Veryl didn't understand why he was so agitated. He paced his room, his steps in the heavy boots heavy on the wood floor, trying to take deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It was almost as if he were feverish, but he was a fire demon, a hellhound. It was not likely that a fever was the cause.
His hands shook as he leaned on the low dresser on one side of the room. He drew another breath in and swallowed hard, but it barely helped. It just didn't make sense. He wished Sierra hadn't gone home; even though she'd be back within the month, he longed to run his hand through her hair, sniff at her skin...taste her...
Realization struck him, and he felt ill. He was feeling the Binding, the primal urge demon kind felt when they happened upon someone compatible with them, similar to the attachment humans felt to those considered 'soulmates'. The only problem was, that didn't make sense. It only happened when the female was within sniffing distance; he'd never heard of it happening when the female wasn't actually there.
It wasn't a major problem, though. He could leave and be there in only an hour or so, and take her there and then. She wouldn't mind. She'd likely jump him before he even had a chance to sneak up on her, the silly woman. She had a habit of catching him off guard.
He put his hand on the door knob and froze. Distantly, he heard a gentle voice, murmuring, and felt the accompanying buzz of an answer in the back of his head. Instantly, he became aware he was uncomfortably aroused, almost painfully. He snatched his hand back from the door and backed away, magic sparking around him as he struggled for control.
Sierra was his wife, the love of his life, there was no doubt about it. She was perfect, her temperament suited his, and her body was beautiful. She was a warrior, like he was, and she understood that as a demon, he had to be faithful to his Contract first, and then to her, but...
He was not feeling the Binding for her.
His door opened and she stood there, not bothering to knock. The young woman he recently found after years of chasing, the woman he'd hunted. She was possessed illegally by a far stronger demon, their pact strong, and she'd been causing major trouble with the unbalance the demon's magic caused, but she herself was a calm, kind spirit. Her long acquaintance with the demon had left a toll on her, giving her an unusual appearance; silver hair, curled into ringlets down her back, pale skin, light grey eyes, as if all her color had been washed away through the years. She was beautiful, too, and had her own magic, a subtle blend of ice and perhaps just a touch of aether.
She stopped in the doorway, losing her smile at his glare. Her eyes widened, just a touch, and she half turned to run, but he moved too fast for her. His hand tangled in her long hair and he jerked her back into the room, then slammed the door shut. She landed hard and scrambled to push herself back, away from him, as he panted, heat tearing through him.
"What are you doing?" Her voice was a whisper, and he heard more voices outside, Rose and Sarah. He expected her to scream for help, wanted her to, but she remained silent. He realized she trusted him more than she trusted those two, and cursed her mistake.
"Get out." He snarled. Her eyes snapped to the door, and he realized he was holding it shut.
"I can't." She said, and he tried to make himself throw her out. His muscles did not obey, too focused on getting what his body so desperately craved. His hand clenched into a fist, nails leaving shallow gouges in the door.
He saw her fear and then, to his annoyance, he heard the demon within her, his voice dark.