Conquer

  I heard Mommy gasp as Daddy lunged at me. He grabbed me by the arm and flung me across the room. When my body hit the wall, my breath was knocked out of me and I stared up at the ceiling. I could hear Mommy pleading with Daddy to stop. He picked me up again and threw me against another wall. I was still trying to catch my breath as he reached for me again. “You little shit! This is why we named you Demon. I knew even before you were born that you would be a useless brat!”

  My head turned so that I could look over at Mommy. Tears streamed down her face and I knew that she wouldn’t get up to stop him, she couldn’t. Just as Daddy was about to reach for me again, someone knocked at the door. Daddy’s head spun to look at the door and he motioned for Mommy to take me into another room. Mommy got up from the couch and quickly moved over to me. She picked me up and helped me walk into the bedroom. She closed the door behind us and locked it before turning to grab the phone from the table. As quietly as possible, she dialed a number.

  “Maia, this is Kristy. We need help. Please help. He’s hurting Buddy again.”

  My eyes widened when I heard Mommy talking to Paige’s mommy. She was asking them to come get us. Even though my back hurt from what Daddy had done, I smiled knowing Mommy was getting us out of here. Mommy looked at me as she spoke with Paige’s mommy and indicated that I needed to stay quiet. As mommy was giving out our address, I heard the doorknob rattle as Daddy tried to get in the room. When he found it was locked, he started banging against it and screaming for Mommy to open the door. I heard wood splinter from the force of his banging and I trembled knowing that if he got through that door, he would hurt Mommy.

  “Maia, hurry…please!”

  ~

  ~~ Paige ~~

  Daemon sat straight up in bed, startling me awake. I rubbed at my eyes and noticed that daylight had started streaming in from around the edges of the dark curtains. Turning to Daemon, I noticed a fine sheen of sweat that covered his body. He held his head in his hands and his back moved in and out with labored breathing.

  Sitting up, I placed my hand on his back. I could feel his heart racing from beneath his rib cage. “Daemon? What’s wrong?” My voice was raspy from sleep and I cleared my throat as I waited for him to respond.

  Daemon didn’t speak or move for several seconds and I wondered if he had heard me. “Daem…” He moved so quickly that it startled me. His hand came up, covering my mouth, while his large body turned and pressed me back down to the bed. My eyes locked with his and I shuddered in response to the pain and turmoil I saw mingling within the depths of his beautiful blues. When his gaze finally left mine, it traveled down by body. I watched as heat replaced his pain and lust replaced his anger. My body reacted to the change in his. His free hand found both of my wrists and he pulled my arms above my head while using his legs to force mine apart. The speed at which he had subdued me was staggering, but this nagging part of me fought against my body’s desire to go along with Daemon’s actions.

  From under his hand, my words were muffled. “Daemon, we should talk first…”

  Daemon’s only response was to tighten his hand over my mouth even more. He nestled his face against my neck and when I felt his teeth clamp down at the junction of my neck and shoulder, my body arched up, only to relax back down in submission. I gave up the idea of talking and settled back to allow Daemon to do as he pleased.

  We had both slept naked and within seconds Daemon was buried so deep within me that the sudden fullness was a shock to my awakening body. Involuntarily, I held my breath as Daemon held still above me awaiting my body to relax around the sudden invasion. Daemon’s heated gaze shot to mine, locking me to his stare as he began to rock himself back and forth within me. His hands let go of my mouth and wrists so that he could reach down and pull my legs around him. Tentatively I reached up to run my hands through his hair, while still maintaining eye contact with him. Desperation and need were written across his expression and I attempted to convey love and approval as I ran my hands softly down his shoulders and back. I had no idea what was bothering him, but it was apparent he needed this intimacy to escape the turmoil within him.

