Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine

425 BONS

Three days passed, and Daemon was mostly away from home. I didn't know exactly where he went all the time, but I assumed it was more demon business. No matter how curious I was, I knew he wouldn't tell me even if I asked.

I could finally move around without assistance, so I decided to make the most of my day-even if there wasn't much to keep me busy. I swept my hair into a loose bun before heading to the living room.

I couldn't believe I had forgotten about Tasha-the human girl who seemed to have an issue with me simply existing. She was seated on one of the couches, and I took the one opposite her.

She looked up at me.

"Sleeping beauty finally awakens from her long slumber. He really must be good if he had made you so sore you couldn't walk for days."

My mouth fell open. How did she know?

Then again, she had always been the prying type. I quickly recovered from my initial surprise.

"It is none of your business, Tasha."

She scoffed. "I can't quite put my finger on it-I tried to figure out what you are, but

I can't. You're not like him, but you're also not like me or the twins. That left me wondering... what exactly are you?"

"Again, not your business."

"I am a curious person. Trust me, I will find out. Perhaps he has a liking for you only because he thinks you are different from us all."

I couldn't deal with all these. I rose from the couch, heading back to my room.

"You let him feed from you too, didn't you?" she said, and that gave me a pause. The mark on my neck was long gone, and again I was left wondering how the hell she knew about this. "He hadn't drunk from me since you both left, and something tells me it's not because he's found a new blood source." She said, rising to her feet. "You just had to have it all, didn't you? You selfish bitch."

"You're jealous," I said, more a statement than a question. "Well, I'm sorry if he sees you as nothing more than a breathing blood supply. It's not my fault."

"It is! I was his favorite until you came."

"Have some dignity, woman," I hissed, irritation flaring at how she spoke of us like we were nothing more than playthings.

"You speak to me about dignity but you will eagerly spread your legs for the same man you wanted dead; you would let him drink from you and make you his whore. You have no right to speak to me about dignity, bitch!" She sneered; she had been about to say more when the voice cut her off.

"Is everything alright here?" Daemon asked, walking towards us.

"Of course, everything is fine." Tasha said, but his eyes were not on her but on

me.

"Everything is fine." I repeated before turning away and heading to the room.

Soon Daemon joined me. "I didn't buy that."

"Girls argue; it is no big deal." I said, trying to shrug it off, but her words had affected me.

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine

He passed me a gift bag; I hadn't even seen him carrying it.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A laptop and a phone. Since our time in London had been cut off, I thought this might be some kind of compensation. Humans are big on these things, and with it you can find out more about them."

I stared at him in surprise, then flung myself into his arms. This time, he didn't hesitate before wrapping his strong arms around me, holding me so gently, as if he feared he might break my bones.

"Thank you."

He only drew me closer, as if my gratitude was unnecessary Maybe to him, this meant little-but to me, it meant everything.

When I finally pulled away, his darkened blue eyes remained fixed on me.

"What?" I asked suddenly, self-conscious.

"You've changed." He said.

"Good change or bad...?"

"You are no longer the innocent, pure maiden, chosen by the gods. Now, you are the tainted beauty-claimed, marked, and loved by a demon."noveldrama

Loved by a demon.

He had never said it outright before; this was the closest I had ever gotten. Yet, it was all the confirmation I needed. I had to know I wasn't just some intriguing toy

to him. Maybe... just maybe, I was something more.

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy