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“Quit being such a baby and clean up after an old man, would you?”
Natalie was fast asleep, her legs flung apart at an angle that would have been entertaining if she were wearing a dress instead of gray khaki pants. Her blonde hair was flung over her face and she was out like a light.
Bingwen stood, staring at her from a distance and frowning.
“You know you can get closer, she doesn’t bite,” Axle whispered.
“You want to do this instead of me?” he retorted. He walked over to the bed where she lay asleep, waved his hand over her and muttered a short spell with his eyes tightly shut. His frown deepened as he repeated the spell. Then two more times. Axle had no idea what was going on.
After the fourth time repeating the spell, Bingwen opened his eyes and looked at Axle. Then he angled his head to the door as their cue to leave.
“Well? What did you see? Who or what is she?”
Bingwen was frozen for a few seconds as Axle waited for a reply. The old man’s face drained of color and his lips quivered a bit. In those split seconds, Axle was terrified of what he might hear if it was enough to terrify Bingwen, who had seen the worst the world had to offer.
“I don’t know,” Bingwen said.
Axle was confused. It was not the response he was expecting and it took him only a second to understand why the man looked so shaken. It was because he didn’t know.
Bingwen might be the most annoying man Axle knew, but he was also one of the wisest. He understood how the fact that there was something or someone he could not understand even with his magic would be frightening.
“There was nothing. It’s like she’s a regular human, yet I know that she isn’t. I can feel it. I just don’t know what it is.”
Axle nodded. “Go home, you’ve done your part. I’ll take care of this myself.” He realized he really had no choice.
***
When Natalie woke up, Axle was sitting in the chair next to the bed, watching her intently, his hands under his jaw. Staring at her was not going to solve the problem of her identity, but it was worth a try. Plus, she was beautiful to look at. Her skin glowed in the light and her hair had the most unnatural sheen to it.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I could ask you the same question, without the last word.”
“W-what?”
“You saw a demon.”
“And I’d give anything not to, but gee, thanks for reminding me. What the hell is wrong with you? You know what? I don’t even want to hear it, whatever twisted notion you have in your head. I just want to go home.” She smoothed her hair back and grabbed her phone from the other edge of the bed.
But before she could stand up, Axle stopped her, plopping his two hands beside her on the bed and leaning toward her. She smelled human, alright. He was so close to her that he could see so deep into her blue eyes, which stared back at him in horror.
Axle forgot what he was going to say to her as his heartbeat stopped for what seemed to him to be minutes. His eyes grew twice their size and when his heartbeat returned, it hurt for a second.
All his senses were heightened; he could see everything, hear everything. He heard Natalie’s heart beating fast and loud and in its haphazard beating, synchronize with his, and he saw her eyes dart all over him. A shiver shot through him and his hair stood on end.
Then his senses dulled and in the seconds that followed, he felt…whole. Like he had found a part of himself he hadn’t known was missing.
Realizing who she was, he fell back, gasping.
“Are you okay?” Natalie stuttered.
Axle held up his hand and stopped her from coming any closer to him. Then he stood up and left, saying nothing to her. There was no way to explain it to her, but Axle knew. He was certain of the feeling, as it was exactly the way everyone else had described it.
Natalie wasn’t just any random human, she was his fated mate.
Chapter 8 - Natalie
Many hours had passed and Natalie was still in the room, wondering what had happened. Axle was nowhere in sight. In fact, she wasn’t even sure he was still around, but when she tried to leave the door was locked.
