The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

A/N: Wow, I’m starting this one the day I posted the last chapter. *laughs* It’s strange. I have a laptop; a Sony Vaio. Why I chose that particular laptop; I’m not sure, but I did. Maybe it’s just because I like the name Vaio. It sounds exotic, and I have a major weakness for exotic names. I’m not talking like foreign exotic, I mean weird exotic. Like Frey, Raziel, Zeke, and yeah, I think Jerrick’s kinda exotic. Not really, but somewhat. It’s definitely a strange name. Seriously, have any of you met a guy named Jerrick before? If you have, I want to meet him, too. *chuckle*

My other weakness would definitely have to be Ramen noodles. Whoever invented ramen is my new idol; seriously. I could live off of it. My housemates never let me shop for groceries because I only buy ramen, hot dogs, cherry pop tarts, and raviolis. Sometimes I buy shrimp, but most of the time I can’t afford it. I’m a poor kid, after all. *laughs* I could ramble on for hours about the random foods that I eat, so I’ll stop while I’m ahead. ^.^

Snidne: O.o You got a review for that review. XD I didn’t even go to my prom (ew, hillbilly proms are scary, you know). Haha. Thank you for your continuation on the advertisement for my hybrid. The product appreciates it, I’m sure. (In fact, I bet she’d stab you for your efforts; how kind. *snicker*)

And for the record, the reaction to that review was more like a…. ‘Holy shit, I think I have a nosebleed’ reaction. Not very feminine at all. O.o I’m strange that way? Androgynous attitude….. I guess… I’m not sure; sometimes I’m very girly.. Other times…I’m much more masculine. I have no clue…. For the most part, though, I’m kinda.. Eh, in the middle. I think; I could be wrong here. I’m not great with those types of guesses.

Alicat1194(I can never remember what that number is): Have patience, young (even if you’re older than me) one; you will soon find out. ^.^ I’m sure Snidne is glad that you liked erm…. His/her review. *laughs* I’m usually a pretty bad judge of gender, so I’m afraid to guess.

Ashesxx2xxashes: I update at least once a week (more often if I happen to write more) and usually post around Monday or Tuesday (because I have Tuesdays off most of the time). Okay, I looked at your profile (scoping for later stories because I don’t like to read many books that are remotely close to whatever I may be writing at the time) and noticed that you have a fic about Anita Blake‘s book. I’ve read Midnight Cafe (the collection of like, three stories)… and I loved it. O.o Everyone I’ve always talked to about it didn’t know what the hell I was talking about… Am I nutters, or have you read the trilogy?? LOVE that book. Definitely.

And again (I don’t remember if I actually did say that, but I talk to Luinil so I guess I did) my email is dark_pyris@yahoo.com and my AIM is Flarika, so feel free to yap it up with me. Erm… I’m usually on… eh, late here where I live… (I don’t know where everyone else lives so *shrug*)

Okay, wow, I’ll get on with the chapter now. For those who usually skip this little spot….


THE CHAPTER IS STARTING SO YOU CAN STOP SCROLLING NOW. ;)

Chapter 23-I Covet You
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Shuey sat perched in one cushioned olive green chair in her apparent mate’s quarters, staring off into space as she tried to analyze the latest issues that came her way. Issue number one: she had a mate that, according to Leon, she probably couldn’t get rid of. Number two: her third trainer attacked her and most likely had already spread the news of her existence to his clan. The third problem of the day: her friend, Clara the night clerk, now knew of her lineage and may accidentally or intentionally tell her demonic friend and possible future enemy of it. The fourth and final problem of the evening being that Jerrick kept just close enough to distract the hell out of her, making it nearly impossible to think straight. To top it off with a pleasant little fruit of some sort, Leon had said the only way to stop problem number four was to sleep with the cause of said complication.

After two hours of sitting in this one spot, she had somehow managed to piss herself off more than anyone had ever infuriated her before. Honestly, she was ready to slit the first person’s throat who walked through the door. Unfortunately, her newfound Jerrick radar told her that that particular man was about to do just that. Glaring at the door as if it had hit her, she sank back into the soft seat and sulked. It really wasn’t fair. When the demon entered, his grey eyes widened slightly, but his face gave no other hints about his thoughts on her being there. Quite frankly, she didn’t give a damn about his thoughts at the moment, anyway. “I see you’re rather moody today. Could it have anything to do with Seji Decara’s death?” His face wore a stern expression as he shut the door, crossing his arm with a tight frown.

