The Next Morning

Sunlight filtered in through a tall set of windows, dragging Victoria out of a deep sleep. With a groan she buried her head under her pillow, snuggling down into the mattress. The bed was so comfortable, the sheets soft and rich, the pillows feather down.

"Mmm..." she sighed, stretching under the warm blankets. Ow! That hurt.

Victoria almost whimpered as she rolled over, struggling to sit up. Her body throbbed and ached.

Blinking sleep from her eyes she looked around in slight confusion. She was in an unfamiliar room. It was beautiful, rich with tones of blue and gold. There was a stone fireplace, flanked by two empty bookshelves, and fine pieces of furniture. The back wall had two ornate windows with thick velvet curtains, drawn open wide to let in the afternoon sun.

Sleepily she rubbed a hand over her face, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

Memories from the night before came at her in a rush. She threw off the covers with a gasp, looking down at her body, almost afraid of what she would see.

Someone had cleaned and dressed her in a soft white nightgown. She blushed, wondering who it could have been. The demon?

"Oh my god," she moaned in embarrassment, dropping her head into her hands. She'd done things last night. Things with a man who wasn't even human! And she'd very much enjoyed some of it!

Pulling up her nightgown she inspected her thighs and hips. There were slight bruises and scratches but she was already healing rapidly. Timidly she reached a hand between her legs. She was sore but still intact. Yup, definitely a halfling.

With a sigh she flopped back down on the bed, her mind racing. Last night had been both incredible and terrifying. It shocked her that she'd not only responded to the demon but had actually begged him. She'd even screamed his name during orgasm.

"Arg!" She rolled over, blushing furiously and burying her burning face against her pillow. She didn't even know the demon or what he looked like. Victoria bit her lip, remembering the feel of his strong body pressed against her, moving inside her, his low growls in her ear.

Her stomach clenched. Even now the thought of him aroused her. Was there something wrong with her? Had she gone so long fantasizing about sex and longing for companionship that her mind was twisted?

Not all of last night had been bad...Oh god, she was in way over her head.

There came a soft rap at the door. Victoria jumped, sitting up and staring in horror as the door opened. Was he coming back for her?

A handsome demon poked his head inside and glanced around. Catching her gaze he shoved the door open the rest of the way, entering with a tray of tea and food.

She watched him with apprehension. Like most of the demons she'd seen so far this one was attractive, with dark red hair and black horns that curled back from the sides of his head. His eyes were striking, a brilliant amber. He wore a navy blue button up shirt and dark grey trousers. There were two swords strapped to his hips, looking completely out of place with his modern attire.

His lips were pressed into a grim line as he approached her. "You're finally awake. I was becoming worried." He placed the tray at the edge of the bed. She could smell something delicious and her stomach grumbled. "My name is Jasper. I serve Lord Sebastian."

Self-consciously she pulled the sheets up to her neck. "Hello."

His eyes flicked over her body before returning to her face. "You don't need to fear me."

Handing her a cup of tea he smiled, although the action seemed more like a grimace. His sharp teeth flashed. Awesome, more fangs.

"How are you feeling?" He had the same strange accent as Sebastian, only his voice was smooth and soft. Nothing like Sebastian's deep, rough voice.

Sexy, Sebastian's voice was so damn sexy. Stop thinking about him!

Victoria took the tea with a blush. "I'm fine."

"Are you hurt?" He looked her over earnestly, as if expecting to find a severed limb. To her chagrin she realized that could have been a real possibility.

"Not badly."

He nodded. "Last night went better than I expected."

She was almost afraid to ask. "What did you expect?"

He thought a moment before replying bluntly, "A corpse."

Jesus! "Did you...dress me afterwards?"

"That was Lord Sebastian. He took care of you all morning," Jasper informed her, uncovering plates of food. "I doubt he would have allowed anyone else near you."

The demon took care of me? Victoria felt an odd bloom of warmth in her chest. Last night he'd struggled to remain in control, to ease her pain. He'd wanted so badly to make it good for her, to give her pleasure.

Good lord, he'd certainly given her pleasure. If she could have more of that maybe her time here wouldn't be so bad. She blushed at her thoughts, peeking up at Jasper guiltily.

He didn't seem to notice as he said, "You must be hungry."

"I'm starving." She stared at the food, her mouth watering. There was French toast, eggs, fruit and sausage. If she was anything it was a healthy eater, nothing made her feel better like a full stomach. She reached for the tray eagerly, wincing at the sudden movement.

Jasper shooed her hand away. "Let me." She felt herself smile. This demon was rather odd and maybe a bit rough around the edges but she suspected he was good natured. "I recommend you sleep today. We tend to be nocturnal beings."

