The Shadows Within

Finding myself pinned, all I could do was hold on to Solas. The pup’s hair frizzed up, responding to my heart rate skyrocketing, which got worse when four other voices erupted into chatter.

How many of you are there?! And who’s going to find me first?!

The rustling of clothes hitting the ground sent shivers down my spine while I tried to hold my voice. An urge to scream, the bathroom was occupied rose within me, and it was hard to drown. Knowing how fast demons were, making noise would’ve been a mistake.

There were around six stalls, and I always used the last one.

Being closer to the wall made me feel safe, but in this case, it might’ve screwed me!

Their footsteps got closer to me before…

“W-Wait… I-I need to check something.” Finn’s voice cracked.

“What is it, darling?” a female voice questioned, followed by a snake-like sound.

Is that a hiss?!

Shivers ran down my spine; trying to keep myself still was hard.

If creepy crawlers aren’t my thing. Neither were snakes!

I strangely loved lizards, though.

Bearded dragons are too cute not to like. Perhaps even geckos with— Wait! This isn’t the time to think that! How am I going to get out of here?!

“Uh… I think Nyla might’ve forgotten something in here.” The demon king shuffled past them, opening each stall.

Did you see my stuff?! Please send them away!

Before I knew it, he opened the door to my stall. His eyes widened before covering his mouth, trying to catch himself. One wrong word and the generals would realize I was there. I wasn’t the only one who was bare, as I could see most of his features, usually covered by his clothes.

He had a medium-built body, lean and fit, yet my eyes were glued to the scar on his upper abdomen. The old wound went on a straight line from where his rib cage was to his belly button.

How did…

“O-Oh, here it is. Nyla must’ve placed my soap here. I’m going to use this stall.” Finn announced, gazing at the others in the room.

Wait! Use?! Why not send them away?! Unless… Will it look too weird if you did? Why are—

“But I thought you would wash with me.” Another female voiced, raising a new emotion within me.

Oi… you bathe with women?! And then you have the audacity to want to marry me?! Are you kidding me?! You stupid, perverted demon!

The desire to tell Finn off grew within me, but his expression quickly silenced me. His eyes turned crimson instantly, giving off a thick aura from before.

Not once have you ever…

“Oh, honey, you’ve never been able to handle me. Plus, I’m committed to another. You know that.” Finn scowled, growling lowly soon after.

It was a deeper red than before.

“Hah! That’s a good joke! I keep telling you that human girl, saint or not, won’t be able to fill your violent needs like me and my girls do!” The same woman chuckled.

Her voice was so seductive, reminding me of…

Is that a female Gael?

Shivers ran again, leaving me wondering what Finn was doing with her.

Did she say violent needs?! No! Your past has nothing to do with me! Not even the present, as we aren’t a thing!

Though his aura got thicker, allowing it to pool under him.

“I wouldn’t dwell in the past. I rarely repeat it.” He huffed, gazing back at me.

The emotion that filled his eyes left me trembling where I stood. They were…

You genuinely want to murder them, don’t you? Is this how you feel about me, too? Or…

“Aw, Astred, I know you’ve been craving our king’s attention for years. How about I keep you company today?” Another different man cooed from the side.

His voice was rougher than the other one who had spoken before him.

“Ew, Vorex. I don’t want your fangs in me.” The woman huffed, going into her stall.

The rest chuckled; anyone coming blindly into the room would think they were friends, but Finn’s expression wasn’t one of enjoyment.

“Nice try.” Another man cackled at Vorex, who groaned before muttering under his breath.

Finn carefully watched his generals go into the stalls before entering mine. Closing the door behind him, he crotched down to me while I used Solas as a cover, and all he had on was a towel. He placed his finger on his lips and ensured I knew not to make a sound.

“So, M’lord, when will we see the girl? It’s been a month. You can’t keep hiding her forever, or perhaps she is a failure?” the man who first spoke commented, alerting me to why the demon king didn’t cause a scene.

Ah… That’s why you didn’t send them away. They’re like vultures circling to see me. Without a doubt, they’ll jump at any chance to see me.

Finn’s eyes closed, shaking his head before turning on the water with his tail. There were parts where his skin turned into feathery scales, which were in small patches all over his body, but they were more prevalent on his back, where his wings erupted.

You really aren’t human.

“You’ll see her when she’s ready.” He huffed, focusing his gaze on them.

The tone snapped me back, shifting my glance at his face. Even though I was baring it all for him to see, he was more concerned with the others in the room.

My body isn’t anything special to look at. I know that, damn it, but at least… Wait! I don’t know where I’m going with that!

