"It's not one demon I'm worried about. There's no telling what that demon will bring back with him."
The door opens more, and she eyes me warily. "Explain."
"Marlow doesn't have the right tools to open a passageway. There's no telling what will happen to him—or what he might bring back."
Cierra hesitates for a few seconds that feel like eternity. She utters a low string of curse words as she releases me from my shackles.
As soon as I'm free, I move fast and burst into the interrogation room.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Adelaide exclaims.
I brush past her, my focus solely on Marlow. He's slumped in his chair, eyes vacant, his body left behind as his spirit roams other planes.
"He's not supposed to be in here," Adelaide tells her wife.
"He says we're in danger."
The women shut the door and whisper between themselves, but I hear none of it. I drop to my knees beside Marlow, waving my hand in front of his face and snapping my fingers. There's no response. My gaze shifts to Iggy, who's fluttering anxiously in his cage on the table.
"Are you alright?"
Iggy nods, his eyes filled with concern. "Don't worry about me. Help Marlow."
If only I could. I have no idea how to bring him back. I place my palm on his thigh as I try not to panic. "Oh, you idiot. What have you done? Why would you do that? You stupid, stupid demon." Maybe I'm panicking a little. I clutch onto his thigh, but he doesn't respond.
"He wouldn't leave you," Adelaide says quietly from behind me. "He was looking for a way out, for anything to help."
I shake my head, staring helplessly at the still man before me. "It's so dangerous…"
"You needed to know the truth. I was sure he was using you.” Adelaide almost sounds regretful as she goes on. “I didn't know he would do this. I was sure he'd take the deal."
"He's an innocent man," I remind her.
"That's not why he refused," Adelaide says. "He's run before. The thing he couldn't do was leave you behind."
All this time, I've been so worried. First, I was afraid of being a fool. He deceived me, and I tormented myself wondering how I could be gullible enough to trust him again. How could the last person I’d ever fall for even be my true mate?
The more I discovered about him, the more I couldn’t see myself with anyone else. And I was terrified the universe would rip it all away, that this was some cosmic joke and we weren't really destined for each other. Why weren’t we Recognizing each other?
I've been wrestling against the pull I feel toward him, petrified of being wrong and surrendering my heart to the wrong person again. I've been too scared to confess the truth until I knew for certain what we were to each other. But none of that matters now.
I fell for him anyway. I’m not afraid of him or these feelings, not anymore. I’m only afraid I’ll never get the chance to tell him.
I love Marlow. If he’s not my true mate, then fate made a mistake.
"Please," I whisper. "Please come back."
It happens then, a moment of clarity. I see him, really see him, not as a criminal or a liar, but as the man he truly is. Clever and sharp-witted, brimming with charm and easy jokes, yet carrying a good heart beneath it all. The demon who abandoned the underworld and risked himself to give a little gargoyle a better life. He doesn't abuse his power. He shields those weaker than himself and follows his own moral compass, doing what's right in his own way.
Was I holding myself back? If one party isn't willing or able to see the truth, it can hinder things. I was afraid to let my guard down and open my heart, afraid to take the risk. But now thatI’m not running from my feelings, it all becomes clear and I’m able to see the truth.
Marlow’s my mate.
A fierce beat of wings erupts behind him. The passage flickers, going dark for a second, and a roar thunders through the room. Ice shoots down my spine.
"What the fuck was that?" Adelaide demands.
"Uh, I don't know," I reply, my heart pounding in my chest. "Nothing good. That's for sure."
