by Kiersten Fay
Once again between her legs, Ethanule grabbed a hold of her thighs and roughly pulled her toward him. Then in one smooth motion, he kissed her hard, just as he shoved into her body.
Sonya cried out from the pain.
Freezing completely, lips still at hers, Ethanule opened his eyes. They grew wide while hers burned with unshed tears.
He pulled back fast to study her, his shaft sliding free. Even before he looked down in horror, she knew there would be blood.
“Fuck!” His voice shook the room. He pulled up his pants and had them zipped and buckled in no time. He grabbed his shirt and coat, heading for the door. “How could you not have told me!”
His anger fueled her own, but her throat was too tight and she could only stare at him through narrow blurry eyes.
Just before he disappeared she heard him mutter, “I’m so fucking dead.”
A wretched tear streamed down her cheek. There had only been one other time in her life when she had cried, and Ethanule would forever remind her of both of them.
Chapter 20
Nadua woke to an unusually chilly morning. The blanket worked well enough, but there was no wall of warm muscle pressed at her back, or a heavy arm draped over her. The lack was felt deep in the pit of her stomach.
Rex sat across from her, poking at the fire. He smiled when he saw she was awake. “Good morning.”
Although she had slept through the night, Nadua still felt tired as she pushed herself up. Her body was sore in places she had forgotten could even get sore. Remembering the reason almost made her smile, until she recalled Marik’s behavior afterward.
Glancing around, she noticed he was not with them. “Where is Marik?”
“He said he was going to hunt down an edisdon.”
“What?”
“I told him they’re not easy, but...”
“Acta, demon! He’d better not kill one. They are intelligent, compassionate creatures. Don’t you demons care about anything but yourselves?”
Rex raised a brow. “We care about survival. Marik said you need their fur to stay warm. And besides, you and he have mated. He’d do anything to provide for you.”
Nadua tilted her head.
He knows?
“Uh, did he tell you that?”
“No, but I can tell.”
She stifled the urge to cover her neck. “Well, it was only the one time. It is never happening again.”
From his seated position by the fire, Rex reached to pluck a fresh log from the pile. “Well, yeah, it can only happen once.”
A dark sense of foreboding slowly crawled through her. “Um, Rex? How permanent is this mate thing?”
His body froze. The log hovered in his grip as his head turned back to her. The disbelief and astonishment in his face was alarming. She was sure now that she didn’t want to know the answer.
“Didn’t Marik explain?”
Oh, gods.
“Explain what?”
“He didn’t explain?” Rex repeated louder.
She shook her head.
Standing, he scrubbed a hand down his face and began to pace. “You’re his mate.” He spread his hands out and shrugged, as if he wasn’t sure what else to say. “It’s forever.”
“What do you mean forever?” She scoffed.
“What other kind of forever is there?”
“But, there’s a way out of it. Right?”
Rex shook his head, his face growing pained. “Not for him there isn’t.”
“Stop being cryptic. What does that mean?”
Rex slouched against the wall and ran his hands through his hair. “He should have explained before he claimed you.”
“Well, obviously he didn’t!”
With a ragged breath, Rex began, “According to our legend, there is only one mate for each of us, and it is fate that brings us together. However, the belief is highly controversial, even among our kind. Anyway, when they are near, a demon can usually identify his destined mate instantly. If it is another demon, that is. When it is not...” He looked at her pointedly. “It seems there are complications.”
“No kidding.” Nadua waved him on.
“When our mate is recognized, we are driven by a desire to claim her, or him, in a female demon’s case. When our fangs are inserted, a type of chemical is injected—”
Her hand flew to the bite on her neck. “I’ve been injected! With what!”
“Uh...” Obviously uncomfortable, Rex continued. “It is so all others will know you are taken and who you belong to.”
Nadua gasped. “I do not belong to Marik!”
Rex swallowed hard, growing more agitated.
“What else, Rex?”
“After the claiming, we only desire our mate’s touch. There are very rare cases of any demon ever straying. But you? You don’t have any such restrictions.” Concerned, he added, “Did he not tell you any of this?”
Her stomach was crumbling and she was afraid the meal from last night was about to be her only response. “Not a word,” she whispered.
“It was not right of him. He should have told you all this before he asked if he could claim you.”
“He didn’t ask,” she replied in a flat tone, staring at the fire.
A snarl lifted her gaze back to Rex.
Blood red eyes swirling with outrage stared back at her. “I will kill him for you.”
“What? No!”
“But it is against our law.” His eyes dimmed back to normal.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nadua sighed. “I don’t want him dead.” Besides, it probably wouldn’t be Marik who ended up dead, she added to herself. “I need to think. I’m going to go down to the pool for a little bit. Don’t kill anyone while I’m gone, okay?”
Down in the warm chamber, Nadua plopped onto a jutting boulder and leaned her back against the wall. Her mind swirled at a nearly painful speed, like it was stuck in a twister. She tried to slow it by focusing on the natural heat and the mirrored surface of the water.
Demon mating was much more serious than she could have imagined. How could Marik have done that to her without her permission? He’d practically wed her against her will, while distracting her with the most delicious orgasm.
