The Burden of Trust

by Nikki Frank

  “Velor,” he yelled. The door to the bedroom burst open. “Watch her. I need to go cool off.” He gave my neck a shove, choking me. “I’m a demon, damn it! I can only take so much.” He stalked out of the room, and Velor sat on the end of the bed.

  “I hope you both hold out long enough to get this done.”

  “Me, too.” I sobbed, hating my actions yet again.

  ~ ~ ~

  Omri, Iya, and Velor sat on the couch. I sat on the floor at their feet. The moment of truth had arrived. We were trying the first of Iya’s cures.

  “Once the separation begins,” Iya explained, “I’ll need you two to keep her from interrupting me. The demon magic isn’t going to give up its takeover of Olivia without a fight. I’ve figured out a way to create a vessel to hold it. Close enough for her to use at will yet separate from her own power. Then we’ll lock the magic in a separate location. Hopefully, this will fix the problem for good.”

  He focused on me. “I’m going to use magic to knock you out. Are you ready?”

  I nodded, and he put a hand on my head. Sweet-hot magic trickled down from my hair and took my eyelids with it. Colors swirled, slowly taking shape around me. I looked down on my throne room. Below, a dream version of me paced the floor, buttercup-yellow tail lashing. Velor pushed some poor creature in front of me.

  Talon.

  I couldn’t hear what he said, but he immediately threw up his hands to shield his face from the flames. I yelled at the other me to stop, but the vision didn’t. Again and again, I burned Talon, always leaving him alive to torture him further. After the fourth time, the flames stopped, and so did his twitching. I’d killed him!

  The pain of the loss ran through every fiber of my being, threatening to tear me in half. The pain became more real as the dream-world faded. Everywhere hot-sweet magic touched, it pulled and sliced at my being, ripping me in half at a cellular level.

  I screamed and writhed, trying to get free and stop the pain. At the last slice, my body fell limp, and the fight ended. I shivered against a deeper cold than I’d ever experienced before. Even my bones were chilled on the inside. My mind couldn’t break through the magic barrier to the real world. One more sensation of searing pain on my upper arm, then voices.

  “Olivia?”

  Iya. I wanted to answer but couldn’t.

  “Olivia?” This voice carried sadness. Omri. “Are you sure this worked? She had so much pain.”

  “According to the text, it should have worked.” Iya gave me a warm wash of the cinnamon power. “Olivia? Wake up. Let me meet the real you.”

  The real me. Inside my head, I checked myself. A faint pulse of the demon power reached me from somewhere close by but separate. My eyes flew open.

  “I’m me!”

  Velor took my hands, helping me to my feet. Not letting go, I gave a little bounce. “I’m back.”

  He smiled, and I moved on.

  Omri received a hug and a kiss on his cheek. “I can feel only me on the inside.”

  “I’m so glad. Ferika will be thrilled once she returns.”

  “She is coming back soon, right?” Seeing one of my female friends would be perfect. I had so much to talk about, and they were much better at chatting.

  He ruffled my hair, and for once, I didn’t worry about horns. “She promised she’d be back as soon as possible. She had some business to attend to at the Lord High Governor’s request.”

  “Okay.” My eyes fell on Iya, and a blush raged. “I . . . How can I ever possibly thank you?”

  “Go out with me tonight. Let’s really enjoy ourselves for a change. That will be enough.”

  “Going on a date is thanking you?”

  “I said before that I’d like to meet the Olivia who turned her district around. But it’s not so much a date as a trial run to see if this holds.” He pushed up the sleeve of my T-shirt and pointed to my right arm. Twisting around my arm ran a tattoo that looked like keys and jewelry boxes intertwined with vines. “You gave me the idea when you admired mine. Once I’m sure your tattoo holds well enough, I’ll teach you how to unlock it.”

  “Wait, I don’t have any clothes to go out in.”

  Omri chuckled. “I’ll take you shopping.”

  I grabbed his hand and ran for the door, spinning him as we went. “We’ll be back before dinner.”

