Page 15 of Demon Seed

I turn my back on her, slipping the pendant into my pocket with a determined grip. "They'll pay for this." I seethe with rage.

"Yes," she concurs, her voice steady yet compassionate. "They will. But destroying your possessions won't bring her back."

"What would you have me do?" I snarl, my anger barely contained as I whip around to face her. "Sit quietly and wait while they—" My voice falters, choked by the terror of never seeing my mate again.

Morrigan's gaze softens, her eyes a gentle pool of understanding. "I would have you plan. Think. Use that sharp mind of yours instead of just your rage." She navigates the chaos with deliberate steps, the debris crunching softly beneath herfeet. Her hand reaches for an object partially concealed beneath the wreckage of my toppled bookshelf—a tome about the Divine Peaks, its cover marred but still intact.

"We’ll have to break the spell that guards the summit," she continues, her voice a blend of determination and urgency. "If that's where they've taken her, we’ll need Queen Isolde."

I draw in a deep breath, the crisp, cold air slicing through the fog of my anger with a refreshing clarity. "Isolde?" I echo, my voice tinged with skepticism. "Why would she help us?"

Morrigan’s smile, as keen and dangerous as a freshly honed blade, spreads across her face. "Let’s just say her daughter owes me a favor.”

Selene

Ipace the length of my bedroom, each step a desperate attempt to keep from hurling myself against the reinforced door again. Seven deliberate steps from the window, where the moonlight filters through the glass, to the ornate vanity with its polished mirror reflecting my distress. Nine steps from the tangled sheets of my bed to the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, where the tap drips rhythmically, the only sound in the oppressive silence. My knuckles are a brutal shade of crimson, skin split and raw from pounding relentlessly against the unyielding wood, while my throat feels as if it’s on fire, hoarse and ragged from screaming his name into the void.

Vesper. The echo of my mate’s voice fills my mind, a haunting call of terror and anguish, as if he fears we’ve been torn apart forever.

The manor stands in an oppressive silence, its once busy halls now echoing with a hollow void, interrupted only by the occasional, measured footfall of guards patrolling outside my door. The air feels heavy, charged with the weight of their callous indifference. Those who check on my well-being no longer acknowledge my desperate pleas, their expressions as unyielding as stone.

Even Mother, who offered soothing words upon my arrival, has ceased her visits. She no longer attempts to reason with me or justify the cruel logic behind tearing mates apart in the name of the supposed greater good. The absence of her presence leaves an unsettling chill in the air, a stark reminder of the isolation that now envelops me.

The Divine Peaks loom outside my window, their jagged silhouettes cutting into the night sky like teeth. Somewhere beyond them, Vesper is looking at the same mountains, feeling the same hollow ache that threatens to consume me. The mating bond between us pulls tight, a physical pain that makes breathing difficult.

I press my forehead against the cold glass. From this height, I can’t see the valley's lights below, but I know my mate is there, figuring out a way to bring me back to Nightshade. I've been locked in this gilded cage for two days, dressed in silks that feel like chains, surrounded by luxuries that mean nothing without him. This place no longer feels like home.

I collapse onto the edge of my bed, tears streaming down my face. My chest feels like it's about to cave in, each breath more ragged than the last. The walls of my bedroom—once a sanctuary—now seem to close around me. I can't stop shaking.

A soft knock at the door barely registers through my sobs.

"Selene?" Naia's voice is hesitant and gentle. "May I come in?"

"Go away," I manage between sobs, but the door creaks open anyway.

Naia stands in the doorway, her silhouette visible against the hallway light. We haven't spoken properly in weeks. Maybe months.

"Selene." After so long, my name sounds strange on her lips.

"I said go away." My voice cracks, betraying me.

Naia steps inside anyway, closing the door behind her with a soft click that echoes through the room. "Mother said you haven't eaten all day."

I turn away, pressing my face into my pillow. "What do you care? As long as I’m here and away from Vesper—isn’t that all everyone cares about?"

The mattress dips as she sits beside me, leaving careful inches between us. "I care," she whispers, and something in her voice makes me turn back toward her. "I always care. But what you’ve done is forbidden. You know you were courting chaos when you left the mountain searching for your mate in the Forbidden Forest. What did you expect?”

Fresh tears spill over, and I hate myself for it. "I expected our parents to honor the law and accept that I have bonded with my mate. I don’t care about bloodlines and preserving history. The only thing that matters to me is Vesper and the history we make together."

Naia's hand hovers over my shoulder before settling there, warm and tentative. "You don’t mean that, Selene. We know your estrus governed your decisions, and Vesper Villainous took advantage of your weakness. That is what demons do."

"You think he forced me?" I find myself standing, though I can’t recall when I rose from my bed. My voice is steady, yet the tremor in my hands betrays me. "Is that what you think of me? That I'm some helpless victim who couldn't possibly make her own choice?"

"Selene, I didn't…" Naia begins, her voice faltering.

"Yes, you did. It’s written all over your face." The intensity of the moment making my emotions swirl like a storm. "You've already decided what happened between us without asking me a single question."

Naia's expression shifts, her features moving from concern to a deep, hurt disbelief. Her eyes widen slightly, mirroring theconfusion and pain in her heart. "He's dangerous. Everyone knows what he's capable of."

---