To get to know Willow, to get to experience all the things I’d never imagined I would ever get to do. It was so simple, and yet…
My hands raked through my hair as I paced in the back alley, trying to make sense of everything.
Why had I headed here in the first place? I’d felt like something had pulled me here, and once she’d found me, I thought maybe that something was Willow.
But…Luna? Her sister?
I hadn’t been able to detect it in cat form—thanks to my senses being cloudy, but it was clear as day now.
Growing up in the demon realm, I’d always heard about what it was like when you foundthe one.But I’d never imagined I’d actually experience it for myself, to find my—
“Shit.”
Pain tugged at the tether between me and Zain, and I knew I could only ignore his call for so long. But to go back to the demon realm, to reveal everything I knew to him… how could I ever do that?
Willow would never forgive me.
And any chance I had with her… It would be over before it started.
She needed some time with her sister. And I needed space to think.
And… A trip to the demon realm.
To see my brother.
I groaned. Today was not going at all like I’d wanted it to.
For starters, I hadn’t even made sure Willow had gotten food. And then I’d ran out of there without even explaining to herwhy.
Brushing aside those strange instincts, I made my way down the alley, trying to ignore the tug in my blood as long as I could.
Gritting my teeth, I cursed out. “You just don’t know when to stop, do you?”
Looking around to make sure no one was watching me, I stepped into the shadows—transporting myself back home for the first time in months.
“Brother. You’ve returned.” Zain, the crown prince of the demon realm, was perched atop his throne. My brother. He looked so much like me—down to his dark hair and tall stature—but we couldn’t have been more different. Especially in our temperaments.
We’d grown up as half-brothers, but sometimes I still felt like a stranger looking at him. He wore a coat of black, adorned with gold and all the finest trimmings befitting a prince, whereas I stood in my human clothes—a t-shirt, leather jacket, and jeans.
Standing in front of him, I crossed my arms over my chest. “You summoned me?”
Our blood tied us together in ways I couldn’t even begin to explain.
“Where have you been? We were worried.”
Sure, they were.
“You could say I’ve been a little… tied up.” In a cage. By humans.
But I wouldn’t expand on where I’d been, or howexactlyI’d ended up stuck in my other form. If he wanted those memories, he could pry them from my head himself.
His eyes flashed with amusement. “Ah, yes. I trust you had an… enjoyable time?”
If only you knew the half of it.I raised an eyebrow. “Sure. You could say that.”
“It’s good to see you, you know,” Zain said. “It’s not the same here without you.”
“You’re the one who sent me out into the human world to do your bidding. If you wanted to see me, there were easier ways.”