Page 57 of The Demon's Delight
“No. I don’t think so. The bond is making itself known right now, trying to be sure it’s… completed.”
“Completed?”
“It’s a simple magic. Old as time itself.” He looked at me meaningfully, one eyebrow raised. “It’s also why we had to stop, before.”
A flush washed over me. “Oh.”
“Oh, indeed.” He smirked, the innuendo unavoidably humorous.
“To be clear, if we were intimate, would that automatically mean we chose to accept the bond?”
“I believe the bond would interpret that as enthusiastic acceptance, yes.” He smirked again. “Does that mean you stillhave untoward intentions with me, Moonflower? That I could have been having the same, all this time?”
I sighed, less put out about his question than I made out to be.
He chuckled, seeing through me. “Just making sure I understand you, is all. Because all you have to do is ask, Hailon. I meant it when I said I’m yours. But I also don’t want you to have any regrets. You had to know this part of it to be fully consenting. Though I desperately wish I could have seen your face when you came?—”
“Ridiculous demon.” My whole body burned at the reminder of what I’d done with him listening and doing the same, the pair of us separated from one another by only a door.
We lay there in silence for several minutes, nothing but the sound of our heartbeats and the crackling of the fire between us.
“What do you want it to mean?” I asked finally. “What would you choose?”
Seir’s eyes closed, and he exhaled slowly through his nose. “I’d be honored to have you as my mate, Hailon. I am. I will always be.”
“But?”
He shook his head, redoubling his efforts to press my palm to his chest. “There’s no but. Not like you’re thinking. I understand that the timing isn’t optimal. I wasn’t looking for a partner before you summoned me. Your circumstances are certainly not of someone seeking out their mate. But the fates laugh at such things regularly. They don’t care what else you have going on when it’s your turn on their wheel.” He exhaled slowly. “But… choosing not to satisfy the bond can lead to madness, Moonflower. It would probably take a long time, but there’s a risk. There are pairs that avoid it, even still. And if you’re not all in, then we’re not taking a chance. I’d rather not risk you resenting me and regretting the bond for all eternity.”
“My eternity will be much shorter than yours, will it not?” I asked, stomach woozy.
“Perhaps, yes.”
“Just ‘perhaps’?”
“Well, to be fair, we’ve got some investigation to do on you, do we not? With the null thing Coltor mentioned? It’s possible your life expectancy isn’t all that different from mine.”
There was no arguing with that, I supposed. And there he went again withwe. Like it was his responsibility to help me figure myself out. How could I not appreciate such a thing?
“I know my brothers are looking into that with their mates as well. I’ve full confidence they’ll find a way to keep my sisters-in-law around for a very, very long time. One of them is part fae. Surely there’s a way to extend a human lifespan within our grasp.”
“I… We don’t know one another all that well,” I added, though that felt like a flimsy excuse. In many ways, I felt like I knew him better than anyone aside from my Aunt Sal.
“No, we don’t. But I’ve seen enough to know I’d be beyond fortunate to end up with a woman such as you.”
“Now who has the pretty words?” I reveled in the soft smile that earned me. “I don’t think I can make a decision about that kind of thing right now.”
He looked away, a flash of sadness crossing his face. “I understand. I would not ask you to respond to such a thing in haste.”
It felt like he’d moved miles away, despite him being right there next to me. I hated it.
“For the record, I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather the fates paired me up with,” I said, placing my hand on his arm in a way I hoped communicated sincerity and comfort.
He turned back, the relief in his face palpable. He patted my hand, then lifted it, pressing another kiss into my palm.
“We should get some rest,” he said, fingertips tracing down my cheek, eyes staring into mine in a way that made me feel truly seen. He leaned in, pressing his lips to my forehead in a sweet gesture that had me melting. Then he abruptly sat up.
“Where are you going?” I asked, heart pounding as he picked up a pillow and one of the small blankets spread across the foot of the bed.