  I came back four stores later with even more clothes than I needed. My T-shirt and jeans got switched for a swingy black skirt with shimmer in it and a tank top matching the silver heels I’d let Omri talk me into. The look on Iya’s face tickled me from head to toe. He’d only seen me sick and miserable and dressed for a quest. My ego purred. He seemed impressed, and from a man as attractive as him, that said a lot.

  “Ready to go?” I asked him.

  He snapped to attention and offered me his arm. I had to say, he looked awesome. He sported well-cut slacks and a close-fitting dress shirt with the top button open. Good thing this wasn’t a real date.

  He stared at me, seriously. “Just so we’re clear, I’m going to do everything in my power to tempt you tonight. We need to be sure the demon magic isn’t leaking. I’ll be watching your reactions, but tell me if you feel the power, even a little.”

  I pouted at him. “That’s not fun.”

  “We’ll have fun as long as this doesn’t blow up in our faces.” Iya put a hand on my lower back, and my body tingled. “Shall we? I have reservations.”

  He took me to a very exclusive seafood restaurant on the waterfront. Once at our table, Iya leaned in and spoke low. “I’ve always wanted to try the seafood on Earth. You don’t eat the fish in Hakushi―they eat you. It’s one of the commodities I hope to trade with you. But to have Earth-fish fresh at the source . . .” He licked his lips.

  I giggled. “Don’t send your fish down the shoreline to us. We have the best beaches in the Borderlands.”

  Iya leaned on his hand and smiled at me. “I’ve heard. Perhaps I should schedule a vacation at your beach. Would you show me around your district?”

  “Of course.” I put both elbows on the table and rested my chin on my hands. “Why don’t you level with me. What exactly do you want with my district? What has you so excited you’d do all this for me? It can’t be the fish.”

  I swear guilt flashed across his face, but the look disappeared before I could call him out. Instead, he reached out and took one of my hands, pulling it toward him. He kissed the back of it in a very genteel fashion.

  “Many things. Open borders for tourism. Import and export of crop items. Trades in magic. You even have deals with the Goblin King in magic rations for your kind. At some point, demons got a bad name, and all trade with us got cut off. I’m pressing for akuma and all demon-kind. I want us back on the map and treated fairly.”

  By the ring in his voice, his statement held a fair amount of truth. But his body signals said he was still keeping something from me. He couldn’t hide from me forever. Right now, I needed to smile and move on.

  “As a malevolent being, I can understand and sympathize. I will address your request as promised. Equality is the pride of my district. If an imp can be a demon lord, who knows what anyone might aspire to.”

  Iya chuckled. “Like a dragon bonding with a sphinx?”

  “That’s not my district,” I giggled. “Their pair bond is on the Lord High Governor. But sure, if they wanted.”

  He leaned in again with a twinkle in his eye. “What’s the oddest request you’ve gotten as a result of this equality policy?”

  I bit my lower lip in thought. “Probably two. I gave permission both times and laughed when they left. Not professional but . . . The first was a mermaid who had her heart set on being a dancer in the human ballet. She found someone willing to give her pedirisum carmina to avoid shifting back if she got wet.”


  Iya snickered. “The potion with the side effect of―”

  “Uncontrollable giggling.” I laughed. “She got feet like she wanted, but she returned to the Borderlands in less than a week. Some things aren’t meant to be.”

  “The other request?”

  “Another pair bond. Their families said no, so they appealed to me. I said yes and didn’t ask any more questions. The logistics are their problem.”

  Iya nearly bounced, wanting to know. “What were they?”

  I tried to answer but started laughing and couldn’t stop. “Hold on.” I put a hand to my chest and tried to calm myself. “A harpy and a kraken.”

  “Are you shitting me?” Iya’s hand hit the table as he roared with laughter.

  “I know,” I gasped. “At least Omri and Ferika both live on land.”

  “How did you even keep a straight face giving them your decision?”

  My cheeks hurt from laughing. “No idea. But they weren’t offended, so I must have done all right. Those requests came right after I gained my throne, so I might have been a bit scared of them, to tell the truth.”

