Page 15 of My Demon Mate

“Good.” Bending slowly so he can change his mind if he wants, I capture his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. Everest gasps, as if in surprise. I keep the kiss soft, a simple press of our lips until he’s ready for more. Slowly, he opens more so I can delve my tongue into his mouth. His legs tighten around my waist, and I slide my hands under him to grip his ass. He moans, his hard cock brushing against mine. Fuck, I want him.

Everest pulls his mouth from mine, turning his head to the side as he pants. “Raven. Umm … I’m …” He pushes against my chest and slides from under me, sitting up and hugging his knees to his chest. “I’m sure you know, since you’ve been in my head, but I’m a virgin. I have no experience. I’ve never done … anything before. Is that … okay?” His face is the picture of regret and apprehension, but he could not be sweeter if he tried.

I take his hand and pull him back to me, folding him into my arms. “Everest, I have waited for you for four hundred years. I do not care how much experience you have or do not have. I am not going anywhere. I told you, I am yours.”

His smile is hesitant, but genuine. “That was my first kiss.”

I smile at him, loving his innocence. “I figured as much. So I’ll be?—”

He nods. “My first for everything.”

Without thought, I pull him closer to me, drawing his scent into my lungs. “I will always take care of you, Everest. Always.”

“I’ll always take care of you too, Raven. You’re mine like I’m yours. We’ll take care of each other.”

CHAPTER 7

RAVEN

As much as I would like for Everest and me to spend all day inside where I can learn more about his years before I was able to communicate with him, I need to get him clothes and shoes.

Even on this plane, I am wealthy, so spending money on Everest is of no consequence. I was able to pay for this house in cash, the previous owner handing over the keys quickly when I showed her the bag full of bills.

After Everest is out of the shower, I take one of my own and get dressed quickly.

When I walk downstairs, I see him sitting on the couch, his fingers moving a mile a minute as he texts. “I have a friend,” he says with a small smile, not glancing up from the screen. “Her name is Danae, and she’s asking to hang out.” He looks up at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “I told her I was with my boyfriend. Is that okay?”

“It is.” Even though it is not the word I would use for us, it fits well for a human. It makes my hearts happy that he wants to claim me, even though it has only been twenty-four hours. I am glad he is not angry or put out about being promised to me.

He wraps up whatever he is texting and tossing his phone on the table. “Is this your place? I didn’t ask you yesterday. How did you get it? Were you here the whole time?”

I shake my head, sitting beside him and grabbing his hands. “Yes, this is my place but I purchased it yesterday, furniture and all. That is why I was so late picking you up. I had to make sure I had somewhere safe to bring you. I was not here the whole time. When you summoned me, I was able to transverse to this plane immediately. I did not want to take you to a hotel then move you elsewhere. I do apologize for waiting so long to retrieve you.”

He grins, putting his head on my bicep. He really is a tiny thing. “It was only a few hours. Besides, you came. That’s what matters.”

“Come,” I say, kissing the back of one of his hands. “We need to get you clothes and whatever essentials you need to stay with me. We are not going back to your house at all. Unless it is to kill your father.”

Everest face pales, but all he does is nod and draw in his lips. “He deserves it, just like you said, but I know I can’t do it on my own. I think if I could, I would have by now. I hate to say it, but I’m still afraid.” He looks at me with those deep brown eyes that give me a glimpse of his beautiful soul. “You said you would help me if I summoned you. Will you? I’m tired of people walking over me and abusing me, but I don’t think I can do it myself. Will you make it right?”

“You are not weak, Everest. He is a monster that wanted to beat you down to dust.” A menacing smile stretches my face. “But I am a bigger monster. Whatever you want me to do, sweet baby, I will do. That includes killing the man that abused you for all those years. Killing them all if you say the word.”

“I was hurt so bad. By everyone. It got worse when my mom left.” Almost in a trance, Everest says, “It’s funny. I used to feel like my mother was as bad off as I was. My dad would beat her up every time he got drunk, no matter how much she did right. I would pray that she got the courage to get us out of there. I know it’s hard for single mothers, so I gave her some grace. But then she vanished one day. All her stuff was gone, like she never existed. She left me behind with that monster. I was left alone.” Everest pulls his hands from mine and wraps them around his middle. “I wanted to blame her for years, and I did wish she were dead for years, but I got over it. She had to save herself, right?”

“No, Everest. She should have taken you too,” I say honestly. I told him I would never lie to him. As his mother, she should have done something to ensure his safety.

Everest nods numbly. “I know. But I have no animosity towards her. She was a battered woman. She did what she thought was right, I guess.” He slashes his hand through the air, as if tired of that conversation, so I clamp my mouth shut. “I remember the first time he struck me across the face, not just hit me with a belt or threw things at me. I was twelve. I’d just gotten home from school and he was already drunk. I stepped in the door and he started ranting about the house being a mess and dinner not being on the stove. I was in the house for all of ten seconds. So I told him I’d put it on after I put my things away. I walked to my room, intent on setting my bag down and doing what he told me. Even then, I tried to stay out of his way and do what he told me to do. Before I could make it back to the kitchen, he dragged me out of my room and tossed me into the wall in the living room. He punched me in the face, and, when I cried, he threw me to the ground and berated me for over ten minutes about being soft for crying over a light slap. When he was done, he spat on me, saying he wished I was gone just like my bitch mother.”

My anger is enough that I partially shift back to my real form, my fingers elongating and my claws making an appearance as they inch from my nail beds. For a demon, I am more mild-mannered than most, but listening to Everest highlight his abuse makes me want to teleport to his old home and eviscerate his father, rip him limb from limb and toss them out like the trash he is.

He continues speaking as if he does not notice my shift. “It was the first time I wished him dead. Before that, the punishments weren’t bad. It was pain I could tolerate. That day, he showed me what he was capable of. And it continued. It continued until I felt like I could do nothing about it. I’m a twenty-five year-old man, and I couldn’t get from under my father’s thumb.”

Everest looks up at me with those innocent and hurt eyes, eyes that bring me to my knees and stop my shift. “Until you. Until you said you could help me and kill the man that abused me the most. I hate him with a passion I didn’t know existed. I don’t think he ever loved me. I think his hatred for me was from the moment of my birth.” He bites his lip, a tear streaking down his face. “I told you that so you’d know what I went through. My life has been shit since my first memories. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I keep thinking, what if killing him gives me more bad memories? But what could be worse than how he treated me for most of my life?”

Pulling him onto my lap, I tip his chin up and wipe his tears. “If you want them dead, simply say the word.”

“Maybe I’m not strong enough to give the command. I don’t know how to ask for something like that,” he whispers.

“It is okay if you are not. I will be here for you when you are ready. I am not going anywhere.”

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