MY DEMON

Elias Reed had always believed that the worst thing that could happen on the first day of a new job was arriving late.

He was wrong.

The worst thing was meeting his new boss.

And discovering that the man could make an entire room go silent simply by walking into it.

Elias stood in the middle of the glass-walled conference room, clutching a folder against his chest while twenty employees sat around the long black table.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody even seemed willing to breathe.

Then the doors opened.

A tall man walked in.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, a silver watch, and an expression so cold that Elias immediately understood why everyone had been terrified.

The man's dark hair was neatly pushed away from his face. His features were sharp and almost unnaturally perfect. His eyes were a strange shade of dark gray.

He didn't greet anyone.

He simply walked to the head of the table.

"Good morning," he said.

His voice was deep.

Calm.

Dangerously calm.

"Good morning, Mr. Velaris," everyone answered.

Elias hesitated before joining them.

"Good morning."

The man's eyes moved toward him.

For one brief second, their gazes locked.

Darian Velaris froze.

Something inside him shifted.

His fingers tightened around the edge of the table.

Impossible.

He had spent twenty-seven years searching.

Twenty-seven years listening to his father insist that somewhere in the world, his destined mate existed.

The entire demon kingdom had searched.

They had searched noble families, ancient bloodlines, powerful clans and royal houses.

Nothing.

No one.

And now...

Darian could smell him.

A human.

His mate.

The realization hit him so hard that his supernatural senses nearly broke through the illusion he maintained around his body.

His pupils narrowed.

Elias noticed.

"Sir?"

Darian quickly looked away.

"Sit."

Elias sat.

He didn't understand why his boss was staring at him like that.

Actually, he didn't understand anything about the man.

Darian Velaris was twenty-nine years old and already the owner of one of the largest international companies in the city.

Nobody knew much about him.

He rarely attended social events.

He never talked about his mother.

He had no siblings.

He didn't appear to have close friends.

And there were rumors that he had once disappeared for almost six months without anyone knowing where he had gone.

Elias had heard those rumors during his interview.

He hadn't believed them.

Now he wasn't so sure.

Darian opened a file.

"Today we're going to discuss the new international expansion."

His voice was steady again.

But every few seconds, his eyes returned to Elias.

Elias noticed.

He finally raised his hand.

Darian stopped speaking.

"Yes?"

"Sir, you keep looking at me."

Silence.

Several employees lowered their heads.

Someone coughed.

Darian stared at Elias.

Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth lifted.

It wasn't a smile.

It was something colder.

"Do you have a problem with me looking at you?"

Elias swallowed.

"No."

"Then stop worrying about it."

Elias frowned.

"I wasn't worried."

"Good."

Darian returned to the meeting.

But Elias couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

There was something strange about this man.

Something he couldn't explain.

The meeting continued for another forty minutes.

When it ended, everyone hurried out of the room.

Elias gathered his papers.

He had almost reached the door when Darian spoke.

"Mr. Reed."

Elias stopped.

"Yes, sir?"

"Stay."

Everyone else disappeared.

The doors closed.

Elias slowly turned around.

Darian remained seated.

"Come here."

Elias walked toward the desk.

Darian watched him carefully.

The closer Elias came, the stronger the scent became.

Rain.

Warm skin.

Something sweet beneath it.

Something that made Darian's demon instincts restless.

His father had been right.

The mate wasn't in their kingdom.

He was here.

On Earth.

A human.

Darian leaned back in his chair.

"What do you know about demons?"

Elias blinked.

"What?"

"Demons."

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"I think they're fictional."

Darian stared at him.

Elias gave an awkward laugh.

"Why are you asking?"

"No reason."

Darian stood.

Elias instinctively stepped backward.

Darian noticed.

"You are afraid of me."

"No."

"You moved away."

"Because you suddenly stood up."

"That means you're afraid."

Elias shook his head.

"I'm not afraid of you, Mr. Velaris."

Darian walked around the desk.

"Interesting."

He stopped directly in front of Elias.

Their height difference was obvious.

Elias had to tilt his head slightly to meet his eyes.

Darian's expression changed.

For the first time, there was something almost vulnerable in his gaze.

Then it disappeared.