Shuey’s eyes widened at the news, making Jerrick second-guess his assumptions. “You didn’t kill him?” A quick shake of the head was all it took to allow the demon a breath of relief; that meant he didn’t have to worry about hiding her from everyone. The bar’s usual customers would question her disappearance. “Leon said you ran into him on the rooftop. Then he said he left you here and I came back to see you pissed off…. I thought maybe you went back to finish him off while I was still in the meeting. Towards the end, a messenger came in and said Decara had been murdered.”

Shuey got the distinct feeling that Brethmel was probably the one who had killed the demon, but she really couldn’t bring herself to care much… Not that she tried very hard. After a few moments of silence, Jerrick cleared his throat a bit. “…So why are you here?” he asked softly, the caution in his voice clear. Her eyes snapped up to examine his face, the slight apprehension in his eyes nearly flaunting itself to her. Knowing it was there made her feel strange; she didn’t like it much, either. She frowned when he seemed to step forward before hesitating; what was he thinking?

“..Should I leave?” she asked, not sure if he was worried about getting rid of her. If what Leon had said was true, even if he ticked her off, she’d be stuck with him just the same. Grey eyes broadened before he shook his head quickly.

“No… I just wanted to know why you were here.” It was a simple statement, making the Halfling frown once she began to think over her reasoning for staying. Half of her wanted to just say the angel had told her to wait for him, but she’d be lying if she did. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure why she had opted to stay in her spot and think things over as opposed to going back to her own room and mulling it all out. Frowning, she shrugged haphazardly. She didn’t know herself, so how was she supposed to explain it to him. She expected him to get irritated with her, but instead he merely sighed tiredly and loosened his tie before tugging it off of his neck and tossing it on the ground. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you’re here.”

The comment caught her off-guard, making her mind go blank for a moment as she tried to piece together some sort of meaning behind it. The look on her face made him smile as he pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it in the floor as well. “Well, what’s wrong?” he asked smoothly, sinking into the chair Leon had sat in previously. Was it so obvious that something was bothering her? “Does it have something to do with Seji? Maybe….something to do with Deamon or the night clerk? Or is it me?” She glowered dangerously at him; why’d he have to be right all three times? It really wasn’t fair. She couldn’t read his mind like that. “I can’t read your mind, so you have to tell me.” Obviously he could read her mind; she was almost certain of it now.

Receiving no response, Jerrick merely tossed his hands in the air. “Fine, don’t tell me what’s wrong with you, but I have something to say.” He was relieved to see that she looked at him instead of glaring, which was a nice change, but it wasn’t really what he wanted. “I haven’t been able to focus all day. Do you know why?” he asked calmly, his heart secretly thumping in his chest. Could she not hear it? When he’d felt the tug of her existence in the back of his mind, he knew automatically what it was. He’d answered to it so eagerly, he was sure she would be pissed off. She didn’t even know what she had done; it was like he was taking advantage of her. A little piece of him wanted to feel ashamed, but he was too excited with the prospect of being this woman’s mate. “I’m glad it was me,” he said aloud, making her start slightly before she frowned in confusion. He frowned in return, knowing she knew exactly what he was talking about.

The faint little blush that covered her cheeks made him smirk outwardly. Inwardly, he was dancing in circles, but the look made him wonder exactly what kind of thoughts made her tinge red. Refocusing himself, he remembered he probably shouldn’t keep her here long, just in case the bond of mates…. Encouraged things Shuey may not be ready for. He hadn’t imagined she’d be shy like that; or maybe it was that she didn’t trust him yet. She was a very suspicious creature, after all. “Stop staring at me like that.” And just like that, his reverie was broken.

Jerrick had been lost in thought, staring at her like he was going to devour her, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable. “Sorry,” he murmured, relaxing further back into his seat and watching her closely, but less hungrily. The look still sent chills down her spine, which made her scowl, but it didn’t make her feel like she had to get closer, so it was alright. His cloudy grays analyzed her quietly, her own eyes gazing him with equal observation. “Shuey….” When she quirked a brow in question, he seemed to sigh. “Never mind.”

What had he been about to say? She felt her lips tilt into a frown, disturbed by how much the statement nagged at her mind. She attempted to discard the irritation that seemed to perturb her, but it simply wouldn’t stop. “No, what is it?” she asked after a few moments of awkward and irrationally annoying silence. The demon before her smiled with a small, hesitant movement of the lips, Shuey internally scowling for paying so much attention to the gesture. Why did his every move tweak at her nerves, sending all sorts of strange jolts and shivers through her?

