The Demon in Him

Stefanie Dawn THE DEMON IN HIM An Unearthly Sins Novel Stefanie Dawn Copyright 2023 Angels and Fire Books All Rights Reserved This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations, or places is entirely coincidental. All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders. Disclaimer: The material in this book contains sexual content and is intended for mature audiences ages 18 and older. ISBN: 978-0-6454425-8-8 Editing by Swish Design & Editing Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing Book Design by Swish Design & Editing Cover Design by Opium House Creatives Published by Angels and Fire Books Cover Image Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Earthly pleasures hold a certain appeal, even to those from the underworld. Demons come to Earth for fun, but I came here because I knew something was wrong with me. The instinctual craving for violence felt separate from how I see myself, and I hated it. No matter how much I fought the instinct, it was always there, clawing at me from the inside and reminding me of its presence. My demon was demanding to be satiated. I wanted to escape, and when I fell for and bonded with a human, he turned out not to be who I thought he was. Although part of me believes it was I who corrupted him. I couldn’t allow myself to feel those things again. But Jacob draws me in, and I ache to touch and care for him with a part of me I long thought I had under control. My demon craves to possess, protect, and dominate. I thought I was past all that. In running from myself, I created a past I can’t escape, and now I’ve put Jacob in danger. And when my past lover catches up with me, it’ll be his life or mine. To all the characters in the Unearthly Sins novels, I’m thankful you’ll live on in my mind. Otherwise, I’d miss you too much. Blurb Dedication Table of Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Epilogue Acknowledgments Connect With Me Online About the Author TATE To sever a mated bond between demons, they must endure pain to their breaking point. To sever a bond between a demon and a human, care must be taken to ensure the human—in this case, me—isn’t killed in the process. Although not too much care. Demons don’t take bonding lightly. A bonding was a deal, a promise, an oath, which, when broken, lowered demons in the eyes of others of their kind. Humans are already fairly low in the pecking order in the eyes of demons, and if it were possible for us to sink lower in their opinion, it would be if we broke a bond. If the commitment couldn’t be forever, then why make it in the first place? If it wasn’t a commitment, then it was a fuck, and nothing else. A bond made between mates was one of blood and flesh, and destroying that was done only when there was no other option short of death. So we must endure pain during the severing to remind us of the promise we were breaking. Blood was given, and flesh will be taken. Mike didn’t want to kill me, and despite my now unbonded mate instigating the severing of the bond, just as he had instigated the bonding in the first place, I knew he still loved me in some way. But Mike was weak. He wasn’t a true demon but a being denying his heritage, blood, and power. And weakness could be exploited. Did I ever love him? Maybe, in my own way. He was the family I never had, the one who tried to show me I was worthy of his love as he tried to see past the violent exterior that no one else bothered to explore. But I wasn’t worthy, and Mike wanted me to change for him. I never would. As a human, I couldn’t be dragged to Hell without being killed, and Hell was where a bonding was traditionally broken. So, compromises had to be made, and two demons came to Earth to sever our bond for us. The shame of breaking a bond meant it couldn’t be done in private between the two parties. Others must be notified, and two other demons must drag us apart, physically and spiritually. Bindings of red, black, and gold glowed across our skin, wrapping around us and joining us together, already painful with the sting and burn as they gripped the skin of our naked bodies. Translucent ropes wove around our arms, torsos, and legs. Ropes of power and promise were achingly and slowly pulled off us while the correct incantations were spoken, leaving deep welts as they continued to scrape against our exposed flesh long after the top layers of skin were gone. It was excruciating, and while I tried not to give the assisting demons the satisfaction of screaming, I couldn’t hold it back. My throat was raw long before the ceremony was over, and I swore the cuts went down to the bone by the time it was finished. Mike would heal faster