  Daemon moved fluidly above me, never releasing eye contact. Thoughts and emotions were being spoken through his gaze and his actions, however he felt oddly distant from this coupling. He held himself up with one hand, while running the other up the length of my body, only to pull away and brace his hands on either side of me. My concern for him was all-consuming and my body wasn’t undergoing the usual build-up to a mind shattering peak that I was accustomed to experiencing with Daemon. He wasn’t there. Within a few minutes, he stiffened above me and after finding his release, he relaxed against me before immediately getting up and walking into the bathroom. Never had I felt like such a means to an end, a tool used for one purpose, without thought as to my feelings or needs.

  What. The Hell. Was that?!

  I laid there staring at the bathroom door. I didn’t know if I should get up and go try to talk to him, or roll over and pretend like I’d fallen back asleep. I sat up, resting back on my elbows trying to make a decision when the bathroom door flung open. Daemon stomped out of the bathroom and immediately headed towards the closet. A few seconds later, he emerged from the closet wearing a loose pair of jeans and threw the bedroom door open to leave the room. I was left there, naked and confused.

  Picking my pride up off the floor, I climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up. My feet padded against the cool tile as I made my way over to the shower. My hand flicked on the water. I felt oddly dirty after that encounter and I mused over the fact that, possibly, I was just grouped with the previous other women in Daemon’s life. I couldn’t understand why those women would ever be satisfied with being used in such a manner. There was no emotion, no connection, nothing! After the temperature reached a suitable level, I stepped underneath the spray of the water and allowed it to wash away the slime of hurt and rejection that was clinging to my skin. My eyes peeked open occasionally as I waited for Daemon to suddenly appear and apologize for his actions. He never showed up.

  I stepped out of the shower, dried off and threw on one of Daemon’s large t-shirts and a pair of boxers. It would have been more convenient for me to move my belongings into Daemon’s room, but after that little escapade, I wasn’t sure if I should. My mind ran over the events of the night before, and I couldn’t think of anything I had done that would have distanced him.

  Rounding the corner into the living room, I found David sitting on the couch. Daemon sat in a chair opposite him. I flashed David my signature ‘we have to talk’ look, but made sure to keep my eyes from Daemon’s gaze as I passed. The coffee was already made and I entered the kitchen before swiping a mug from the cabinet. I mixed together my usual concoction and leaned against the counter sipping my caffeinated bliss. My eyes were trained on the kitchen island and I was saddened to remember what Daemon and I had done on the surface of that island. Well, okay, that particular moment wasn’t sad in and of itself, but my memory was being hijacked by the dejected feeling from the incident this morning.

  Footsteps interrupted my thought process and I looked up to see Daemon standing at the entryway of the kitchen. His eyes were trained to a spot behind me and tension was visible in his shoulders and stance. “I need to leave for a while today to go deal with the investigators at the club. Some contractors will also be coming out to discuss repairs, so it may be a while before I’m able to return home. I’ve talked to Alex and he will be arriving shortly to hang out with you and David.”

  I turned to see what Daemon could be looking at, but after finding nothing of interest, I determined that he was simply avoiding looking me in the eye. My stubborn side wanted to play along with his little game, because I would be damned to give in first, but, I had no idea what had just happened between us. So, I gave in and asked.

  “What did I do to upset you, Daemon?”

  His body shifted slightly on his feet and his hands reached up to
swipe his keys roughly from the countertop beside him. A resigned sigh sounded from him. He finally met my stare and his face instantly fell. My heart was beating against my chest as trepidation and doubt flooded my system. “You didn’t do anything, Paige. I apologize for this morning.” Another sigh escaped him. “It was just…a bad dream…and I…I don’t know. It was just a bad dream and I…fuck!” Three large steps and he was by my side taking me into a hug. Pressed against his chest, I could hear his heart thumping away.

  This is the part where the old Paige would have planted both her fists into his chest and prevented him from holding her…but I was trying to be partner Paige, so I allowed him to hold me. The sarcasm that followed, however, could not be helped.

  “Of course, that actually makes sense. I, too, appreciate treating people like a piece of meat after a bad dream. I’m surprised I didn’t think of that this morning. I should have known.” Contempt dripped from my words and Daemon flinched in reaction.

