trailed off suggestively, running his finger over his chin. She wondered what it would feel like on her skin.

“What do you…oh. I get it. Nevermind. It’s time he moved out anyway. But, compromised? Can you elaborate? I still have three months left on my current lease.”

She turned so that she was fully facing Raum, uncomfortable with him behind her. The sight of him, the smell, it had her wrapping her fingers around the frame of the chair arm in an attempt to control her desire for him. It wasn’t him she wanted, it was his blood, she reminded herself, this was her bloodlust talking. She forced herself to ignore how good he looked in that tight shirt and sexy leather pants, she really did try.

He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, casually picking at his fingernails as if he had nothing but time, but she could tell he knew she was looking. Her face felt hot, and she looked down at the floor, studying the patterns in the linoleum.

“Yes,” he continued after a moment. Did he sound satisfied? What an ass. “Your apartment was compromised, as in, no longer secure,” he replied as he continued to pick at his nails. She wondered if he was looking at her. It felt like he was, it felt like she could feel his eyes on her. “I anticipate it will only be temporary. I will locate the cause of the threat and eliminate it. Only then will you return home. Until then, you stay here.” His tone that suggested that he would not broker an argument on this topic.

Simone didn’t care for his assumed authority over her. “What do you mean that I’m staying here? How is it not safe? I have to go home. I need my stuff, my work materials, my clothes, a toothbrush. Coffee. There’s no coffee here. Not even instant. I cannot stay here. Can. Not.” To emphasize her point, she said it again, looking up at him. “No coffee.”

He smiled at her, a toothy smile. His teeth were sharp and pointed, grooved to fit together, not blocky like human teeth. His were the teeth of a predator. A shiver crawled down her spine, full of both fear and desire.

“We can retrieve your personal effects today, I will attend you. I thought you would prefer to eat and shower first.” He cocked his head, breathing deeply, and she swore his eyes went black for a second. When he turned back to her they appeared normal, too dark, but normalish.

“You still need to feed,” he said, scowling. “That is…inopportune timing.”

“I ate. I’m fine. I want to grab my stuff first, then I’ll shower,” Simone said obstinately.

“My apologies for not clarifying. I meant that you need blood. I can practically taste your need in the air.” Raum’s lips pursed tightly and she wasn’t able to read his expression.

Her anger, which she had been keeping mostly under control, flared again, pushing her bloodlust even closer to the edge. She could feel herself walking the line, agitated and uncomfortable. She wanted to fly from the chair and sink her fangs deep into his neck. She longed for it, her fangs aching to extend. She fought against it as best she could, pushing her hunger away with anger, which was problematic at best.

“What do you know, Raum? Because, I’ll tell you what I know. I know you left without a word, and you left your little pet ghost to half scare me to death the whole time you were gone. I thought you weren’t coming back. And your ghost…she never left. Never. Just watched. Do you understand how fucking creepy that is? Do you? No, you don’t. I can tell. Screw you, Raum. I’m going home.” Simone stood up, but continued to block the doorway. His overly casual stance was betrayed by the tension throughout his large body, his intention to stop her from leaving.

She was close enough to him to touch. To both of their surprise, he reached out his hand towards her face. She nimbly stepped back before he made contact, placing herself out of his reach. He looked down at his hand, as if confused at his own actions.

“Move, Raum. I’m leaving. I assume my car is here? God, I hope my car is here. I’m going home. Move.” Simone put her hands on her hips, trying to for intimidation. She knew her eyes had gone red, her fangs throbbed beneath her lips. She was balancing on a very dangerous precipice.

Raum considered her for a moment, then moved aside to let her pass. He didn’t move out of the doorway, though, just moved so that his body was sideways instead of blocking the entire frame. She considered waiting for him to move all of the way, but she didn’t want to risk being around him any longer than necessary. He was just too tempting. Though she had drank him before, she didn’t remember it, lost completely to her lust then. She couldn’t remember what he tasted like, but something inside her begged for another sip.

She had to get out of here. It was too dangerous for her to be alone around Raum.

He watched her carefully. She sighed and rolled her eyes, which earned her another toothy grin. She squeezed past him, proud of herself for being able to wiggle through the door without making any type of physical contact with him.

Spotting her keys hanging from a small peg near the door, she sighed in relief. She grabbed them and slipped on her shoes quickly, stepping towards the door. As her hand wrapped around the handle, Raum was there behind her, his hands shoving the door closed. He hadn’t made any noise, she would have heard it. His arms boxed her in, his body pressed against hers. A traitorous moan escaped her, his body was so warm against her back. He was too warm. She shied away from him until she was pressed against the solid wooden door.

