Exiled

Chapter 11

Something was wrong.

The dream I had was unsettling. Serena was running from something but every time I tried to approach her she ran farther. Was she running from me? Is that what would happen if she found out what I was? Like an omen?

I opened my eyes. The smell of eggs and bacon wafted through the apartment.

"Good morning", Serena called from the kitchen.

I grunted and she laughed.

"I'm making breakfast now. I wanna go back out today", she said excitedly.

Another day on the city.

Serena served me a plate of hot eggs and bacon. I ate in silence. I hadn't fully woken up yet. It was like my body was on but my brain was still on startup.

Serena sat on my lap as I ate. She was so warm and calming, like a sedative for my demonic instinct. She picked up my plate when I finished and sent me to get changed into some warm clothes. I had realized it was getting noticeably colder outside the past few days.

I threw on a winter coat and walked back into the living room. Serena was getting changed in her room... at least I thought. She had already gotten dressed into a coat and some really tight pants.

"They're leggings", she said when she caught me staring.

They really highlighted her... curves. Definitely was thinking curves.

She grabbed the keys and we left. When we exited the apartment, it was raining. Except this rain was white and it stuck to the ground.

"It's snowing!", Serena exclaimed.

Did she plan this?

I walked out into the small flurry, my hand held out. I watched as a snowflake landed in my hand.

"It's beautiful", I muttered.

I had experienced snow before. If you count shivering to bear death in an alley to be experience.

Serena was twirling around, making the snow around her fly. She was smiling and laughing. She never ceased to be adorable. I scooped her up in my arms and she looked into my eyes.

"What do you wanna do?", she asked. I leaned in close to her.

"This", I said as I threw her into a snow pile.

She gasped and stared at me.

"It's on", she said menacingly.

She pelted me with a snowball and I laughed. Each time we'd exchange hits we'd laugh louder and louder. The whole city must have been able to hear us. I couldn't believe I had fallen for a human, but at the very least I was glad it was Serena. She was perfect in every way.

We finally stopped throwing snowballs at each other when I saw she was shivering.

"Are you okay?", I asked her.

She snuggled up against me.

"I-I'm c-cold... all t-that snow", she said.

I picked her up again. She was like an ice cube.

I carried her up the stairs, braced against me to keep her warm.

"How a-are you s-so warm?", she had asked while I climbed the stairs. I laughed.

"You just can't aim." She pouted and her nose sniveled up. I laughed more. That wasn't why though, she had hit me with plenty of snowballs.

Because I was a demon, my body had what we called a "spiritual flame." It was the equivalent of a human soul. It was what was keeping me warm despite the freezing temperatures.

I opened the door and placed her on the couch.

"I-I need to get t-these clothes o-off", she told me.

I blushed. Was she asking me to undress her?

I pulled her boots off and she motioned to her pants. I could feel my face getting hotter. This was fine... I had seen her in her underwear before... multiple times... but this time I would be touching her.

She must've sensed I was uncomfortable because she started trying to take them off.

"Hey! Stop I can do it...", I said, more brave than I felt.

I reached up and pulled down on the waistband of her leggings. My bare hands rubbing against her thighs. She was blushing now too. I finally pulled them off and moved to her jacket. Unzipped and tossed to the side. She looked at me bashfully.

"I-uh... my shirt too..."

I facepalmed.

I reached for her waist and pulled the shirt up over her head. We were both blushing excessively when I looked at her. Her bare body was now exposed to my eyes and my eyes were locked on.

She covered herself with her arms.

"Quit staring! Get me a blanket", she said boldly, obviously tired of this... exchange.

I retrieved a blanket and threw it over her. She pouted and looked at me. Her eyes were shining, like stars. I felt my knees turn to jelly beneath me and nearly fell over.

"Can you come... cuddle me?", she asked quietly.

What? I gulped and nodded.

"You should probably strip down as well... your... uhh... clothes are probably wet... as well."

I could feel the nervousness in her voice. You could cut it with a knife. Or a demonic blade in my case. I blushed again and nodded. I unzipped my jacket and stripped down to my boxers.

I felt so exposed. It wasn't so much uncomfortable for me, more so that I felt defenseless. I slid in under the blanket with her. She positioned herself into me and we laid there silently.

"Ryuji, you're breathing kinda fast", she said with what I would've bet was a smirk.

"Well, it's not like I've ever done this before", I said.

She turned to face me. "You mean to tell me you've never laid down with someone before?", she asked.

I shook my head.

"Have you ever been with anyone? Like we are?", she continued.

What was this? An interview?

I shook my head again.

She smiled and turned back around. "Well, I'm surprised. Someone with your looks..."

I didn't know what she was getting at. I looked average if anything. Scraggy black hair, medium sized build, decently tan skin. Nothing crazy... except wings, horns, and fangs that is.

If anything, she was out of my league. Big beautiful eyes, a small yet bountiful body, and her happiness inducing aura. I could hear Serena chuckling about something, but I couldn't figure out what. She apparently didn't feel like sharing.

She fell asleep within the next 15 minutes and I joined her soon after. She was plush, soft, like that teddy bear I won her, minus the fur. The sleep was peaceful, yet I still had that dream. I knew I couldn't hide myself forever, but I wanted to at least make sure that when she found out, she wouldn't freak out.

After all, I wasn't sure what I'd do without her.