Page 18 of Tall, Dark & Horny

I knew that sleeping with guys you just met was a thing, but part of me worried this was all moving too fast. That I was losing my grip on reality and none of this was real.

I tilted my head back and studied Adan. “You meant it when you said I’m your fated mate?”

“I did.” His gaze was steady, and there wasn’t a hint of doubt in his deep voice. “There is no one else for me, Calliope. Not now. Not ever.”

His words sank into me, warming places I hadn’t let anyone reach before.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around what being your fated mate means,” I admitted softly.

Adan didn’t reply right away. His fingers traced a slow, reassuring pattern across my lower back first. “It means you’re mine. In a way that has nothing to do with possession and everything to do with connection. It’s a recognition that happens once in a demon’s life, if at all.”

“Once?” I breathed.

“We don’t get second chances. Demon mating is final. Absolute. The moment I saw you…” His hand stilled. “Something ancient inside me woke up and refused to go back to sleep.”

I shivered, not from fear, but from the weight of what he was saying. “Is it like that for all demons?”

He nodded. “For those of us lucky enough to find the other half of our soul, yes. But too many demons spend centuries without their one.”

The emotion in his voice stole my breath.

After a long pause, I whispered, “Exactly how old are you?”

“Older than most buildings you’ve ever stepped foot in. I was born before this country existed.”

I blinked at him, trying to process that. “So when you said plural centuries, you meant…”

“Three.” He said the number so casually, I almost missed it. “I’m three hundred and two.”

“That means you’re two hundred and eighty-two years older than me.” My brain almost stalled as I did the math. “Being a demon must have its advantages because you definitely don’t look it.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” His palm stroked up my spine. “But I didn’t make it through those years untouched.”

“What do you mean?”

He looked away, his jaw tight. “My father is Abaddon.”

The name didn’t mean anything to me. “Who?”

“Some call him the Destroyer. Others say that he’s the king of a swarm of demonic locusts. A general in hell. A beast made of smoke and teeth.”

My mouth went dry. “And he’s your father?”

Adan nodded again. “I inherited his power and part of the reputation that came with it. The supernatural world expected me to follow in his footsteps, including him.”

The shadows in his voice made my heart ache.

“But you didn’t.”

“As soon as I could get free, I left and chose something different for myself.” His chest lifted as he heaved a sigh. “I’m still tied to him in some ways, though. Which is why I chose the name for this place…because he’s also known as the demon of the abyss.”

My eyes swept the luxurious room around us—the stone walls, the magic etched into the foundation, the layers of history humming beneath it all. “You chose to build this place. Not destroy it.”

His gaze snapped back to mine, and I saw something flicker there. A quiet kind of awe. “Nobody has understood so quickly before.”

I beamed him an impish smile. “Maybe it’s a fated mate thing.”

“Could be,” he agreed with a grin. “You’re my first and only so I’m sure there will be lots of things we will learn about our bond together.”

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