I have my essence still—otherwise I would not be able to bond her to me, and now that I’m certain she’s mine, I must—but, to my wonder and dismay, so does she. I’d thought that, when I took her arm and held her close, she’d instantly know I am her male and pass it along to me.
That… is not what happened.
I had carried her through the portal with me, bringing her to Sombra, and once we landed on the outskirts of Mavro, I waited for her to give me her essence. She struck me instead. It didn’t hurt, and I almost thought she was being a playful little human—and then I saw the unmistakable fury on her adorable face.
I have not met many humans, but I think it is fair to say that she is the most attractive of her kind. Everything about her is attractive to me. Her dim yet pretty blue eyes, the same shade as Duke Haures’s. Yellow ringlets that bounce everytime she moves—and a pair of bountiful breasts that, yes, also seem to bounce as she paces away from me. She’s wearing a slip of a covering, showing off a human form that is so different than those of a demoness. If a male didn’t know his own strength, she could be broken in half, she’s that fragile, and her missing horns are surprisingly erotic to me.
The first time I laid eyes on the mortals, when Duke Haures found his duchess, I admittedly found them strange to look at. They’re soft-looking. Squishy. Weak. Where were the points on their ears? The ridges on their brow? Horns to protect their skulls?
True, instead of horns to battle with, they have breasts to snare their males. They are small, but with a Sombra demon as a mate, they are fiercely protected. Their eyes don’t shine with any light to give insight to their nature, but with Susanna first, then when I had the… pleasure to meet Malphas’s mate, I’ve learned that humans are different, yet vibrant and alive even so.
I wonder what I will learn about my mate…
But that is my biggest problem. With her essence, I would know it all, but she hasn’t shared it. And when I showed my frustration by letting off a soft growl, she spoke at me in her human language.
I know little of it. The duke and duchess sometimes murmur to each other in her tongue, but what they speak of is not my concern. I never thought there would be a reason for me to learn any of those words, especially when a mortal mate would instinctively learn Sombran as soon as she took her male’s essence.
I can tell from her tone that she is not happy with me. That is the last thing I want. My mate should be pleased to see me, not glaring daggers at me with her dark gaze as she spins on her heel, pointing at my chest.
“Dnt knoweer iam,” she says, and there’s a ferocity to the nonsense words that makes my aching cock twitch. I weave another layer of shadow over my lower half to conceal it. Angry as she is, I don’t want my mortal to think I only want to lie with her, instead of making her my forever partner for the rest of my immortal existence. “U kant ex plane cuz idnt knowat ursayin.”
Is she upset that the essence exchange didn’t work? She was in the same quarters where I sensed Dagon’s essence. The way she reacted upon seeing me—with more curiosity than fright—makes me wonder if she knew about Sombra demons already. She can’t be Dagon’s mate because she is mine, but what of her kin? The duchess of Sombra’s kin was meant for a Sombra hunter years after Duke Haures bonded Susanna to him. Is that what happened? My mate is kin to Dagon’s mate and that’s why she was there when I went in search of my fellow demon? Does she know of Dagon’s human mate—because he has to have one if the Verus Amor spell summoned him to Earth—and wonders why I am different?
Without her essence, I don’t know. Even if I offered her mine, that would only allow my mortal into my thoughts. I would have no advantage. I need an advantage. There is no way I can risk my mate denying me again. If I lose my essence, I will never have one.
So I must take hers.
Perhaps… perhaps it is because I took her arm. It was not a touch freely given. If she approaches me, taking my hand… would that trigger the exchange?
It’s worth a chance.
While I stare at my mortal beauty, making sense of my next actions, she glances over her shoulder. The first part of her mumblings are too muffled for me to hear, before she adds, “Im stuk.”
I make a small sound in the back of my throat. It is a soothing sound, meant to calm her without reminding her that the only words I know are in Sombran.
She squints at me. “Thisssis urfult.”
Whatever you say, my mortal.
I will be contrite. Using gestures instead of words, I will implore her to at least give me her essence so that I can explain to her who I am, who she is to me, and why I brought her to Sombra with me.
Once she knows that I am her one true mate, she will understand. I’m sure of it.
Bowing my head, regretting for one of the only times in my life that I do not have my second pair of horns in order to impress her with them, I hold out my arm. I wiggle my fingers, letting her see how strong and thick my claws are since I don’t think showing off my cock will work just yet. Maybe when we are alone in the privacy of my quarters.
For now, I offer her my skin.
Her gaze is locked on my fingers. Not my fierce claws, but my hand on its own.
“Wat? Troos? Isdat watchu meen?”
“I want you to give me your essence, my mate. Won’t you?”
She doesn’t understand my words, but my cajoling tone does the trick. Her expression is distrustful, but as though she can sense that she is safe with me, that I will not harm her, she moves until she’s right in front of me.
Lifting her arm, she keeps her own hand tucked near her breasts. I’d once thought the pale pink coloring of humans like Susanna meant they were sick. I no longer do. She is healthy for a being that can perish, and I look forward to the moment when our bond will make her immortal.
“Please,” I rumble.