“Ready? My birdies say that girl’s broken. Her magic is barely viable at best.” The same man pointed out, stabbing my heart.

Oi! You stupid demon! I’m trying to get better! This isn’t easy at all since I wasn’t born here!

If I weren’t naked, I would’ve given him a piece of my mind, or so I thought I would. I probably would’ve stood there listening to him without saying anything like I always did. However, Finn’s aura became more prevalent with each thing they said.

Ah… Is this why you’re always in such a bad mood when I see you? They get right under your skin. But if it’s because of me… Then…

“Perhaps we should go for the other human saint. My spies say she’s a prodigy.” The other woman commented, followed by a hiss.

“Your intel is floppy at best.” Vorex huffed on the side.

“You’re insulting our king’s future wife. Don’t cry when your tongues go missing again.” One unidentified male snickered.

“Now, Vabaru, I’m simply saying that perhaps we should do the other ritual with her. Finn should eat her and—” he was quickly interrupted by one of the others.

Eat me…?

“Sebastian, you’re out of line. Do you want to end up in a puddle again?!” Vorex warned, feeling the energy that radiated out of my stall.

Finn was about to snap, gritting his teeth as his fangs flashed. Every time he had shown me his aura, it had never been so deep red, reminding me of blood. Even his eyes were crimson, without a single hint of blue left to them.

“Rizak may be wrong. Perhaps this girl is useless to us, and we should follow a different path!” Sebastian continued.

However, before Finn could explode, I grabbed onto his wet black hair before lifting myself to clash my lips against his.

I don’t care what they say! If you explode, I’ll be exposed, and I don’t want anyone else to see me bare! Don’t let them win!

That wasn’t all, though; the demon lord’s expression was one I wanted to erase. He didn’t deserve to feel anything like that, especially for someone like me.

Insults were all I ever knew. I’m fine with them. So, please don’t get angry for my sake. Strangers don’t bother me, but your expression does!

His hands trace down my arms before holding onto them. My eyes widened when he opened his mouth, letting me into his, allowing our tongues to tango for dominance. With the running water, the demons surrounding us had to speak up to be heard, and their movements drowned any little sound.

“Oh, my king, we’re just going in circles! I know a great surgeon who can help make her more docile! Ah… what was it called? Oh yes, a lobotomy. She’ll be the perfect doll after it!” Astred commented, humming soon after.

Lobotomy?!

I tugged away slightly from Finn, feeling myself flare up because of her.

What the heck did you say?! No one—

Finn closed the small gap before I could analyze her words thoroughly, kissing me again. It was rougher than all the other times. The urge to whine surged, but I held it off as the running water or their movements wouldn’t have drowned such a sharp noise.

If they realize I’m there, it’s game over!

However, their chatter consumed them too much to notice the king taking his frustration out on our kiss.

“That’s dumb, Astred. I’m sure you heard Rizak’s warning.” Vorex sighed.

Pressing my back against the wall, I finally saw some of the demon king’s true colors. His gentle touch was firmer, unlike all the other times. His aura was still radiant, yet he focused on me instead of the generals.

You really are no beast like they say you are.

The way his tongue left me feeling was something I was growing to need. Winning the fight for dominance, his soft member caressed my mouth in ways that left me weak to the knees. Saliva dripped down my chin in his pursuit of me.

The closer he got, the more our bare skin touched. One of his hands trailed down my arm and towards my waist before grasping onto it, tugging me closer to him. Places that had never known warmth were starting to tingle.

Your skin’s so warm on mine.

“That old crow’s going to kill us all for a dream. We should enslave all humans and feed off them as we wish.” Sebastian scoffed.

They were so into their world that they didn’t notice when Finn didn’t respond to them. More bickering continued as their voices were muffled because of the kiss, allowing a weird warmth to grow with me. Slowly, I traced my hands down his chest, triggering him to release a soft sigh.

Pulling away from my lips, he licked them, leaving me jittery to his touch. Covering my mouth, I tried to silence my pants as he tugged away from me slightly.

“Enough of your banter,” Finn voiced.

He was much more composed than I was, yet his eyes were back to blue, giving off a shimmering hue, leaving me wondering what was going on in that head of his.

“Yes, my liege.” They all quickly became silent.

The gap between us was so small that he pressed his lips against mine again. It was short and sweet before he quickly tugged away again.

“Nyla,” Finn called, summoning her right away.

The little goblin swiftly opened the door, running to his stall, allowing me to see her feet on the floor.

“Yes, M’lord!” She waited for his command.

“Find a place for them to wait for me before I rip them into ribbons. I’ll cool off for a bit here before I meet them again. Tell Brielle to keep them company for me.” He announced, setting my heart ablaze.

