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“Of course it is! Sure, I’m kinda pissed that everyone had to find out about my baby before me, but I’m not leaving Loki because of it.
“Even if he stole you in the first place?”
How does she know that?
CHAPTER17
SACRIFICES
KENNEDY
Ishould’ve known better. It seems like some things are universal, and despite living in Nuit for… well, I don’t know how long exactly, but a while… despite living in Nuit for a while, I’m just figuring out that demons have a tendency to gossip as much as humans do.
How does Shannon know that Loki technically threw me over his shoulder and carried me through a portal in Sombra? Because I told Lilith that one day when we were chatting about how we met our mates. I’d thought it was a normal way Sombra males claimed their mates, kind of like the Roman soldiers and the Sabine Women, but Lilith’s politely puzzled expression told me I was way off base on that one.
I had quickly changed the subject that day. We never spoke of it again. I guess I thought the demoness had forgotten all about it.
I would be wrong on that front.
Somehow, after telling Apollyon about how Loki stole me from my bedroom, the clan leader worried that I had been mated against my will. I’m part of the clan now, regardless of the fact that I’m only here because I came with Loki. As an honorable male, Apollyon had a duty to protect me.
And the kind-hearted, well-meaning demon got it in his head that he needed to protect me from my mate by involving Shannon and Mal.
“The head of this place—”
“Apollyon,” I supply.
“Right. Him. He asked me to check on you. Make sure you were happy with your mate.”
What? I don’t understand. Any of the miscommunications we had at the beginning of our mating were all settled before we came to Nuit. Since then, Loki’s been the perfect guy—forgetting to mention he knocked me up, withstanding—and I love him.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? And he didn’t steal me. Well, no, he did,” I correct. “But that’s because he didn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to go home with him right away.”
“Why’s that?” asks Shannon. “I asked Mal about him after we left Apollyon’s place. If he remembered him. He says that your mate disappeared from Nuit. That he was lost to the shadows before he turned up with you.”
I can’t deny that. “He’s good to me, Shannon. Really good to me.”
“So good you have a cut on your cheek?”
My hand flies to my face. “That was an accident and you know it.”
Shannon exhales roughly. “You’re right. I do, but if he’s anything like my mate, it’s like he’s programmed to worship you. But it also means he’s programmed to be your freaking shadow. You know what I mean, right? Always up your butt… if you want to go back home, you can.”
No. I can’t. Loki belongs in Sombra, and I belong with him.
“No, thanks.”
“Just think it over. The offer’s there. Apollyon’s already has help from the capital coming in to contain him if you’re afraid of him coming after you. When me and Mal go back to Jericho, you could come with us.”
From our interactions, I always thought Shannon Crewes was a little flighty, but still pretty smart. Did her big demon mate fuck the sense out of her? Because I can’t understand why a woman who has a Sombra male as her own would ever think I’d be afraid ofmineand I tell her so.
“Hey. Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just repeating what I heard, and rumor’s that the demons here all expect him to turn again.” She holds up her hand in defense when she sees the furious look on my face. “You gotta admit, he didn’t make the best first impression when he charged at Mal and me.”
“Loki saw another human and his first reaction was to shield me,” I argue. “He thought you were here to take me away from him.”
The knowing look she gives me back says I made the point for her.
Frustration wells up inside of me. She’s a human with a demon mate. I thought she’d understand. “It’s not how it sounds. He’s not keeping me trapped here. Iwantto be with him. Besides, there’s nothing back for me in the human world. This is my life now.”
