A Soul to Embrace (Duskwalker Brides #8)

Chapter 12

Sitting underneath a tree, Zylah allowed the winter midday sun to bathe her in muted heat. Her spot was situated a few feet higher up the mountain, the cave mouth just below her, and the dense forest chirped and played its pleasant songs.

She liked hiding here, and hiding she was. For the better part of three days, she’d been avoiding Jabez for a multitude of reasons.

Firstly, she’d struggled to come to terms with the gruesome truth she’d learned. But... leaving with two strangers had been daunting, and her heart told her remaining was in her best interest.

It explained why death seemed to matter so little to him, as well as his indifference to the destruction he’d caused by increasing her humanity. It was because he’d done many horrible things, and she was certain there was... more.

How much more? Just what had Jabez done to make her parents so fearful of him? Her mother’s wariness had now been deeply ingrained in Zylah’s thoughts.

Yet she couldn’t deny how much she understood Jabez’s side. If he’d truly just been trying to survive... what would she have done in his position? Zylah didn’t like pain and could be quick to react negatively to those harming her.

The book about war she’d been reading had shown only the hero’s side, but the villain had been so assertive in his schemes – and had believed in his course of action until his fateful death. What if the story had been told from the other perspective? Would she have deemed the hero evil for trying to get in the villain’s way?

As much as she wanted to believe it was why Jabez had procured such a novel for her to consume – a way to be manipulative – he’d stated he didn’t know its contents when he gave it to her. Reading the summary shared little, so if it was just a coincidence, then it surely was a favourable one.

But something nagged at the back of her mind constantly. The way guilt nipped at her was one of the main reasons she’d been avoiding him.

I don’t care what he did. Not when it meant he was here with her now. Even if he’d hurt people, potentially those unknowingly close to her, how could she see him as anything but... good? He’d done a lot for her when she’d been insanely lost – and she hadn’t known just how much.

He eased her loneliness and gave her someone to care for. He’d always shown immense patience by listening intently to her, even when she’d had little or nothing to say. Jabez didn’t make her feel lesser for not knowing something. Instead, he shared knowledge and taught her the correct way to say or do things. He’d been honest, despite the fact that she knew he was hiding things.

He could’ve denied what they were saying, yet he’d chosen not to. Although she’d been conflicted with her decision, she’d made it because of that fact. She’d sensed no lies from him.

Rather... she felt closer to him, in the strangest sense. If he shared more of his dark past, would she long to embrace it? Or would she wish to flee? How much could she handle before something within her broke?

Was it possible to feel betrayal due to actions that had never affected her? If so, then a part of her didn’t want to know. She’d rather live in a fantasy that Jabez was good, that he was as wonderful as she thought him to be.

Zylah sighed, her bony maw parting to let it be loud as she lifted her snout away from her book. She couldn’t concentrate on it. Something in the story would remind her of him or her parents, and her thoughts would spiral back to reality.

I wonder... if I can help him. She didn’t know if he needed fixing or not, but if Jabez had done bad things... could Zylah’s affection change that in him? She wanted that to be possible.

Her sight turned a reddish pink, and she squirmed a little. It was a silly notion to think she could hold such power over him, but she’d like it to be true. Maybe he just needed someone to be kind to him, to be on his side rather than disgusted by his actions.

So long as he doesn’t do those things with me... So long as he wasn’t hateful and violent needlessly while being Zylah’s companion, she thought she may be able to forgive all he’d done. I can teach him to be good. To heal instead of hurt.

Or was that just foolish?

He does seem to be rather... forlorn. Although he’d admitted to doing horrible things, he didn’t appear to be excited by them. Then again, he never apologised for any of it – not even when a person he’d hurt had been in front of him.

Ugh! She groaned, snapping her book shut. I do not know what to think!

It didn’t help that Zylah felt out of sorts as of yesterday; she was feverish, her body warm and her mind a little foggier than usual.

She’d felt these things before.

It’s cold. Winter.

She only remembered one winter, although not well, and a sort of sickness had overcome her. At the time, Zylah had curled up in her burrow during the worst of it with her body hot and pulsating – not knowing why or how to fix it.

It happened again in summer, and the dry heat had been dizzying to her heightened senses.

Does this happen every six months? From what Jabez had taught her about seasons, years, and time in general, it appeared there was a pattern.

She wanted to ask for help regarding this, but she didn’t know how to explain it. Inside felt swollen, but only low in her stomach. Her skin felt hot and itchy, but scratching at her fur did little to help. She’d pant with her blurred gaze searching for something, but she didn’t know what.

