Page 16 of Stegian: Project Exorcism 4

Chapter Seven

Sinking to her knees,she held tight to a post of the bed and sobbed hysterically. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she realized someone was stroking her hair gently and cradling her body.

Jacquelyn glanced up, unsure who to expect. When a gray gaze met hers, she drew in a deep breath. “Stegian?”

She tried to scuttle away, but he held her to him, continuing to provide much needed comfort. “A-are you going to hurt me now? Kill me for being a Janelle?”

He wiped the tears from her cheeks and tilted her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “Solnihshka mayo, I have hurt you enough in the past. I have come only to ensure you are well, until you are able to reunite with your family once more.”

Fear gripped her, and she in turn held tight to Stegian’s shoulders. “No! The men who want to overthrow you will know a piece of you isn’t controlled by the demon. Go! You can’t be here with me. They’ll kill you.”

Something akin to pain moved through his eyes. “I deserve to die, beautiful one. I should have stopped it. I should have ended my life long ago to prevent the demon from hurting others. I knew, the very minute my feet touched the surface of this planet, I was lost. I've had tiny moments of lucidity. I should have ended my life during one of those. No harm would have come to you then.”

Pressing her fingers to his lips, she silenced him. “Don’t, Stegian. You had no way of knowing how much power this planet would give to your demon.”

“How is it you can see the good through all the evil?”

“Because I was born to save you,” she said, unsure why she selected now to finally tell him the truth. She'd wanted to do so the very minute she'd first encountered him outside his balcony, but something had stopped her.

“I am past the point of saving.”

She shook her head and ran her fingers over his bottom lip. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be here holding me. I'd be dead.”

He sighed, his gaze reserved. “Jacquelyn. May I call you that?”

“It’s my name, so yes.”

He kissed the pad of her thumb tenderly. “I have lived too long and seen too much to believe a fool’s notion that I can be saved. The acts I have committed are atrocious. Forgiveness is out of my reach and—”

“The acts were committed by the demon, Stegian. Not you. Not the man.” She bowed her head, her emotions still overwhelming her. “When I ascended, a strange knowing came over me. I knew then who you are to me.”

Stegian lifted a brow, his gaze careful, clearly not believing her. “You have stated as much. I am the man you were born to save.”

“You're my mate.”

Shocked didn’t begin to cover his reaction. He jerked away, shaking his head and speaking in a language she didn’t recognize. He raked his hands over his face, pulling at it, muttering nonsense. When he finally calmed, he reached tentatively for her. “How can that be?”

“How is it that Lorelei’s mate was from Earth, as well as Nina’s and Bradi’s? What makes you believe mine would not be?”

“You are not my mate, solnihshka mayo. I know because I was forced to leave her on Earth. I shared but one kiss with her…”

Jacquelyn smiled through her tears and finished, “At a masquerade ball? The night you were sired?”

Stegian tipped his head, looking stunned. “How is it you know that?”

She moved towards him, and he didn’t fight her need to touch him. “Three years ago, when I was still confined to the bed, a slave to the machines keeping my body alive, my mind would wander. I assumed I was dreaming. I dreamt of you, Stegian. I dreamt of wearing an all-white ball gown and a pink-feathered mask—of seeing you from across the room. You came to me instantly, asked me to dance, and spent the evening sweeping me off my feet.”

She took a deep breath. “It was you, no demon had been introduced to you yet. Nothing was there to block me from sensing your intent, or you mine. The minute I touched you, I knew who you were to me. Not just the man I was to save, but the man I had been born to love.”

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