Chapter 37: Chapter 37

“I have assigned two maids for you, Lord Micka, please feel free to ask them for anything you might need or desire!” Geraldine offered the fire weasel a sweet smile once they both made it to his room, and the sly smile on his face told her that he had understood the hidden meaning of her words!

The maids were not there to only tend to his needs, but to watch him! How pathetic, thought the fire lord to himself.

“Just two? A man of my status would surely need more than two maids, my dear!” Two maids were like two flies that he could simply crush if he wanted to, the fire lord thought, and surely the demoness in front of him knew that.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the shadows demonesses, My lord, especially not the ones I had personally picked for you.” Micka raised his eyebrow at the confident smile Gera was giving him, she then looked behind him and indeed, from the shadows emerged two gorgeous demonesses, their short dresses barely leaving anything to the imagination, running his eyes over their bodies, he turned back to Gera with an approving smile.

“Impressive indeed, how about you join us, Gera dear?” his eyes were undressing her, and the look he gave her was more than inviting.

“I am afraid I will have to pass, My lord!” Geraldine wondered how bad would it be if she smacked the bastard on the face, he knew she was Eren’s woman and still had the audacity to invite her to his bed.

“Oh, come on, it will be fun, I am much more experienced than the shadows’ lord, I guarantee, plus why don’t you get your share of pleasure while he is having his?”

“I must prepare for the meeting tomorrow, my lord.” Gera bowed and prepared herself to leave, for she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her calm if the fire weasel said anything else.

She was at her verge, and his words, sly and provocative, not to mentioned intentioned as she was sure he was trying to manipulate her, were pushing her to explode, to burst out, and of course, he would gain something out of it.

“I will see you later, Gera dear,” Micka said with a knowing smirk before turning back to the beautiful demonesses, not having any interest in watching their pleasurable actions, Geraldine made her way back to her own room, her face expressionless through the whole walk.

Once she was inside her room, with the door closed behind her and nothing but the comforting solitude with her, Gera allowed herself to crack, she let out a long pained sigh, one which was drenched with her own sadness.

Taking off her clothes, Geraldine sat in her tub, letting the cold water numb her pain as she thought back about the first time she met Eren, Many years ago.

She was barely nine years old at the time when her father’s friend, Joseph, took her with him to the forest, and there he showed her one of the deranged demons she had always feared.

She had only heard stories about the deranged demons, and to her, they were even scarier than the Gods that cursed their kind, maybe because the deranged demons were closer, she was able to hear their howls in the night, and the next day, someone would be announced dead.

She had expected to see a monster, for that is what the deranged demons were described as, they were the demons that failed to control the dark energy and fell under the control of their bloodthirst, they were mad creatures, whose consciousness was lost. unable to differentiate what was right and wrong, they considered everything that moved as their prey, whether it was an animal, a human, or a demon.

That was the fate of many demons but mostly hybrids, as their blood wasn’t pure enough to withstand the dark energy, their souls were not strong enough to control it instead of being controlled by it, it was one of the many reasons that not many hybrids existed even though many demons took human partners, forced ones that is, as no human wanted to be with a demon.

It was a hard life for a hybrid, she knew as she was one herself, it was an everyday struggle to not fall under the control of the bloodthirst, but she was one of the lucky few which were born in the right circumstances, her father made sure to teach her all she had to know since a very young age, and by the age of nine she was as good in controlling her magic and bloodthirst just as any other pure-blooded demon.

the deranged demon she saw though didn’t look anything like the monster she had imagined, sure he had this mad look in his red eyes, and he acted rather wild, but that was all, he was no monster, he was just a boy!

A young wounded beautiful boy, maybe around the age of six or seven, he was hiding behind the bushes as he watched them, probably sensing the aura of the eldest demon and realizing he was weaker, he just watched them, like a predator watching his predator.

That was the first time she saw a deranged demon, and the first time she saw him, the next time she was after few years, he was no longer deranged, which was a miracle as no demon has ever come back from madness, no demon was ever able to break free from the control of his bloodthirst, but he did, he showed up one day in the shadows empire with Joseph who took him under his wing, and little by little he made a place for himself in the shadows empire,  in her heart.