And then he’d regretted it directly after.
No matter what Rex said, Nadua didn’t believe there was nothing that could be done. She wasn’t going surrender her future and allow herself to be tied to a brash demon forever.
Soft echoing voices interrupted her thoughts.
Her back went straight as she listened hard. It didn’t sound like Marik or Rex. Again, a muffled male voice sounded. A feminine timbre followed. Nadua slowly stood, looking around for the source.
Then she noticed a tiny hint of light from behind the boulder she’d been sitting on. Setting the lantern down, Nadua pulled the hefty rock back, revealing a small opening. Tentatively, she lowered to the ground to peek inside.
The voices came louder. Definitely a woman and a male. The male was talking. Nadua could make out a few words. They were Cyrellian. She leaned in farther.
“We can keep you safe, Lidian.”
Lidian!
Surprised, Nadua jerked up and banged her head on the roof of the small tunnel. “Ow.” She rubbed the sore spot just as the voices went quiet.
“What is it?” the female asked.
“I thought I heard something.”
More silence.
“Let’s go back,” she pleaded. “Being this far away worries me. What if Jaxsin comes searching for me?”
“I would kill him before I let him near you again.”
Nadua mused, what is it with guys wanting to kill each other today?
Swift footsteps dimmed into silence.
By the sound of it, the boy who had spoken was around the same age as Lidian. It seemed they had been alone, as well. Nadua might not have any weapons, but she was certain she could take down a couple of Cyrellian kids if she needed to.
Scooting along
on her belly, Nadua wormed her way through the narrow space. It was so tight she had to push the lantern ahead of her a few feet, move forward, and then push the lantern again. Loose sand fell from above, coating her hair and arms. More of it pressed down on her back and legs. After a few minutes, she had to bite back a growing sense of claustrophobia and a building panic. She had no idea if the tunnel would ever end, and she didn’t think she could wiggle her way backwards.
Then the tunnel grew even smaller. To her horror, the lantern flickered, sucking the light away and then bursting back to life. She’d almost lost it then, but when the light had dimmed, she spotted the end of the tunnel only a few more feet ahead. With renewed enthusiasm, she surged onward.
Nadua had to inch one shoulder forward and then the other. Back and forth. Sharp rocks scratched her as she went, but eventually she was out. It wasn’t until she stood that Nadua realized how fast her heart had been beating.
Entering that hole to return was now a terrifying thought. Why had she thought that was a good idea? Soft footstep in the distance reminded her.
She glanced around her surroundings, and found she was alone in a dark passageway. To her right, ancient looking rocks fanned out toward her in varied positions, as though there had been a cave-in long ago. In the other direction, the cave split in two.
Above were little keyholes in the stony roof, allowing natural light in and making her lantern unnecessary. Afraid someone might happen upon it, she stashed it inside the little tunnel. She then piled a few rocks in front of it.
Nadua crept along the path she believed the couple had taken, being careful where she stepped. Any small sound could alert whoever she was following.
A voice echoed from the far end of the cave. She planted her body in a tight, dark corner. After several moments passed in silence, she continued forward, stopping often to listen for sign of others approaching.
The light only seemed to be getting brighter, yet the air remained moderately comfortable. If she was approaching an exit, it should be getting colder.
Gradually, the edges of the cave transitioned from its natural rocky formation into something more contrived. Intricate pillars carved from the rock stood on either side of a wide arched opening. Rex had said there was a tribe living within the caves. She was now sure that she’d found their lair.
Curiosity tickled the edge of her mind. She peeked through the doorway and found she was looking over a balcony carved of rock. Past it lay a huge expanse, like a great hall. Near the ceiling, surrounding a sleek dome, was a circumference of windows. From them, light gleamed against perfectly smooth stone walls that seemed to sparkle.
Making sure she didn’t give herself away, Nadua leaned out for a better view. Along the inside balcony walls stood rows of elegant tall doors made of a dark wood, finely etched and polished. Below, stairs led to an open area for gathering, with a large table raised on a dais and surrounded by empty chairs that were neatly tucked in.
A painful breath caught in the back of her throat as her gaze fluttered over an array of elaborate tapestries that decorated various walls. The designs on them were all too familiar. If she didn’t know any better, she could easily delude herself into thinking she’d been teleported back to the palace. Any second now, Ava could come running out of her room to greet her with a catching smile.
But it wasn’t until she noticed the symbol etched directly in the middle of the stone floor that Nadua became sure that she must be hallucinating.
The Dion family emblem.
* * *
Edisdons were more difficult to hunt than Marik initially assumed. At first glance, they looked to be the dimmest sort of creatures, but they had a hidden intellect that easily thwarted his every attempt.
Even the smallest in the pack of five he’d been stalking had anticipated his every move. And, by the gods, were they fast. Their heavy frames were misleading. They should be slow and sluggish, but no doubt they were ten times swifter than he on foot.
