Page 22 of His Human to Charm

“What about you?” Thro asks as we work on getting him into a sitting position.

He cringes, tears spilling from his lids as he grinds his teeth against one another. I rub his back as we keep moving, hoping it’s somewhat of a comfort. We need to be on our feet and able to protect ourselves when the other demon comes back. The only chance we have of surviving is killing him. Not that I particularly want to kill someone, but I also very much do not want to die either.

“My name’s Alice. I haven’t mated my mate yet, but I will be soon if he can find us.”

In all honesty, I wish I had mated Toron a lot sooner now that I’m kidnapped. He would’ve been able to find me if we were mated because the tether would already be bound around us. Deja told me that Dath pulls on hers just for fun to see if he can get her to join him wherever he is. They told me they can feel all of the tethers connected even though their mate’s tether is the strongest. If I had mated Toron, everyone would at least have an idea of where we are.

“He’s going to find us, though?” Thro’s eyes go wide, almost like he hates that idea as much as he hates the idea of being stuck in this house with a demon that just hit him.

“He will,” I say with a smile, trying to reassure Thro, but he only shakes his head, wincing at the pain it causes him. He stands to his feet, much too fast, and almost topples right back over. I catch him, supporting him under his armpit with my shoulder. He takes a few steadying breaths and then bolts for the door.

“Wait!” I yell the word, but it doesn’t do much.

Instead, Thro flings the door open like he’s ready to bolt but then freezes in the doorframe. I’m right behind him, looking over his shoulder to see what has him frozen in fear. My heart does a little flutter when I see the giant red demon pinning our attacker against a tree with his claws deep in the other’s throat.

“It’s okay.” I rub my hand along Thro’s arm, trying to get him to calm down. “That’s my mate, we’re safe.”

Thro’s eyes widen even more as Toron’s claws sink into the demon’s throat and rip it from his body. I cringe as I watch the male fall to the ground, but it’s more important to me to get Thro safe and taken care of. His body shakes even harder, his claws fully retracted and fists clenched.

I give Toron one last glance, gasping when I see the deep lacerations in his chest. Thro takes the opportunity to flee back into the house, letting the door slam shut.

“He will kill me too,” Thro says as he cowers in one of the corners. “You should have told us... He is lost to the bloodlust...” Thro keeps speaking, his words turning into soft hisses and clicks the faster he goes, my translator unable to pick up everything.

I push one of the chairs under the door handle and walk over to Thro. There’s a knife on the table that I grab, just in case, but I don’t know if I actually believe him when he says Toron will kill him, too.

“My mate is a good male.” I try to calm him as I walk closer. “He won’t hurt you. You’re a child.”

“I was there when they took you. I saw them hurt you.” Thro’s eyes widen as the door is shaken. “Please just tell him to be quick, yes?”

“No, he won’t hurt you.” I narrow my eyes at the door, waiting to see Toron’s next move.

He did look pretty angry when he was outside and didn’t seem phased at all by the cuts on his torso. Maybe Thro is right about him being lost to the bloodlust and rage, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be thinking rationally.

He wouldn’t kill a child, right?

The door rattles again before I hear Toron slam his entire body against it. The chair creaks under the pressure, and a vile taste rises in my throat. He might actually try to hurt this child.

“Stay behind me,” I say, clenching my teeth and hoping I can look somewhat menacing to get Toron to back down from trying to attack Thro. Yeah, it’s really menacing when I can feel tears falling down my face.

He won’t hurt me. No matter how lost to his rage he is, he would never hurt me. I know this for a fact. Know it so well that I can’t imagine a scenario where he would hurt me without killing himself first. The door rattles again, the chair finally splintering and falling apart as the door swings open.

Toron stands in the doorway for a moment before his eyes land on me. He’s not completely there. I can tell just by looking at him. His chest is heaving, his claws long, and his fangs pointed. His eyes pin on the male behind me, a growl reverberating through the building that has Thro whimpering and me tensing with the knife in my hand.

I pull my teeth back in a snarl and hold the knife up like I have any idea about what to do with it. Toron’s eyes flash for a moment as he looks at the knife in my hand. He takes a step closer to us, and I gnash my teeth at him in warning. This little demon behind me saved my life, and I’ll be damned if I let my mate kill him now.

“Mate.”

I almost can’t make out the word Toron’s saying because it comes out as more of a growl. My hand falls an inch before I flex my fingers around it and hold it back up.

“My mate.”

I definitely hear it correctly that time. My body relaxes, the knife in my hand starting to feel too heavy with all of my exhaustion. Thro is still trembling behind me, but Toron’s focus is all on me.

“Mate.” I nod my head, hoping he just needs me to confirm it so he’ll calm down some.

Toron shudders, his knees hitting the ground, and then the rest of him follows. He’s face down on the stone floor before I can fully understand that his body is giving up now that he knows I’m okay. Or as okay as I can be considering how much death and blood and violence there’s been today. I rush over to him, kneeling beside him and grabbing his face between my palms.

“You better not die. I’m supposed to talk to you.” I try to keep my voice light because I’ve never seen him look anything other than menacing and powerful. Neither of which he looks right now. Toron says something too soft for me to hear, and then his eyes are closing, blood pooling underneath his body, and I’m left to care for him with a terrified young.

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