Page 72 of The Princess and the Demon

“Do what you need to do… before it’s too late.”

I hear soft footsteps in the corridor and turn to see Elora walking around the corner warily. She regards both of us, her lavender eyes falling first to me, then to Allocer.

“Before what is too late?”

My heart softens instantly, and I sit up, taking her in. She’s so beautiful, and the soft green grown Allocer found for her suits her skin tone so well.

I stand, going to her to take her hand in mine.

Allocer glances at me and I give him a look.

He pushes away from the bookcase, walking towards us. “Before it’s too late to eat. Come, Elora I would love for you to join me for breakfast.”

He saunters out of the room and down the corridor. I wait until his footsteps echo down the corridor a ways before I turn to Elora.

I pull her into my arms, inhaling her scent deeply.

“I have to go for a little while, but I will be back soon.” I lay my cheek against the top of her head.

She pulls back, her eyes searching mine. I try to convey to her what I can’t say right now before I lean in, placing a soft, lingering kiss against her lips.

She grasps my upper arms, melting against me.

I groan against her mouth before I place a soft lingering kiss against her forehead.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”

Elora turns to walk away from me, pausing at the threshold. She looks back over her shoulder at me, her expression unreadable.

“Hurry up.” She says before she walks away, following after Allocer.

I use the portal to transport to my own realm through the gilded door. As soon as I am on my own plane, the energy within me shifts.

Anger fills me.

That red skinned demoness almost cost me my mate.

She would pay.

There wasn’t a ton of laws regarding mates in these realms, as it was considered an extinct possibility. It wasn’t the first time that one of my kind had mate bonded with a human, but it was so incredibly rare.

Now more than ever.

Hands clenched at my sides, I stalk to my chambers, throwing open the heavy door. I gesture to the fireplace, and a fire roars to life, exploding from the hearth, mimicking the anger within me.

I move to the table, plopping down in a chair. I open my hand, and a scroll shoots out from the bookshelf.

I unroll it gingerly, reading the words on the page that still shimmer like water. Running my finger along them, I watch as they sparkle before returning to their previous state.

A thousand years… or your death. Whichever comes sooner.

The words of the contract echo in my mind. She was willing to give up a thousand years to save a child.

What would she do when she found out she could spend eternity here with me?

Would she choose to? Would she choose to leave?

She was a creature of the Earth, not of this realm. I wasn’t familiar enough with this to know just how much of her would change to accommodate our bond.

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