Among his attempts, he’d waited in the tree tops, only to be bucked free when he landed on a big male’s back. After that, he realized they were migrating in a straight line. He had run ahead of them and buried himself in the deep snow, planning to burst out and surprise them. Later, when he was positive they should have passed, their trail showed that the pack had given him a wide berth and then resumed their track.
Marik had traveled miles, sniffing out their pungent scent. Nadua needed their fur, and he was determined to get it for her. Unfortunately, he failed to snatch even a hair and was forced to return to the cave with nothing to offer his beautiful mate. Perhaps they could stay in the warm part of the cave until they were found. They weren’t too far from—
A crack to his jaw sent him reeling to the ground. Pain erupted and the metallic taste of blood tingled on his taste buds.
Fists clenched, Rex peered down at him with a mix of repulsion and disgust.
Marik should have expected this. Nadua would have questions, and had obviously directed them at the only other person she could.
Raising his fist again, Rex brought it down hard on Marik’s skull. Marik didn’t even attempt to avoid it. His head ricocheted off the hard frozen ground.
Rex was only following the old law, and rightly so. Nadua deserved better than a miserably dishonored slave who had unintentionally claimed her. She deserved someone who loved her, who would die to protect her.
Another hit darkened his vision.
“Fucker! Fight me!” Rex yelled.
Marik spit blood and replied, “No.”
A kick to his gut had him gasping, clenching in agony.
“Fight me if you think you deserve her!”
“What do you care?” Fire rose in him, thinking Rex wanted her for himself.
She’s mine!
“She doesn’t deserve what you’ve done!” Two more swift, heavy kicks to his face.
I know.
“She’s the only kind person I’ve known in centuries!” Rex kicked him again. “Do you think because she’s not of our kind you can just take her as yours!”
Burst of pain indicated that Marik’s face was bloodied and swelling. “I didn’t mean to. I never meant—”
Marik wasn’t sure if it was a kick or a punch that cut him off, only that it was painful. Was Nadua watching this carnage? Had she sicced Rex on him? He couldn’t find her scent.
“Where is she?”
“She went to be by herself in the spring.”
Dread settled in him. Rex swung again, but Marik seized his fist.
“Are you sure?” Something felt off. He didn’t like her being alone down there. When Rex went silent, Marik shot to his feet. “When did you see her last?”
“It has been a few hours—Where are you going?”
“We can continue this conversation after I’m sure she’s safe.” Marik flew down the narrow passage with Rex right behind him.
Nadua wasn’t there.
The Edge bubbled up.
He slammed Rex against the wall. “Where is she?”
“She came down here, I—” His eyes widened at something past Marik’s shoulder.
Marik tilted his head at a boulder that looked to have been moved. Behind it was a tiny passageway. Too small for either of them, but perfect for a Faieara sized female. Kneeling down, Marik caught Nadua’s scent.
Why would she...?
He peered inside. There was a small amount light trying to get through, but a lump of something on the far end was blocking it.
“Nadua!”
“Shh,” Rex hushed. “You don’t want to alert anyone else.”
“Anyone else? What the fuck do you mean, anyone else?”
Instinctively, Rex took a step back. “I told you, there are people living in the caves. I thought there was no access between here and their territory.”
Marik raked his hands through his hair. Nadua had to have moved the rock to gain access to the small opening. Was she running from him again?
&nb
sp; He took another desperate peek. Still that dark lump hadn’t moved. A horrific picture of Nadua passed out or stuck inside the tiny hole assaulted him. He began frantically digging, pulling away rock and soil.
“You could cause a cave in like that,” Rex warned.
“I must get to her!”
“Come with me. There’s a larger entrance around the mountain.”
“If anything happens to her, I will kill you.”
“I know."
Chapter 21
Nadua stood shocked to her core and looking up at a shadow of her past—long dead, yet standing before her with a familiar smile on his face. At first she had raced down the steps to embrace him on sight, but then reality slammed into her and she grew furious.
He was supposed to be dead.
Cyrus was obviously surprised to see her, and his expression morphed into exuberance as though presented with an old friend.
Abruptly, Nadua slapped him. The sound of it echoed off the slick curved walls. “What is this, Cyrus? Fineas told me you died.” She sucked in a devastated breath and looked around the massive room. “For three hundred years I have mourned the day!” Her fists clenched. “Have you been here? The whole time?”
Cyrus rubbed his cheek, reminding Nadua of a chastised child. “Nadua, girl, calm yourself.”
“Calm? Calm! You are alive and you let us think otherwise! You let me think otherwise!” She could feel herself becoming hysterical. “Why?” she screamed. Her eyes burned, her throat tightened, and she feared she was about to break down and weep.
The noise she was making drew others, and Nadua registered that five rather common-looking Cyrellians had arrows and swords aimed at her. She didn’t care. She stared at Cyrus, waiting for an explanation.
Cyrus slumped his shoulders and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a familiar, echoing growl.
Oh, gods!
A scream issued behind her. Nadua turned as a couple Cyrellian females rushed passed.
Marik, fully demonized, emerged from a darkened passageway. His muscles strained as burning red eyes promised pain and were fixed on her supposed attackers. She couldn’t help but think he looked...magnificent.