Page 24 of My Demon Mate

My heart soars when I think about what my mother did for me. Even though she was as abused as I was, she tried. She couldn’t show me much love—Dad claiming it was making me soft—but she did what she could. That’s probably why her leaving me behind is such a hard pill to swallow.

Pushing on with my story, I say, “My mother snuck out and got me another notebook. She told me to keep it hidden so my dad wouldn’t see it because she didn’t think she could get me a new one. I didn’t know as much back then, but I knew it was special and I needed to protect it. Now, I think about how my mother risked getting another throttling to get me that book. She put me before herself and got me something that would make me happy.”

“That is a better ending,” Raven mutters. “I wish I could have helped you back then.” He sounds remorseful, like my abuse was his fault. “I was only aware of your existence, not of your circumstances. You were not fully revealed to me until you reached your adulthood.”

I raise my head with a lifted brow. “You didn’t know what I looked like until I turned eighteen?”

He shakes his head. “I knew your name, but that is all my father could glean of you.”

“What if I were ugly?” I ask with a smirk. “Would you have been so taken with me?” Though if I’m honest, I don’t think I’m all that good looking. I’m plain, not handsome and not ugly. Plain mousy brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. I’m small in height and size. There’s not really much to me, honestly.

Raven slides over to me, running his hand down my face. “You could never be ugly, my sweet Everest. Even if you were not becoming by human standards, I would have never found you so.”

I smile at him, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you, Raven.” My mood sours as my story resonates in my own head. “I thought she loved me,” I mutter, my eyes brimming with tears. “She always did things to show me she did, even if she couldn’t hug and kiss me and cuddle me often because of my father, my mother showed me in more subtle ways. She’d take the brunt of my father’s rages, even when they were aimed at me. She’d come tuck me in at night, telling me a quick story before bed. She would tell me little stories about her life when she was my age. But when I was ten, she was just … gone.”

The tears finally spill over, but I wipe them quickly so I can finish my drawing. I’m almost done. I want to make new memories of a sketch pad since Raven got this for me and I’m safe now. If I continue to think about the days before Raven, I won’t be able to go forward.

I shake my head when Raven reaches for me—not because I don’t want his comfort, but because if I start crying now, I won’t stop.

Looking sad for me, Raven nods and squares his shoulders, holding still so I can finish his portrait. I smile gratefully at him and get back to work.

Fifteen minutes later, I have an extremely rough sketch of Raven, but one I’m really proud of. The shadows are deep, even though there aren’t any across his face now as natural light spill in through the living room window. But I think they add more depth to him, more of the darkness I know is inside him, but he hasn’t let me see yet. My favorite part of the sketch are his eyes. They’re depicted as being as black as they are in life, but there’s a twinkle in them, like he holds a secret he’s not willing to share just yet.

Even though I haven’t done many portraits, this one isn’t half bad.

Smiling, I rip it from the book and hand it to Raven. “What do you think?”

He holds it lightly in his hands, like he think he’ll rip it and gazes down at it. After a few minutes of him examining it, he looks up at me and smiles. “It is beautiful, baby. Thank you.”

Raven folds the paper in deliberate squares, muttering to himself. Then he crushes the paper in his hand, balling it up quickly. I gasp in shock, not sure what just happened. My lip trembles and a tear drops from my eyes. I was really proud of the drawing and Raven said he liked it. Why would he crush it like that? He could have at least waited until I went to work before he destroyed it.

“Baby?” Raven says, tipping my head up. “What is wrong?”

I pull my chin from his fingers, turning my back to him. “You didn’t have to lie.”

“Lie? I have never lied to you, Everest.”

“You balled up the drawing. You could have just said you didn’t like it.”

Raven chuckles behind me and a few more tears drip down my face. I’m not sure why Raven lying and being so cruel to my face hurts me more than physical beatings from my father.

He plants his hands on my shoulders. I try to shake away from him, but he effortlessly keeps me in place. “I am sorry for laughing. It was at my own stupidity, not at you. Forgive me, Everest.” I don’t say anything, still hurt. “I am new at this, not ever having a human lover or living on this plane. I just sent the sketch back to Xendail. The chanting you just heard? I was asking permission from the guardian of the gate of my dimension to allow me to send an item to my dwelling. See?” He turns me around and shows me his hands. They’re empty.

Wiping my eyes, I look around him to try to find the paper with his likeness on it, but it’s not there.

He grabs my hands, holding them tight in his. “I would never lie to you or intentionally hurt you. I should have told you what I was doing. With other demons, I would not have had to, so it was an oversight on my part. You do not know our customs or our limitations on this plane. Next time, I will explain to you before I do something like that.”

My heart flutters in my chest, thankful that he really did like my picture. “It’s okay,” I mutter. “I’m sorry for overreacting.”

Lifting my chin, Raven kisses me gently. “You did not. You reacted appropriately. I will do better, baby. I promise.”

I sigh when he kisses me again. “Can we get some food on the way to take me to work? I have about an hour before I have to clock in, so we have time.”

“Sure.”

I shower, get dressed for work and we leave the house. It’s a beautiful day outside, not too hot, not too cold. Just a cool day with the sun shining down on me. It’s a day I wish Raven and I could spend together outside, walking and getting to know each other. If my next day off is as beautiful as it is today, I’ll make sure we use it to our advantage.

As Raven pulls up to a local drive thru, I ask, “What are your parents like? You told me your father was a greater demon. What about your mom?”

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