BENEATH HER DARKNESS: The Alpha's Little Demon by Cassandra M

076 – The Witch and the Demon Prince

PATRIA.

My body was sucked into limbo as I held Alpha Adan tighter to make sure he wouldn’t fall somewhere,

but for some reason, I still ended up landing in the middle of the cold, forest ground alone.

“Shit! Where is he now?” I groaned, my eyes scanning the whole area as I placed a hand on my hip

bone before stretching my back.

I landed on my butt, and I was thinking sending me back to the human realm might also mean I would

be back at my real age. I had no idea what year it was already, but if my calculation was right, I should

be almost seventy years old now.

And if my body were older, the fall might

render me immobile. Apart from the pain in my ass and the slight discomfort in my back, nothing

seemed out of the ordinary. I felt the same as I did there, except the air here was colder.

Good grief! It was snowing, and I had no thick clothes to shield me from the cold.

I stood up from the ground and rubbed my palms together, and I noticed my hands were still the same

no sign of aging, which was a good thing, but I would check on everything later. I needed warmth

because the chill in the air was

slowly making its way onto my skin.

I didn’t escape death at Lucien’s hands

just to end up dead in the middle of the

cold forest because of frostbite or

Hypothermia.

I straightened my posture and was about to chant a small spell when a light

flickered in front of me, and soon

somebody appeared right before me. He was so close that I instinctively backed

away and landed on my bum again.

My pants were soiled with snow from

earlier and were not seeping onto my skin.

“Aaaah!” I scrambled to my feet and

stood up abruptly as I glared at Lucius, who reached out his hand to help me up,

but I ignored it.

“Dammit! You and your father had no regard for space or privacy!”

The demon royal in front of me smiled. sheepishly as he brushed a hand through his curly hair, red tints

creeping up his cheeks. Was he blushing?

“I just pictured where I would end up when I left the portal. I didn’t know you would be in the exact

same spot.”

“What do you want?” I snapped at him

while rubbing my arms. I hoped he would

leave me alone so I could do my spells. because the cold was no joke after staying for decades in such

warm surroundings.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

“Yes. Unfortunately, I don’t have a fire

within me. Do you mind going on your way so I can warm myself up?”

He didn’t reply, but I saw the small flick of his fingers, and the next thing I knew, I

had a thick, red coat on me and a winter hat, and my regular shoes were replaced with elegant winter

boots that I doubt. would let me walk far from here. But they

were still better than the regular ones I

had earlier.

“Better?”

“Yes. This feels nice. Oh, spirits!” I

exclaimed as I pulled the coat tighter

against my body. “Are you expecting a thank you from me?”

“After what my father did? No.”

“Well, you forgot the hand gloves.” I

raised my hands and wiggled them. I

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wanted to smile, but I didn’t think he

deserved to get one from me, so I kept a poker face.

“Sorry…” He spoke in a low voice.

Did he just say sorry? That was really unusual from someone like him, and never in my experience did

Lucien talk calmly this way. So why was Lucius acting this way?

He was acting like Lucy, but Lucy was a half-demon, and the one in front of me

was a full demon.

He opened his palm, and soon enough, a pair of black women’s gloves made of a

combination of wool and cashmere

appeared in his hand.

“Here, let me help you.” He moved forward and raised his hands as if asking permission to place the

gloves on mine.

“Why did you not just let them magically appear on me so you don’t need to be hassled with putting

them on?” I asked as I extended my hands, and he carefully placed one after the other without

answering my question. He was so focused on placing them on mine that I

had time to look at his face.

I was sure this demon was centuries old,

but I couldn’t deny he was handsome,

just like his father. But he had an advantage because I saw him smile

earlier, and it was quite refreshing and

nice to look at.

“Thank you…” I mumbled before I could stop myself as I withdrew my hands from

him.

Shit! I shouldn’t have said that.

“You don’t need to.”

“Yeah. I know, but I said it anyway.” I shrugged my shoulders and looked at the path ahead of us. “Did

you know if Adan made it to his territory?”

He nodded his head, slipping his hands into his pockets. “He’s with his family.”

“Good. And I’m guessing I’m here

because the shield prohibits any

supernatural beings from entering their territory? Am I right?”

He just nodded his head again in

response while his gaze was still stuck on me, and it was making me uncomfortable.

“Okay, then I should be on my way.”

“Where are you heading?”

“To his territory.”

“You can’t enter there. And with his

076- The Witch and the Demon Prince

condition at the moment, I doubt they

have time for you. Give it a day or two,

then come back.”

“I don’t need your advice.”

“I know. I just want to say if you need help, I’m just here.”

“I don’t need your help. Did Lucien send you to track my whereabouts?”

“No. He doesn’t know I’m here, and I’m sure once he finds out, I’ll be bombarded with questions about

why the hell I was

here.”

“Are you trying to play jokes on me?”

“No.”

“Why are you here?”

“Let’s go somewhere my father can’t track you. His power brought you here, so

that means he could keep an eye on you at this exact same place. But if he doesn’t

see you or know where you are exactly, he will not be able to see that I am with you.”

“Then I’m going. But you’re not coming with me. I’m tired of demons.” I said that and began walking

away from him.

