Page 20 of Magic and Mayhem

There’s a moment of silence before he swallows. “Why do you want me like this, Evolet?”

Letting my hand find the hard muscles of his stomach, Iwrap them around him. “When you’re in your true form, I can’t help but believe no one will be able to hurt me. Everything about you screams that you’re a monster, but you’remymonster. Which means I no longer have to be afraid.”

“No one will hurt you again, Love.”

I sit up slightly, needing to see the truth in his eyes. “Not even you?”

“Not even me, Ev,” he vows, using the shortened version of my name. A name I hated hearing from Master sounding so right coming from him.

And for some reason those words have me falling asleep in the arms of a demon.My demon.

Chapter 6

Evolet slept like a goddess in my arms. For nearly twenty straight hours, I watched her face, memorizing every freckle. Everything about her is alluring; like how her lips part when she finally gets comfortable, or the way the curve of her nose twitched when she couldn’t feel my body heat.

She would shift so close that at one point she nearly crawled on top of me. I allowed it for a brief moment because I loved how she felt nestled so close. But I reluctantly rolled us to the side so that I could cocoon her in my embrace and save her the embarrassment.

My first plan was to show how I could provide for all of her needs. However, through our brief encounter, I’ve come to see that Evolet is not a meek woman who wishes to be kept behind a wall. She is cunning and careful.

She truly thinks on her questions, and when I give her the truth, she believes me. I don’t know if it’sthe bond flaring between us, but I do believe she’s beginning to trust me.

I don’t wish to hide my true self from her, though. If she is my true mate, then not only will she accept my demon form easily, but she will crave the banter between us and enjoy playing games with me. That’s the one thing that makes eternity not feel quite so long—the games.

It’s a demon’s sport to invent a new game. We all play until it becomes boring, and then another will take its place.

I just hope that Evolet likes to play because this demon loves his wicked pastimes.

Sitting forward on the bed, I watch Evolet go through the wardrobe I crafted for her, examining all of the outfits inside. Her hair falls down her back in waves, and her skin looks healthy and bright.

It makes my inner beast swell with pride because I was able to gift her that. A body free of injuries and the freedom to sleep in a bed.

I vow to myself and on my bond with her that when I find the man responsible for hurting her, I will make him die the most painful of deaths. Because what kind of human denies someone a bed?

“What should I wear for tonight?” she asks for, quite literally, the forty-sixth time.

“It does not matter what you choose.”

She turns towards me, her nose wrinkled in frustration just like it did when I would shift positions in the bed while she slept. She catches me smiling, those eyes of hers flashing with purple hued silver have me lost.

“Eryx!” She snaps her fingers an inch from my face, and I grab her wrist on instinct. My hold isn’t strong, but fear flashes in her gaze, and I quickly change tactics.

Turning her hand in mine, I press a gentle kiss to the top of it. “I have informed you, Love, that this is going to be a surprise. I want the audience to be shocked by you, and I know they will be. Allow me to leave you in suspense for just one more hour.”

She shakes her head, not buying into an ounce of my bullshit. I could tell her and give up the plot right here and now, but I won’t. It’s all part of the game.

“I hate you,” she whispers, but there’s no heat in it. Watching her carefully, I gather that I’m beginning to understand her more.

It’s possible that she rebels or sasses me because she was never allowed to speak her mind before. If that’s true, and she is trying to figure out if I’m a person she can speak her mind to without harm befalling her, then I will help prove to her she can be her bratty self with me any day. I like the challenge her boldness brings.

I stand to back her up against the wall, invading her space. The tent is firm and sturdy, only looking like a flimsy piece of fabric because we allow it to when really it’s a three-foot-thick wall.

“Rule number two: You can hate me if you need to, Ev,” I say, leaning in close to her face. “But remember, I am a demon.Your demon. And I will never hurt you.”

She sucks in a harsh breath as my lips ghost over hers before I pull back to give her space. Evolet doesn't move as I walk back to take my seat on the end of the bed where I continue to watch her.

She goes back to the wardrobe and removes a black gown with silver sparkles across it.

“Is there a place I can get changed?”

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