A Soul to Embrace (Duskwalker Brides #8)

Chapter 2

After what could only have been days of intense torture, Jabez eventually opened his eyes peacefully, and in his own time.

Darkness greeted him, but that wasn’t a sight he was unaccustomed to. He’d been living, like most Demons, out of the sun’s rays. However, unlike a normal awakening, gnarly and twisted tree roots dangled from the dirt ceiling. They forked across it like a net to keep whatever large tree they belonged to from crashing down on top of him.

Most of his vision was grainy and muted, his sensitive sight allowing him to only see so much in such deep shadows. Although his vision was far superior than a human’s, not even a full-fledged Demon had the sharpness of a Mavka’s sight.

A Mavka he could hear whimpering just beyond his feet.

Jabez lifted his upper lip in a twisted sneer before smoothing his features.

How long have I been out? By the pungency of his own scent, the dryness in his mouth, and the hunger that pervaded him, he figured days.

He tried to count what he could remember. He’d spent most of a night and possibly a day holding up his damn castle from crushing him. Then he’d spent an unknown amount of time trapped beneath it. With this Mavka having dug him out during the last rays of sun and then running with him, another rising and setting of the moon had passed.

Then they fucking tortured me.

For days, all he’d felt was agony. So much so that had he been a weaker being, he would have begged for them to end him. Even swimming in the waves of death’s ocean, he hadn’t been that pitiful.

The question was: why was he still alive? If they didn’t kill him, the ookmanik sickness should have.

He should be a rotten corpse or, sickeningly, food.

Yet... he somehow felt better .

He lifted his hands to his head at the migraine that shot across his skull from the dehydration. Hands, plural. He threw them away from his face, twisting his palms one way and then the other. He wiggled the fingers of his left hand that had not long ago been missing.

They... healed me. Without lifting his head, Jabez finally looked down through his bottom lashes at the Mavka he could scent there. Were they not actually torturing me, but aiding me?

Wiggling the toes of his right foot, surprised to not only feel them but also see them, he vaguely remembered the suffering. At each interval, the pain had drifted further and further from his torso as it crawled down his limbs.

He touched his face once more. Jabez noted the burns from whatever magical explosion the redheaded human had detonated were gone. Actually, all of his extensive and near-fatal injuries were gone.

The only pain that remained was from the residual effects of ookmanik . That was unlikely to fade, although the worst of it had receded.

Shit. Despite the Mavka giving me back most of my strength, I have no magic with which to defend myself.

Only a fucking idiot would fight against a Mavka, and Jabez wasn’t an idiot.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he stared at them, he couldn’t fully discern who they were through the lack of light. He saw the white bone of their skull, their antlers, and general body shape, but it wasn’t enough to recognise them.

They were also shuddering as they curled up against some form of exit, with a set of white orbs seeing into him. They chittered, and Jabez noted the fretful hint in it. They shuffled back against the exit, blocking it further like a skittish animal.

Once more, an irritated sneer curled his upper lip, but the moment his fangs were bared, they let out a warning growl. He cooled his features as he slowly pushed up with his elbows to sit.

He eyed the unpredictable creature before him.

He’s guarding the exit to ensure I can’t leave.

The moment those words formed in his mind, two things became apparent.

Firstly, he saw his own body properly, and noted he was naked – likely due to soiling his clothes while unconscious. He’d no doubt also sweated an unholy amount, considering he was over the worst of the ookmanik .

Secondly, and curiously, Jabez realised this Mavka was actually a female. Despite never coming into contact with a female Mavka before, he’d know the difference in scent anywhere – and she’d left it everywhere in this dark hole.

The chuckle that fell from him was rather snide. “Have fun curiously poking around while I was naked?” he asked, refusing to cover himself.

She chittered in return, but her glowing orbs, the only colour and thing he could properly see, morphed from white to teal. He tilted his head at that. I’ve never seen a Mavka have teal orbs before.