  Dinner passed in happy conversation. He whispered something to the waiter, and a few minutes later, the waiter wheeled a cart of dessert out to us. Iya gave me a wicked grin.

  “Let’s try everything.” His voice went low and enticing.

  I took a nibble of each and selected a tart to finish.

  “Well?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s good.”

  “And the rest?”

  “Tasty, but I liked this one.”

  “No urges?”

  “Nope. Not even a twinge.”

  He sat back, looking relaxed. The waiter returned and disdainfully scanned the uneaten desserts. “Such waste. How do you sleep at night? Of all the disrespectful, self-centered . . .”

  I couldn’t believe the waiter would speak to me in such a manner. I wanted to say something until I caught Iya watching me intently.

  “No urges.”

  “Thank you for your help.” Iya dropped a fifty-dollar bill on the cart. “For going along with my request and trying to upset a pretty lady.”

  The waiter left, looking extremely charmed. Iya snapped his fingers, and another waiter materialized out of nowhere. “We are through. The bill, please.”

  As soon as we paid, Iya whisked me out. Our next stop turned out to be a casino.

  “I’m not old enough.”

  “You are if I say so,” he purred in his most alluring voice. “With my power, you can win any game, any jackpot.”

  I pushed him back. “With your power, we can make a stack of money appear on the seat next to us. Why go breathe in all the second-hand smoke?”

  He slipped an arm around me and smiled. “So far, you’re passing with flying colors. Let’s go play.”

  The driver took off for the next stop, and we pulled up in front of a high-class dance club. A line of beautiful people waited to get in. As soon as Iya passed next to them, comparisons crumbled. Girls flashed looks and legs in his direction. He brought me up to the front, said a few low words to the bouncer, and we were in.

  I pulled him down to whisper in his ear. “I’m still not old enough.”

  “Not a problem with me.”

  “But . . .”

  He snaked an arm around my waist. “I’m a demon. Akuma magic rations come from getting humans to go against their morals. Talking a bouncer into letting one eighteen-year-old into a dance club is nothing. I simply wanted to go somewhere we could have fun.”

  “There’s other fun places.” Each pulse of base drove out more of my guilt.

  He led me out to the dance floor. “What did you have in mind? There’s a nice animated movie playing. Or maybe we could find a bingo hall.”

  He pulled me next to his chest and began moving with the music. The whole scenario thrilled me in a bad-girl sort of way. Sneaking into a club! I could even order alcohol. I danced, pressed against an attractive man who wasn’t even my boyfriend. I stopped moving and pushed Iya away.

  “This is another test.”

  He laughed, but the sound got lost in the start of the next song. He leaned next to my ear. “I hadn’t intended on more tests, only to have a little extra fun in your company before we went back. Healing you is going quicker than I thought. At this rate, I’m only getting a couple days on Earth.”

  “Oh.” Guilt prickled me over the impulsive accusation.

  “Are you going to dance with me, or should I ask someone else?”

  I thought briefly of telling him to ask someone else, but I didn’t want to sit awkwardly by myself. “Let’s dance.”

  He pulled me next to him and began dancing again. A couple songs later, I’d given in and started having fun. After missing all the dances of my senior year, I deserved to let loose a little.

  Iya brought me something to drink, and I sniffed the liquid. He rolled his eyes. “Yours isn’t even alcohol. The man at the bar called it a long island iced tea. I told him I had a young date who needed an appropriate drink.”

  “I think a long island iced tea has alcohol.”

  “You’re so suspicious. It’s tea. The bartender said so.”

  “Like you’d know human drinks,” I snarked.

  “And you do?” he flashed back. “I thought you were underage on Earth? Or are you naughtier than I thought? Why don’t you taste the tea? Then you’ll know.”

  I took a sip. The drink had a bit of a sweet zing but none of the bite that I’d tasted in stolen sips of my parent’s mixed drinks. “There’s definitely alcohol, but not much. You taste it and tell me.”

