Page 36 of Demons of Eden

I breathe in citrus and leather, and without thinking, I snuggle closer, just taking it in. It’s familiar. The arms holding me squeeze me tighter, a low voice whispering something I can't make out, followed quickly by what sounds like Suvi’s voice. It takes a few moments for me to realise I’m being carried somewhere, only fully clicking shortly before I’m set back down, finding myself lying across the backseat of a car.

“I’m no…I’m saying. Don’t be. Maybe Torrin would…ter choice?” Suvi’s voice catches my ears, only a few words making it through to my brain here and there.Goddess, I’m so tired.Would it be so bad if I just fell asleep for a little while? I’m sure I'll feel better after a quick nap…

“She can choose,” someone replies. Their voice is tense, like they’re…insulted?But why…and who?

I try harder to focus on what they’re saying, needing to know what’s going on. It doesn’t matter if it makes my head hurt worse from all of the effort it takes.

“Can she really? I doubt she can stand, let alone consent to shit,” Suvi snaps from somewhere out of sight, her voice absolutely scathing. Where is she? Why is she so mad?

“If you try to give her energy using the same trick you did before, shewilldrain you dry. It’s gone too far for that, and you know it. If you open up the flow of magic between you, she willsuck it all in like a black hole and leave you with nothing. You’ll die.”

I know that voice.

“And you’re such an expert?” Suvi questions.

“I know more about this than you,” Daion replies tensely.

Daion! When did he get here?

“Did she just mumble your name in her sleep?”

“I think so. Look, I can give her something back at the office that’ll wake her up properly. It won’t last more than an hour, but it will give her a clear head to make her own choice. I didn't realise it had gotten this bad already, or I’d have brought up the topic again sooner...”

“Is…safe…baby?” The words begin getting harder to keep up with again. I would scream from frustration if I could. As it is, the only sound I manage is a wordless grumble.

“Better tha…her dying. Do…think?”

I barely even notice the darkness pulling me under as I finally pass out in the back of the demon hunter’s car.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Eden? Eden, can you look at me?”

Daion’s voice, warm and filled with concern, sets me at ease. I breathe in his scent and smile to myself. Completely relaxed, I try to snuggle deeper into it, but it slips away from me. I frown, about to protest when gentle fingers caress my cheek, and the foreignness of the touch nudges me closer to full awareness.

“What’s wrong?” I groan, reluctantly blinking my heavy eyes open.

“Your vitav. It dropped so low it knocked you out, so I gave you a potion we typically save for extremely dire circumstances. It boosted it just enough to wake you.”

“Wait, you’ve had something that can help with my vitav this whole time?” I’m more confused than angry with my question, as surely there’s a reason for him not mentioning it until now.

“It’s dangerous to use more than once. Well, it is within a short period of time, anyway. It doesn’t last for very long either. You’ve only got about an hour before your levels drop again, Eden.” Daion’s looking at me like I’m a breath away from deathor worse, and the raw concern on his face makes his words sink in.

“Ash?” I whisper desperately, despite expecting a negative answer. He’s my last hope.And this baby's last one too…

Daion shakes his head, taking a deep breath and gripping my hand in both of his. “You need vitav. You’re lucky your baby didn’t take matters into its own hands and make you drain that entire coffee shop dry.”

His words are sobering and terrifying all at once. Honestly, the implications are more than a little horrific, and it's definitely not a line of thought I want to pursue. Still, I need to know the true level of risk I’m at, and what dangers I’m putting the people around me in, too.

“Can it really do that?”

“It’s not a conscious decision, but if it comes down to both of you dying, it can trigger self-defence mechanisms. I’m not sure how it would look exactly in the child of an incubus, but I’ve heard how it went for a witch carrying a half-iracae.”

“What happened?”

“It made her use death magic. She’d never done anything like it before in her life, was barely conscious at the time, but somehow, it worked. It used the last of the energy inside of her to force the spell, without any incantation or intention, and spread it out across her home. Everyone in the building died. She didn’t even know she was pregnant.”

“Her family?” I question, my heart breaking for her despite the fact the witch likely lived at least a hundred years ago. I guess it just hits a little too close, given our shared experience of demonic pregnancy.

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