I didn’t look back, as I didn’t want him to follow me at all. And since I didn’t hear

any movement or noises from my back, I thought he had left, so I just went ahead and walked faster. I

was hoping I would see a rough road soon. If not, I would have to use a locator spell to find out where I

was. But using energy in an unknown territory might bring me danger, so that would be my last option.

“I think you’re heading the wrong way… Someone spoke behind me.

My body jerked forward before I turned abruptly around and found Lucius behind me, floating in the air.

“What the heck are you still doing here?

076- The Witch and the Demon Prince

For Spirits’ sake, are you stalking me?”

“Calm down. I just want to make sure you’ll have a safe place for the night.”

“I’m a witch. I can protect myself.”

“I’m sure you can unless it’s a whole pack of rogues or other supernatural beings attacking you.”

“You can’t scare me. Nothing is more terrifying than your father.”

“I know. And I’m not even trying to scare you. Come here…” He motioned with his hand, and although I

didn’t want him to control me, something in his eyes

hypnotized me.

I walked back to where he was as if my

feet had a mind of their own.

Oh, spirits! Please don’t let me get trapped in his allure. I was able to repel the father, I should be able

to do so with

the son as well.

Lucius descended from the air, and the moment his feet hit the snowy ground, he coiled an arm around

my waist and pulled my body closer. I arched my body back so my chest wouldn’t hit his, but it didn’t

stop him from holding me tightly.

And then I was sucked into limbo again, and in seconds, we were in an empty alley, which I thought

was in the middle of the city if I based it on the cars passing by on the main road.

“I really don’t like being transported without any notice. One day, I’m just going to die with all the

palpitations I get from being stuck in limbo.”

“You’re welcome,” He chuckled as his arm on my body loosened and he let me go. “This building here

is an inn. You can stay for the night and just rest.”

I crossed my arms against my chest as I

bit my bottom lip. I had no money with me. I was about to tell him that, but he already handed me some

bills that looked

totally different from the last time I was here. Well, it had been decades.

“Here… use this.”

“This is too much. Where did you get this?

“It doesn’t matter. It’s enough to keep you going for a couple of days.”

I finally smiled at him as my eyes watered. I had no idea I would be leaving the demon world today, so I

was not

prepared, and even if I hated the demon

in front of me, I was grateful for the help.

“Thank you. I will pay you back when…”

“No need. I stole them. From people who are stealing as well. So, no harm done.” 2

“I should go now.” I didn’t wait for him

to reply as I turned my body around,

ready to walk away, when he called for

me, making me halt from moving

forward.

“Patrea.” His voice was low and hesitant.

“Yes?” I answered, tilting my head

slightly in his direction.

“Take this?” He extended his hand, and

my gaze fell on the black coin he was

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handing me.

“What’s that for?” I turned my body around completely, and he placed the

coin in my hand.

“Rub it three times with your thumb, and I will come without any questions. Just in case you need

help?”

“Why would I need help from you?”

He shrugged his shoulders as his eyes softened, but he turned his gaze

somewhere else but on mine. “I don’t

know. This could be your last option, but use it if you need help. It can be as simple as you needing

something to eat or something to wear, or you losing direction. Or you just want to talk or vent

out.” 4

“Did you forget I’m a witch? I can find my way and find solutions. I can steal money. too. And I definitely

don’t need a demon

around me.”

“I know. I’m not underestimating what you can do. Just that, there’s nothing wrong with asking for

assistance from time to time. Even I need help sometimes.

I didn’t say anything, but I raised my eyebrows as I stared at him.

“Look, I’m not sure what you and Lucija planned or if you actually had any plans. But I want to help

Lucija. If you’re on her

side, then we can help each other.”

“I don’t trust you.

He nodded his head, his lips pursing into a thin line. “I understand. I wouldn’t

trust me either if I were you.” He stepped backward, his hands raised as if he were surrendering. “But

give it a shot. Maybe you’ll realize I am trustworthy. You have the coin, rub it, and I’ll be there. At your

service. Any time of the day or night.”

And then he was gone. No warnings, no goodbyes. And the air suddenly felt colder than it was like it

was biting the skin on

my face. I clutched the black coin tighter in my hand before turning around and making my way to the

entrance of the

inn.

The last thing I would trust would be anyone related to Lucien, with the

exception of Lucija. And I knew I should

discard the coin in my hand, but for some

reason, I was holding on to it, as if it were my only hope that I would be able to

survive in the realm that had changed in full magnitude since the last time I was

here.

I pushed the idea to the back of my mind as I entered the building lobby. I had many other things to

think about instead

of Lucius.

I needed to find my way to reach Alpha

Adan’s territory and inform them of Lucija’s request. And maybe they could also point me to where I

could find my granddaughter.

I had to find her. She was the only reason

I looked forward to returning to this

realm. And then, together, we could hatch a plan to help Lucija.

Lucija clearly told me to stay away and that her only request was for me to speak with Adan’s family.

And I knew I should

do just that and forget about the demon world. But I didn’t think I had it in me to

let poor Lucija suffer and carry the

burden alone.

I passed by a mirrored wall, and it made me stop in my tracks as a smile curled on my lips. I still looked

the same as I did in the demon realm. If anything, I should be grateful for this – no back pain and

blurred vision. At least I would get to

relive the years I missed while I was trapped down there. But, of course, only