Page 30 of The Demon of the Wood

Kaemon came beside the bed and examined her with pursed lips, concern etched on his face. “I didn’t realize how hard it is for humans to adjust to the weather. I’m so sorry, Melina. I don’t have any more blankets.”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t need them. It’s not your fault. I will be fine anyway until it warms up. I won’t freeze to death at the least.”

“You won’t sleep well either, though.”

She shrugged, gazing up at his concerned face, her stomach flipping delightfully. So few people had treated her with this much concern in her life. Her mother for certain, and Mr. Collie occasionally.

“Melina…” His voice trailed off. “I can share the bed with you tonight, and that would make it warm enough for you. But we would have to be close to each other and I would have to hold you.”

She swallowed, her mind and heart racing. She obviously should say yes, because while she didn’t think she’d freeze to death, she’d be miserable the whole night and not sleep a wink. But part of her wanted ittoomuch, and she feared that desire. Warmth tumbled down her at the thought of the hard planes of his body against her, his hands holding her as they did when they flew, and she felt the sensation pool between her thighs.

“Only if it isn’t inconvenient for you.”

He shook his head. “You’re always so concerned about being an inconvenience. You’re not, Melina.”

He kicked his boots off by the door then began undressing, and she screwed her eyes shut, only opening them for one tiny little peek at his finely shaped body. The muscles on his back and shoulders flexed as he pulled his shirt off, and at that, she ducked under the blankets again. She didn’t need to be thinking of him like that. This was for survival and comfort only. Kaemon had never given her any sign he wanted more. Which felt odd considering all the things she had ever heard about demons and their sexual appetites, but she supposed most of the things she’d heard were completely wrong, anyway.

Kaemon slipped into the bed next to her and slid close. “May I?” he asked, his arm propped up to wrap around her.

She nodded wordlessly, her mind a scramble of desire and worry. His arm came around her and pulled her close, and she instantly felt his warmth. She rested her cheek against his chest with a sigh and pressed her body further against him on instinct. She could hear his own heart racing, and a thrill shot through her.

It’s only that he feels nervous about touching me.She told herself.

Surely that was all.

“You’re not who I thought you’d be,” she said.

“How so?” he asked, his thumb making lazy circles on her back that made her want to press her body tighter and tighter against him.

Well, you haven’t ravished me once since I’ve been here.

Melina realized she wouldn’t have minded now if he had. The thought made her feel tingly and over hot.

“I heard so many rumors. I thought for certain you’d be so frightening and that…” She stopped. She didn’t want to tell him the tales she’d heard. She didn’t want him to know how she’d originally thought that of him.

He chuckled. “Some rumors are true. Many are not. I suppose you are talking about... our sexual appetite?”

Embarrassment washed over her, and she was thankful he couldn’t see her face. “Yes, I suppose that’s all we really knew.”

“We have a… umm... frenzy, of sorts. We know when it comes on, and we can remove ourselves. But some, who are no good, give into it and think it is their right. At other times, they do as they please to those who are weaker than them. That is where the rumors come in.”

“How do you know when the frenzy comes on?”

He swallowed again. “It is when a female that we have feelings for is fertile. It’s a part of the mate bond.”

“Oh.”

She still hadn’t received her cycle. She was certain she was infertile. She felt a pang at that realization, wondering if that was why he only ever showed an interest in her as a friend. He wanted someone who could bear his children, and she could not.

“You’re upset,” he stated.

She shook her head, but silence loomed awkwardly around them. “It’s just that… I don’t believe I will ever have children.”

She didn’t know how else to phrase it. All the worries and pains she had. She should simply be thankful for all she had, not worried about getting more. But her heart yearned for things she could never get, and she didn’t know how to make it stop.

“Perhaps you will,” Kaemon said. “You never know. You may find a man to your liking one day, and your health is only now returning.”

She nodded. “Do you want a wife and children, Kaemon?”

---