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“Okay,” she said. “Unfortunately, I can’t promise that my monster wouldn’t hurt you because it doesn’t seem to distinguish friend from foe—that’s why I keep it contained during battles that aren’t one-on-one. It’s safer that way.”
Cain lowered his face to hers. “Promise me that you’ll release it in an emergency regardless, even if it means risking the lives of myself and your coven.”
“I genuinely can’t make that promise. Kali often stays its hand if She doesn’t want it to surface.”
Interesting. “It’s definitely one of Her pets, then. I don’t see why else it would listen to Her. I briefly considered that you might have some other entity within you, considering you don’t need to feed on flesh or blood to help it survive.”
“Does your creature need that stuff?”
“No. It doesn’t feed on anything. But, as I said, it bites.”
She cocked her head. “And it truly wants to keep me permanently?”
“It will accept nothing less. Neither will I.” Cain used his grip on her hip to tug her closer. “We are both intent on never letting you escape us.”
“I could get away if I wanted to.”
He felt his lips curve. “Ah, pretty witch, I’m sure you’d give it a decent try, but it wouldn’t work.”
She snorted. “Whatever. Back to the Saul thing . . . It’s a good plan, Cain.”
He could only stare at her, marveling at how she could so easily switch topics when they’d been discussing something as grand as the existence of his monster—one that wanted to not only keep but bite her. But that was Wynter. A person who was very difficult to faze.
Then again, she’d dealt with most extreme situations since she was a child. It would be easy for someone like that to eventually become so difficult to daunt for long.
She fisted his tee. “We need Saul out of the picture. Not only because he’s a danger to both you and me, but because other Aeons will probably soon arrive. Think of how much he’ll have learned from observing what goes on around here. Think of what he could share with them; of how they could use that against us.”
Cain’s blood chilled at that. He didn’t want the other Aeons, particularly Abel, to ever discover that Wynter belonged to Cain. They would exploit that knowledge for certain; would become more determined to capture her purely so they could later torture her in lieu of him. “I’ll think about it.” That was the most he could promise right then.
She poked his chest. “Be sure that you do.”
“Such attitude.”
“You bring it out in me. On purpose.”
He smiled. “Of course I do.”
Although he was still reeling from her revelation that she’d sensed his creature’s presence, Cain said nothing more of it as he stripped, pleasured, and thoroughly fucked her.
As they later lay in bed, he curved his body around hers. His monster settled, placated by her not only being aware of its existence but being utterly unafraid of it. Cain only hoped that didn’t change.
It might help the situation that she already knew of the creature. It would be one less shock for her when she learned the entire truth of his origins and past.
His monster wouldn’t pressure him so much now to reveal everything—that meant Cain would have the time he needed. Probably. He couldn’t be sure. The creature was greedy when it came to Wynter. Cain had no room to judge it for that. He was just as greedy.
Closing his eyes, Cain buried his face in her hair and let sleep tug him under. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep when his creature nudged him hard, waking him. Cain blinked hard and lifted his head. It was then that he realized he was alone in bed.
“Wynter?” he called out even as he edged off the mattress, hoping she was simply using the attached bathroom. But a quick check confirmed she wasn’t there. Her clothes were on the floor beside the bed, including her shoes, so she hadn’t snuck off home.
Fuck, she had to be sleepwalking again.
She hadn’t done it in a while. He’d thought this shit was over. Apparently not. Why Kali persisted in keeping it up he didn’t know.
He quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and then just as swiftly made his way downstairs. Outside the rear of the Keep, he discovered that the gates to his garden were wide open and that the padlock lay on the ground. Shit.
It was true that the snakes hadn’t harmed her before, but Cain’s pulse still kicked up. He hurried through the gates and down the winding path. He found her nearing the temple, each step she took slow and awkward. The serpents slithered alongside the path either side of her, but none made a move to harm her. Which still baffled him, but he had no complaints about it.
Cain quickly caught up with her and gently grabbed her upper arm. He turned her toward him, finding her eyes wide and unseeing. She did as she always did—weakly fought his hold and tried resuming her walk to wherever she was heading. Which seemed to be the temple.