He noted it, but ignored it. He’d been expecting orange in reaction to guilt, or for her to shine a reddish pink in shame at his accusation.

He didn’t actually mind, nor care. He was thankful to not wake up in disgusting clothing, somehow semi-clean, and she could poke and prod considering she healed him. He also doubted she knew what any part of his body meant. His ass felt fine, so at least she hadn’t gone sinking her fingers where she shouldn’t.

He was concerned that his body glamours had faded now that he’d completely lost his magic; mainly the fake Demon streaks that’d marked his skin, and those that physically changed him. His ‘seam’ had altered, returning him to his more Elvish species nature. It meant his dick and balls now hung freely and, unfortunately, dangerously between his thighs. They weren’t tender, but she’d no doubt wiggled them in curiosity, unbeknownst to an unconscious Jabez.

Ah, the things I have done to protect myself.

At least the white patch of hair at his groin partially concealed them.

As he’d first surmised while delirious, this wasn’t a fully formed Mavka. Adult, yes. But her intelligence was low; therefore, he assumed she’d also lack physical development. She would be nothing but skin and bone, and even now, in the darkness, he could tell she was grossly underweight.

Despite all his observations, they did nothing to explain why he was here. Nor did they enlighten him as to what he should do to free himself from this female, who obviously had little intention of letting him go amicably.

He needed to escape.

My friendship with Merikh should aid me.

His time with his friend had been short, but it had been enough for him to develop a deep understanding of the bloodthirsty skull-headed species. Jabez would use all he’d learned in the last few hundred years to escape.

This isn’t the worst situation I’ve been in. Nor the strangest in his long life. I’ve also had worse captors. Just the reminder caused a shudder to race down his spine.

I must be patient and remain as non-aggressive as I can. He was in the presence of, essentially, the brain capacity of a moving tree with fangs and claws.

She would be faster than him, stronger than him, and quicker to annoy than him.

He also knew a staring contest with her would get him nowhere.

Bringing his knees up, he placed his right elbow on his thigh.

“Alright, Mavka. Let’s figure out what your stage of development is. Can you understand the words I’m speaking?”

He received chitters, a tilting skull that rattled loudly like dried bones were stuck inside it, and dark-yellow orbs. The sound was telling. Doubtful, then.

Just to double check, he stated in the sweetest and friendliest voice he could muster, “Your mother, the Witch Owl, is a slug, and I hope she burns.”

He obtained the same response. She doesn’t understand. She was reacting to the tone of his voice, not the meaning of his words.

He covered his mouth and looked off to the side in thought. This isn’t ideal. He tapped his forefinger against his lips.

“Okay, female,” he stated with his gaze slipping back to her. “I’m going to have to play a rather nasty trick on you. However, if you don’t let me out of this hole within the next few minutes, I, the great Jabez, will be forced to relieve myself in this hovel you call home.”

How long he’d been unconscious, he didn’t truly know. If he counted the initial few days, and then the days she’d likely healed him over, he knew it’d been at least a week. He’d had no food, nor water within that time. As an Elysian Elf, his body clock still rotated with Nyl’theria’s triple sun cycle, despite being on Earth for over three centuries.

He couldn’t change his biology, but it did aid him in this situation. He needed to pee, to eat, and to drink water, before the third Nyl’theria day of dehydration began to wither him.

Jabez reached his hand out to the female Mavka. Her blunt snout dipped to his reaching palm before she tilted her head once more. Jabez wiggled his fingers, and his long nails – which almost appeared claw-like – clicked between them.

“Come on. Take my hand. I won’t bite.” Yeah, because hers would be far more devastating.

He didn’t even offer a grin, which would have flashed his fangs, in case it came across as threatening. He kept his expression neutral.

When she didn’t take the bait, he held his own hands together to demonstrate, before reaching out to her once more. He positioned his feet in preparation, just as she tentatively placed her palm in his.