Jerrick smiled softly, leaning to the side of his chair and propping his chin on the hand that rested upon the armrest. “I was just thinking about how inexperienced you were,” he said bluntly, stifling a grin at her roll of eyes. He supposed she wasn’t so shy after all.

“Who would I gain experience with?” Honestly, it was stupid thing to say; of course she was new to that type of thing. As far as she was concerned, it had never been something worth learning. She read a few things in books, but found little interest in reading about it. The outward scowl on the grey-eyed man’s face was enough to almost make her laugh; what did he have to be irritated about? “What now?” she asked with slight impatience; the demon was too much trouble, regardless of his amusing quirks.

He chuckled before shrugging, shifting forward a bit and smiling in an alarmingly wooing way. “You look rather tired, Shuey. Would you like to accompany my bed tonight?” The question had no hidden meaning, and she could detect the flighty innuendo within the words, but honestly, she didn’t particularly care. She was pretty tired, and she didn’t really feel like walking back to her own room, so she shrugged nonchalantly. If what Leon had said was true, she’d wind up sleeping with the demon eventually, anyway, so once now mattered little.

She shrugged, making grey eyes widen slightly at the action before an odd, almost goofy smile spread across his face. It was somewhat cute, though she’d never willingly admit that aloud. Instead of moving to go towards the bed, Jerrick relaxed back into the chair and sighed slowly. What did that mean? She wanted to ask him, but something held her back from opening her mouth and forming the words. As an alternative, Shuey decided to simply watch the man’s features soften as his eyes lowered and his shoulders drooped. Was he going to sleep? Just before she began to question him, his voice broke through her concentration. “I’m going to need a lot of patience with you, aren’t I?”

The Halfling’s brow furrowed in confusion; of course she wouldn’t understand. She had an eerie innocence that was both alluring and terrifying. She was probably thinking he just wanted to sleep, which was his suggestion, but she’d agreed so readily, she must not have caught the underlying implication in the question. Those pout lips tilted downward, forcing a small grin onto his face. “What, exactly, do you expect of me?” was the inquiry he received, leaving him quite off guard. What was she expecting him to say?

Mulling the query over carefully, he decided on a blunt answer that she would undoubtedly understand. “Whatever you can give me,” he said brusquely, internally grinning when her eyes widened. After what seemed like hours of her thinking about everything that statement could possibly make, she nodded. It felt like his heart stopped for a couple minutes; it took him a few seconds to realize her agreement to it. A thousand scenarios danced around in his head before he berated himself for his perversion and a lopsided smile spread on his face. Part of him, or all of him, he wasn’t sure, wanted to ask what she could give him now, but instead said, “You have to be willing, too.”

Shuey rolled her eyes; if she wasn’t willing, she wouldn’t have agreed. Was he stupid or something? Before she could tell him so, he’d stood up, pulling her towards him and holding her close. “I want you to understand this; I want all of you. I’m prepared to give you everything I’ve got, so please put some effort into this relationship. Okay?” The smell of honey penetrated her nose, her lips twitching into a tiny smile. She looked up at him, frowning at their apparent height difference. Grey eyes peered back down at her, questioning her silently; hesitantly.

Moving forward, she lightly pressed her lips against his, little more than just that, but enough to get her point across. When she pulled away, he nearly followed, but restrained himself as she turned to leave. “Are you leaving?” he asked softly, frowning when she didn’t turn back to face him, only stopping while facing the door.

Did he actually want her to stay, or was he making sure she wasn’t coming back? Her mouth tilted southward as she tried to figure it out. In the end, she decided it was best to ask. “Do you want me to?” Her face felt somewhat heated, but she figured if she didn’t question it, she wouldn’t know for certain. He shook his head quickly, moving towards her and taking her arm lightly. He tugged at it until she understood he wanted her back in his arms, which was somewhat confusing, though she was beginning to enjoy being held by the man. She held no complaints.

