17 Devil's Conquest

In her mind, she had already strangled this devil to death for saying those words. He was messing with her again! Why was it that every time she made up her mind, he would find a way to shake up her resolve? What made him this possessive of her?

Turning her back on him, she picked up her discarded dress and her shoes, all lying by the foot of the bed. Walking towards the bedside table, she took a look at the pills he had prepared for her last night. At least, he cared about her.

Was it really that impossible for her to get out from under the devil's shadow?

Or should she rather provoke this devil and be killed by him instead?

"Well?" His voice brought her back to reality. She pouted and threw the nearest pillow at the infuriating man laying on the bed, which he easily caught in mid-air.

"You're making my life miserable," she hissed instead.

Eli grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, making her fall on the soft bed. Her dress and shoes once again fell on the ground. He then crawled on top of her and pinned her hands above her head burying his face in the crook of her neck. She felt his lips tracing the trail of hickeys he had left on her skin last night. Ririna bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning under his ministrations.

"You're so unfair to me…" She heard him whisper against her skin, "Kissing me, seducing me on my own bed, and then leaving me hanging. And you got some nerve to call another man's name while you are in bed with me," he continued. Ririna was left flabbergasted with his words.

Why would she ever do that? She had never been with another man except for him. Well, unless she called Skyler's name while she's drunk and sleepy. Her thoughts halted at the idea.

Did she call Skyler's name while she was with Eli last night? Did she say something that she wasn't supposed to say? He was the only one who could confirm what she said in her drunken state.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, hoping he would reveal more of what had gone on last night. She pushed his body away from her, breaking his kiss on her heated skin.

"Oh, you don't remember seducing me last night and calling your Sky? Who is Sky? Is he your boyfriend?" he asked. His body was still hovering over her so she could feel his warmth against her body.

"No!" Ririna exclaimed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Why would I lie to you?"

"He better not be, or else…"

Her brown eyes widened in horror. Did she say Sky's name? What the hell was wrong with her? She just gave that devil a reason to find out about their son. She really wanted to pull out her hair in frustration.

Bad. Really, really bad.

I can't believe I just exposed my baby to this devil!

Looking back at Eli, she could see that he was checking her. She couldn't tell if he was angry or not. He brushed his nose on her cheeks and trailed down to her jaw… and then her neck. When his lips reached her left shoulder, which was still tainted by a pinkish stain from her previous injury, he placed a gentle kiss on her scar before biting down hard on her shoulder.

She screamed and thrashed underneath him. What was he doing to her? What was he? An animal marking his prey or a werewolf marking his mate?

"Eli! Oww! Goddammit!" she yelled as she tried to free herself from his grasp.

The devil finally lifted up his head and looked at her. His lips flashed a smile that made her body tensed up. He just smiled at her;did it mean he had enough of her and would kill her soon?

Oh, she's going to miss her baby. It's a good thing that she had already put her gramps as Skyler's legal guardian—if ever something happened to her. She just didn't expect to meet her end this soon. Ririna felt like she was about to cry.

Dying in the hands of her only love and leaving her own baby to this wicked world. Did she do something horrible in her past life for her to suffer in this lifetime?

"You finally said my name." He grinned at her. He looked genuinely happy while saying it.

What is this all about? She blinked.

Ririna grimaced and scowled back at him. Here she was thinking the worst, and then there was him, happy just because she said his name? She didn't know Eli could be this childish.

"So what if I did?"

"So you're finally admitting you really haven't lost your memories, eh?"

Oh, all this time, he already knew that she was faking losing her memories. What else did he know about her? What about Skyler? Then she remembered him asking if Sky was her boyfriend. Such a silly devil, getting jealous of his own son. Not that he knew that he has one.

No. She must resist. She couldn't allow to give him a chance to hurt her. What should she do now? She knew he wouldn't give up easily. He would persist until she fell into his hands again.

How could she move on completely if he kept breaking her defences?

Staring up at his handsome face, she knew that she wouldn't be able to outrun him. If there's one thing that she knew about him, it was that he was a man of conquest. Eli would do whatever he could to achieve what he wanted. Now, that he had his eyes set upon her, Ririna knew that the possibility of him finding out about Skyler, and the deathly game she recently joined would be revealed sooner than later.

There's something different about Eli this time. Although his usual attitude was still the same, the way he looked at her seemed a bit different and unusual. He looked at her like he was yearning for her like she was about to vanish into the thin air. Was he afraid that she would leave again?

"I'm not the same as before," she whispered to him, her eyes never leaving his. Eli let go of her hands and kissed her forehead.

"I know."

"I can't help you with the missions anymore."

"You don't have to," he replied, his lips brushing against the side of her face again.

"I can't protect you anymore."

"I will protect you."

"I'm walking on a different path now."

"I'll follow you," he whispered in her ear before kissing along her jawline.

"We have different worlds."

"You are my world."

Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. Why was he telling her things she could only dream of before? Why now? Why was he complicating her life?

When she didn't respond, he lifted his head and saw her confusion at his words.

"What do you want then?" she finally asked.

"You," he instantly replied, "You beside me. Don't you ever run away again. I'll never let you go. If I have to kill, I will. If I have to court you forever so you won't leave again, I'll do it." He narrowed his eyes at her; his tone made a shiver run up her entire body.

She looked at him in utter astonishment.

Such words that Ririna never thought she would hear from the lips of the devil. Was he professing his love to her? Did the devil finally learn what love was? Didn't he tell her before that someone like him doesn't know what love means? Didn't he say devils are incapable of love?

Did he really love her, or did he just want to possess her just like before?

If he loved her, would that mean the devil now acknowledged that she was his weakness? Someone that could be used against him, be used to ruin him?

With Eli's ruthless and cruel personality, he would never let anyone use someone against him. There were so many times that the devil had been threatened, but what did his enemies receive in the end? Only his wrath and cruelty.

Gamaliel Park was like an impermeable wall. She doubted if there's anyone that was capable of understanding what's going on in his mind.

Could she really trust the words of this devil? She mused.