The Demon's Claim [House of Arcane #2]

I was sighing as I was looking at the grim street beside me. I ended up taking a seat at the coffee shop that was not far from the bus stop that can carry me to Logan’s apartment. Not that I wanted to home early or anything, for there was no need for that.

Logan hated me, and I hated him. it was better to keep our distances then.

I sipped on the coffee that was being ordered for I asked caramel macchiato and it was delicious. It was nothing like scrambled eggs with sausages but I think this will have to do. After all, y annoying husband was not here.

I smiled before I was taking out my notebook, I might as well draw some pretty pictures as I know that this sight was a magical one. And it will be a memory to replace that horrible scene in the restaurant earlier.

What a shame that was!

I pulled out my pen and started to draw as I was looking at the streets below. I can see that people were buzzing about on their lives as they were on their journey to their works, schools and elsewhere that they don’t have time to sit and relax like me.

Not me, though. I was far away from my school and I was not near Logan’s apartment that I refused to go back to as well.

I sketched in the papers before I was humming to myself. I always loved music for it calmed me down. I was looking at the street lights before something flickered. I saw fire but then I was blinking again and it was gone.

‘What the hell?’ I mumbled before I was drawing again as I was looking at the papers. The fire was there again, behind my retina before I was closing my eyes and heeled it with my palm. I breathed in as I was trying to control the sensation that I was feeling.

It was a strange feeling, something that I wasn’t accustomed to. Then, it was gone.

I turned to look at the streets again before my eyes caught something. There was a person that was looking straight at me, black hair and green eyes.

The guy from before.

I blinked as the truck was passing by and when I looked closely again, he was gone. I don’t know if it was my imagination or it was real before I startled as someone was putting their hand on my shoulder.

‘Nora, what are you doing here?’ someone with a feminine voice was saying before I turned to look at who was it.

It was Ophelia, Logan’s cousin.

I smiled at her before she was looking outside the window. She was trying to see what got me to look out the window with intensity before I was clearing my throat.

‘Ophelia, it is nice to see you here. What are you doing here?’ I asked her before Lia was looking at me.

‘Oh, I was coming here to pick up my coffee. And I was on the way to Logan’s house. I thought you were with him?’ Lia asked me innocently before I smiled at her.

‘I was…trying to get some fresh air. That’s all,’ I said before I stood up, taking my notebook and all the stuff before Lia can ask more about why I am here alone right now.

‘Oh? Well, why don’t we go together then? Logan just called me that he has something to be discussed with me and I thought I might spend some company with you,’ Lia said as she walked beside me when we got out of the coffee house.

‘Oh, what about?’ I asked her before Lia smiled at me.

‘Nothing personal but he said that it was about his…manliness,’ she said before I was blinking my eyes. Was Lia some sort of doctor that she can examine Logan’s…manliness?

‘Is there something wrong with it?’ I asked her before Lia smiled. Her violet eyes were shining with mischief before I noticed for the first time that Lia was not as innocent as I saw her for it.

She has a secret, a very deep secret that she did not wish for others to know about.

What is wrong with O’Sullivan?

‘Oh, here’s our bus. Come now. We don’t want to be late,’ Lia pulled my hand as we were walking toward the bus stop and we got on the bus before we were taking our seats. There was not many people inside the bus as it was early morning.

‘So, how was Logan treating you? He was not being rough, was he? If he does, I will have to make sure that he pays for that,’ Lia said before I was furrowing my eyebrows.

‘Rough? Well, if you consider him leaving you alone and go ahead is rough, then yes. He is being rough with me,’ I said as I was looking at Lia. She blinked her eyes at me before she chuckled.

‘No, no. I mean, was he being rough with you…intimately?’ she asked me quietly before I felt my face was as red as tomato. I can feel my heartbeat was beating so loud before I was clearing my throat. My fingers were touching my bag and scarf as I was trying to get away from this awkwardness.

‘No, no, no! We don’t…well, we don’t…’ I said as I was rubbing my neck, trying to find the right word of our lack of intimacy.

‘I see,’ Lia said before I was turning away from her knowing violet eyes as I was trying to control my heartbeat.

