“I already told you—I have school things to do,” I uttered, using all I had to scamper away from his hold. “I may be getting bad grades, but I’m in school because I want to learn. I’m not going to skip out on my duties as a student. It would be a waste of tuition money if I did that. No. I have to study tomorrow. It’s the right thing to do.”
His eyes morphed into suspicious slits. “Why did your eyes twitch when you said that?”
“What are you, an optometrist? Stop making observations about the behavior of my eyes!” I shouted, freaked out that he was paying such close attention. I was normally such a good actress. Why was I so bad when I was around him?
Maybe it’s because he gave you a bloody nose prior to even kissing you and he could do more harm if you piss him off, my mind answered for me, making me twitchier than before.
I pushed my cart away and marched out of the aisle. I tried to lose him, but he was like a shadow. No matter how hard I tried to evade him, he would always be right on my heels.
“What do you even do for fun, Gracie?” he inquired, folding his arms with a pout on his lips. His footsteps mirrored the speed at which I was pushing my cart. “I mean, I’m feeling a bit misled right now.”
I gave him a blank stare and then pretended to be interested in the variety of hot sauce on the shelf. “How so?”
“Well, when I first met you, you were clubbing with your girlfriends. I assumed you were a party animal with sadistic inclinations. I didn’t know I was about to court some goody two-shoes nerd with sadistic tendencies. Like I said, I feel very misled.”
I stopped what I was doing and gaped at him with this new development. “Wait. Are you saying you didn’t know anything about my life prior to that night?”
He nodded as affirmation. “That was my first night seeing you.”
“So you knew absolutely nothing about my life before that moment?” I asked again.
He nodded once more. “Yeah. Other than the infamous killing that everyone else in Hell knows about, that was all I knew.”
“So the only thing you got on me is that you can pop up wherever I am?”
Eclipse looked at me strangely. He was clearly wondering why I would ask such a random question. “No. Not exactly.”
My heart almost skipped a beat at this ray of hope. Trying to not appear so suspiciously interested, I pretended to push the cart again while casually asking, “What do you mean, ‘not exactly’?”
“My powers are limited,” he quietly revealed, walking beside me while we moved past the condiments aisle and ventured into the noodle aisle. “I can’t pop up wherever you are. I don’t have a GPS in my head. I can only pop up in places where I think you are.”
I stopped again, becoming more and more shocked with all that he was revealing. I couldn’t believe it. He was normally so secretive and rarely confided in me about these types of things. Even though this tidbit was only a small amount of information, I was finding every sentence as valuable as the next.
“How were you always so accurate then?” I spluttered out, thinking back to all those times where he popped in on me. “You always pop up in the right place.”
“Not exactly,” he corrected. He blushed slightly at having to amend my disillusions about him and his seemingly endless powers. “There were more than several times where I popped into the wrong places and you weren’t there. Luckily you’re a pretty habitual person. You have a schedule you follow for places you need to be. With that knowledge in mind, I just pop in and hope I find you. The majority of the time, I do.”
I recalled all those times where he materialized in at my apartment, in class, and in the library. He appeared in all the places I frequented often—essentially all the places that even a human stalker could find me if they knew my college schedule. An upsurge of relief washed over me. All of a sudden, Eclipse wasn’t as omniscient as I had once thought he was.
Logic would dictate that if I broke the habit and disappeared for my date, he would not be able to find me. I smiled to myself, feeling more confident about my plans to ditch him so I could go on a date with Don. There was actually a chance I could have a normal date. Oh gosh, this was so exciting.
Clearing my throat to not sound so elated, I tried to act normal by answering the initial question he posed about giving him the wrong first impression.
“Well, if you were watching me that night, then you’d notice that I didn’t do much but sit in the corner, drink with my friends, and sit back while they danced. Did you even see me do anything other than sit there and go online with my phone?”
He considered my question. “Come to think of it, you’re right. You didn’t do anything at all. You just kind of sat there, took care of your friends, and went home.” Laughter issued from the depths of his chest. He gazed down at me in adoration. “You’re a twenty-year-old girl and you’re about to turn twenty-one, Teacup. You need to have more of a social life aside from pretending to be a partier when you’re not . . .”
I swallowed tightly at his comment. It hit too close to home. I had always enjoyed being a solitary person rather than a social butterfly. This was not a trait that anyone ever knew about me. It felt odd to be called out by Eclipse. Truthfully, I couldn’t let his comment slide without defending myself.
“I find that there’s nothing wrong with my behavior. I’m a student right now and my main priority is studying. Partying can be done after graduation, when I secure my dream job—which reminds me,” I prompted, going right into my plans of ditching him. I had to plant the seed before the plan could truly grow and commence. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bug me at the library tomorrow. I need to get all my schoolwork done so I can volunteer on Sunday without having to rush back to complete my assignments. I would be more productive if I was alone.”
He grinned at this.
“I see,” he said slowly. He approached me and stroked the length of my cheek with his hand. Jolts of electricity surged through my body as he teased me. “So you’re telling me you’d appreciate it if I could leave you alone so you wouldn’t be distracted?”