"Go home."

Elias frowned.

"Excuse me?"

"Your shift is over."

"I still have work."

"I said go home."

Elias hesitated.

"Okay."

He turned and left.

The moment the door closed, Darian's eyes changed.

For a fraction of a second, they glowed crimson.

He closed them.

"No," he whispered.

He reached for his phone.

One call.

It was answered immediately.

"Did you find him?"

Darian said nothing.

The voice on the other end laughed.

"I knew it."

Darian sighed.

"Father..."

King Aurelius laughed louder.

"My son has finally found his mate!"

"Keep your voice down."

"Why? Are you embarrassed?"

"He's human."

There was silence.

Then Aurelius said quietly, "Are you certain?"

"I can sense the bond."

"Then bring him home."

Darian looked toward the office door.

"No."

"No?"

"I need time."

His father chuckled.

"You've spent your entire life waiting for him. What more time do you need?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I don't know how to do this."

Aurelius laughed again.

"You're the most powerful demon prince in our kingdom, and you're afraid of one human?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then why do you sound afraid?"

Darian ended the call.

He stared at his reflection in the dark window.

For the first time in his life, the future frightened him.

Because finding his mate was supposed to solve everything.

Instead, it had created a problem he couldn't control.

Meanwhile, Elias walked home through the evening traffic.

He couldn't stop thinking about Darian.

There was something about him.

Something unsettling.

Yet Elias couldn't deny that he was strangely attractive.

"Stop it," Elias muttered to himself.

He shook his head.

"He's your boss."

His phone rang.

It was his mother.

"Hello, Mum."

"How was your first day?"

Elias smiled.

"It was okay."

"Just okay?"

"My boss is strange."

His mother laughed.

"Be careful. Rich people can be difficult."

"I noticed."

They talked for several minutes before Elias ended the call.

He didn't tell her about the way Darian had looked at him.

He didn't tell her about the strange question about demons.

And he definitely didn't tell her that, for one impossible moment, he thought he had seen something red glowing inside his boss's eyes.

That night, Elias fell asleep quickly.

But Darian didn't.

Far from the city, beneath an abandoned warehouse that looked ordinary from above, a black portal opened.

Darian stepped through it.

The moment his shoes touched the stone floor, the world changed.

The warehouse disappeared.

In its place stood a vast black castle surrounded by mountains, fire-lit towers and a blood-red moon.

Demons bowed as he walked past.

"Welcome home, Your Highness."

Darian ignored them.

He entered the throne room.

King Aurelius was sitting on the throne, eating an apple.

The demon king looked nothing like the terrifying ruler his enemies imagined.

He was smiling.

"I knew you'd come back."

Darian stopped.

"You already knew."

"I am your father."

"You tracked me."

"I prefer the term concerned parent."

Darian sighed.

Aurelius stood and walked toward him.

"So?"

"I found him."

His father's smile disappeared.

"You did?"

Darian nodded.

"Who is he?"

"A human."

Aurelius stared at his son for several seconds.

Then he smiled.

"My grandson will be adorable."

Darian's eyes widened.

"Father."

"What?"

"We haven't even spoken properly."

"You're already thinking about him."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Darian turned away.

Aurelius laughed.

Then the enormous doors of the throne room suddenly slammed open.

A wounded demon stumbled inside.

"Your Majesty!"

Aurelius's expression immediately changed.

"What happened?"

The demon fell to his knees.

"The northern border..."

Darian turned.

"What about it?"

"The enemy has returned."

Silence filled the throne room.

Aurelius's eyes hardened.

"How many?"

"Thousands."

Darian stepped forward.

"When?"

The wounded demon looked at him.

"Before dawn."

Darian's face became expressionless.

The prince who had spent his entire life searching for his mate had finally found him.

And now war was coming.

Neither Elias nor Darian knew it yet, but the moment they met had already changed the fate of two worlds.

And somewhere in the darkness beyond the demon kingdom, someone else had felt the mate bond awaken.

A woman opened her crimson eyes.

She smiled.

"So..."

Her fingers tightened around the silver necklace hanging from her throat.

"He finally found someone."

Her smile slowly disappeared.

"Let's see how long the human survives."

To be continued...