"Smells good. Want."

"Ah-ah! No touching!" Carolyn said.

"WANT!"

"Stop being such a child!" She scolded. "They need to cool down first."
"Who are you talking to?" Lio asked.

She looked surprised towards her boyfriend who stood in the open door. She hadn't heard him come home. She looked around but they were alone in the kitchen. He frowned and strode towards her fast, grabbing a chunk of her hair and pulling her head towards him.

"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" He asked.
"I dyed it black," she answered.
"I can see that. It's ugly. Go out and get this shit fixed now!" He ordered.

He let go but looked down at her nails.

"Why are your nails red?" He asked.
"I painted them," she answered.

He grabbed one of her hands, bending her fingers backwards in a painful hold.

"You look like a whore!" He snarled.
"He likes black and red!" She cried.
"Who?" He leaned in closer. "Who are you fucking behind my back?"
"No one!" She cried louder in pain. "It's not a who. It's... It's..."

She heard a low growl nearby. Lio didn't seem to catch on to it. He was too caught up in his own anger. The growl was a warning but not towards her. Towards him. It comforted her and gave her the strength to push through the pain, stop crying and straighten her back.

"It's not human!" She said firmly.
"Is it the demon again?" He laughed.

He let go of her hand, stepping backwards while laughing, placing his hands on his stomach as his laughter grew. She had tried telling him about the demon on a few occasions and he never believed her. No one believed her. She had even been in a mental institution at one point because she wouldn't shut up about the demon. Lio was the first person after being released years back that she had let in, and in return he abused her trust, her mind, her heart and her body.

"It's licorice cupcakes with raspberry cream filling," she turned to look at her cupcakes.
"What?" He stopped laughing. "Why are you talking about your cupcakes now?"
"He likes anything black and red," she said.
"I don't give a damn about your cupcakes!" He snarled. "Look at me!"

When she didn't turn back around, he made her. He spun her around by the shoulder and pushed her into the countertop. A sharp pain went through her lower back, making her grit her teeth and hiss.

"I said, look at me, you dirty whore!" He screamed.

She could hear that low growl again. The demon was close. Still hiding somewhere but close enough to come forward if she asked it to. She had never asked it to show itself to anyone. She had always tried to fix her own problems but she couldn't anymore. Lio was a problem too big and he was never gonna let her go.

"He's real. The demon," she said.
"Really?" He smirked. "What is he gonna do? Is he gonna hurt me?"
"If I ask him to," she said.

He slapped her once and chuckled. She tried fighting the tears but she couldn't. They didn't fall out of fear anymore, only out of pain. She couldn't control that part.

"Want!"

"Well, where is he then?" He asked.

Another slap and more tears. She sucked in her breath. All she had to do was ask. The demon would do it in a heartbeat. It had always told her it was ready to tear the world apart for her if she wanted it to. She had never asked anything of it besides a bit of company from time to time.

"Want him!"

"Tell him to hurt me," he mocked. "Where are you, demon? Where are you at, huh? You're just a scared, little boy, aren't you? A scared, little boy stuck inside Carolyn's sick mind."
"He likes cupcakes," she said.
"Does he now?" He laughed. "Is that why you always bake that stupid shit? For some made up demon to use as an excuse to eat more?"
"He showed up around the time I became a teenager. I made chocolate cupcakes that day and suddenly one was missing. I thought I had dropped it on the floor and I looked down but it wasn't there. When I looked up, another one was missing. I caught him when he tried to steal the third one," she said.

Anger floated through him as she continued to ramble about the demon. He never cared for that story and she was taking it too far this time. He backhanded her so hard that she fell down to the floor.

"Shut up!" He barked.
"He loves me," she defied his command again. "He's always loved me. He wants to protect me and so far I haven't let him. I just wanted a friend. Not an enforcer. But you're making it so hard to hold back."
"I said, shut up!" He screamed. "I'll fucking make you shut up!"

He grabbed a kitchen knife. She tried backing away over the floor. He followed with a few steps and sat down on her thighs. He raised the knife over his head and all she could see was that shining blade about to go down into her.

"Balor!" She screamed.

It was like watching in slow motion but she knew it went fast. Balor was faster than any human. Lio was pulled off her and the knife dropped to the ground. She heard screams of pain from the man that used to cause her pain. She closed her eyes, trying to block out everything. And then everything went silent for a few seconds.

She heard movement in the kitchen but she kept her eyes closed. Someone sat down on the floor. There was a soft sound of a back connecting with a wooden cupboard door and then the unmistakable sound of chewing with an open mouth. She opened her eyes to see the demon Balor sitting there, munching on one of her cupcakes.

"They're really good," he said.
"Yeah?" She sat up slowly. "It's a new recipe. I wanted to try extra hard for you this time."
"I always love your cupcakes," he said.

She crawled over to him and sat next to him. He held the cupcake up to her mouth so she could take a bite. She nodded while chewing, agreeing with him silently. That recipe was a keeper. She looked over at Lio's dead body.

"What about him?" She asked.
"I'll take him. I can't just eat your cupcakes. I need real food," he answered.
"That's cannibalism," she said.
"Only if you're a human and I'm not," he winked.
"I always wondered how it would go down if I allowed you to step up for me," she said.

He grinned proudly, placed an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.

"I'll always protect you," he said. "You're my friend."
"I love you, Balor," she said.

She leaned her head down on his shoulder and continued to look at Lio. She didn't need Balor to say he loved her too. Love didn't exist in the demon world. He felt it, he loved her just the same, but there was no word for it in their world and they were never taught to express it. He expressed it in his own way like he had just done.

"We were just kids when we met," he said.
"Why did you walk into my life?" She asked.
"I caught the scent of those damn cupcakes and I couldn't turn away no matter how hard I tried," he giggled.
"And I've been making them for you ever since. You deserve them," she said.
"Yes, I do," he grinned. "Mind packing them up for me while I pick up the dirtbag over there?"

She raised her head from his shoulder and gave him a little smile.

"You're not gonna be too full after devouring him?" She asked.
"I need my dessert," he smirked. "And you know I'll harass your ass tonight if I don't get my sweets."