Contractually Yours, Alpha by Giftemmy

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Four Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Four "I shouldn't have left you alone with her," Daemon said.

"I could handle myself." "Yes, I saw," he said with a small smirk.

"Your eyes... they're darker," I noted. "You haven't fed yet, have you?" "It's nothing to worry about," he said, rolling up my shirt to reveal the bruise from Tasha's kick. A low, inhuman hiss escaped his lips. "I shouldn't have let her die that easily," he said-and I knew he meant it.

"Daemon, it's fine. It's just a bruise-it'll heal in a few days," I said.

I was used to bruises, ones far worse than this. One of Julia's favorite punishments had been whipping, so this was nothing.

"What are you thinking about?" Daemon asked as he applied a colorless ointment to the bruise.

"Nothing," I lied, but the way his brow cocked toldhe knew better.

"I was thinking about Julia and how much she loved her whip." He paused, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong.

"She will never get her hands on you again. I'll make sure of that," he promised- and I believed him.

I recalled what Ash had toldearlier.

"You always knew what they planned to do to me, didn't you?" My eyes met his. "Do you think I'm useless to them now? I mean... I'm no longer a virgin." "I don't think your virginity is a vital part of their 'sacrifice They could do without it." "But earlier you said..." "I didn't mean what I said then." I was very aware of his hands on me.

"Why haven't you fed yet?" I asked.

"I will." "When?" "Soon." "Feed from me," I said, though it cout more like a plea "No." "I don't mind really, and with Tasha dead, the options are limited." I said, feeling the tiniest bit of guilt, that I spoke about her like she didn't just die sminutes ago. gods, what was I turning into? "After tasting your blood, nothing else was as... satisfying. And believe me, I searched-nothing compares to yours," he said, his eyes turning completely black before fading back to their original color. I doubted he even noticed the shift, which meant he wasn't as 'okay' as he wantedto believe. "That's why I have to be careful. I don't want to hurt you." 1/3 Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Four When he was done applying the ointment, I rose from the couch.

"Where are you going?" he asked, but I didn't respond. Instead, I opened the drawer and took out the small knife I'd noticed there a few days ago. "Aliyah..." he called, his tone a clear warning, but I ignored him, pressing the blade to my skin.

He moved too fast-too fast forto react- and in an instant, the knife was gone from my grip.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, surprisé flashing across his face.

He had been quick, but not quick enough. A thin line of red welled on my wrist, and a single drop of blood fell to the ground.

Daemon stared at it, his expression darkening as if he were fighting an internal war.

"Stop..." he warned, but I only drew closer to him, lifting my wrist to his lips. I let him have a taste. He couldn't hold back now. He bit into my wrist, and the pleasure seeped into me. I let out a small moan, a smile spreading on my lips. I had won.

Daemon pulled away too soon, barely taking enough.

"Thank you." He whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead and then on my lips before lettinggo.

I wasn't sure if this was the right time, but I needed to ask the question that had been on my mind for so long. "Daemon, I need to ask you a question." He smirked. "Always curious. Well, I'm all ears." "You toldearlier you've been in love before?" I asked, and just like back in the hotel, his smile vanishes. The seconds pass by, and he doesn't give a response; I didn't think he would give one.

"And I also told you she died." "How did she die?" I asked.

"Suicide. She committed suicide." "I'm so sorry-I shouldn't have asked; I was just..."

"Curious." He completed it. "It's fine. I suppose you have the right to know. The woman I loved never felt then sway about me. She loved another, but that never stoppedfrom loving her. And now, I wonder if I was truly a fool. I gave my life so she could live. Then, Vox had been the Overlord, and I served him-until I betrayed him. I aided in destroying his mortal body, forcing him to return to the underworld. But when I gave my life for her, I was dragged back to where I'd cfrom as well.

Vox was waiting. He madepay-over and over-for everything I had done to him. The only way to escape the never-ending torment was to kill him. I had only won because of his own brother's support. And in the end, I becthe Demon Overlord. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the very person I had died for chose to take her own life. I was furious." I couldn't imagine Daemon loving someone enough to sacrifice his life for them.

He must have truly loved her. Yet, despite knowing she was gone, a strange jealousy still consumed me.

"What was her name?" I asked.

"Riley Kaidon Blackwood. My... mother." Chapter One Hundred and Eighty Four I waited for him to tellhe was joking, but Daemon was hardly a man for jokes.

"How...?" My shock didn't seem to faze him.

"She was the one who broughtinto this mortal world. I loved her, but twisted

as it was, I never saw her as my mother. I had existed long before she gavea name. Back then, saw no I flaw in my reasoning, but now... now I see that whatever I felt for her was an... abomination. In the end, I could never have her, and my attempt to save her had been in vain. Today's Bonus Offer mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1