Page 33 of Magic and Mayhem

Panic flares within me. “What is it, Love?”

“We didn’t use a condom. I-I could be pregnant. You came inside me. Is there a demon baby inside of me rightnow?”

Leaning back up against the headboard, I can’t help but laugh. “No, Ev. We can only impregnate others with their permission. Both of us must speak the words aloud while having sex, and the Fates will decide if it is our time to create a child.”

“The Fates?” She still has a hand over her stomach as if she were protecting a little embryo inside of her. Leaning down, I move her hand away to press a tender kiss there, imagining it one day full of my child.

“The Fates are the rulers of balance in the universe. They see everything, hear everything, and bring order to all. God is the creator, but the Fates are the ones who manage humanity, angels, and demons.”

I sit up and pull her into my lap, cradling her against me. I can feel our bond thrumming between us, my power filling her as much as it fills me. This shouldn’t be possible with a human. Demons and humans do not mix, which only confirms there’s more to Evolet than anyone realizes, even her.

I sit back up and she lays her head in my lap, looking up at me as my clawed fingers run through her hair as she sighs contentedly.

Her gaze drifts to the roof of the tent and I can already feel her wanting to ask more questions. She’s so curious, determined to understand all there is to know about my world.

“What happens when demons die? Are you ever afraid of what is out there?”

Her question takes me by surprise, but I continue to run my fingers through her hair. It’s something I’ve thought of before so my answer is simple.

“Pulvis et umbra sumus.”

“We are but dust and shadows?”

I raise my brows, surprised at her knowledge of Latin, though I shouldn’t be. My mate is incredibly intelligent.

“My understanding is that in the end we either get the honor of being free to live for eternity in the holy lands, or we fade into nothing. Both are options I am okay with.”

“You’re okay with fading into nothing as if you never existed?” She seems bothered by that idea, but I’m not. To be forgotten is inevitable and nothing to fear.

“What does my existence mean in the end? For most of us, it will mean nothing. I never changed the tides of war, I didn’t create vaccines to save humans, I never moved mountains or rose from the dead. Why should anyone remember me?”

Her hand reaches up to my chest, pressing over my heart. “I would remember you.”

I smile down at her. “Then I am content to fade into the dust and shadows so long as you remember me.”

She hums, clearly approving of my response.

“Why are there no clowns here?”

My eyes widen at the mere mention of those creatures. “We may be demons, but we do not invite that kind of evil into our realm. Clowns are some of the most vile creatures to ever have walked the earth.”

She chuckles, looking up at me like what I just said was some sort of joke.

“They are just people with face paint. What’s the big deal?”

My grip on her tightens. “They are deceivers, Ev. Your world crafts a picture of them for entertainment, but clowns, or rather the Corydon as they were called in ancient times, thrive on pain and darkness. They crave chaos and death and destruction. The creatures wearmasks of all different kinds, bending and folding into the lines of fate and scrambling the pieces so that darkness always has the potential to divide our worlds. They are the only beings that the Fates wish were never created.”

Evolet’s mouth drops open. “No way. What could they have done that was so bad?”

With a heavy sigh, I reflect back on the stories we are told as children. “Have you ever read the Bible?”

“Some of it.”

“Well, the story of how Lucifer fell isn’t as black and white as some are led to believe. It was the Corydon who created this idea of ultimate power inside of his head. They put on the masks of loyal followers, whispering in his ear all of the ways he could gain power of his own realm and rule everything he touched.”

That shocked look still covers her face and I press her mouth closed. She shakes off my fingers, pushing my hand away.

“Wait, so clowns can look like anyone and go anywhere? Even Hell?”

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