Chapter 13: Possessiveness? Me? Pfft. 

Briar didn’t hate Cassie’s friends. Not really.

They were fine. They were tolerable.

But she did hate how they were currently hogging all of Cassie’s attention.

The apartment was way too crowded for her liking—Cassie had invited a handful of friends over for a casual hangout, which somehow turned into an impromptu party. There were snacks, drinks, music playing in the background, and absolutely no space on the couch for Briar to stake her claim next to Cassie.

So she sat off to the side, perched on the armrest, arms crossed, tail flicking irritably behind her as she watched.

Cassie, of course, was in the center of it all—laughing, talking, glowing in the warm atmosphere of her friends.

And Briar?

Briar felt like an outsider in her own home.

She wasn’t good at this kind of thing—small talk, socializing, being normal. She didn’t get the easy way Cassie navigated conversations, the way she could bounce between stories and jokes and laughter without a second thought.

Briar had tried, at first.

She’d made a few snarky comments. They’d mostly landed. But eventually, Cassie had gotten too caught up in conversations with her friends, and Briar had faded into the background.

And she hated it.

She tried not to sulk. Really, she did. But then Jake, one of Cassie’s old college buddies, sat next to her, and everything went downhill from there.

Jake was tall, stupidly charming, and way too comfortable touching Cassie’s shoulder when he spoke.

Briar hated him.

And it wasn’t even because he was actually doing anything wrong—he was just being friendly.

But that was the problem.

Cassie was laughing at his jokes. Smiling at him. Leaning in just slightly when he spoke.

And Briar?

Briar felt like a third wheel in her own relationship.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of the couch.

Her tail flicked.

She felt something ugly clawing up her throat, something possessive and unfamiliar, something that made her want to growl and drag Cassie away from all these intrusive humans who didn’t know she already belonged to someone.

But instead of doing that, she stayed silent. She just watched, simmering, letting the feeling fester—

Until Jake leaned in just a little too close and nudged Cassie’s shoulder.

Then Briar snapped.

“Hey, Jake.”

Jake turned toward her, blinking. “Uh, yeah?”

Briar grinned, all fangs. “Did you know that demons can smell fear?”

Jake blinked. “Uh—”

Briar leaned forward, voice silky. “They can also cause it. Very easily.”

Jake gulped.

Cassie groaned. “Briar.”

Briar pouted. “What? I’m just making conversation.”

Cassie shot her a look before turning back to her friends. “Sorry, guys. She’s… Briar.”

Jake laughed nervously. “Uh, yeah, no problem.” But he did scoot slightly farther away from Cassie.

Briar smirked, tail flicking in satisfaction.

Cassie sighed, turning toward her. “Briar. Babe. Are you seriously jealous?”

Briar’s wings puffed slightly. “Pfft. Me? Jealous? Ha! No.”

Cassie raised an eyebrow.

Briar huffed. “I just… don’t like sharing.”

Cassie’s expression softened, and—ugh—she was looking at her like she was cute.

“Babe,” Cassie said gently, taking her hand, “you do know I’m not going anywhere, right?”

Briar scowled. “I know that.”

Cassie squeezed her hand. “And you know you’re the only one I want, right?”

Briar twitched. Her tail curled slightly.

Cassie leaned in, smirking. “Awww, is my demon girlfriend possessive?”

Briar groaned, covering her face with one hand. “Shut up.”

Cassie just laughed, squeezing her hand tighter.

Briar grumbled under her breath but didn’t let go.

She still wasn’t jealous, obviously.

She just liked Cassie way too much.

After Cassie finished teasing Briar for her definitely-not-jealous outburst, things settled down.

Mostly.

Jake was still looking at Briar out of the corner of his eye like she might lunge at him, which, honestly? Fair. She had threatened him, after all. But the rest of Cassie’s friends seemed to take it in stride—either too tipsy to care or just chalking it up to Briar’s “quirky” personality.

Cassie, as always, smoothed things over with her effortless charm.

“Alright, alright,” she said, standing up and clapping her hands together. “Who’s up for a game?”

Instant excitement.

“I’ve got cards!” someone called.

“Let’s do something fun, though,” said another. “Not just poker or whatever.”

“Truth or dare?” Jake suggested.

Briar snorted. “Oh, yeah, that’s a great idea. Let’s definitely give a demon free reign to dare you all into bad decisions.”

