Page 72 of Demon Bound

“I doubt you’ll be welcome at the temple again after this,” Raiya said to Madira. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged again, though Raiya thought he looked dejected. “It’s not important.”

“What isn’t?” Azreth asked, surprising Raiya again.

“He was using the temple as a surrogate space to pray to the night elf goddess, since she has no temples of her own in Uulantaava,” Raiya said. She wasn’t completely clear on the details of how it worked or what sort of worship their goddess demanded, but she knew that the night elves’ goddess wasdeeply important to them. “The cultists allowed him access for a time, but I don’t think they’ll welcome him back after what happened yesterday.”

Azreth sat down on his knees in the center of the carpet. “Tell me what happened.”

They all took turns telling him the story. Jai told most of it, very animatedly. Raiya and Madira had to remind her to keep her voice down multiple times.

“Why did you come?” Azreth asked them. Raiya had seen the question coming.

“I had nothing better to do that night,” Madira said coolly.

“No, it’s because we wanted to help,” Jai corrected him.

Raiya saw a crease form between Azreth’s eyebrows. He glanced over at her. She imagined the blue glow of his eyes beneath the brown-eyed human facade.

“I am indebted to you,” he said to the elves. Jai and Madira exchanged raised eyebrows.

“You’re welcome,” Jai said, giving him a tentative smile.

“And the Paladin?” Azreth asked. “Where is he now?”

Jai shrugged. “We got separated after the cultists chased us out. We went in one direction, and he ran off in the other.” She turned to Raiya. “The good news is, your husband left town. I overheard some people talking in the market today. Him and those Paladins were seen going north last night.”

He wouldn’t give up so easily. He’d be back. She and Azreth had defied him, and he’d never let them get away with that. But the farther he was from them, the better off they were. She could finally rest for a moment.

“Please don’t talk to anyone else about all of this,” Raiya said to the elves. “The other Roamers might be open-minded, but even they wouldn’t knowingly allow a demon amongst them.”

“It took them months to get used to Madira and me being here, you know,” Jai said, crossing her arms. “It’s a good thingI’m so likable. If Madira was alone, they would’ve kicked him out a long time ago.”

Madira scowled at her.

There wereno tents free this time, so Jai and Madira—mostly Jai—invited them to sleep under theirs. They put up a curtain dividing the space in half, and Raiya arranged a bed using a pile of blankets and furs while Azreth watched. The elves were out, but they’d likely return soon to sleep.

While she prepared their space, rain began to fall, hitting the outside of the tent in a lulling rhythm. The smell of wet earth and moist air joined the smell of camp fires, and Raiya was grateful they’d been allowed a space inside.

Azreth hovered beside her as she stripped to her underclothes and settled into the bed. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was that tipped her off, but she sensed he was unwell.

“It’s been a while since you slept,” she realized. “You must need rest.”

“Not here.”

Raiya pushed herself up onto her elbows. “No one will hurt you here. And I’ll be with you.”

He hesitated, glancing up toward the door flap and then back at her. “I can’t.” She heard a tinge of regret in his voice.

She smiled at him, gathering her courage. It had been a long time since she’d asked a man for platonic touch. She feared rejection. “Then… will you just hold me while I sleep?”

“Are you cold?” he asked, frowning at the blankets, as if questioning their quality.

“No.”

He paused, considering her.

Then he crept closer. “Does it not frighten you to have my arms around you? Does it not make you feel… trapped? In danger?”

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