The shock of his stealthy approach and his body against hers had her battling her bloodlust again. She took shallow breaths, trying not to breathe in Raum’s seductive scent. She could feel the heat radiating off his body. Closing her eyes, she focused on calming herself, resting her forehead on the door.

Raum leaned in closer and whispered intimately into her ear. “Where do you think you are going, little fox?”

His words had her trembling. The tone of his voice, the smell of his enticing scent left her barely in control of herself. She had to go. She had to go now.

“Back off, Raum. I…need you to move away. I’m…going home,” she struggled to get the words out. Raum’s spicy scent surrounded her, filled her head, fueled her need. She had to taste him…no, she couldn’t. She needed to leave. She needed fresh air. She tried to pull the door open, but his weight held it shut. A frustrated whine escaped her.

He snorted. “Little fox, you are going nowhere in this condition. You are likely to jump the first person you see. This position we are in…it reminds me of something…” Raum’s face was suddenly in the hair on the back of her neck. He breathed in deep, rubbing his nose below her ear. One hand moved from the door long enough to pull her hair back, draping all of it over her left shoulder. She felt his breath on the now exposed right side of her neck and she tensed. His face hovered just above her skin, so close. Not touching, but only just.

He breathed out, directing his breath across her skin. Her skin tightened as gooseflesh crept over her neck in his wake. He breathed the words directly into her ear when he spoke again. “This position, ah, yes. It brings back memories. My fox, do you remember? I think you do not, but this spot right here,” Raum’s lips brushed the back of her neck slightly behind her right ear and she jumped. “Right there, the place where you sunk your sharp fangs into me. Where you fed from me without restraint. How does it feel, little fox? Do you want to feel my sharp teeth in your neck? Do you want me to break your skin, drink your blood, like you did mine? I wonder if I tasted good? You seemed to enjoy it at the time.”  

His voice, his heat, his touch, they were all an aphrodisiac. It took everything in her not to give in to her lust. She wanted…no…she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t give in. “Why?” she ground out, her voice raspy with need, pressing her forehead against the wood of the door. “Why are you doing this?”

He pressed his body against her, closing the gap. Her whole body shuddered. She had nowhere else to retreat. The frame of his body was hot against her, almost feverishly so.

“I wonder…” he said in that way he answered without actually answering. She struggled against him, trying to push him away, but he was a wall against her. His body felt so good, so warm and inviting. He smelled so good. He would taste just as good, she almost remembered the heady flavor of his blood coating her mouth. She could just give in…

No! Instead, she froze, focusing on her breathing, trying to denying her bloodlust. Her fangs were fully extended now, and she longed to bury them in his neck and taste his spicy blood. She fought with the last vestiges of her remaining willpower to remain in control.

He breathed out again, his breath tickling stray hairs against her ear. She trembled under him. And then…his teeth scraped over her neck, pinpricks against her sensitive skin. He pushed his teeth against her skin, biting her hard, but not hard enough to break the skin. He bit her hard enough to mark her, possessively, and it was too much. She felt the last shred of willpower shatter into nothing.

Without another thought, her body twisted around and she was facing Raum. Her hands shot out fast, snaking out between his arms and wrapping themselves behind his neck. She pulled him down as she went up on her toes, and he cocked his head to the side instinctively. She sighed against his neck as her teeth slid into his skin. As the first drops of his thick, heady blood hit her tongue her mind went blank.

She only vaguely noticed his arms wrapping around her, him picking her up and carrying her. She heard moaning and somewhere in the back of her mind realized it was her, but she didn’t care.

His blood. It was all she cared about. She drank, her mouth firmly over the two neat punctures in his neck. His blood seeped more than flowed, thicker than she was used to. And hotter. It was so warm. It was like drinking thick hot chocolate, the way it coated her mouth. It filled her mouth in a pleasant way, the flavor something exotic, nutty and spicy, and sexy. Nothing had ever tasted like this before. It was strange and new and absolutely addicting.  

Lust, and desire of another, kind flared to life in her core as she relaxed. Heat flared in her belly. His blood wasn’t enough, she wanted more. She wanted to fill herself with this creature, his blood, and his sex.

Somehow they were sitting on the couch. She was sitting side saddle over Raum’s lap. His hands were stroking her, one stroking her hair and one at the small of her back, tracing small patterns into the base of her spine. Each finger stroke seemed to build up the heat within her, stoking her desire for him. She wanted him inside her in every way.