  His voice was whisper quiet as he responded. “I’m sorry, Paige. I had a dream about my parents. It’s been a while since I’ve dreamed of them and…I didn’t intend for it to seem like I used you. I wanted to connect with you, I just couldn’t.”

  “You’ll have to explain that a little bit better, Daemon.”

  He pulled back from me and held me at arm’s length. His blue eyes bore down on me and I could see regret and guilt within them. “Sex has always been an escape for me. I never connected any emotion to it until I found you again. It was always just a way for me to blow off whatever was pissing me off at that moment so I didn’t put my fist through some asshole’s face.” He appeared embarrassed by his admission, but I could understand what he was saying. Up until finding Daemon, sex had been the same for me. His forehead came down to rest against mine and his eyes closed in obvious frustration. “That dream was more than I’ve had to handle in a long time, Paige, and I thought I could just chase it away with my feelings for you. The anger didn’t dissipate as I thought it would.”

  My arms instantly went around Daemon, pulling him closer to me. With my cheek pressed against his chest, I asked, “Will you tell me about it? Maybe you and I can find new ways to work out whatever is bothering us. I won’t run anymore and you can start talking about things more. We’re partners, remember?”

  His arms contracted around me and I felt his head nod above me in response. “I dreamed about the day…that day…your birthday. It was the events that led up to what my father did. I spilled some milk that day and also asked to go outside to play with the other kids. He was angry and was calling me names and throwing me around. He liked to call me ‘demon’ and actually thought that was my name. He demanded it when I was born, but my mom added an ‘A’ on the spelling on the birth certificate without telling him. However, that’s why she called me Buddy. She didn’t like the fact that, even though she had managed to change it without my father knowing, my name was intended to be an insult from the moment I came into this world. He always called me that.”

  My heart broke instantly and I wanted to go dig up Daemon’s father, bring him back to life, just to beat his ass and place him back in the ground all over again. I shared my parents’ abhorrence of abuse, especially abuse of a child. “Why did your mom take you back if he was like that? She’d gotten you away from him, why return?”

  Daemon’s chest steadily rose and fell as I waited for him to respond. His hesitancy to answer was a clear indication of his discomfort, but I needed to know this part of him in order to truly understand many of the events of our past. We both carried burdens from our youth that were out of our control. Hopefully, together, we would be able to bring those burdens into the open to finally relieve the pain that came with them.

  “She loved him, I guess. I never understood why. He was always, ALWAYS, like that. I wish I could blame it on his drinking or one of the many drugs he was addicted to, but in the end, it was just him. He was a very angry person. A few weeks after mom and I arrived at The Center, she reached out to him. Even though he had hurt both of us, my mother was worried for him. He made promises to her that she thought he could keep. When we arrived back, it all fell apart almost instantly.” Pain and remorse was seared into every word he spoke and I wanted nothing more but to reach out to young Daemon and pull him from the nightmare he obviously lived. The more he told me about his time with his father, the more I understood why he was so angry as a child. I couldn’t help but think about my parents and the decision they made for Daemon on that fated day. I needed to talk to them about everything, but I wasn’t quite ready to forgive them for their dishonesty.

  Both Daemon’s and my head turned as the buzzer sounded, indicating Alex had arrived. Daemon kissed me on the forehead before saying, “Ah, your babysitter is here. We can talk about this more after I return home.” He flashed me a crooked smile and I loosened my hold on him, allowing him to pull away from our embrace. I watched as he walked across the room and couldn’t help but admire the way he moved. He hit the button to send the elevator to Alex before opening the front door and returning to stand by me in the kitchen.

  “So, tomorrow, I want to take you to my gym to start training. Don’t expect anything fancy. Frank took me there after I came to live with him and I was trained there. It’s old, and ratty and most of the people there are just as old and ratty as the place, but they are good people.”

