Berries and Greed

The demiurgus just let out a strangled sound.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” the high priest whispered to me in a conspiratorial tone as we made our way down the hall, his arm tucked through mine. “He is already besotted. You can see it in his eyes.”

Could you? I side-eyed the demiurgus, and he quickly looked over at me, his face filled with dread. We shared a brief, meaningful look that told me he also had no idea how to handle this. It relaxed me somewhat. Maybe it was too risky to chew him out, but we could calmly talk about why this was a monumentally terrible idea.

Or maybe if he did seem interested in the slightest once we were alone, I could act all coy and ashamed when I told him, No, I’m sorry Mr Greater Being, I’m afraid you can’t stick your giant ethereal penis inside my vagina. Oh, I’m so distraught that I won’t get to experience it. What use am I if I can’t have your big, awe-inspiring cock tunnelling through my insides?

Even if I did subscribe to the cult’s beliefs, I was pretty sure I’d be a terrible partner to a demiurgus. They were known to be dominant and overbearing, rumoured to be a little bit feral during sex. The exact opposite of what I was interested in, both in and out of the bedroom. I wasn’t good at letting people tell me what to do, and nothing turned me off faster than someone trying to take the lead in bed.

Essentially, I was one hundred percent wrong for a demiurgus. Now I just had to convince him of that, without giving away the long con my aunt and I had been playing at this place.

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Chapter Six

Beryl

The heavy door closed behind us with a resounding thud, leaving us alone in the weird black bedroom with its enormous bed covered in satin sheets. I eyed it and then him, wondering if he was into that. I hated satin sheets. Beds were supposed to be cosy and warm, not feel like a slip-n-slide.

Neither of us spoke at first, and in the silence I ran through my list of options if he suddenly lunged at me. Demiurgus weren’t known for being violent in that way, but still. He was just some guy. With a tail and claws and frondy ears.

At least living in this cult and having to study the demiurgus meant I knew all their weak points, which were not too dissimilar to a human’s. Groin, eyes and throat. The eyes… well, I’d have trouble reaching those in a rush. But the groin? That was nice and accessible for a well-placed haymaker.

The demiurgus suddenly moved in a rush, making me tense up, but he didn’t come near me. He strode further away, toward another set of double doors, practically tripping over his own long legs to get there.

“Let’s… uh, let’s talk in here.” He pulled them open with ease, revealing an equally dark and dreary sitting room. I immediately followed, wanting to get away from the bed in case he got any ideas.

Neither of us made a move to sit, instead hovering awkwardly by the couches. His shoulders rose in a great, silent sigh before he turned to face me.

“I, uh… Beryl, right?”

“Yes.”

When I said nothing else, he coughed awkwardly and held out his hand, then dropped it as his ears twitched. “I’m Greid.”

“Okay,” I said blandly, not particularly interested. “Look, I don’t—”

“I don’t really want to mate you,” he blurted, the frondy tips of his ears fluttering so rapidly I heard them brushing against his black hair. “I don’t know why I said that. I didn’t come here for…” He stopped and rubbed his face with a long-fingered hand as I exhaled a relieved breath.

“Okay, that’s good,” I said cautiously. His hand immediately dropped, dark features twisting with a hint of offence.

“I thought—” He looked at me and away again. “It seems like that’s what you all… want.”

“Not me,” I muttered before I could stop myself, then went stiff when his head cocked, eyes flaring with intrigue. Like I was a puzzle he suddenly wanted to solve. The gesture reminded me of a curious animal, which in turn promptly reminded me that I was speaking to a non-human person. I’d rarely spoken to demiurgus before—rarely interacted with them. They were still kind of a mystery to me, despite how much I knew about them thanks to the cult.

“Why not?” he asked with definite interest, his voice more animated than I’d yet heard it.

Oops. Did they have cameras in here? I tried to look around furtively. Was the high priest eagerly watching our interaction, hands clasped under his chin like he was witnessing a romance for the ages?

I didn’t want to risk it, so I decided to ignore the question and take a different route. “Look, you don’t want me to be your mate.”

He took a step back, shaking his head. “I already told you, I didn’t come here for that.”