Page 34 of Lich's Mate

“Soon, Gorran. Soon.”

13

MEERA

Three short knocks come at my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I say, rising from my seat near the windowsill. Despite the fact that I’ve been here for a few days now, none of this feels like it’s mine. I’m hesitant to touch anything.

A short demon woman in dark clothes enters with a few dresses in hand. If I remember correctly, her name is Dulia. She meets my gaze and sends me a smile. “The master of the house is having breakfast at this time. Rfeft roe on black bread with juice from the finest olyer trees on Ikoth. Would you like to join him?”

I blink slowly. “I don’t know what those foods are.”

“Small eggs from a rare fish,” she explains, setting down the dresses at the foot of my bed. “And the juice is… juice.” She shrugs, then laughs quietly. “You humans have juices back in New Solas, don’t you?”

“Sure we do, but… Not these specific kinds.”

“I believe you’ll enjoy it if you give it a chance,” she replies simply. Then, she gestures towards the dresses. “The master has gifted you these dresses. You came to us with next to nothing, so it’s only fitting that he gives you nice dresses to wear.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. The dresses are beautiful, but I’ve never worn something so elegant before. I raise a brow at her. “Should I put them on?”

Again, Dulia laughs. “My, do you humans have any sort of autonomy at all?”

She doesn’t answer my question, as earnest as it was. Instead, she heads for the door. She bows her head low before exiting and she closes the door gently behind her. Left alone with my thoughts, I stare down at the dresses. Reaching out, my hand passes over the fabric.

“Why would he want me wearing something like this?” I ask aloud. “They’re nice clothes. If he wanted to, he could have me wearing rags around the place. But he doesn’t.”

Is there a chance that he actually likes me?

I grimace at the thought, simply because it’s so unfathomable. This demon only wants me around because I’m valuable to him and his cause. Like the xaphans, he uses me because of what I’m able to give him. Nothing more, nothing less.

My mind keeps pestering me, though. Still, I ignore the thoughts and slip on the dress. I’ve never felt something so smooth passing over my skin before.

Even though Kavian has told me time and time again that I’m welcome here and I can do whatever I want within these estate walls, I still get nervous stepping out of my bedroom.

This time, I found my way into the library. I don’t know how to read these demon texts, they’re written in words that I have never seen before, but I browse them. And I wonder what they’re for.

At the very least, these books give me something to think about as the days pass by. This doesn’t compare to my life back in the village. I used to wake up and get straight to work. Now, I dress in fine clothes, eat lavish foods, and wander around the house aimlessly.

With my chin in my hand, I flip the pages of the book and skim the pictures on each page. “Everything is so strange,” I whisper to myself.

But a familiar presence makes itself known.

“What’s strange?”

Kavian’s voice makes me straighten my back in my seat. My head whips around until I finally find him standing near the doorway of the library, leaning on a bookshelf with his legs crossed at the ankles. Swallowing thickly, my gaze shoots back down to my book. I’m doing my best to ignore the burning feeling in my ears.

“The book I’m reading,” I eventually say. He’s wearing loose-fitting dark clothes that show off the expanse of his upper chest. I’m fighting the urge to stare. “I don’t understand it.”

“Well, you’re a human,” he replies simply. “I wouldn’t expect one of you creatures to understand demonic texts. That would be an interesting surprise if you could.”

I know I shouldn’t, but I somewhat wish that he would bring himself closer to me. He’s treated me with respect ever since I arrived, guarding my privacy and respecting my wishes. But he’s an enigma that I’m aching to learn more about.

Despite everything I’ve learned about demons, and everything I already know, I’m pushing that all to the side to give Kavian a chance to prove me wrong.

He clears his throat, which makes me glance at him. “Would you like to learn how to read?”

I’m already imagining myself with him, sitting at a table with a book sprawled in front of us. He would point to the words, asking me to repeat them. And I wouldn’t focus because his eyes are too entrancing to look at. The smell of him would encapsulate me, making it difficult to think about anything else.

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