“What’s wrong?”
He rushes away a few steps and latches onto the edge of my cover. With the thin material in his teeth, he pulls it away from the bedroll to expose Rami’s necklace.
Dread coils deep into my core, instantly telling me that something is wrong. He must have forgotten to put it back on last night. But that means he’s loose in the world without his protection.
I grab the leather cord and rush from my home, begging the gods that he’s made it back to me so I can keep him safe.
“Rami?” I shout into the warm evening. But only the sound of frogs and cicadas meet my ears.
I strain my ears to pick up on any clue of his return to me. And the longer I come up with nothing, the more I panic. My heart thunders beneath my ribcage as I rush through my too-small territory.
Kneeling along the border, I circle my hands to form a sigil. The power simmers beneath my fingers as a golden aura surrounds me.
I have to know if he’s safe.
Mumbling the spell, I beg Mother Earth to provide me with any clue.
Something shuffling in front of me has me leaping to my feet. My eyes are wide and hopeful. Rami pushes through some brush, and I try to take a step toward him, needing to feel him in my arms. Assure myself that he’s safe. Despite the pain it will certainly cause.
That’s when I see the glint of the torches reflect off a knife held near his throat. Baring my teeth, I follow the hand grasping the handle to see a face I never thought I’d see again. As they step out of the shadows, Abraham’s aura comes into view, and I instantly recognize it.
Channelling the power I had summoned to find Rami into a ball, I launch it at the bastard who dared lay his hands on my Rami. It’s quickly deflected, leaving Rami still in danger.
“Torgaz!” I snap.
A rumbling chuckle comes from the demon possessing Abraham as his eyes glow from within. “Adriel. It’s been centuries, my love.” The creature taunts.
Rami’s eyes widen, attempting to glance behind him without cutting into his throat. The poor thing must have assumed this was Abraham. Perhaps even a friend from town. A friend with an ulterior motive.
“Release him,” I growl.
Torgaz leans in to sniff Rami’s neck. “Mmmmm. But this one is so delectable. And his mouth is exquisite. Perfect for stretching around a cock.”
Red flashes over my vision, not sure if his words are said in truth or to throw me off. Either way, I force my body to take a step closer; needing to reach out to Rami. Protect what’s mine. The agony that hits me as I step across the threshold attempts to send me to my knees, but I remain upright. Purely from strength of will.
“Oh, right, you haven’t had a taste of him yet. Perhaps I could remove your curse, and we can share him.” The sneer that curls up Torgaz’s face is inhuman.
“Release him,” I repeat. Though I know this conversation is going nowhere.
Torgaz shrugs, pressing the sharp edge of the blade harder against Rami’s neck. He gasps, pressing as hard as he can against Torgaz’s chest. A small red bead of blood pools along the cut. Torgaz's eyes refuse to leave mine, watching for any clue of my resolve slipping. The blade, thankfully, doesn’t remain there for long. He leans forward and licks the blood from Rami’s neck.My sweet man clenches his eyes tightly, clearly fighting off his shiver of disgust.
“You will accept me, or I will kill him.” Torgaz’s lips brush against the side of Rami’s neck as his eyes remain locked on mine.
I narrow my gaze, watching him closely. “You won’t kill him.” I honestly don’t know, but based on him wanting to share, I’m assuming Torgaz has been wooed by Rami too. Making me think they were friends. Slowly building a relationship that Rami didn’t want.
“If it means having you, then I will end his miserable life.”
The flicker in their eyes is subtle, telling me Abraham doesn’t necessarily agree with his demon. So I need to keep them talking until a plan formulates. A tug on my pants leg has me finding Ludo, tugging with his small front legs. I take the gift and bend over. I stare into his black eyes as I lift him to my shoulder, and one word flits through my mind—magic.
“You only want me for my powers, demon,” I snarl. “After I denied you, you took advantage of Abraham’s need to be loved. Tricked him into accepting you by dangling me like I’m a treasure to be won.”
If we’re reflecting honestly, Abraham deserved better all around. His father was a cruel bigot, expecting Abraham to take on the role of the preacher’s kid without any complaint or much instruction. He was constantly trying to shove me out of his town even though his people were desperate for my gifts.
Sadly, I was not much better. I noticed his affections for me early on, but I did not reciprocate his feelings. The attempt to let him down easy ended in a fit of rage from the boy, and I thought that was that. It wasn’t until almost three months later, that I tried to make my usual trek into town that I realized I couldn’t leave this portion of the woods. I was trapped. Abraham returned two days later to convince me to love him and takehim away from here, but my fury wouldn’t be tempered. I still remember his parting words, hearing them every time I cursed him for doing this to me.
Perhaps a few centuries will have you rethinking your desires.
And has it? Why do I have these feelings for Rami that Abraham always wanted?
