It's weird to see Kieran like this. His tall frame is pulled into a tight crouch; his elbows are perched on his knees and his palms cover his face. This vulnerability is a side that he's never shown me before. Flames crawl up the walls, but nothing burns and there's no heat coming from them.

"How is this your fault?" I ask, sitting on the carpet in front of him.

"Because I'm supposed to be in charge."

"In charge of all the Incubi?"

He rubs his face and closes his eyes tight.

"Yes." He stands up and starts pacing. "If Asmodeus were the one making the rule, these bastards would never have defied him. But it's not him—it's me. They don't fucking take me seriously and I know it. They think I'm soft... maybe I am. I'm certainly not the heartless psychopath Asmodeus was."

His voice is strained and laced with emotion. Pain is practically radiating from him and the fire at the edges of the room seems to build with his anxiety. I've gotten so used to Kieran being this cool, lighthearted flirt. Seeing him like this is heartbreaking.

"It's not a bad thing that you're not a psychopath."

"No, but that was kind of the point. I'm not Asmodeus." He sits down on the bed with a heavy sigh. "I thought I had a shot to be better than him, to actually change things. I was supposed to protect people from shit like this now. But of course I couldn't. I'm not a leader. I should never have gotten these powers."

"Why do you say that?"

He tugs at his hair and groans.

"Because nobody in their right mind would see my dumb ass and think, 'now there's a man I would trust with a massive amount of power.' Pretty much anyone else would have been a better choice. Let's face it—I'm not the guy for this job."

I've only known Kieran for a few weeks, but I can already tell that he's wrong about that. There's more to him than tight jeans and innuendo.

I sit down beside him on the bed and wrap an arm around his shoulder. He looks up at me with wide eyes, as though the act of affection was completely foreign to him.

"You are the right guy for the job."

"Red..."

"No, no. You are." I grab his shoulder and turn him to face me. "The fact that you see this as an opportunity to make a difference tells me all I need to know. So you're not an evil mastermind—that's good. The world has enough assholes who only care about themselves."

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he wipes a tear from his cheek. The fire begins to subside, which I assume is a good sign.

"Well, shit," he says with a chuckle. "The whole 'crying like a lil bitch' thing isn't exactly a turn on, is it?"

"A wise man once told me that weakness wasn't a measure of who someone is."

"Wise man, eh? Was he hot?"

"He was fine," I tease, shrugging.

"Ohhh so you think I'm fiiine," he says with an emphasis that totally changes the meaning.

I can't help but laugh. His eyes lock with mine and he leans forward until our faces are just inches apart.

I'm not sure who closes the remaining distance, but somehow our lips connect and a warm sensation blossoms in my chest. I feel his hand brush against my jaw. It's soft and sweet—the last thing I imagined from Kieran.

And I may have imagined this a few times.

He breaks the kiss and looks at me with a combination of confusion and awe.

"Was that a pity kiss, Red?" He smiles, but lingers with his lips close to mine.

Was it? No. Who wouldn't want to kiss this man? He's gorgeous and funny and sweet.

But maybe a part of me wanted to make him smile again.

"Not pity," I say. "Just seemed like you could use a distraction."

I wrap my hand around the back of his neck and tug him in for another kiss. In an instant, a switch seems to flip in him—like I've woken him up. He lets out a gruff hum that vibrates against my lips and he leans hard into our kiss. His hands migrate up and down my body, one grabbing a handful of my ass while the other sneaks beneath my shirt and rests against my lower back.

I push him down onto the bed and jump on top of him, resting a knee on either side of his hips. His pupils are a mile wide, completely eclipsing his irises. His night-black eyes are striking and otherworldly, and—if I'm being honest—really hot.

"Well, you certainly know how to distract a man." He smiles wide and it melts my insides.

That's it—no more talking, no more self-doubt. More smiles. More kissing.

I lean down and catch his bottom lip between my teeth, tugging slightly and eliciting a throaty moan that sends shivers up my spine.

In a swift almost-effortless move, he flips us so that he's on top of me, kissing along my neck and collarbone.

The lighting seems to dim suddenly and something feels different. When he pulls himself back, I realize it's too dark to see him anymore. The entire mood shifts and panic creeps up my spine.

What's happening? Is this a trick? Is this Vic? Why can't I see anything?

I panic and scream, which elicits a scream from the figure above me. Pumpkin breaks into a piercing squeal and I hear him scramble across the floor. I frantically grope for anything on my bedside table to help me. I don't find the switch for the lamp but I find a sharp file that I use on Pumpkin's hooves. Without thought, I stab it into the shoulder of the person on top of me.

The room erupts in screams, and I can't really tell if they're coming from me, Pumpkin, or the person above me. The lights turn on and I squint, looking around frantically as I try to make sense of what's happening. Zahra appears in the doorway with wide eyes and a baseball bat tightly clenched in her hands.

"Sam what's g-"

She stops when she sees the man on top of me in my bed. As my eyes adjust to the light, I realize that it is in fact Kieran and I may have just stabbed him in the shoulder.

Talk about a mood killer.

Zahra squeaks and covers her eyes in a hurry.

"I'm so sorry! I thought... Oh my g-... I heard screams," she says as she stumbles backward out of the room. She grabs the door and closes it behind her.

I look back at Kieran. His hands are resting on either side of my shoulders and he looks slightly shellshocked.

"Wha-... You stabbed me?" He shakes his head and pulls the file out of his shoulder. "Is it weird that I'm a little turned on?"

He smirks and I slap his arm.

"What are you doing here? Are you even here? I mean here here?"

He laughs and shakes his head, rolling onto the bed beside me.

"I knew Asmodeus could travel through dreams into real life, but I've never done it before. Not actually sure how I did it." He holds his hands out above his head and looks at them. "New power unlocked, I guess."

I look him over and realize he's only wearing his boxers. His bronze chest is muscular and well-defined, as if Michaelangelo sculpted a wet dream into a human being. His hair is tied back into a messy bun, with a few loose pieces hanging down.

"Wha-... Why are you in your boxers?"

"Oh," he says with a soft chuckle. "This is what I wear to bed."

My eyes narrow.

"You were just wearing a red shirt. I swear, I... I saw it." My eyes roam his body again, just to confirm that he's no longer wearing the button-up shirt he had on moments ago.

Strictly for confirmation.

"That was in the dream. I can wear whatever I want in dreams. Perks of the gig."

"So what you're saying is..." I say, tapping on his arm with my index finger. "You dressed up just to see me?"

He scrunches his face to the side in a reluctant smile.

"You caught me, Doll."

Another high-pitched pig squeal draws our attention and we both look toward the closet, where a concerned Pumpkin has buried himself in a pile of clothes. Kieran shoots up with his brows raised in shock.

"Holy shit it's a pig!"

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A/N: Hey friends! Happy Tuesday! Thanks so much for the reads and love. I know I say this all the time, but every comment, vote, read, and share is very meaningful to me. This past couple of weeks has been personally challenging and on top of that I got the flu, so it's been a rough one. Does anyone have any good Wattpad book recs to share? I need some good, fun, mindless reading. ❤️