The Demon Kings Bride

The Man in My Bed

"Behold! The mystery of the occult!" The guide hit a button to her left, and curtains jerked open with a clank. "Found in a box sealed with wax, buried with a suspected witch. Historians believe the strange symbols to be demonic in nature," she spoke theatrically. The crowd shuffled forward to glimpse inside the cabinet. The guide moved aside, waiting patiently for us to filter through. There was a smattering of hushed conversation, which is expected within a museum. "This is boring", a small child pulled on his mother's sleeve. "I wanna toy! Toy!" The guide looked confused as the embarrassed parents tried to pacify the toddler. However, he began to stamp his feet in frustration. To my left, Alden cleared his throat. He was the type of person who faded into the background. Reminded of his presence, I turned with a polite smile.
"A-are you enjoying yourself?" I glanced at the display beside me and then at the crowd. Beside me, Alden picked at the skin around his nails and looked at me hopefully. "It's… interesting." I instinctively look at the thick glass cabinet in a desperate attempt to support my assertion. The ink had bled into the yellowing parchment, but I could still make out a distinct shape of a demonic sigil. Like most things you find in a museum, it was mildly enjoyable and somewhat nostalgic. Nevertheless, I will forget I had ever seen it in about ten minutes. Alden looked upset. Poor guy. "Could, maybe you could give me another chance? At a date, I mean. We could go to the movies or…."
"Alden, you shouldn't have to cater to others. You should do what makes you comfortable." He blushed. "Your kind Luci. Too kind to turn me down flat. I know that you just see me as a friend." I appraised Alden. It's not that he was ugly, and he was sweet. I just wasn't into him. I had agreed to the date because the vipers at the practice liked to mock him, he needed a win, and there was no harm in hanging out as friends. Given time I would have let him down gently. "Don't think your off the hook. I fully intend to be one of your closest friends. When you get a girlfriend, I want to be the first to meet her." He looked crestfallen, which is within the realm of expectation. It was quiet now. The crowd of onlookers had moved on, leaving us alone. As we rounded the corner in the distance, I could hear the guide giving her spiel. We were halfway across the next room when there was a primal bellow, then the sound of shattering glass. Our tour by now was long gone, I shrugged at Alden, and we hurried back to the cabinet.
It's hard to describe what awaited us. The study glass we looked at seconds ago had disintegrated into a fine dust. The heavy red curtains were singed and were reduced to smouldering scraps strewn about the floor. Then, in the midst of it, all lay a beast of a man. Alden gulped; we shared a moment of silence. I crouched down beside the figure. There was something feral about him. He had to be over seven-foot-tall, his hair a long black mass down to his waist. He was muscular, so muscular his cotton shirt, the style intended to be baggy, was taught across his chest. As I placed my fingers on his neck to check his pulse, his hair fell slightly, revealing a pointed ear.
"Ambulance?" Alden said shakily. I shook my head and quickly covered his ear. His pulse was quick but strong, his skin warm and his breathing heavy, like he had been running.
"Help me get him to the car" He was large and heavy; it took us an hour to get him in the car and up onto the bed. I left Alden in the room whilst I grabbed my emergency kit from the cupboard. When I returned, he was wringing his hands and standing nervously by the bed. "Um…I thought we were taking him to the hospital?"
Unpacking my equipment, I sit on the edge of the bed. It's a double, but this man takes up most of the space. I glance at his feet which are hanging off the end. "There's no need, be quiet a second" I check his vitals. His heartbeat has slowed, his breathing steady. There's no apparent trauma, and... he's snoring. "He's asleep. Just a few cuts and scrapes. I'll patch him up and take him to the hospital when he's awake."
"Laci, as a vet, I don't really think you are qualified to…."
"Trust me, Alden." His eyes lost focus for a moment, and he conceded. I set about bandaging the patient. When I was done, I found Alden in the living room. "Thanks for the help. I'm sorry we had to leave early."
"No, no. It's fine, I…I suddenly feel rather unwell anyway." Alden was an administrative assistant at the dental practice where I work. We both lived in company housing, so he was only down the hall. "Well, maybe you should head home and get some rest. I got it from here."
"Oh, I couldn't leave you. Not with him, it could be unsafe" Alden was tall and thin. He seemed more at home in a library than in a fight. I considered the man in my bedroom. "You live just down the hall, and you're no good to me unwell, Alden." He looked relieved and shuffled toward the door
"Well, you have a lovely home. I-I'll see you Monday" I saw him off and listened to his footsteps disappear down the hall. When I returned to the bedroom, the man had turned on his side. I brushed the hair off his face and ran my finger down his ear. A demon, how intriguing.