Cassie smirked at her. “Scared you’d lose?”

Briar narrowed her eyes. “Oh, you’re on, mortal.”

“I’m in,” the other friend, Mara, added with a smirk. “Though I have a feeling Briar’s gonna skip out on all the dares.”

Briar shot Mara a dry look. “I’m a demon. I don’t back down from anything.” She flicked her dark hair over her shoulder, exuding confidence.

Cassie grinned. “We’ll see. Alright, let’s get this started. Jake, you’re up first.” She grabbed an empty bottle from the table and set it in the center of the group.

Jake, the ever-competitive friend, spun the bottle with a flourish. It spun for a while before it finally came to a stop... landing squarely on Mara.

“Alright, Mara,” Cassie said, leaning forward. “Truth or dare?”

Mara eyed the group for a moment, her smirk widening. “Dare. I’m not scared.”

Cassie didn’t hesitate. “I dare you to kiss Jamie. Right here. Right now.”

The group collectively gasped, and Jamie’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “What?!”

Mara raised an eyebrow and gave Jamie a teasing grin. “Looks like I’m gonna get some action tonight after all,” she said with a wicked grin before leaning in and pressing a quick kiss to Jamie’s lips.

Jamie froze for a second, clearly not expecting it, before she smirked. “Oh, that is how it’s gonna be, huh?”

Briar chuckled from the couch, crossing her arms. “Guess you’re not as innocent as I thought, Mara.”

Mara just shrugged. “Hey, you never know what’s gonna happen in this game.”

Cassie laughed, loving the chaos. “Alright, Jamie, your turn.”

Jamie grabbed the bottle and spun it with a dramatic flair. It slowed down and landed on Briar.

The room went silent for a moment.

“Briar, truth or dare?” Jamie asked, her voice laced with mischief.

Briar gave Jamie an incredulous look. “Dare. What, you think I’m scared?”

Jamie grinned. “Well, you did just act like you were a little too cool for this earlier.”

Briar rolled her eyes. “Okay, whatever. Dare.”

Jamie’s eyes sparkled. “I dare you to text your ex—whoever that is—and tell them you miss them... then send them a picture of yourself. A sexy one.”

The group laughed loudly at Briar’s shocked expression. Briar leaned back in her seat, clearly taken aback. “Are you serious right now?”

Cassie chuckled from beside her. “Ooooh, looks like someone’s a little nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Briar shot back, rolling her eyes again. “It’s just... too easy.” She hesitated, clearly not thrilled by the prospect of sending a sexy photo. After a moment of glaring at her phone, she gave in, typing out a text with a mixture of reluctance and defiance. She attached a picture of her sultry gaze with a slight smirk.

After hitting send, Briar showed the phone to the group, who all leaned in to read her ex’s response:

“Briar, what the hell? You know we’re not together anymore, right? Also, that’s not sexy. That’s just... strange.”

The group burst out laughing as Briar sat back, looking somewhat mortified. “Fine, you win this round. I was trying to be intimidating, okay?”

Cassie laughed. “Oh, I definitely think they were intimidated by that picture.”

Briar shot her a look. “You’re just jealous.”

Jamie, still giggling, gave Briar a knowing look. “So, about those sexy photos... how often do you send those?”

Briar gave a nonchalant shrug. “Only when I’m in the mood. But I don’t usually send them to exes.”

The group collectively laughed, but the awkwardness of the situation faded as Cassie spun the bottle again. It landed on Jake this time.

“Alright, Jake, your turn,” Cassie said, trying to keep the tone light.

“Hit me,” Jake said with a grin, slapping his hands on his knees.

Cassie leaned in. “I dare you to go on Instagram Live and do a dramatic monologue about how much you love your favorite fast food chain.”

The group erupted into laughter. Jake’s eyes widened. “What? No way, that’s ridiculous!”

“Oh, come on,” Cassie teased. “It’s only fair. You know you want to.”

With a dramatic sigh, Jake pulled out his phone and went live. “Alright, alright, fine. Here goes.”

He began his monologue with all the flair of an Oscar-winning actor, exaggerating every word as he professed his undying love for a fast food chain, even going so far as to describe how “the fries are like golden rays of sunshine” and how “the burgers, they’re life-changing.” The group watched in amused silence, and Briar—who hadn’t seen Jake act this way before—started to chuckle.