"Will Sebastian be joining me again tonight?"

"I believe he might."

"Oh." Victoria wasn't sure if she was excited or frightened. She knew she couldn't handle a repeat of last night. Not in this condition at least. But another part of her wanted to see him again.

As he settled the tray over her lap she noticed he was carrying two large books under his arm. "Are those books?" He nodded, handing them too her. Victoria huffed as she heaved them into her arms.

"Lord Sebastian mentioned you'd only recently discovered our world. I thought you might like to read up on it."

"Wow, thanks." She fingered the pages of one, the title reading Encyclopedia of the Supernatural. The second was titled History of the Demonarchies.

"I've also retrieved your belongings. I will bring them too you."

"Thanks...Whoa!" Victoria gawked as his body turned transparent and disappeared. "What the hell!?"

She stared at the spot where the demon had been not seconds before, her eyes wide as saucers. A moment later he returned, turning corporal once more and carrying her bags.

"How did you do that?"

He raised a brow, as if it were obvious. "I'm a spectral demon."

"That is so cool. So you're like a ghost or something?"

"Most humans who think they've seen a ghost are actually witnessing a spectral demon."

Her curiosity racing she asked jokingly, "Can you go all Jedi and move things with your mind?"

He cocked his head, as if he were about to give a lecture to a group of children. "Yes, when I go fully demonic I have telekinetic abilities. And I can't be harmed or killed. It makes my kind invaluable, especially on the battlefield."

She looked him over with newfound appreciation. "That's really kickass, just saying."

He smiled. "Thank you."

"So what kind of demon is Sebastian?"

Jasper tensed, glancing away from her. "I'm not sure I should say."

She frowned, disappointed. "Why not?" Did it have something to do with his curse? Her curiosity heightened.

He gave her a sideways look, those amber eyes gleaming. "I'm sure if you read the books you could figure it out."

Oh, sneaky demon!

"I'll leave you to rest, unless you need me for anything more?" he asked. She shook her head, already eager to chow down and start reading. "Very well, if you need me simply call my name out loud. It will summon me directly to you."

Her head shot up at that. "Seriously? Okay Skywalker, you just reached the super kickass level."

He raised a brow. "Skywalker?"

"Yea, you know Star Wars." She raised her fist into the air and said dramatically, "Luke, I am your father." Jasper continued to stare at her blankly. "No? Okay, never mind." Blushing she clamped her mouth shut.

"You are amusing halfling." He smiled, giving her a little bow before turning incorporeal once more and disappearing.

Once alone she eased the tray off her lap and got off the bed. Digging through her bags she pulled out her iPod and headphones. Climbing back into the bed she situated the tray beside her and pulled the books over her lap. Munching down on French toast and plugging in her headphones she opened History of the Demonarchies first...and nearly spit out her food.

The book was written in another language with translations on the side in English, Old English. It would take her ages to read through it. Frowning she opened the encyclopedia and breathed a sigh of relief, all English.

She flipped through the pages. The creatures listed didn't appear to be in any sort of order. She landed on the witches first. Apparently they really did fly on broomsticks, but mostly for kicks. She raised a brow. "Imagine that."

Witches belonged to covens, no surprise there. Each had a unique familiar, a being they summoned as part of their rite of passage. The rarest and strongest familiars were the humanoid types called Chevalier. She recalled the dragon familiar from the auction. Why wasn't she half witch? How cool would it be to have your very own dragon?

Interested she read on, forking a piece of sausage into her mouth. Once a bond with a familiar was formed it could not be undone and the two never parted. If one died the other did as well.

"Hard core," she mumbled.

Skimming through the next couple of pages she passed by Necromancers, Leviathan and Vampires, stopping at the Elves. The bastards had their own realm. She'd known other dimensions were possible, but to have seen living proof of it was a jolt to the system.

Elves were preternaturally strong and intelligent with incredible speed, easily outrunning a vampire or demon. They had keen senses, able to see clearly in the dark and could hear a heartbeat from miles away. Many were fiercely loyal to the old ways, punishing those that defied their laws.

She snorted. "Already knew that. Assholes..."

Moving on she stopped to read parts of interest, engrossed in this world of the supernatural. Hours passed, her sight going blurry. Leaning back she rubbed at her tired eyes. There were so many species, so much to take in, and she hadn't even reached the demon section yet.

Flipping the corner of a page she let her mind wander. She wondered how her father was doing. He must have read her letter by now. Was he upset? Would he be alright on his own?

Worry for him ate at her. Tears threatened and she shook her head, forcing those thoughts aside. She would go crazy thinking about him.

One day at a time.

She was still alive, that was something. And last night hadn't been a total loss. She blushed at that thought.

Turning another page she found the demons and set in.