  An instant smile broke out on my face as I remembered Daemon’s promise to train me to fight. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. I had no idea how he planned on training me, but I was sure a few pointers couldn’t hurt. Not that I needed them, of course; but Daemon didn’t know that.

  “Who’s Frank? Is that the person my parents sent you to live with when you came back?”

  Daemon smiled as he remembered back. “Yeah. He was this crotchety old marine who wouldn’t put up with my punk attitude. He scared the shit out of me when I first met him, but he was an amazing man. Taught me mostly everything I know. He owned one of the smaller bars in town and gave it to me when he passed. I’m so thankful to him for everything, your parents as well.” He tapped me on the nose as a silent hint that I needed to deal with this issue with my parents. I looked up at him sheepishly and shrugged my shoulders in response.

  Alex came lumbering through the doors looking like he hadn’t slept in the past week. Daemon hugged me one more time. “That’s my cue to get out of here, Damsel. I’ll see you when I get back later this afternoon.”

  Daemon met Alex in the living room and did the fist bump thing guys do with each other. It was odd, once again, seeing the two of them getting along and I was sitting somewhere between joy and annoyance at their sudden friendship. On one hand, I was happy that there were no longer bad feelings on Alex’ part, but on the other, I hated that their friendship involved a pact to keep me under control. I don’t appreciate being controlled.

  Daemon waved goodbye and walked out the front door, softly closing it behind him. As usual, Alex had his ballcap pulled low over his eyes and he was wearing the same shirt and jeans from the night before. My eyebrow arched at his appearance and he responded by flopping himself down on the large sofa by the balcony windows.

  Where the hell did David go?

  Alex glanced over at me and said, “So, can I trust that if I fall asleep, I won’t wake up to find you out chasing psychotic criminals?”

  “Nope.” I remained in the kitchen leaning against the counter as I answered him. I had to hide my smile behind the mug I was holding. “Since you decided to sign up for babysitting services, I guess you are just going to have to suffer the consequences.”

  Alex moved his head so that he could look up at me from under the brim of his hat. “You’re a bitch. I hope you know that.” He let out an annoyed sigh. “Well, at least tell me there is some coffee left in that pot.”

  I shifted to the left to block Alex’ view of the half-full coffee pot. “Guess again, big guy, it’s all gone.” I feigned a sad face by sticking
out my bottom lip.

  Alex sighed and pulled his hat even lower on his face, his massive form taking up the majority of the couch. “Whatever, Paige. I know there’s coffee over there and I’m about to come take it…by force, if necessary.”

  “That’s funny, because by the looks of you, you would fall pass out after the first ten laps I made you take as you are chasing me and the pot around the apartment.”

  He pulled his hat back up to glare at me, then replaced it over his face. “Whatever, Paige, just get me a cup would ya? I had a long ass fucking night because someone couldn’t choose to piss off a normal psychopath that only murders and shit. Oh no, you’ve got to pick the guy that likes to blow shit up too.”

  “Not funny. And definitely not the way to convince me to give up any of my java goodness to you. You, sir, are an ass and you don’t deserve a cup of my liquid paradise.” My nose turned up in indignation.

  At that moment, David sashayed himself back into the living room. He smiled brightly at me before stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of Alex. “What the hell happened to you, Alex? You look like you’ve been wearing the same clothes for a week.” David leaned his body in Alex’ direction and sniffed the air above him. “And you smell like smoke. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to move over to that wingback chair over there.”

  Alex grinned as he peered out at David from underneath the brim of his hat. “And why the hell do I have to move?”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, David gave Alex a sharp look that indicated he thought Alex was a moron. “Because I sit on that couch and I don’t want to be sullied by your putrid hygiene and apparent lack of more than one pair of clothes.”

  “Then why don’t you go sit in the chair. I’ve already sullied the couch.” Alex settled back and made a show of rubbing his smoky clothes all over the leather. David threw up his hands and walked determinably into the kitchen. He pulled a mug from the upper cabinet and shoved me aside to get to the pot of coffee. Alex looked up as David poured. “What the hell?!”