“You’re so extra,” she said, crossing her arms and looking at Cassie. “And I thought I was dramatic.”

Cassie was too busy giggling to respond, watching as Jake continued his performance, complete with wild gestures and a dramatic finish: “So, here’s to you, Burger King. My one true love. Now, let me have some fries, please.”

The room was filled with applause as he finished. Jake immediately collapsed back on the couch, embarrassed but laughing. “I’ll never live that down.”

“Damn right you won’t,” Briar teased.

“Alright, Briar,” Mara said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness as her spin landed on the demoness. “Since we’re all getting so good at this, it’s time for you to answer a real question.”

Briar rolled her eyes. “Do I really have to play this game anymore? I’m way cooler than all of you.”

“Come on, you can handle it.” Mara leaned in, smirking. “Truth or dare?”

Briar glanced at the group and back at Cassie. The weight of their gazes lingered, a playful tension in the air. Briar raised her chin defiantly. “Fine. Dare. Give it your best shot.”

Mara’s grin grew. “Alright, Briar. I dare you to kiss Cassie. Right here, right now. No backing out.”

The room fell into a heavy silence. Briar’s expression was unreadable as she met Cassie’s eyes. Cassie, in turn, looked at her, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

“Well?” Mara prompted.

Briar leaned in slowly, her gaze never leaving Cassie’s. The others around them were holding their breath, eagerly watching the tension rise.

Cassie didn’t shy away. Instead, she reached up and cupped Briar’s face, pulling her in gently. The kiss was slow at first—soft, almost tentative—before it deepened. The room erupted into a chorus of teasing cheers, but neither Briar nor Cassie seemed to mind.

When they pulled apart, Briar smirked, though there was an undeniable softness in her eyes. “You’re lucky,” she muttered, looking away.

Cassie laughed, her heart fluttering a bit in her chest. “I know. You’re totally not getting out of this game now.”

The game continued, with laughs and dares that pushed boundaries, but the atmosphere had shifted. Cassie and Briar weren’t just playing for fun anymore. There was something deeper now, something neither of them was willing to admit but both could feel lingering in the air.

It started out simple. A little friendly competition. A little teasing. A little demonic pride on the line.

And then Briar got cocky.

“No way in hell I’m losing to a bunch of mortals,” she had declared, right before dramatically downing another drink.

She regretted it almost immediately.

Because as it turned out? Demons were not built for human alcohol.

At first, Briar handled it well—leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, grinning like she was untouchable. But then the shots kept coming, and somewhere between her fourth and fifth drink, she absolutely started feeling it.

The signs were subtle at first.

A little more giggling than usual. A slight sway when she sat up.

And then…

“Briar, truth or dare?”

Briar narrowed her eyes at Cassie. “Dare.”

Cassie smirked. “I dare you to—”

“NO, wait.” Briar held up a wobbly finger, brow furrowed like she was making a Very Important Decision. “Actually. Truth. Yeah. Gimme a truth.”

Cassie bit back a laugh. “Okay, fine. What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?”

Briar leaned in dramatically, swaying slightly, and whispered:

“Agreed to play this stupid game with you.”

The table erupted into laughter.

Briar grinned, pleased with herself—until she moved too fast, wobbled, and very nearly tipped over her chair.

Cassie caught her before she could crash.

“Whoa there, lightweight.”

Briar scowled, clinging onto Cassie’s arm for stability. “I am not a lightweight.”

Cassie raised a brow. “You’re literally holding onto me because you almost fell over.”

“That’s just because—because—” Briar gestured vaguely. “You’re comfy. That’s all.”

Cassie laughed. “Uh-huh.”

Briar pouted. “I could totally drink more if I wanted.”

“No, you absolutely could not,” Cassie said, plucking the drink from her hand.

Briar squinted. “…You wouldn’t be able to stop me.”

Cassie smirked. “I literally just did.”

Briar stared at her, then down at her now-empty hand, then back at Cassie, looking personally betrayed.

The group was still dying of laughter as Briar dramatically flopped into Cassie’s lap in defeat.

“This game is stupid,” she muttered against Cassie’s stomach.

Cassie just ran a hand through Briar’s hair, smiling fondly. “Sure, babe.”

And despite all her grumbling… Briar happily stayed right there.