“Yes,” I replied simply, my breath hilted in my chest at his close proximity. I hoped he wouldn’t try to kiss me. I couldn’t handle another bloody nose.
He let out a long breath and lazily traced the contour of my jaw with his finger. “There’s more to life than the plans you make for it, Gracie. Some of the best things in life are un-planned.” His voice was a soft purr that left me hypnotized. I instinctively inched in for his continued caress until he abruptly pulled away, ending my spellbound state. “But it is your choice how you want to spend your time. If you want to spend an entire Saturday studying, then so be it.”
“Be it, it will,” I replied with conviction, fighting to not appear affected by his subtle seduction. I resumed with pushing the cart around the store.
“Something’s off about you today, Teacup,” Eclipse said minutes later.
My heart jolted to a stop.
I quelled my impulse to panic by casually inspecting the nutrient contents of some frozen food. “What’s off about me?”
He took a second to study my expression, to detect some abnormality in my demeanor. When it seemed that he found nothing that stood out to him, he said, “It’s probably nothing.” He appraised me one final time before adding, “I’m sure I’m mistaken.”
I smiled uncomfortably at him. My insides quaked at the possibility of him seeing through my acting skills and ruining my date tomorrow. When he said no more, Eclipse continued to shop with me, being all sexy, crowding, and irresistible, as usual. All the while as this occurred, I tried to be as aloof, distant, and as resistible as possible.
By the time the shopping excursion ended, Eclipse had disappeared, and I was left alone.
I was nervous with how to proceed with my plans for my date. I wasn’t dumb—I knew Eclipse would come check up on me tomorrow. I just had to be smarter and sneakier than him. I had to be ten steps ahead of him.
Thinking of my future husband Don as my incentive, I rallied together all my courage before getting into bed later that night to prepare for my “Mission Impossible” task.
Eclipse or no Eclipse—nothing was stopping me from going on my date tomorrow.
"Why are you fighting when there is no hope for you to begin with?”
14: DonKi
I spent an hour hiding in the library closet the next Saturday evening.
It wasn’t necessarily how I envisioned my “Mission Impossible” day to pan out, but it was the best tactic I could come up with. There was only so much a human girl could do in her battle to get away from her Demon. Pretending that I was at the library all day was my best line of attack.
I came in, sat my butt down at 1:00 P.M., and set about doing homework at the computer lab all afternoon. Eclipse hadn’t popped in to bother me, presumably to be considerate and give me my alone time to study. When 6:00 P.M. rolled around, I casually gathered my things, went to the bathroom, and then strategically changed clothes to further help me lose him. I even went as far as wearing a big black hoodie and oversized jeans that had to be pulled up every time I made any movements. After emerging from the bathroom in a whole new outfit, I decided that it would be smart to hide in one of the library’s closets for a while in case he started to look for me. Once an hour passed, I scampered out of the closet, hurried out of the library, and ran straight to the subway station to meet Don for our date.
Run, Grace. Run! I urged myself while holding onto my baggy pants.
I bumped into people as I hastily hopped onto the platform and threw myself into the subway. It was the most dramatic getaway I ever made in my life. Once I arrived at the theater, I scurried into the bathroom and changed into my evening outfit: a nice white dress paired with a white headband to finish off the look. After applying pink lip-gloss and switching my tennis shoes with my white pumps, I ran back into the main lobby. This time, instead of looking like a grungy criminal, I exhibited womanly grace. I was finally back in my own element.
My heart was racing, and I could not keep the smile off of my face as I stood in the lobby. I was grateful that I could relax while I waited for Don to appear. Even though I arrived fifteen minutes early, I didn’t mind the wait. I took the time to think over my day and revel in the fact that I was able to successfully ditch Eclipse.
I’m so awesome.
I was feeling so proud of myself that I almost didn’t notice my phone ringing. I dug into my purse and took my phone out to check the screen.
Don Calling . . .
“Hi Don!” I answered a bit too cheerily. I could not control the cheeky grin on my face. After a week of torturous abnormality, I was incredibly relieved to be having a normal date night.
“Hey Grace!” he greeted with the same excitement. I could hear the sounds of people talking and cars whirring around in the background. “I’m sorry. I just got out of work. I’m hopping into a cab right now. I’m going to be a little late. I hope you don’t mind waiting a bit longer.”
“It’s okay!” I assured him. “I’ll go inside first and save us seats. I’ll text you the area I’ll be sitting at.”
“Okay.” I could hear the smile in his voice. He was thankful that I wasn’t angry with him for being late. “Can’t wait to see you soon, Grace.”
“Me too, Don,” I replied with a widening grin.
I put my phone on silent before I ventured into the theater and fought my way through the crowd in order to claim good seats. I loved watching movies and was an absolute fiend when it came to procuring good seats. If I could help it, I’d always sit in the center so I could have the best view in the house. It went without saying that I was ecstatic to see that my seats of choice had yet to be taken.
Hurrying down the row, I happily sat down on the plush red seat and placed my bag on the seat to my right to save for Don.
Center Seats (^__^)v.
I texted him with a smile on my face.
