Page 11 of My Demon Mate

It’s like his words awaken all the pains in my body. My ribs, my lips, my eye, the side of my face all start to protest and come alive, zings of agony flowing through me. “About a six,” I murmur.

A growl fills the car and I open my eyes and look over at him, seeing Raven’s perfect lips pulled back from his teeth. “Do you want me to go back and take care of him for you?”

Take care of him for you. That sentence sends a ripple through me that has nothing to do with pain and everything to do with pure shock.

With my breath caught in my lungs, I murmur, “You’re him. You’re my voice.”

CHAPTER 5

RAVEN

As the humans say, the cat is out of the bag. I wanted to wait until we were at the home I procured for us, but it looks as if this is a conversation we need to have at this moment.

Glancing at him from the corner of my eye—though I could look squarely at him and still keep us safely on the road—I say, “I am.”

“I thought you left me,” Everest whispers, wrapping his arms around himself. I am not sure if it is a comfort thing or because he is hurting from the injuries his father inflicted upon him. “You didn’t say anything after … after my dad …”

My blood boils when I see the state that my Everest is in. When he set me free, he did not look this bad. He had suffered a terrible beating before he summoned me, but I was not expecting this level of brutality. The injuries have set and he looks terrible. I have half a mind to turn this car around to rip his father’s fucking head off, but I cannot. Not until he gives me permission. He has to tell me it is what he wants before I act on it. I would hate for him to regret it after the act is done. Once I take a life, there is no going back.

“We can talk more when I get you home and cleaned up,” I tell him in a soft tone.

“Home?”

Sighing, I reach out and grab Everest’s hand. I suspected, but I know for sure once my hand is in contact with his. Everest really is my mate. I would not have been allowed access to his mind so I could communicate with him if I were not, but having his small, warm hand in mine solidifies it. Everest will not know yet. Not until I have knotted him, claiming him in the most absolute way.

“Yes, home. I will explain everything when we get there. Do not be afraid.”

“I’m not,” Everest mutters, though I can sense a small sliver of fear. I figure it is more about the unknown than about me, but I will not know his true feelings and emotions in this form until we are properly mated.

I have been in his head since he was eighteen, old enough to be considered an adult in human years. It is strange not to know what he is thinking now. Especially after knowing his every thought and move for the past seven years.

Soon.

We get to the accommodations I secured for us, a nice townhome in the nicer part of town. Though this town is not really that nice. As soon as he is ready, we will leave this place. Hopefully it is after he has his vengeance.

I help him out of the car, my arm tight around his waist as he climbs the two steps to the door. Everest leans heavily against me, grunting with almost every step. My anger flows through me, sparking the need to go back to that decrepit home and kill the one that did this to him. If I did not have to take care of him and make sure he was safe, that is what I would do.

Once inside, I lead him to the couch, removing his tattered shoes that are practically falling apart and his too-small jacket. Everest drags a blanket that is thrown over the back of the couch onto his frail and battered body, and he looks at me with questioning eyes. My gaze roams over him, taking in the state of his body. My hearts hurt and vengeance sings in my veins.

The right side of his face is so swollen, the skin looks shiny and stretched too thin. Now the injury is a dark red, sure to be black and blue if I allow the injuries to further set. His lips are swollen, a split down the middle of the lower. Dried blood sticks to the split, even though fresh blood peeks through the gash. There is a cut above his nose that is slowly trickling blood, even though his attack was hours ago. How he is angling his body tells me he has something broken in there, but I do not know what.

I have to swallow several times to keep my displeasure at bay. Displeasure is putting it mildly. I am positively feral as I look down at the state of my mate. He is always beautiful, but right now, he looks awful. He looks fragile and easily breakable and I cannot have that.

It takes another moment or two to get my anger under control enough to trust myself to be near Everest. After blowing out a long breath, I sit on the floor beside Everest, gingerly running my finger over his face. The bruising makes me wish I had not left his father alive.

I try to give him a small smile, one that he returns before he hisses, his bottom lip splitting. I frown, handing him a tissue from the table. “What is it you want to know?”

He dabs his mouth, looking at me with wide eyes. “How are you real? How were you in my head, but you’re here now? I don’t understand,” Everest says, a tear dropping from his eye. He searches my face, snagging on my features like he is trying to memorize them. In a voice so soft I would not have heard him if I weren’t sitting next to him, he asks, “Am I going crazy?”

Grabbing his hand, I put it against my face so he can feel my warm skin. “You are not going crazy, my sweet Everest. I am real. I am flesh and blood. I am yours just as you are mine.”

“What does that mean? I don’t even know you.” I am thankful he does not try to retract his hand.

Pressing his hand more firmly to my face, I ask, “Would you like me to heal you first, so you are not just thinking of your pain while we talk? Your lip is leaking like a sieve.” I cannot even pretend to joke to make him feel better. He is dabbing at his lip at every other word. It is a hard fight, but I manage to suppress my growl of frustration at his abusive father. I cannot wait to kill that man.

“You can do that?” he asks with wide eyes.

Smirking, I kiss the inside of his wrist. “That, and so much more. Would you like me to?”

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