During his climb to the position of a Lord, Geraldine, beside Joseph, was the only friend he ever had, and even though he never shared his past with her, she understood that it was like a sore area that she soothed without pressing on, she understood him without the need of words, and when everyone else was afraid of his monstrous bloodthirst that might wake up any moment, she embraced it, she was hurt many times but she stayed by his side, he knew why, he knew she loved him and she knew he didn’t love her back, but still, he didn’t touch any other woman but herself, it was the way he could pay her back for sticking by his side and supporting him even against her own family, which she did without a second thought.

He wasn’t hers, but he wasn’t anyone else’s either, besides Joseph, she was the only person allowed to get closer to what was beneath the dark peel.

And it was enough for her, he didn’t love her but he cared for her, enough to not be with any other woman even when they were throwing themselves on him, he wasn’t hers but she was his only woman until a certain silver-haired girl showed up.

A girl, young, naïve, weak, juvenile, the silver-haired girl was everything that the shadows’ lord hated, and at first, there was no reason for her to feel jealous or threatened, she told herself that the excessive time he spent with her was a necessary sacrifice as he couldn’t bring her to the shadows empire just yet for he still had many enemies, those who refused a hybrid as their lord, his alliances were not yet formed so he chose the safe way.

It all changed when she first saw the girl though, and Geraldine, for the first time in her life, felt jealous of another woman’s beauty!

Since she was a little child, she was praised for her beauty, her sharp yet beautiful eyes, with the look of a woman who knew what she wanted, her feminine features, her full lips, and her dark hair that Eren loved, not that she relayed on her beauty that much, she was a hard worker, just like Eren.

Stepping out of her bathtub, Geraldine dried her body before walking toward her mirror where she stared at her reflection, she never doubted herself, nor her beauty, but when she saw the silver-haired girl and the way Eren looked at her as if it was painful to look away, she started to question herself.

It was probably one of the hardest things she ever felt, to do anything and everything in her power and still feel insufficient, she felt as if she was not enough, and in the first night when the shadows lord dinned and hugged the silver-haired girl, she had protested and faced him, he assured her that her worries were baseless and even made love to her, but that was the last time, since that day he hadn’t touched her, except for some rare kisses, her body craved his touch, and her heart missed his attention.

She wasn’t that stupid to deny the fact that the shadows lord cared for the hybrid, his outburst was the biggest proof, Geraldine understood that she had made a mistake when she lashed all her anger and frustration on the hybrid girl, but was her mistake that grave for him push her away the way he did? For he wasn’t even looking her way anymore.

It was a true nightmare, to have the man she loved more than herself slip away from, and for whom? Their prey and enemy!

Her thoughts were almost as dark as her hair when she felt his aura coming close to her door, and indeed he was there, looking like a hot mess, his eyes lost due to all the alcohol he consumed, but even in such a state, she was the one he looked for! She was the one he needed and came to!

The thought filled her with sudden relief and joy, for she knew he still the one person capable of making him forget his pain, and she did, taking him inside, she offered him her body, she showered him with her love and care, for he was there, he needed her and she didn’t spare anything in hopes of making him feel better.

He was hers at the end of the day, and in his weakest, he had turned to her! she was the woman capable of taking care of him and he knew it, she was the woman his body craved, it was proven by the way he flipped their position and buried himself inside her, urgently as if each moment outside of her was torture, he was hers at that moment.

But that moment was broken when he whispered the other girl’s name.

The stiffness of his body, and the stiffness of hers, told her that he had realized the mistake he had made, the pleasure suddenly turning into deep bitterness.

He stood up, he soft manhood slipping out of her, she knew he was no longer under the effect of alcohol and that fact only made things worse…

“Gera…”

“Don’t…” she whispered, unable to hear his guilty voice, for it only meant he considered coming to her a mistake.

“Gera, please…” he laid by her side, touching her softly but the damage was already done and couldn’t be fixed with touches, no matter how soft and gentle they were, they stayed like that, him not knowing what to say, and her unable to say anything.

The minutes felt like hours, and when Gera couldn’t take his act of pity anymore, she whispered faintly…

“Please, just leave…” she sobbed, refusing to look at him, he waited for few seconds before he sighed and walked out of her room, leaving her alone with her tears and heartbreak.

He used her and then left, without trying to comfort her, as if she meant nothing to him.

And it was all the hybrid’s fault!

After hours of crying, Geraldine wiped her tears and fixed her messy hair, she wore something random not knowing whether it was decent or not as she left her room, knowing what she was going to do was a direct act of treason..