After adjusting myself in my seat, I gleefully took out my snack bag of baby carrots. I was ready to munch on them when my nostrils detected a delicious smelling scent that had my mouth watering beyond comprehension.
What the . . .?
I turned to the seat on my left. My eyes bloomed when I discovered what I was sitting next to. Beside me was an attractive looking jumbo soda cup, a couple of curvaceous looking burgers, some delicious looking hotdogs, and a provocative box of popcorn—all of which were staring seductively back at me. If all of that wasn’t mouthwatering enough, the owner of these succulent treats was none other than Eclipse himself.
I mentally groaned once I laid eyes on him.
Fuck. My. Life.
He was sitting there regally, like the Prince he was. With a carefree smile on his face, he carefully placed his box of scrumptious food on the seat beside him. He exhaled smoke from his lips and took a satisfied sip of his soda. His eyes met mine after depositing his drink into the cup holder.
“You know,” he started in a lackadaisical tone, “for a bookworm who was ‘studying’ in the library an hour ago, you definitely seem to have lost your way.”
“You have to leave!” I shrieked, struggling to find my earpiece so I didn’t appear like a total wacko. The last thing I needed was for everyone in this theater to wonder why I was talking to an invisible friend. I stuck the earpiece to my ear and pretended to stretch. While doing so, I glared at him from the corner of my eye. “This is a private meeting. You can’t be here. Leave.”
Instead of replying, Eclipse merely grinned and continued smoking. His eyes grazed over my headband and then appreciatively ran down to my dress. His grin morphed into a sensuous smirk that nearly had me melting from its heat.
“What?” I asked, staring at him. I hated how self-conscious he made me feel just by looking at me like that.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Gracie.”
A blush ignited on my face. I did not expect that compliment.
Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I purposely disregarded the kind words and went on to say, “How’d you find me?”
“I popped in to bring you a snack for all that studying you were doing. It was hard to miss the sight of this short little girl running out of the library wearing an oversized hoodie and baggy pants.” Amusement colored his voice as he casually slipped a powerful arm around my waist, pulling me closer and allowing me to bask in the allure of his scent. “Plus, I knew there was something off about you yesterday. You’re not as sneaky as you’d like to think, Teacup—at least not with me.”
“Look, I know I shouldn’t have tried to trick you, but I’m on a date,” I admitted in frustration. I attempted to pull out of his hold, but he only held on tighter. Not wanting to look like a total nutcase, I sat still. “I don’t need you sitting here distracting me while I’m trying to make a good impression. This guy might be my future husband. However adamant you are in destroying my future, I would very much like to salvage what’s left of it by at least securing myself a potential husband.”
An amused brow arched at my disclosure.
“Future husband, huh?” Eclipse asked with easygoing interest. “He’s like my competition then?”
“Competition would entail you having a chance to win,” I said dismissively, my expression severe. “Since you’re a Demon hell-bent on owning my soul, I think that would take you out of the running of being a good candidate to be someone’s husband, don’t you think?”
“Demons definitely don’t make good husbands,” he agreed carelessly, pressing his sexy body against mine. “So, what’s his name?” Eclipse then asked, his tone uninterested while he stroked the length of my hair, giving absolutely no regard to the fact that my date might make an appearance soon.
“Don,” I slowly answered after taking a few seconds to debate on whether or not I should tell him. I made sure to keep my eyes staring straight ahead.
I could feel his eyes on me, staring at me in suspicion. I secretly hoped that he wouldn’t dig a
ny further. True to his cunning nature, the Demon was able to detect the anomaly in my behavior, and like the predator he was, he pounced on it.
“What’s his full name?”
“That’s his name,” I said stiffly, refusing to make eye contact. I didn’t want to reveal Don’s full name. I knew Eclipse too well; I knew what he’d do with that information.
However determined I was on not telling him, Eclipse was equally as determined on digging the information out of me. “What’s his full name, Gracie?”
I mentally groaned, concluding that it would be pointless to keep it from him. Eclipse was not the type to leave me alone. He would bug me to the end of my lifetime until I told him the truth.
“. . . Ki,” I finally replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Ki,” Eclipse recited unthinkingly. “DonKi.”
Once the verbal pronunciation of the name reverberated through his ears, his expression abruptly lit up with mirth. He faced me, completely shocked and dumbfounded. “Wait. So in English, his name would be pronounced ‘donkey’? Donkey?” He bit back a flicker of a smile and probed me for more information. “What’s his last name?”
That jerk.
He knew that I was still withholding information.
I shook my head, refusing to divulge this. No way. Knowing Don’s actual full first name was bad enough. There was no way I was telling Eclipse his last name.
“Come on, Teacup,” he coaxed. Playful accusation pulsed in his words. “You’re not ashamed of your potential husband’s name, are you? Is that the spirit to have for someone you’re hoping to spend the rest of your life with?”
I wanted to punch him for mocking my dreams. I also wanted to kick him for knowing the right words to say to back me into a corner.
“. . . Kong,” I finally revealed in absolute misery.
Eclipse’s irresistible smile became more teasing. He stifled back a round of laughter.
“Mrs. DonKi Kong,” he recited softly, humor infused in his voice.