He simply held it for a long while, letting her get used to it. Hers was warm and rough from walking on all fours, but the texture wasn’t unpleasant.

Although awkward at first, her unsure muscles eventually loosened, and her orbs turned a bright yellow in joy.

Sucker. Jabez yanked her arm as hard as he could, making the Mavka crash face first into the dirt wall behind him as he shot for the hole she’d been guarding. Within seconds, dirt shifted and distressed squeals came from behind as she scurried to give chase when he left what he realised was a burrow. Her growl was loud, menacing, and a warning to Jabez that running was futile.

Which was fine, as he had no intention of doing so – yet.

Turning around, he held his hands up in surrender, and waited for her to exit. With orbs bright red, she halted, lowered her four-legged stance, and snapped her maw at him. She slammed a humanoid hand upon the ground, claws raking into the dirt, before tossing clumps of it as she pointed towards the opening behind her.

Jabez slowly, and cautiously, stepped to the side. She followed, but wasn’t incited to hunt due to his snail speed. Then, once he was out of eyesight, he gripped the base of his dick and answered the call of nature. The scent alone had to be off-putting to her, and hopefully it made her leave him alone.

In the dim moonlight, he spotted his torn pants on the ground.

A spectator appeared, huffing over him, and he tilted his head back with his eyes half-cast in annoyance. I guess she doesn’t care. Placing one hand on the closest tree for balance and to ‘trap’ him there, she released chitters at him while pointing back at the entrance of her burrow.

It showed that she understood the concept of language, but just simply didn’t know his or vice versa.

“Get it now?” He eyed his pants once more. “Yeah. You didn’t want the scent in your home, so hopefully you’ll understand from now on that I’m like most creatures and need out of your imprisonment. Demons, humans, and even the Elvish are not like you, Mavka. What we consume, we must expel.”

He received no audible answer.

Why am I bothering to talk to her? he thought with a sigh. It’ll be like talking to a tree.

Once done, he stepped back. As if that was her call to action, she attempted to grab his arm so she could drag him back into her burrow. Predicting it, Jabez dodged it by ducking and turning, then he held his hand out.

“Wait. I need food.” He mimed eating while patting his stomach.

Not understanding, she reached for him again, and he snapped out a quiet growl before miming the same motion. The Mavka paused and observed him silently.

She did the same action, and a gurgle came from her stomach – hungry and then persistent. Her yellowed orbs turned red, and she licked at her maw.

Now that they were no longer in her burrow, his eyesight improved immensely. He examined the shape of her skull further.

It was Jabez’s turn to tilt his head. “I feel as though I’ve... met you.”

Yet, without a doubt, he didn’t know this adult Mavka. He’d memorised all their skull and horn variations. She has a rabbit skull, but antlers like the fox Mavka. Although her antlers were smaller in comparison.

His gaze slipped down her body while she crouched before him on all fours. He noted how almost every bone in her body was visible, and how gaunt and hollow her stomach was. Jabez guessed he could wrap both his hands around her waist and his fingertips would touch.

By the length of her foot arches, she had predominantly rabbit features, and even had a fluffy bunny tail to go with it.

The hollows of her cheekbones lacked skin, which meant the inside of her mouth was exposed. He figured when she grew, that would alter, as would much of her body. He saw no breasts currently on her humanoid torso, but he figured that, too, would change.

I believe I met Merikh not long after this stage. He palmed his face. Fuck. Reasoning with her to let me leave will be impossible. He dragged his hand down his face in irritation and covered his mouth. Until then, I guess I’m at her mercy.

Killing her would only be suicide, as she’d dominate him in strength within seconds. He could attempt it by crushing her skull, but without the aid of his magic, he was barely any stronger than a full-blooded Elf.

Running would only excite her hunger and desire to chase prey until she ripped it in half and consumed it.