“Shuey…. I don’t know what you want out of this, either.” Honestly, Shuey had no idea what she’d intended when she agreed to the relationship. All she knew was that it didn’t particularly affect anyone but her and Jerrick, and since they both liked it, it was fine. She found no reason not to do something she enjoyed if it didn’t left everyone else unaffected. It was terrifying at times, but what else would one expect of something they’d never experienced? Sometimes she wondered if her willingness for understanding would get her into major trouble, but she’d been okay so far, right? She trusted Jerrick not to damage her in some manner. She supposed what she wanted from the relationship was some sort of comprehension of her own emotions. How did one say such a thing?

Seeing the confusion cross Shuey’s face, Jerrick smiled and slid his arms around her surprisingly less-muscular than predicted frame. “Okay. I’ll do my best to make sure you learn.” Inside his head, he was muttering, ‘I hope you learn so much you won’t be able to leave me.’ A frown tainted that pretty face, making him grin. She was irritated that he knew what she was thinking. He’d found early on that she wasn’t hard to read, if you knew what to look for. It was frightening to know he wanted her so much, but he really had no control over it. It seemed she drew him in as if she’d targeted him the very moment she’d stepped into his office looking as though he might attack her upon entering.

She offered him a slow, hesitant smile, barely a shift of her pout lips, and turned back towards the door. Something made him stop her; he wasn’t entirely sure if it was their new bond as mates or his own desire for it that forced him into it. “Do you want to stay?” When she faced him again, her cheeks painted faintly with a light pink, he nearly drug her to the bed. The conversation had seemed awkward, as well as the silence between their words, but now it was somewhat tense. Dual eyes watched him as though he was planning something decidedly hazardous.

“….Yes,” she muttered after a while, jumping slightly as he nearly lurched forward and gripped her wrist. His eagerness was ridiculously embarrassing, but she guessed there wasn’t much she could do to change it. “I’m tired,” she clarified, wanting to make sure he understood what she’d meant upon agreeing to stay. At first, she didn’t think he heard her, but he pulled at the thick green blankets on the bed before spinning to face her.

There was an amused look on his face, making the muscle in Shuey’s eye twitch. “I know. Go ahead and lay down, I have a few things I have to take care of.” Although she wasn’t sure she could sleep knowing he could see her, she sat down on the bed as though testing it’s comfort. He’d seemed so excited that it’d startled her; where had it come from? She was so used to the cool, collected, charmer that she faced so often, but this side of the man was new. It was cute, but again, she’d never admit it to anyone. She leaned back a bit, her eyes following Jerrick as he opened a file cabinet and retrieved a small stack of papers before sitting down in the chair facing her direction. He was going to watch her sleep? Somehow she found that fairly disturbing.

Regardless, Shuey found herself drifting off with the faint smell of honey wafting around her. The spot she was in must have been the side he normally slept on. The scent drugged her mind as if it had thrown a blanket over her thoughts and suffocated them. She only hoped this wouldn’t become something she found herself craving. A few distant thoughts crossed her mind as she fell into a light slumber, not noticing the satisfied smile that crept onto Jerrick’s face.

With the lithe beauty asleep in his bed, needless to say the demon was very pleased with himself. While he still stumbled over the ‘L word,’ he was sure he cared about her a great deal. The fact that she was willing to fall asleep in front of him made him sing internally. At some point in time, he’d stopped doing paperwork and taken to gazing steadily at the form that lay there, his pen tapping lightly on the stack in his lap.

He couldn’t say ‘I love you,’ so instead he murmured, “I covet you, Shuey.”


A/N: I just want everyone to know (if they haven’t guessed already), I’m using ‘covet’ meaning to want/yearn for something very much. I’m sure all you readers are probably laughing at that little clarification, but I really don’t want to confuse someone. ‘Covet’ also means to want something that belongs to someone else, like envy….. Well, now I feel kinda stupid after going over all that.

Random talk time (Yay or boo, whatever you please): My cat had three kittens. They are very cute kitties, but damn, I want them out of my room. We put them in my room because we have a very big dog that dominates the sitting room. Okay, she’s only a heeler, but she’s still thirty times their size and likes their taste. A new definition for catnip. I went to work on the chapter and flopped lazily on my bad, as per usual, and I hear this ‘RRREEEOOWWW!’ sound. I thought I had squashed a kitten or something. -_- Want to know what actually happened? It stuck it’s foot in the water dish and apparently couldn‘t shake the water off. I wanted to throw it against the wall, it scared me so bad.

Anyway, thanks for reading everyone. ^.^ As usual, I enjoy both criticism and compliments. If you see something you think is not good or could be better, don’t hesitate to tell me. God knows I have to evolve somehow. *laughs*