Page 27 of A Cursed Heart
A Growing Bond
Malacoda
Overthecourseofthe night, I had plenty of time to dwell on the growing feelings I had for my newest owner. Filling my well of magic so quickly with little contact should have been impossible, yet here we were. I had more magic than I could have thought possible given the circumstances. It was more than just being a convenient food source, though I tried not to dwell on the emotions he wrought. I liked him as a person, which was highly unusual for me. Before Ryan, there were very few people I actually liked. Tolerated, plenty. Liked? None.
Over and over I kept coming back to the same thought; it was stuck in my brain like a burr. It was practically unheard of for a demon to refill their magic without releasing their full demon form first. What did it mean? I was so disconnected from my world that I couldn’t hope to return there. Not that there was anything to return to. My family was long since gone, and besides, even if any of my descendants remained, I had slipped from memory before I’d even left my realm. Had I somehow evolved from my last stint on the outside to somehow absorb magic faster? Some sort of adaptation to survive, stuck as I was in the human realm?
From experience, I had learned that this world did not have the same level of ambient magic that my world did, so it made very little sense for me to refill my well as quickly as I had. The only difference this time was Ryan and how I felt around him. Was he the reason things were different this time?
Was it because of our bond and how much I liked him? Having caring thoughts towards an owner was completely abnormal for me. Could it just be that we were compatible and because I had affection for this human, it made the transfer of energy work?
Ryan was not harmed by my feeding this way. He could not use the magic in the air. It went into him and was concentrated. Then, mostly during sexual contact, a demon would take that energy, leaving their food source happy and sated.
My human had initiated the contact between us, allowing for a much faster transfer of energy than just waiting for it to slowly leak into me from the air.
I had lain awake for some time just enjoying the feel of Ryan’s body against me. My horns and tail were desperate to come out, but I did not want to move and lose contact with my sleeping partner. He was so solid and warm, it was grounding. It reminded me that this was truly happening. After years stuck in the ruby, I was out and experiencing life once more.
Eventually, I had to risk moving to relieve the growing pressure of my tail inside me. It was a difficult to describe phenomenon. It was not physically inside me, though it felt like it. The pressure of holding this form while replenishing my magic was immense. Almost like trying to hold your breath and still breathe at the same time.
Twisting my body, I stayed encircled in Ryan’s arms. He pulled me closer subconsciously, so that my head was tucked under his chin. When I let my horns out, I was careful they would not touch him. My tail, once released, flicked back and forth before finally settling by wrapping around Ryan’s leg.
The position was so comfortable, I was so warm, that I fell back asleep, perfectly content to enjoy being with Ryan.
We were given a rude awakening.
There was a high-pitched squeal. A sort of aborted scream, and a loudly stated, “What the fuck? Ryan! Get away from it!”
Excuse me? It? Lydia lost my approval then and there. She was clearly more highly strung than her brother was, and rude with it.
I opened bleary eyes to see Ryan coming awake. I felt him stiffen at the position we were in. His cheeks reddened, and he tried to withdraw before noticing I was in my full demon form.
“Your—”
“It’s too late. Lydia has seen me,” I whispered, holding onto him while Lydia hyperventilated beside the bed. She did some breathing exercises and visibly calmed, likely so she wouldn’t wake Ryan’s daughter and half the building.
“Ryan! What the actual fuck? Are you pranking me? Is this some weird thing for clicks?”
“Mal, back up a bit and maybe put the tail away, okay?”
The mere idea made me pout. “No, it was uncomfortable,” I protested.
He relented immediately. He truly was soft-hearted when it was useful for me. “Okay, just back up and let me explain to Lydia, alright?” When I refused to move, he tried more firmly. “Please, Mal. I can’t explain shit with you all wrapped around me.”
We unwound ourselves from each other. It was quite gratifying to see the blush on Ryan’s cheeks deepen, spreading down his face to his bare chest. He sat against the headboard and sighed. My irritation at the interruption rose at seeing how stressed Ryan was.
“Liddy, he’s real. There are no cameras. Like I’d let anyone film me while I was sleeping—”
“You could have been faking it.”
Ryan fixed his sister with a deadpan expression. “Really? You believe that?”
Lydia wilted. “Well, no. Just… what the fuck, Ry? Who is this guy? I’ve never heard you mention a Mal before.”
“I am Malacoda, and I met Ryan just yesterday.”
“Mal—that’s not helping—” Ryan interrupted.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on? You come home with this weird dude pretending he’s your best friend. Then I find you all snuggled in bed with him! Since when do you like guys? Is this some sort of tail kink?”
