Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 14761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 14761 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 74(@200wpm)___ 59(@250wpm)___ 49(@300wpm)
When Gemma’s supposed to terrify her appointed victim, she ends up captivated instead. Caleb, a romantic who believes in all things supernatural, finds her adorably pink-skinned, horned form more alluring than alarming. But as their steamy night unfolds and unexpected feelings bloom, Gemma must choose between her demonic duties and the human who makes her feel anything but monstrous.
Katee Robert’s Beautiful Nightmare is part of Scared Sexy, a deliciously dark collection of Halloween romance where things that go bump in the night might just steal your heart. These seductive stand-alone stories blend chills and heat in the perfect Halloween treat—each designed to be devoured in one sitting
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter 1
You can do this, Gemma. Just like in training.”
I shift on my hooves, nervous sweat popping up in places that are only terrifying to me, not the sleeping human whose night I’m about to ruin. “Just like in training,” I repeat. “Easy peasy.”
Ralph, the demon I’ve spent months shadowing, places a large hand on my shoulder. Most of us demons are shape-shifters by nature, molding our bodies at our whim or to meet a specific demand. Our job, in particular, requires a certain . . . style.
Ralph embodies it effortlessly. He’s easily ten feet tall, his body a little too lean to support his elongated bone structure. He’s bipedal and vaguely human shaped, but he’s taken his job to heart, and each limb has one joint too many. His fingers have two extra. His skull is similar to a horse’s skull, bare and white and with a long nose, and the deep pools of darkness where his eyes are radiate kindness. “Breathe, Gemma.”
The tightness in my chest says I haven’t been breathing at all for several long beats. Demons don’t technically need to breathe . . . I don’t think? But I do breathe, and it seems important and no one has ever told me that I shouldn’t do it, so not breathing fills me with panic. I suck in an inhale, choking on the air that rushes into my compressed lungs. “Sorry. I can do this. I know I can do this.” Even if all evidence points to the contrary.
Normal demons need only about a month of training before they take off on their own, haunting their targets with ease. Normal demons don’t go through three freaking trainers before they land on one who takes pity on them and basically holds their hand through what should be as natural as breathing.
Except, as evidenced by my constantly forgetting to do it, I’m not that great at breathing either.
“Gemma.” Ralph clasps my other shoulder, forcing me to look at him and him alone. I know he’s terrifying—I’ve seen humans literally piss themselves when he reveals himself to them—but I want nothing more than to cling to him and beg for a little more time. If I had more time, surely I’d figure out where my natural well of confidence is hiding. Surely . . .
I hiccup out a sound that’s upsettingly close to a sob. “I can’t do this.”
“Gemma.” Ralph squeezes my shoulders. There’s no flesh on his hands, so his fingers poke me, but it’s comforting all the same. “You’re ready. You just have to believe it. They’re humans. They jump at shadows, and it’s their spooky season. They’re as primed as they can be to terrorize. They even seek out the scares during this month. Beyond that, you’ve spent a lot of time perfecting your . . . form.”
The slightest hesitation there. I have to clamp my jaw tight to keep a whimper inside. Even Ralph doubts me. How could he not? Every single time I’ve tried to do this, even with his guidance, I’ve messed it up. I’m a terrible demon, and an even more terrible sleep paralysis demon. Sometimes I can’t even paralyze my humans.
But I am proud of my form, even if it’s wildly different from Ralph’s. He encouraged me to put my own spin on it, and so I did. I like my bubblegum-pink skin and my gorgeously curving, pale-gray horns and the bright-silver claws that tip my fingers. I made my eyes upsettingly large and just as dark as Ralph’s.
I take a deep breath, and then another. He’s worked so hard to make me as ready as possible. I can’t let him down. “I can do this?”
Ralph doesn’t seem to register that I basically just asked him instead of told him. He exhales in relief. “Yes, you can.” He turns me around, nudging me toward the portal that will lead me to my human. My victim. “Now, you’re running out of night. Go.” He unceremoniously shoves me in.