He leads me down a few corridors until we get to his suite. It’s just as nice as mine except there are two bedrooms instead of one. Soft snoring comes from the other room.
“Mammon is here?” I ask, nervous he’ll hear us.
“He drank too much blood wine, so I sent him to bed. He’s a little rowdy when he’s drinking. I didn’t want to see him start a fight.”
He drags me into his bedroom, then closes the door. I’m instantly hit with the thought we are in a room with an enormous bed. Nothing to stop us now. But I need reassurances.
A huge fire rages from the corner of the room. It’s cozy and warm in here. Blood-red sheets cover the bed, similar to the color of my dress. Two high-back chairs face one another by the balcony, and a soft breeze comes in through the open door.
The contrast between the heat and the cool night gives the room the perfect temperature. I sit in one seat and sigh. Tonight has been nothing more than a ball of nerves.
“Here,” he says, handing me a glass of amber liquid. He discards his jacket and tie, throwing both on the bed.
His shoes and socks are next, and he’s left in his pants and a white shirt. Popping the first few buttons open and rolling up the sleeves leaves his tattoos on display. For a moment, I forget what we were fighting about.
He folds his body in the chair opposite of me with a gigantic smile. “Are you okay?” he says, teasing.
“I’m fine.” I snap, taking a huge sip out of my glass.
A soft chuckle comes from his mouth, and it draws my attention to how beautiful he is. This is a mistake. I can’t be in here anymore. It’s all too much.
He leans forward, placing a hand on my leg. “You look like a scared deer. Don’t be nervous. I won’t bite.”
He flashes his fangs, and it brings back the reasons I’d like to punch him. It’s like cold water dumped on my head.
“Let’s get down to it then. Tell me everything. I want to know the entire plan and why you dragged me into all this. Not for one second do I think it was all a coincidence.”
He sighs, taking his hand off my leg, and leans back in the chair. “I’ll start from the beginning. You know most, but this will clear up the parts I’ve left out.”
“Conveniently left out from the beginning—when you dragged me here without telling me the whole truth.”
“Anima, I’m sorry. The mate bond didn’t appear until you got all your demon powers. If it happened before, I would have told you everything.”
“You needed the mating bond as an excuse to tell me about the mission I was going on? The one where I stuck my neck out and trusted you to guide me?”
“I know your life hasn’t been the happiest, but you need to stop finding ways to not agree to this bond.”
His words sting. I’ve always done everything myself. Never questioned my place in the Tenebris coven, but Rahna made it so easy to believe demons were liars.
Thirteen
ANIMA
“I’m not used to having a second person to count on. I’m used to a team. Take the enemy down and go home. Start all over again. Ever since I’ve found you, it’s like everyone who was supposed to be in my life from the beginning appeared.”
He gets on his knees in front of me, clasping my hands. His face softens as he places his lips to my knuckles.
“I don’t know what you’re going through, but I understand it. All of this, I’m used to. It’s been a part of me since I was born, but it’s hard for me sometimes to realize you know nothing about this world.”
A sigh escapes me as I gaze out the window. Now is the time to get everything out. We can’t continue fighting all the time, especially since we are both so important to this cause.
“We need to find common ground. As you said, you’re not new to this, so guide me. Show me how it’s done.”
“You’ll have to be more specific about the guidance part. There is so much I could show you.”
He rubs my wrists with the lightest touch, forming goose bumps in his wake. It’s starting to get hot in here.
“I meant in court. There are rules here that I don’t know. I stabbed a guy before, but I’m sure it wasn’t the right thing to do in front of all those people. I’ll probably get a lecture tomorrow.”
“He deserved it. I heard everything he said. If you hadn’t done it, I would have. But it wouldn’t have been with a fork.”
“Why does Scur hate you?”
The change in the subject has him taking his seat again. He pours himself an enormous glass of wine and stares off into the distance.
“My father was a fair ruler. He always looked out for his people. But when there was war or something had to be handled, he’d send Scur. After a time, it changed him. He became hungry for violence.
“When my father was dying, he decided the best thing for the Bloodlands was to make me king instead. Scur was furious. The kingdom was divided in half, and most of the army was already loyal to him. It didn’t take long for him to push me out.”
“You ran? Without defending your home?”
“No. The war lasted for ten years before all the resources of the kingdom dried up. We took too much from the land and the people. When I realized they were suffering, I decided to cross realms.”
“If it was only the Bloods that were in the army, how did the Dark cross over?”
The wine is hitting me in all the right places, so I take my shoes off and curl my feet under my legs. He looks dreamy in the fire’s twilight.
“The Dark has always worked with the Bloods