Cool off in here?! Wait?! Weren’t you waiting for a moment to send them all away?! Why are you staying behind?!

“Oh, I see! Yes, yes, follow me, generals. I’ll have a warm meal waiting for you!” Nyla declared, guiding them out of the room and into the unknown.

A soft sigh left Finn’s lips before he glared at Solas. “Oi, mutt, you’re always supposed to tell me where she is. You’re big enough for that.” He growled.

Solas released a whimper, tail tugged between his legs.

The demon lord quickly turned back to me, “Are you crazy? I could’ve hurt you.”

His eyes gave off a slight glimmer, yet I again felt no fear from him.

Perhaps my sense of danger is broken, much as you love to remind me.

“I wanted to stop you from getting angry,” I mumbled, feeling my cheeks burn.

The panic had dulled everything else down before, but with the threat gone, I felt the full brunt of our display.

Oh fuck! Heart, slow down! So, what if you're naked?! It’s just skin!

“Oh, sweety, I get angry daily. These idiots are a daily shitstorm for me.” He rolled his eyes, radiating the aura again.

“You slept with one, though.” I pointed out, shyly covering my breast.

Finn’s eyes twitched before shaking his head. “I... Uh… I have nothing to say to that, Sparky. I did, and I regret it.” He sighed.

You never lie to me, not even to defend your honor, though at this point, I wonder if there’s any to defend.

“I see,” I mumbled, feeling something new in my chest.

It isn’t fair. Wait… what am I thinking?! What isn’t fair?! You can sleep with whoever you want. I… have nothing to do with that. Your past has nothing to do with me.

“Are you jealous?” Finn smirked, picking up on my subtle cues, triggering me to get jittery.

“N-no!” I stumbled.

Oh! Doesn’t that make me look more guilty?!

All the red aura from before had withered away as he shrugged.

“I slept with her to release stress before you were even in the picture. It’s been a couple hundred years since I last did with anyone, though.” He was too honest for his good.

Yet I couldn’t help but feel off by it.

You’ve been alive for multiple life spans. It’s hard to get my head around that.

“Why aren’t you now, then?” I asked, puffing my cheeks.

A yelp left me when I felt his tail on my back, pushing me into him.

His eyes rolled, allowing a soft hum to leave him. “I got you; nothing else but my Sparky relieves the stress anymore.”

It doesn’t feel like you’re being entirely truthful there! Arg! Why do you dodge the past? I want to know!

“B-but we d-do nothing like it!” I squealed, triggering him to chuckle.

“Sex is boring compared to talking to you every night... Seeing you not fear me... That’s enough, Sparky. I didn’t think I’d have that again.” He simpered, leaning into me.

Perhaps it was the lack of clothes, but those words left me vulnerable, and his approach broke me in ways I never knew I could.

I can’t feel my heart anymore!

“You know, everything else’s irrelevant until we both want it. However, the way you are, how can a demon like me hold back?” he breathed, locking his lips with mine again.

I knew I was losing the war when his touch caused an eruption of sensations that felt like it could swallow me whole.

You’re… going to win. I can’t seem to hate you; I'm falling for it even if all this is a trick.

Yet I would fight it tooth and nail until the end when I brought life to those eyes of his. Picking me up, my legs rested on his hips while my arms wrapped around his neck. Our chests brushed against one another while his tongue caressed mine, leaving me mewling into our kiss.

Gripping onto my bum, he deepened the union, drowning me in his warmth before slightly tugging away from my lips.

“I should stop.” He sighed, leaning in to lick my lips.

In the heat of the moment, though, my heart couldn't keep up with my mind anymore.

“Don’t stop,” I mumbled, leaning into his lips again before freezing where I was.

Woah… what did I say?!

My cheeks felt like I was about to fall off, as his eyes were wider than I had ever seen them. His cheeks were also pink, reaching past his ears, and, like me, he was speechless.

“W-wait! I m-mean…” I continued, trying to get ahead, but the sentence refused to form.

How do I recover from that?! There is none!

My heart was beating too fast for me to calm down.

“Okay, when did you get this cheeky?!” Finn finally erupted, voice squeaky.

“I…” I tried to start but again failed.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath before letting it go. “This is no place for a girl to lose her virginity. So, I’ll stop. Though, know you’re playing with fire and will get burned someday.” He warned, letting me down.

His towel showed a tent before he turned around, struggling between turning back to me or leaving.

“Sparks, let Nyla know when you’re in the bathroom to prevent this from happening again.” He sighed before walking out, leaving me in the shower to wash away all the mistakes I made.

I’m such an idiot. Fire? Burned? I'm already scorched!