  He took a sip. “Hmm . . . I like human drinks. I should have gotten one of those. The bartender told me a man drinks these.” He held up a tumbler filled with amber liquid. “A whiskey sour, whatever that is. You can probably drink your tea. I don’t taste much alcohol, either. Don’t worry so much. It’s not like the laws on Earth apply. You’re a demon lord. Do what you want.”

  “You’re tempting again.” I poked his abs.

  “I’m laying out facts, but I’ll drink both if you’d prefer.”

  I took another sip. “I’ll keep it. It’s only one drink.”

  “That’s the spirit!” He tossed back his whiskey and shook his head. “I miss what my shi mixes up at home. It has more fire―literally.” He flashed me a glittering grin before he went for another drink. “Hurry up. I wanna dance.”

  I sucked down my tea and set the glass at the end of the bar. My body had started to feel warm and tingly. The room swayed, enhancing the music. I stumbled, and Iya caught me, pulling me back into a dance.

  This time I enjoyed the feel of his body nearly as much as the dancing itself. I also had the excuse of the music to rub up against him. I ran my back down his chest, and he curled around me. Close enough to be a single creature, we danced: me pressing against him, him rubbing back. His hand ran up my thigh and stayed on my hip, leading me through the dance.

  “I want another drink,” he whispered in my ear as the song ended.

  My body fumbled at the sudden absence of his, but I managed to follow him to the bar. He handed me another tea and held one of his own, along with another whiskey sour. Maybe he thought ordering both would make the other one seem manlier.

  “I don’t know if I should have another.” The room already moved a little funny. “What the hell.” I drank it faster than the first one.

  Iya had already finished both of his. “Wanna go danz?” He wobbled a bit.

  I blinked hard at him, then poked his tummy. “You’re drunk. Drunk as a snunk. No. A skunk.” I giggled uncontrollably. Somehow the mix up was supremely funny. “Imagine, a demon drunk on four human drinks. What a pansy.”

&nbs
p; “You said panties,” he giggled.

  “I did not.”

  “Nope. I heard it.” He waved me close and whispered loudly. “You’re drunk, too. Pfft.”

  The spit from his laugh hit my ear. I wiped it and scowled at him. “Gross. I don’t want your spit.”

  “Liar,” he giggled. “You nearly attacked me in the bedroom. You want my spit all over your naughty body.”

  “Hee hee. Naughty body rhymes. No. Wait. I do not.”

  “I’ll prove you do.”

  He set our empty glasses on the counter and hauled me back to the dance floor. He pulled me until my chest pressed against his. We swayed to the music, and the first kiss came at the base of my neck. The next, a little higher. He worked his way up toward my chin, his hand grazing skin and starting fires along the other side of my neck.

  I desperately wanted the kiss, which would bring our lips together. Instead, he nibbled at my ear. My head tipped toward him, and my hands slid up under his shirt. I imagined those tattoos under my fingers. He’d given me matching ones. The thought held a lot of sexy. I pulled his smooth, broad shoulders close.

  “I told you, you wanted my spit,” he whispered in my ear. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

  I nodded, disappointed at the lack of a kiss on my lips. He texted the driver, and by the time we got through the crowd, our car waited for us.

  In the darkened backseat, his fingers traced my legs and then went higher, setting little fires as he went. I leaned in, kissing anything he’d let me reach. But he teased, always coming close to my mouth, yet never letting me have his lips. Before we reached the hotel, he tossed several bills into the front seat.

  “Park the car and leave us. You can come back for it in the morning. There’s more than enough there for your trouble.”

  “Whatever,” the driver muttered, then louder. “As you wish, sir.”

  The car pulled into the back parking lot. The driver grabbed his stuff and got ready to leave. All the while Iya’s fingers ran down the curves of my body. I shuddered in anticipation. The door shut, and Iya watched him leave. As soon as the man disappeared, he grabbed my face and kissed my lips. He tasted like cinnamon bears, and I wanted to eat him. A little snarl escaped me.