Page 114 of The Demon's Pet

Maybe I should stay here,I thought,and not go into the mid-realm with vampires.

But Sam’s face, serious and cold, brought me back to reality.

Zadis didn’t know I was a demon, and if he ever did, he’d never look at me as he was now.

The thought killed my mood, and Zadis noticed.

“Did the shift tire you? Surely there’s some way I can pay you back for such a favor. Ask me whatever you want.”

“I do have one question,” I said. “But don’t get offended.”

“I’ll try,” Zadis said with a wink.

“That thing… the void walker—”

Zadis’s face sobered instantly. “What about it?”

“What’s going on with that? Why did Sam even ask you about kidnapping? What is that thing?”

Zadis sighed. “Since Sam won’t tell you, I suppose I will. Though, you may want to reconsider staying with someone who keeps so much from you. The void is a dimension between the mid-realm and the darker abyssal realms, and the inhabitants use portals through time and space to change location. This one invaded our realm, killed our people, and must be stopped before it can do more damage.”

Zadis spoke with conviction, but something sparkling in his eyes told me there was more to this than he was saying.

But Sam probably wouldn’t give me a straight answer either.

“Why did he say you kidnapped it?”

“Perhaps he spoke with the creature, and it tried to blame us to save its own skin,” Zadis retorted. “I said I would tell you. You don’t believe me?”

I didn’t know what to believe. “It’s not that. I just don’t know anything about these things.” I put on a sad face. “I hate to see anything die, let alone if it’s innocent.”

That seemed to work on Zadis.

“Well, it’s not innocent. Let’s just say that. It’s something from a realm next to the demon realm, so it’s as good as a demon. Children died, Cleo. Screaming in pain, they died. That thing must be killed, because if it’s ever set free, with its void-walking abilities, its potential to cause harm is endless.”

Something still wasn’t adding up here, but I had no reason to disbelieve Zadis.

“All right,” I said. “Fair enough. Tell me more about you. More about fae. More about bonding.”

His eyes lit up eagerly. “Of course.”

And as he spoke, telling me the customs of his people, for some reason, all I could see were Sam’s dark eyes, staring with disapproval.

When I saw him again, I was probably in for a fight.

25

I was glad it was Griffin who came to collect me from Zadis’s home.

We’d been discussing bonding and drinking tea, and I’d honestly lost track of time. I was enjoying myself so much.

Zadis was charming, kind, and open. He treated me unlike anyone ever had. I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t still feel him trying to win me over and get me to stay with him, but I didn’t mind it too much.

It just wasn’t possible.

Zadis liked to talk about fate and how it brought us together. But in my heart, deep down, it felt like maybe Sam was my future. And I wasn’t silly enough to imagine it would be romantic. But there was something between us, and I couldn’t focus on anything else until I figured out what it was.

Plus, I was still hiding that I was a demon. But it was fun for a while, pretending I hadn’t been born an omega and I could just entertain courtship like anyone else.

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