Simone shifted, trying to move her body so that she was straddling him, but her body wouldn’t respond right. Her legs tangled, nearly causing her mouth to break away from his neck. She whimpered.

“Calm, my fox. Calm. Drink and be calm,” he said more gently than she had ever heard him speak. His light caresses never faltered. “Shh…” he cooed in her ear.

She whimpered, trying again to straddle him. Despite her efforts, he held her firmly in place. She needed him inside of her, didn’t he understand? She could smell his arousal. He wanted her, too. She could smell him. Why? Why wouldn’t he give her this? Why wouldn’t fill the emptiness inside of her? Why wouldn’t he quench the burning need inside her?

“Oh, Simone, little fox, you will regret all of this later. You will despise me more greatly than you already do if I give you what you crave now.” He nuzzled her face with his own, his stubble scratching against the smooth skin of her cheek. She nearly cried out in frustration. He laughed, resting his head on hers. “I give my blood freely. Drink, slake your bloodlust, then I shall accompany you to your abode.”

Frustrated, she growled against his neck. The thought of ripping her fangs through his muscle crossed her mind for a quick moment, and she instantly regretted it.

Something happened that she had never experienced before. She felt his blood enter her heart. She felt it hit her veins in an incredibly intense way. She had never felt someone’s blood move through her body like this. It was embarrassingly intimate. Raum’s blood was powerful. No, not just powerful, it was like drinking magic. She closed her eyes, she could feel the power of it seep into her body, spreading around with her pulse through her extremities. It felt wonderful, intense and a little scary, but also intimate and…sexy.

Her core throbbed between her legs, begging to be touched. She tried shifting again, but Raum held her still, shushing calmingly in her ear, rocking her body against his. The magic coursing through her veins sang to her in that moment and she knew things about Raum, while she was connected to him, with his blood flowing freely into her veins. Simone knew that she was tied to him now. She knew it as she knew her own blood.

And she knew, now, why she could see his pet ghost when Anri could not.

She ripped her mouth away from his neck as if burned. It was too much. Raum’s blood buzzed like bees throughout her body.

Raum continued to hold her, rocking her like a small child. The puncture marks on his throat closed over, and she and she hadn’t licked them closed. He healed like a vampire. Maybe even better than a vampire.

“Your blood,” she muttered into his neck, “it’s black…”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“Why?” she asked, watching a single drop of blood flow down his throat. She caught it on her finger, bringing it closer to inspect.

“Your blood is red, is it not? Why is that?” Raum’s breathing was a bit more ragged. Simone could feel the pressure of his erect manhood beneath her. Her core ached for him, her face pink with shame. Raum had been right about about her regretting her need, she admitted, even while fighting the persistent arousal.

“Iron.” Simone responded snarkily. “Why’s yours black? It’s thick, too. And…warm. Warmer than normal. Like drinking hot chocolate.” She popped her finger into her mouth and sucked the blood off without thinking about it.

“I am Daeva. My blood  differs from yours. You did not mind a minute ago,” he said lightly, teasingly. He rubbed his face against her again and she bristled. He continued as if he didn’t notice. “Daeva have a higher metabolism, and higher body temperature than humans or vampires.”

“Vampires run a bit cooler than humans, but your blood is so much warmer. And, something else. Your blood tastes like magic.”

“I am Daeva,” he said again. “So…I taste like hot chocolate?” Simone could feel his smile against her face. He was making fun of her now.

“Nevermind, forget it. Let go of me. I’m going to go clean up,” Simone said briskly, pushing away from him.

Raum took another deep breath of her hair. She thought he might be considering his next response but she surprised her when he released his hold on her. She sat there for a second, stunned, then  jumped up, face burning. She practically ran to the door, then turned and ran back the way she had originally come, attempting to hide her shame. The small of her back still tingled pleasantly where he had been tracing patterns.

She retreated to the bathroom with the thought of a cold shower to clear her head and cool her aching sex. Her entire body felt supercharged, like she could literally climb the walls with her bare hands. Reaching to turn the water on, she realized she didn’t have a towel, or even know where to find one. She didn’t have clean clothes, either. Sighing heavily, she looked around the room, as if clothes and a towel would magically appear for her..

Simone shook, her body fueled with magic demon blood and sexual frustration. She needed to do something active. And she needed some coffee. Oh, and she needed Raum to go away and stop messing with her perfectly ordered life. All of those thing. But first, coffee.

Demonbound Chapter 5: Back to School Special

Demonbound Chapter 7a: Five’s a Crowd