Page 35 of The Demon's Discovery
“You have a great many questions about my brothers, Little Dragonfly.” His mouth pinched, eyes blazing red for several seconds as his nostrils flared.
“It’s not every day I learn about a family of demons,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood as he descended into full-on broodiness. Jealousy rolled from him in a hot wave. In truth, I wanted to hear the nickname he’d called me again. “I’m just curious.”
He took a deep breath, the darkness clearing from his face. “Of course you are. Yes, we all have different skills and special abilities. All of us have wings. Some have horns, tails. A few of us have other forms entirely, not unlike the stone kin’s ability to shift into a statue or a stone form.”
“What was it that happened when you were surrounded by smoke just now? I think that’s perhaps how you caught the spectacles before they broke one of my first visits. How you sometimes move far faster than you should.”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “That’s the mist.”
“Mist?”
He tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes, turning to vapor as I watched. It was a process my brain didn’t want to accept, the way he grew more and more transparent until there was only a chair and smoke where he’d sat a moment before. He reappeared directly in front of me, making me jump. Cool tendrils brushed along the skin on my cheek, replaced by warm fingers as Vassago solidified and the mist evaporated.
“Oh,” I said simply, stifling the dozen or so questions I still had before they could spill out. There was plenty of time to learn. I needed to pace myself. After all, I was learning all this just hours after leaving the only home I’d known most of my life. If I didn’t exercise some caution, I might burn out or lose my mind entirely in a matter of days.
“Yes.”
“That actually explains a lot.” I studied him, the pieces falling together. The way his eyes sometimes flashed red or his fangs became more pronounced. His ability to move across a room in the span of a moment without being seen. “The other day…” His expression fell. There was a tingle in my fingertips as my heart began to pound. “On the road. Was that you?”
He blew out a slow breath. “Yes, it was.” The gasp that snuck out at his admission was louder than I’d hoped. “That’s not a common occurrence, Greta. You must know that. There had been a situation, a fight. I was managing a threat when you saw me.” His hands fidgeted, his face pensive.
“A threat?”
“Yes. There were some troublemaking demons that needed dealt with. A somewhat unique event, I swear it.”
I stared at him, my mind sorting through every interaction we’d had so far. I nodded, unsure what else to say. I did not feel like I was in danger with him, but discounting what he could do was surely unwise.
I blinked as a realization set in. Ademonstood between me and my former employers. This beautiful man, the one that looked like the angel in the maze fountain but was actually the opposite, had already proven he would keep me safe. From Henrik, from myself. From a life toiling as someone’s purchased bride. Somehow, the threat of me falling for him was greater than it had been before, even with the new revelations about his nature.
His worry transformed into a confused scowl. “That’s it?” he asked.
“That’s what?”
“You don’t have any further response to me telling you I’m a creature of Hell? Just some questions andthat explains a lot?”
“Should I have a different reaction?” I laughed, realizing he was somewhere between shocked and offended I wasn’t more bothered by the revelation.
“Most do.”
“Does it come up in conversation often?” I frowned, wondering who he was talking to that it might come up at all.
“No.” He chuckled, shaking his head as though I were being ridiculous.
I shrugged. “Well, you’re still the same person you were earlier. Or yesterday. Last week. I’d be lying if I said having seen you that way wasn’t fearsome, but you’ve never done anything to threaten or hurt me. Besides, it didn’t bother you to find out I’m stone kin, and that’s kind of the same thing.”
The groove between his eyes deepened and then disappeared altogether as he unleashed another smile. “You, Little Dragonfly are… unexpected. And I think you and my brother’s wife will get along famously. Also, to be fair, I recognized your nature almost immediately. But no, it doesn’t bother me in the least. You’re one of the most compelling, loveliest creatures I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet. And I regret you seeing me in that moment more than I could ever express.”
I took the compliment for what it was and smiled back. I couldn’t wait. For the first time since I could remember, I felt like I belonged somewhere. Like everything I was had purpose. It was a heady, light feeling, and I happily floated on it as long as I could.
Chapter 16
Vassago
After our conversation, I sent Greta off to her apartment to rest. Her exhaustion worried me despite her repeated assurances that she was no more tired than normal, and she’d been like this as long as she could remember. At the rate she napped, she could have given any cat a solid run for their money.
I’d made a casual record out of curiosity, and most days she visited, Greta only had around eight hours total of wakefulness. Perhaps a third of that was her either beginning to wear down toward a nap or trying to perk up after, as well. I couldn’t imagine how frustrating it must be for her, but she never seemed upset about it. She’d accepted it for what it was. I decided to always strive to allow her to when she needed to, in hopes that would improve things overall for her.
Besides, today I wanted her to have some time to acclimate to her new environment, especially after what she’d learned. Her acceptance of what I was, having seen me at my worst, had impressed me but also left me worried. What else had she seen, been through, that such a revelation was so easily accepted? I suppose it should have put me at ease, but I was afraid she’d disappear from my collegium one night, never to return.
