Desire, Fate, & Love

Chapter 4

I saw Rhys again in fifth period but he did his best to avoid eye contact with me from across the room. After school, as I was putting my books away, I wondered what I should do. If I met him, I would miss my bus, but then I wouldn't get any more of my questions answered. Was it worth walking home to find out more about him? Before I realized it, my feet carried me to the playground as I was lost in my own thoughts. Rhys smiled from his seat on the swings when our eyes met.

"I'm glad you showed up. I was worried for a minute there." He admitted softly. I walked forward, sitting on the swing next to him with a soft sigh.

"If I am gonna walk home I want you to answer all my questions." I watched him blink in confusion for a moment and then smile.

"I will answer anything you want AND I'll drive you home after." He held out his hand for me to shake with a broad smile. I shook my head softly but put my hand in his. Suddenly there were sparks up my arm again and then Rhys was gone. I heard a distant curse and turned to see him 50 feet away from me holding the wrist of the hand I shook. He took slow steps towards me. Until he went to take a step and he groaned softly.

"Are you ok?" I asked and he shook his head, lightly running each hand through his already messy hair. He looked up at me and his eyes flashed black. He cursed up his breath.

"I'm sorry Lily. I got hardly anything from you before and the craving is already back. I can't get any closer to you or I might try to kiss you again." I felt very confused about all of this.

"But earlier my body felt..." I felt my cheeks flush, unable to say the words. He shook his head sadly.

"You didn't want it though. So I got almost nothing. The hunger took over. I'm still so sorry I did that to you." He glanced towards the school quickly. "If you run you can still catch your bus." I looked down at the ground deep in thought, then I stood. Rhys took a sudden step back. "Lily." He said my name through clenched teeth in a warning. I met his eyes though, as they shifted black.

"You said touch would work, right? And it won't hurt?" I held out my hand towards him and I watched his eyes flash with desperation. He took a step forward and then quickly took it back, shaking his head lightly.

"It would never hurt. I won't force you though. I'll find someone else." His eyes swept down to the ground and he shut them tight as if looking at me was too tempting.

"Who?" He looked up at me at my sudden question and I smirked lightly. "If you had other options you wouldn't have picked me." His eyes told me that I was right and he clenched his jaw hard. I took a step forward and he growled deeply. "It's fine. Just don't kiss me. I want to know what it feels like but I don't want to lose my first kiss." I felt my cheeks flush and he laughed darkly.

"Knowing you haven't even kissed someone at your age was quite a shock, you know. Enough to snap me out of my hunger." He said as he took slow steps towards me. Each time he moved closer he would pause and clench his teeth hard. As if getting himself under control with every inch he got closer. When he reached me he didn't take that last step forward. "May I hug you, Lily?" I nodded to his request, unable to form my voice with the look in his eye. Like I was a bottle of water in an endless desert.

He stepped forward, pulling me into a hug. Instantly my body filled with those sparks and warmth. I gasped lightly and shut my eyes for a moment. His left arm was wrapped around my waist and his right hand was lifted to brush my cheek lightly. His eyes narrowed lightly.

"Relax Lily. Let me in." I realized then that my body was stiff as a board. I nodded lightly and I forced myself to relax. It was just a hug. As I relaxed into him, I gasped out loudly. I almost saw stars in my vision from the feeling I was getting in my body. He brushed his thumb lightly over my bottom lip and leaned forward. "That's it." He whispered lightly in my ear. As I settled fully into his embrace, I heard him curse under his breath. "Lily." He gasped my name and then pulled back, suddenly putting several steps between us. His eyes were still pitch black and he was panting as if he had run a marathon.

He placed his face in his hands and bent slightly at the waist. He looked like he was gonna throw up. I took a step forward and he growled harshly. I quickly took a couple of steps back and I watched as he trembled lightly. I wanted to help but I had no idea what was happening. After a few minutes, he stood straight again and slowly regained his breathing. His eyes were closed at this point. Slowly he opened them and when I saw them I gasped. They weren't just black now. His entire eyes were black with a red pupil now. Then they slowly shifted back to green. He growled softly at the horror on my face.

