Page 12 of My Demon Mate

He nods jerkily, hissing when he moves too quickly. He gives me a shaky smile and waves me away when I reach out for him.

Sighing, I kiss his hand once more, then kneel near his chest. Slowly, I raise his shirt, his cry of pain sending a pang through my chest. I will rip his father’s fucking head off. “Be as still as possible and do not be afraid. I will never hurt you.”

Just as I suspected, at least two of his ribs are broken. The skin around them is bruised and mottled, broken in some places where it drips blood. That fucking asshole will die for this.

I meet Everest’s eyes, asking for permission. He nods slowly, not making the same mistake he did before. Snapping my fingers, I summon a paring knife sharp enough to lop off a finger if I were so inclined. Everest gasps but does not otherwise move. I raise an eyebrow at him and after several beats, he blows out a shaky breath and dips his head again. I slash the blade across the meaty flesh of my palm, deep enough for blood to pool in the center. Everest jumps in concern, but I just shake my head, silently telling him that I am alright.

Speaking the language of my legion, I call forth the power of healing and drag my bloodied palm over his broken ribs. Even though the pain will dissipate quickly, I am gentle as I spread my blood over his injured side. Everest closes his eyes and sighs in pleasure as I heal his wounds, the bones knitting back together under my palm. Then I drag my hand up to his face, leaving a trail of my black blood behind. When I reach his face, Everest turns, pressing into where the healing energy is coming from. I smile down at him as I watch the black eye disappear, the swelling in his cheek and lips go down and the discoloration fade. The split above his nose draws in until the skin is uniform, leaving a faint red mark behind.

Once I am sure all his injuries are remedied, I call forth a damp cloth and clean my blood from him. Humans have red blood. Even though I just used magic to summon a knife and again to heal him, I think seeing that my life’s essence does not match his would scare him.

Peering down at Everest’s face, I admire his delicate features. He is pretty, with his small nose, plump bottom lip and wide, guileless eyes. Even though they are closed, I can imagine his soulful brown eyes, how bright they are even when he was beaten down to almost nothing. He is so fucking beautiful. And he is mine.

After I have completed the healing ritual, I sit back on the floor beside Everest. His hands roam over his ribs, then timidly touch his face. “It’s better.” His eyes meet mine and he smiles softly. “What did you do? How did you do it? Are you something … otherworldly?”

I nod. “Yes. Would you like to eat first or do you want to talk?”

“Talk. I don’t want to be left in the dark. And I’m not really hungry.” I can practically feel his hunger, but I cannot force him to eat when he does not wish to.

“So be it.” Standing to my full height, I remove my shoes and roll my sleeves up to the elbows, getting myself comfortable. Shoes and shirts are a novelty. I’m used to wearing pants only. My dimension of hell is always a comfortable temperature and does not require much clothing.

Once I am comfortable, I pull Everest legs from the couch and sit, draping them across my lap. “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” he says as he nods, deep brown eyes pinned to my face.

I flex my weird human fingers—I am used to having three knuckles instead of the two this body has, along with retractable claws meant for slashing and killing—and take one of his feet in my hands. He sighs gratefully when I begin my massage. “What I am about to tell you may sound fantastical, but it is all true. I would never lie to you, my Everest.”

A sweet laugh drifts from his lips. “You just healed my injuries with your blood. Blood that’s black, not red like mine. Nothing you say can be more fantastical than that.” Huh, even through his pain and fear, he was paying attention.

I smile at him, glad he is not afraid like I expected him to be. Maybe it is because we have been talking for years already, even though we have only just met.

“I am a demon,” I tell him plainly, wanting to get the worst out of the way. Humans have a warped perception of demons from what they consume through their entertainment and wild tales about so called exorcisms. None of it is true, but there is no way to change the mind of millions, let alone billions of humans.

Everest does not even bat an eye at my pronouncement, so I continue. “My real name cannot be translated to this tongue, though it can be loosely translated to Raven.”

“I like Raven,” he mutters, groaning in delight as I get deeper into the soles of his feet.

“I am glad you like it. I am from the third dimension of hell, a more temperate climate than this one. My father is a greater demon, a lofty position. Almost like a prince in our dimension, though there are dozens of other greater demons.”

Everest raises his hand shyly, interrupting me. “Does that make you a prince too?”

I shake my head. “It does not work that way.” I search around to find the words to explain it to him. “Being a greater demon is what you are born as. If a human is born a peasant, they could marry into the aristocracy and become royalty.” I smile when Everest mutters, “Not likely.”

“A greater demon,” I continue, “is born that way and nothing else can make you a greater demon. I am the son of a greater demon, so I do have powers, more than a demon who is not born with a greater demon parent. My power of focus is healing, though I am also adept at summoning.” To prove my point, I snap my finger and massage oil appears. I drizzle some on my hands and start rubbing his feet anew. “There may be other powers I have not tapped into, but those are the powers that manifested with me most strongly as I aged.”

Everest sighs happily, wiggling his toes as I drag my hands over his feet. “How old are you?”

I search his face to see if he can handle that answer. He meets my eyes evenly, so I nod once and say, “Almost eight hundred. Quite the age gap, no?” I ask with a smile.

He snickers behind his hand, nodding in agreement. “Okay, so you’re the son of a greater demon. That explains what you are. But it doesn’t explain why you’re here. Why were you in my head all that time? Did you come to me because I got beat up so bad?”

The effort it takes to tamp down a growl and the desire to snap his father out of existence is herculean. My hearts thunder in my chest as I flush hot with anger. If I were not wary of how Everest would take it, I would go to his father and break his fucking neck.

But I cannot. Not yet. I will bide my time until he gives me the go. In the meantime, I answer his questions. “No, Everest. That is not why I came. Though he will answer for that,” I say with vehemence. I am thrilled when Everest just blinks at me. “I came because you summoned me.”

“With the stuff Danae told me?”

I incline my head. “Yes. That brought me forth to you. But let me go back to the beginning. To how I came to be in your head.” Everest nods, looking at me with wide, earnest eyes. “One day, around four hundred years ago, your great great great great grandfather wanted your great, great, great great grandmother’s hand in marriage. Unfortunately for him, he had no home and no riches to be a proper suitor by the standards of the time. But he had to have her. So he, along with a sorcerer from his village, summoned my father. As a greater demon, my father has the ability to alter free will, but he does not do so without a price. Your great great great great grandfather promised him his fourth male descendant for me.”

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