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And it was all because of my magic, and my desire to find my mate.
In Sombra, everyone does their part. The great Duke Haures is our ruler, the male who has lorded over the capital city for two thousand years. We have clan leaders. Hunters. Trades demons. Spawn minders. Teachers. Artists, and butchers. Weavers of both fabrics and shadows. Soldiers. Builders.
And, of course, mages.
Born with the tell-tale purple eyes, I knew I was always destined to be a mage. I was also the only demon born in my clan who came out of my mother’s womb with two pairs of nubs on my brow. Double horns are the mark of a powerful demon. I could have been a fierce fighter—and I am—but the magic inside of me sealed my fate. I would be a mage, and that meant I had leave Arith, the clan of my kin, to train.
Once I was of age, I left for Marvo, the oasis in the center of Sombra, where I was taught by the most powerful mage of our age. The youngest to learn under Sammael, I’d only seen two centuries then. Little more than a spawn when I came to learn magic in the capital, finding my mate had been the last thing on my mind.
But as I studied, I also matured. I hadn’t seen a female since I left Arith—since only males in Sombra can be born as mages, there were none in our quarters—but I started to dream of the day I found her.
She would love me instantly as I love her. She would lust for me, her demoness instincts leading her to claim me and bond with me as soon as our eyes met.
Ken-dee is no demoness. She is one of the fabled humans. She called her to me, though I didn’t answer her call straight away. Proving that humans are like demonesses from Soleil only without any horns to protect her, we mated, forming our bond, and that’s when I was reminded of what I lost by going fully demonic.
The lost demons have no essence. I have my Ken-dee now. I’ll always have her.
But without an essence exchange, I can’t delve into her mind. Into her memories. I know not what she thinks of me, or if she loves me as much as I would give anything for one of her smiles.
I survived the shadows. I am resilient. I am determined.
And I will continue to learn her on my own until I’m whole enough to offer her my essence.
There’s no hurry. We are safe in my home. She’s made no move to leave either of the rooms, content to stay with her ungez when I must go to hunt and reinforce my territorial markings.
We sleep in the same bed every night, though my Ken-dee does not want to mate. As much as I’d love to worship her cunt like she allowed back in her realm, I do as she says. She is my mate, our bond present if not finalized, and I will wait until she wants to make me hers once more.
Because finally, as I’m approaching my fifth century, I’ve learned patience—and I did it for my heart.
But just because I cannot share myself with her, I know that she is the only female in all the worlds who owns my heart. Sheismy heart.
And though she knows as much Sombra as I’ve learned her human language, I wait until she’s softly snoring to tell her the same thing I’ve done every night since I found her.
“My soul will be yours,” I whisper, trailing a claw down her soft cheek. My Ken-dee is soft everywhere. “My heart is in your hands. Our lives will be forever intertwined.” I vow it. More than a promise, it is my solemn vow. “I give myself to you. I give you everything.”
Everything, it seems, except for my essence.
CHAPTER10
ARKODA
LOKI
I’ve learned much about my sweet mate since I brought her to my home, including how humans need an awful lot of rest.
In the shadows, to sleep is to be vulnerable. I mark my immediate territory to ward off predators, though there are some that are either too stupid or foolhardy to challenge a demon male. I also find myself losing myself if I sleep too long. When I was whole, I only needed a few hours’ recharge to be rested. Now? I can go many moons without shutting down.
I must watch Ken-dee. Keeping her safe and protected is my priority. I laid down beside her in the beginning because she wasn’t used to the shadows’ chilly bite. Seeing how she was pleased when I tapped into my growing well of magic and conjured her a new covering, I did the same and wove her a blanket out of shadows.
She was pleased, yet still invited me to lie down beside her whenever she slumbered.
It was inevitable that, eventually, I would need to close my eyes as well. I’d gone as long as I could without resting. My body followed her into slumber, my hand settling on her waist so that, even while my eyes were away from her, I still kept that connection.
When I finally come out of my rest, that my hand is laying flat against the sheet instead of on Kend-ee has me bolting out of the bed. Breathing in deep, I search for her scent. Panic floods my form when I find it and it is old.
I feel asleep as a demon. To stay in a shadow near Ken-dee is too much of a temptation. I’m more sensitive in that form. One accidental brush against Ken-dee and I nearly erupt right on the floor.
No. It is better to stay tangible where I’m as solid as she. She seems to prefer it, too. In my demon form, I scent her cunt growing wet far more often than when I melt into the darkness.