"Please tell me you didn't see my demon eyes." He sighed harshly and kicked the ground lightly. "What am I saying? Of course, you did. f**k!" He yelled out the curse and punched the playground equipment to his right. The old wood creaked angrily. I waited for him to calm down before I spoke.

"What happened?" His eyes flashed back to meet mine and he sighed harshly. He ran a hand down his face, leaving it covering his mouth as he seemed to search for the words to explain. Meanwhile, his eyes looked me up and down. Finally, he dropped his hand from his face.

"Are you sure you're human?" The sudden question threw me off and I frowned deeply.

"I never thought I was anything else. Why?" He bit his lip lightly but he nodded softly as if he expected that.

"Your desire isn't normal, Lily." It's not? I looked down at myself as if I could somehow see that and Rhys chuckled. His face turned serious a moment later though, and then he began to blush. I felt a grin spread over my face.

"Is the famous Rhys Scott actually blushing?" I said in a joking manner, but his eyes went wide. He lifted his hand to his cheek and then cursed under his breath.

"Lily." He said my name in a thick growl and my eyes widened. He clenched his teeth sharply and shook his head quickly as if to clear his mind of something. He shut his eyes and placed his hand over them. "Lily, your desire is making an incubus feel desire." I blinked softly at the sentence. Was that not normal?

"Is that bad?" I asked and he started to laugh darkly. More than he had before. An almost insane laugh. It only lasted a few moments before he cut himself off. Finally, he dropped his hand from his face and opened his eyes. They were fully black with red pupils once more. This time he didn't try to hide them from me.

"I'm a desire demon, Lily. I feed on it. Which means I can't feel it." Suddenly I was even more confused.

"Why not?" He frowned softly and sighed lightly.

"So I don't get attached to my prey. If a desire demon doesn't continue to cycle prey, they will slowly starve to death. If they get attached to a human or another demon..." He trailed off with a harsh sigh and his eyes slowly began to shift back. "Demons like me don't mate like other demons. We pair up with our own kind only to continue the race. Because demons mate for eternity. Even in death, their souls are linked forever. Demons don't cheat on their mates." As he explained, I began to understand. So it was very unusual for a desire demon to feel desire towards anyone.

"So it's not normal then but I am sure it's happened." He growled lightly and shook his head.

"No Lily, you don't quite get it. Getting attached is a death sentence to a desire demon. It's not that it's uncommon. It's impossible. Literally. Our bodies, minds, powers, and souls prevent it in every aspect. A desire demon has never felt desire. It shouldn't be possible." As his words sank in, I felt a rock form in my gut.

"What does that mean then?" He shook his head quickly.

"That I'm broken or you are." He grinned lightly but his eyes were serious. He locked eyes with me and his gaze softened. "You have no idea how much I want you right now. No. Want isn't good enough. I need you. More than I need life in my body. If I move from this spot I'll lose what little control I am getting back. I never knew anything could feel this strong." He took a deep steading breath. "Not to mention your desire is-" He bit his cheek suddenly to stop himself from saying what he was going to.

"Is it broken too?" He smirked and shook his head. He seemed to think it over. "You said you would answer all my questions, Rhys." Saying his name caused his whole body to shudder violently.

"Lily. Don't say that name again." He said the words in a soft growl. "Not while I'm like this."

"That name? It's your name though." He shook his head.

"Not my real one. It's my human one. All demons have two names. Because knowing a demon's true name is highly personal. Besides, any human that knew my true name could use it to control me if they knew what they were doing." I tried to process this information and he sighed softly. "Lily, your desire is sweet like candy for one. I have never tasted desire so sweet. More than that, though. Even that small touch felt like I was drowning in it. I feel like I won't have to feed for a year." I blinked in surprise. Was it really so different from everyone else?