He noted the mud stuffed into her nose hole and cocked an eyebrow at that. She’s smart enough to know how to hide from the scent of fear and blood, though. That was surprising, all things considered.

Jabez rolled his eyes before waving for her to follow.

“Alright, Mavka, let’s go eat. I’ll hunt, take what I need, and you can have the rest.”

Every scrap of meat he tossed at her would strengthen her, but he’d have to share if he wanted food.

When she tried to grab him, Jabez evaded and grabbed her forearm instead. She let out a distressed chitter when he pulled her along, her steps sluggish and mismatched as if she kept stumbling.

I must be smart if I want to live. Because Jabez had one ultimate goal in life, and it was to survive.

As he moved in search of prey to hunt, he swiped up his pants with his free hand, then temporarily let her go. Despite the disgusting, although dried, state of them, he donned them with the intention of finding the closest river in which to bathe them and himself.

The mauve pants were baggy around his thighs, with a flap of material that could be tied to reveal his clothed legs or left loose to give the impression he was wearing a skirt. One side loosely fluttered around his knee from being torn when he severed his own leg, while the other side hugged his calf.

He wasn’t pleased that this was all he had to wear. Having a curious Mavka nearby was alarming, and his trust in her non-existent.

It’s also cold.

Although his body had adjusted, somewhat, to the seasons of Earth, it was late autumn. Already it was too cool, and that would only worsen as winter came.

I’ll have to discover if we’re in the north or south of Austrális, as the north becomes a winter wonderland. He’d also need to know where he was in the world to plan an exit strategy.

Or just a plan in general.

As Jabez walked, while dragging the Mavka along so she followed his will and not the other way around, he looked up at the canopy of gold, yellow, and orange leaves above. Stars glittered, while a waxing moon brightened everything in its near fullness.

A sense of disquiet fell over him. A plan, huh? What the fuck do I do now?

Everything he’d been scheming, all his wants, desires, and actions, had come crashing down upon him. Violently. Everyone will think I’m dead. His options were limited.

Sure, he could come back with a flare of arrogant over-confidence, flaunting his survival, but what for? I knew this was a losing battle the day I approached Merikh. That had been almost six months ago.

Jabez had known, for quite some time, that everything he’d been doing was pointless. However, he had his reasons for continuing the charade of war. There were vile things he couldn’t undo, stances he couldn’t back out of without repercussions. Then, there were promises that, if broken, would cause a revolt – against him.

He chuckled up at the leaves. You were all following the spiteful desires of a young boy. A teenager who had been wronged by everyone – by the Elves, the humans, the Anzúli, and even the Demons.

The desires and schemes he’d unwittingly trapped himself in all throughout adulthood.

Ah, the things I have done just to live are rather sickening.

He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes crinkled in humour. If she were to learn of them, she would resent saving me. A foolish decision, really.

He wondered why this female Mavka had even been at the rubble of his castle, but he figured it was a fairly simple answer. She probably saw something bright, shining, and pretty in the distance, and chased after it in awe.

Only to discover a dying Jabez.

A stone that can wield the power of the sun, huh? He wondered where or how the Witch Owl came upon such magic. Has she made contact with the Elysians?

That made little sense to him, though. He was aware Lindiwe had every right to fear them learning of her, and what Weldir was up to. Not to mention all their miscreant children.

People do stupid things when afraid.

The scientist in control of such a destructive power must have been quite the intelligent and unhinged individual. To agree to give it to Lindiwe was, in his opinion, insanity. Weldir in control of such magic is dangerous.

No one knew what that demigod was truly up to, not even Jabez. He could turn on the Elysians just as much as he could be their saviour. Jabez had even offered to work with him, and he’d been staunchly denied.

Weldir’s answer? “Why would I help a child incite chaos when I’m perfectly capable of doing so myself?”

See? Not particularly a knight in shining armour. A selfish god, doing selfish deeds, with no reason given to any. A darkness so strong, and yet so undeniably weak, he sought the power of a human woman wearing a flock of fucking feathers.

