Page 33 of Secondhand Garagyre

Justas suddenly as the ghastly image appears,Bradleyregains a modicum of control, and he hides the visage once again behind his handsome countenance. “Youmated her!Howdare you!It’staken me centuries to find a soul as pure as hers, one so divine that it would be nirvana to corrupt, and contaminate it with mydarkness untilIcreated the perfect mate to replace the one you took from me!!”Bradleygrinds out between clinched teeth, no that isn’t right.ThisisRulzikdisguised as a human, and he’s seething with rage at the perceived slight thatLaithogtook what was ‘his.’

“Yourmate was a blight upon this planet as well as all the races ofLight, she earned her ending…and more.Furthermore,Rulzik, you are supposed to be dead as well.Banishedback to the pit of hell whence you came.Youmust not care for your mate that much, since you chose not to join her there for all eternity,”Laithogtaunts, an echo of pain reverberating through our bond at the reminder of what he, too, lost.

Rulzik…

Whydoes that sound familiar?Thenit hits me.Thisis the demon that killedIlayahan!Dreadpools in my belly as the reality of my situation becomes apparent.I’vegarnered the attention of something far worse than a narcissistic man.Ademon wants to possess and corrupt me.Theonly thing standing between me and that horrible fate is my secondhandGaragyre.

Themale that chose me to fill the void in his soul after the demon before us killed his mate of fate.

Chapter Thirty-Four

LAITHOG

Icannot lose control.

Paisley’sterror beating at me through our bond isn’t helping.It’signiting every protective instinctIhave.Incitingme to eradicate the threat to her.Takingdeep breaths,Isilently repeat that mantra.

Imust not lose control.

Paisleywill be in danger ifIcannot keep myself contained.Myglamour must not slip.Thusfar, no one has approached our small group, but there are humans watching from afar.Thankfully, out of earshot.

Excludingthe shriek of rageRulzikemitted upon the revelation of my mate bond withPaisley, our conversation has been in low tones.Evenhe isn’t stupid enough to reveal his presence to the humans.FromwhatPaisleytells me, this “human” has a choke hold on this town, but…they would turn on him en mass if they learned he wasn’t human.

It’sjust what the species does, well…most of them do.

Rulzikisn’t going to want to relinquish his life of ease and domination over this village.He’sprobably been here for generation, hopping from one body to the next, exerting his malevolent influence here and there until he created a small empire to rule.Iwas shocked when the revelation of my mate bond withPaisleyenraged him enough that he lost control for a split second, revealing his demon form to the punishing rays of the sun.

Notthat he let that slip last long.

Withoutthe protection of the human body he’s infiltrated, his true form began to burn in the light of the full sun.It’sgood to know that he doesn’t have a protection amulet such as mine.

Withthat thought in mind,ItauntRulzikwith whatIhave, and he does not. “Itmust be demeaning to have to hide yourself inside something you consider to be a lesser being.Howunfortunate that your gods chose not to bless you with a protection amulet…”Itaunt as my words trail off, my tail pullingPaisleycloser to my back asIkeep my hands down by my sides, ensuring the onlookers that nothing untoward is happening between the three humans having a conversation.

Rulzikisn’t stupid.Hepicks up on the innuendo instantly and rage-filled gaze fixates on my left wrist, eyeballing the amulet there with avarice.Ifit’s possible, his fury grows. “Yourgods blessed you with a protection amulet.Howquaint.Iwas mildly curious as to how you were out in the sun.Ishould have known.Itis of no matter;Iwill cut it from your arm as your hearts beat their last.Afterthat,I’lldefile your mate on your cooling corpse to solidify my mate bond with her,” he hisses his threat through clenched teeth, his eyes darting to and fro to ensure the nosy human loitering about don’t hear his threats.

Withoutanother word, he spins on his heel and saunters away, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.WaitinguntilIcan no longer see, scent or sense his presence anymore, only then doIturn to gatherPaisleyup into the comforting embrace of my arms.Iknow she felt the echoes of my pain at realizing just exactlywhothe demon is.

Conflictingemotions war within me.

Terror.

Grief.

Remorse.

Love.

Guilt.

Softhands appear on either side of my face in the void between my jawline and curved horns, thumbs feathering over the rough scales hidden beneath my glamour. “Shhhh.Thereis no need for you to feel guilty.Youare allowed to have an emotional response to what just happened.”

Ido not deserve her compassion.Howcan she tolerate to be mated to a male that has such a visceral reaction to a nightmare from the past?Iknow she felt the swell of grief, loss, and love, unfaded by the passage of time for myIlayahan.Iam the one that should be comforting her, not the other way around.

“Laithog, look at me.”Agentle pressure on my jaw follows her stern words, urging me to lift my head from whereItucked it against my chest in shame.

“Thereis no need for you to feel guilty or to be ashamed.Icanfeelyou, remember?Ilayahanwas a large part of your life forlonger thanI’vebeen alive.Justbecause you still feel love for her does not mean that you are incapable of caring for me, or incapable of loving me.Iknow you love me.Imay not have been the mate ordained to you by fate, but of all the beings that have spoken within your vicinity in the time since yourIlayahanwas taken from you, my voice is the only one you heard.Iknow you love me just as much as you love her.Youjust love me in a different way than her, becauseI’ma completely different being.Itdoesn’t make your love for me less than the love you hold for her, nor does it detract from our mating in any way.”

Hopeslowly builds within my chest as she takes a deep breath before continuing. “Ifind myself blessed to be mated to a being that has so much love to give that he chose to take a chance on life a second time.So, don’t you dare feel guilty.You’vedone nothing wrong…not then, and not now.”

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