His Concubine (Book 2 of the Vanessa Solomon Series)

Chapter 16

I handed the phone back to Damarius and sat down on the couch. 

"Are you hungry?" 

"No, I'm fine. I think I just need a nap."

He gave a nod. "You're safe here. Would you prefer to nap in the bed?"

"No, the couch is fine."

He gave a single nod and walked out of the room. I wasn't sure where he had gone, but a few seconds later he came back with a blanket and pillow. I smiled up at him.

"Thank you."

He layed the blanket on top of me as I turned on my side. I wanted to touch him, but knowing that I couldn't now only made me upset. His eyes met mine and I knew he could sense it. We were both in agreement that Kamar would pay for this, even if he was being honest about protecting me. 

 ****         When I awoke, I looked around for a clock to see that I had slept for a solid 3 hours. I didn't have my cell or any belongings with me, and the only clothes I had on was the over-sized shirt and shorts Damarius had lent me. I heard him talking on his cell in the other room, but I couldn't understand what he was saying since it was in Latin. I slowly sat up on the couch and waited for him to come back. He must of sensed me wake because it was almost immediate when he hung up and came back in.

He smiled down at me. "The Council has approved it."

"Really? That's great," I tried to sound excited about it but knowing some group of demons were controlling my life really pissed me off. "I need to get my belongings from Kamar's castle, and the plane tickets should be in my mailbox."

He gave a nod. "I will gather your things from Kamar and take you to your apartment."

He disappeared into a cloud of black smoke and I came to my feet to fold the blanket. Under completely different circumstances, I would have liked to introduce Damarius as my boyfriend to my family, but considering that we can't even touch right now, they would probably find that strange. I sighed and shook my head. "How can you be such a dick, Kamar?"

 **** I couldn't explain how nervous I was about taking Damarius home to meet my parents. Did he even realize that they were going to think he was my boyfriend? And if so, how would he feel about that? I gave a big exhale as our plane began to land, and it was only less than an hour when we would be standing before my parents as lovers. Damarius carried my bags as we stood on the sidewalk, waiting for our taxi to pick us up. I held out my hand at the nearest one, and he stopped in front of us and popped his trunk.

"Thank you," I told Damarius as he loaded my bags, and then we slid into the backseat as I gave the driver the address. My heart was racing and my palms were sweating. GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF VANESSA! I wanted to run around outside to blow off some energy, but I was now stuck inside a moving taxi with my demon servant and headed to my parent's house. God, be with me.

"Are you going to faint?" Damarius asked as he studied me with a concerned look.

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine."

"You're pale, and breathing quicker than normal. Is it because of me?"

I chose my words carefully. "You're the first guy I've brought home to my parents since high school. It's a very big deal to them. And I don't really know how you feel about this whole thing..." I let my voice trail off as I looked at him with a questioned face, hoping he would tell me what he was thinking.

"I am happy to join you on this journey back home. Family is important to you."

His response was short, and didn't give me much of a clue to what was going on in that demon head of his. I decided to push the subject a little more.