He was a conundrum, and a pest.

If he hadn’t shielded Demons from going back through the portal, my war wouldn’t have been in vain.

Oh well.

That was now the past, and he only allowed things from the past to bother him if they fuelled the flames of survival. Hate, grief, sorrow, and loss were things that pushed him forward. His failures were unnecessary thoughts, and he wouldn’t allow them to plague him, only revisiting them to learn from his mistakes.

I could choose to let it all go.

Now that he was dead in the eyes of all, he had the opportunity to rebuild his life.

He could go back and be a self-proclaimed king of nothing. But that would only put him back in the position he’d been in for the last three centuries.

A man who watched his back as if he’d grown a third eye on the nape of his neck. A man who allowed no one to touch him, except for a defenceless human woman who was now dead – and even she knew not to approach him from behind.

A man who had given promises to change the lives of all Demons, and had been trying his hardest to adhere to that vow, while failing consistently. A man who had been so afraid of those around him that he wore nothing but a simple pair of pants as a bluff. It was his attempt to prove he was completely unconcerned with the fangs and claws around him, so he didn’t need a shirt, let alone armour.

He was someone who flaunted his magic, his power, his strength, in order to incite fear.

As a self-made ruler who placed himself in constant danger, who was he to complain about the choices he’d made?

He wasn’t forgivable, nor would he apologise. No one would apologise to him for the cruelty he’d suffered at the hands of many, so why should he?

Another deadened chuckle fell from him as he caught the scent of an animal in the distance. I’m a villain, and an idiot of the highest intelligence.

Jabez crouched and softened his footsteps, thankful the rabbit Mavka behind him was already just as quiet. They approached a lone deer, and he froze when it looked in their direction. She paused as well and even seemed to hold her very breath. Grass fell from their target’s maw as it waited for a sign of movement, and when there was none, the animal lowered its head to keep grazing.

Jabez turned to the Mavka behind him.

He pointed to her, and then the ground, before pushing his hands out. He hoped she understood he wanted her to stay. When he backed up, she attempted to follow, so he did it multiple times until she figured it out.

Then he crept closer, his pointed ears flicking in alertness.

The deer lifted its head up, and Jabez noted the tiny antlers. A male with no herd. The moment it pivoted in the opposite direction of Jabez, he sprinted forward.

It let out a distressed bawl and started to run, but didn’t make it far. He grabbed one of its rear legs, yanked it back with his inhuman strength until it slipped to its belly, and sliced his claws against its neck. A low snort came from it as it died.

Just as he began to slice away a leg, the loud, galloping pawsteps that approached had him rushing to finish his task.

He had just enough time to leap away to the closest branch with his prize before the Mavka attempted to tackle the space he’d just been occupying. She immediately descended upon the carcass as Jabez climbed to get out of sight and away from the wind brushing his scent towards her.

Despite the mud in her nose, either the copious amount of blood or perhaps the sight was too much for her weak mind. She roared, releasing a puff of white condensation from her incisor-toothed maw before the air filled with disgusting wet snarls as she ate. The Mavka in a full rage worked on consuming the meat below him as he skinned and consumed the leg he’d obtained.

He had no issue eating raw meat, although he was much more civilised and preferred cooked food. But a meal was a meal.

Once he was finished, he dropped the bone down to her so she could consume it. It would strengthen her bones, and whatever meat was left would surely do her some good. It wasn’t like he had a use for it.

Then he leaned back against the tree trunk, partially reclining with his legs crossed. He brought his hands up behind his head and patiently waited for her to come out of it.

He only peeked over intermittently to see how far she was into her meal. When she was merely licking the blood from her hands for the last tasty drops, he knew it wouldn’t be much longer.

Hopefully she runs off into the forest in search of more.

Then he could sprint away and put as much space between them as possible, with minimal repercussions.