Why does one’s cousin has to be so loud and busybody? I don’t think I can survive another conversation with Lia if she was to ask about that again.

Oh, Lord, help me survive this weird family.

Logan O’Sullivan’s POV

I was pacing back and forth as my heart was beating. I rubbed my chest before I was leaning against the mantle. I sighed before I heard the elevator dinged. I turned to look at the front door and I was ready to shout at Ophelia before I heard a couple of noises.

She was not alone. I wondered who she brought in today.

I groaned in my hands before my door was opened and Lia was entering my apartment with someone that I never thought I would be happy to see her again. After that fiasco in the restaurant, I was pretty sure that Nora will not be coming home again.

‘Well, good morning, Logan,’ Lia said as she was smiling at me. My cousin was always in a good mood.

‘Hello,’ I said before I turned to look at my wife. She cleared her throat before she whispered something to Lia, wanting to get away from me as soon as possible.

Perhaps I deserved the silent treatment then.

Nora went into our bedroom before she shut the door, but not before I noticed that she was taking off her clothes. I gulped before I felt my heart was beating fast as I was walking toward Lia.

‘How is marriage life treating you?’ Lia asked when I kissed her cheeks. I turned to look at the bedroom door before I sighed.

‘Not much. Just more arguments but not with oneself in the mirror,’ I said as I was smiling at her. Lia was arching her eyebrow at me before she shook her head.

‘I saw something peculiar today,’ she started before I focused my eyes on her. I arched my eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate and explain what she saw today.

‘I was at my usual coffee house when I saw Nora was sitting there by herself. She was drawing something in her notebook and after that, she was staring outside the window for the longest time. It was like she was in trance,’ Lia said before I snapped my eyes to her.

‘Trance, what kind?’

‘The kind that will hypnotize her and bring her to her knees if she was not aware of it,’ Lia said before she was preparing for the rite that I always ask her to do to find my Cornelia.

‘Hmm, do you see who it was?’ I asked her before she snapped her violet eyes to me. I waited until I cannot breathe for I was nervous to hear it.

“It was Ezekiel and I think he was targeting your wife to be his sacrifice again,’ she said before the pain in my chest was exploding. I gasped before I kneeled to the ground, trying to keep the memory away from my head. But it was no use. They were coming like a movie before I heard Lia was chanting under her breaths.

‘Ferme,’ she said before I was taking a deep breath. I was looking at the ground as I was laying on it. The sweats were prowling down my temples before I was swiping my nose with the back of my hand.

It came bloodied.

‘Damn it,’ I cursed before I was staggering to sit up. Lia helped me before her violet eyes were looking at me as if she wanted to say more.

‘What is it? Just spit it out,’ I said before I was breathing hard. Lia bit her lower lips as if she hesitated.

‘Lia, come on. What is it? If I have to know, you have to tell me right now,’ I said before she sighed. Then, she sat on the floor as she was looking at me in the eyes.

‘You have to claim her,’ she said before I snapped my head toward her. I arched my eyebrows.

‘Who?’

She rolled her eyes before she was crossing her arms in front of her chest. I sighed before I was rubbing my hands onto my face.

‘You know who,’ she said before I sighed again.

‘I…can’t,’ I whispered before Lia arched her eyebrow at me.

‘Why not? You were married and if anything, it’s her…’

‘It’s not the same. She’s not Cornelia. She never was and never will,’ I barked at her before Lia was silent for a moment. Then, she sighed as she was packing her stuff up.

‘Your time was coming to an end, cousin. If you don’t claim her and went back to the Monster Realm to claim your Underworld, you will be nothing but a mere immortal that live inside a mortal body,’ Lia said before she stood up, ready to leave. Then, she spoke again.

‘And I pretty sure your brother’s scout was targeting her for a reason. If you have to find out, you know how,’ Lia said before she winked at me and went out of the apartment. I grunted before I was sighing again.

Bloody hell, why does it have always come to this? Why does it have always come to sex to know about someone’s past, especially if Nora was really Cornelia’s reincarnated.

Damn my life!