She was missing information; there had to be something that would explain all this. Would Jabez know?

The idea of asking him was mortifying. Whenever she looked at him with questions regarding this affliction coming to the forefront of her mind, she’d grow squeamish and silent on the matter. Because it was something obviously internal, it somehow felt... embarrassing?

Perhaps because her nipples hardened and her pelvis pulsed, she found it strange.

All she knew was that she wanted to be left alone.

It only affects me for a day or so, from what she could remember. Would it be strange if I asked him to leave until it’s gone?

She lifted the book to look down at her body. Even now, her breasts looked bigger than they had before, and her nipples were sensitive. They were never sensitive! She often forgot she had them, although lately they’d been frequently hardening whenever she looked at his face, or his smile, and sometimes his back whenever he bathed.

Between her thighs would swell with heat, like it was doing now.

I feel weird.

It was like the symptoms of her every-six-months sickness were starting to affect her whenever he was around. Sometimes all he had to do was peer at her and her body fluttered.

It increased her nervousness for what she knew was to come. It was the true reason why she’d longed to be alone. I hope he doesn’t think it’s because of what I learned.

She’d actually had every intention of resuming her lessons until her insides had started to grow warm and her heart pounded heavier. That would only worsen over the next several hours until it peaked and then eventually waned.

Zylah was aware she had some kind of purple slit between her thighs, but it was usually hidden and inconspicuous until the sickness. Then it would swell and puff, and the only thing that could ease this strange ache was rocking on her thighs on her side.

Was it odd to do that? But it was the only thing that stopped the ache, although she didn’t know if she found it pleasurable or not. She was always too lost and confused to really register much else but her own fear.

Dropping her book to her lap, she covered her eyeholes and shook her head. Why do I feel so shy?

It didn’t help that she reacted strangely to Jabez whenever he was near. What had once been a comfortable presence suddenly felt constricting for reasons she couldn’t decipher. Her emotions were heightened, and her senses were more acute towards anything regarding him.

The smell of his hair, his skin. The warmth of him, and the way the shadows wrapped around him or dust glittered around his features. How his eyes saw into her, as if they could peer into her very centre.

Her embarrassed glow only brightened when she remembered the way she’d stared at him with longing while he’d slept. She’d left before he could wake when she realised she’d been reaching forward to brush his hood back just a little to better see his handsome features.

I want to touch him. She didn’t care how or where, just something . Her body was itching to do so.

“Zylah,” Jabez called out from below, making her squeak in surprise.

Like before, her orbs flared to a reddish pink, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

Still, she picked herself up and walked to the ledge of rock before her. She jumped down, falling a few metres to land beside Jabez. She brought herself into a tall crouch, stopping herself from towering a few inches above him, and instead submissively kept herself lower.

Something about seeing his face after so many hours had her pulse fluttering and a bashfulness puffing her fur. She scratched at her neck awkwardly, wishing she wasn’t having this intense reaction. Even his earthy scent swelled around her more strongly than usual, making her nipples bud and between her thighs heat.

“Y-yes?” she asked, before noting the bag strapped across his muscled torso. She stood upright as uncertainty shoved its way up her spine. “Are you... leaving? ” Her sight shifted to a deep blue, and she nervously inched closer in preparation to grab him so he couldn’t escape her. “If-if it’s about my avoidance...”

His features were expressionless, like a coldness had come over him since the awkward conversation they’d had the other day with her parents. He looked down at the bag as if to note it with nonchalance.

“I’m going to head to the village for food.”

Unable to help herself, she grabbed his wrist when something lanced her chest. “But you’ll be returning?”

Finally, an emotion crossed his features, causing it to tighten and his long ears to twitch. His brows furrowed as he lifted his red eyes to her skull. “I was expecting that you’d ask to come with me, like you usually do.”

The relief that swept through her was swift, and her grip on him lost its strength. “Well, yes. I would like to...” Zylah paused.

Isn’t this what she wanted? Some time alone?

But I’m not in the middle of my sickness. That was when she truly wished to be in private, as she was uncomfortable being gazed upon. It was why she’d chosen to hide in her burrow during it.

“If you promise to return,” Zylah stated nervously, her grasp on him tightening once more, “I would like to stay here, if that is okay?”

Like that wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for, his face lost its softness and dulled once more. “If that’s what you wish.”

Zylah licked at the inside of her mouth warily and decided to push her luck. “Could... could you return tomorrow night?”

His ears shot back like they often did when annoyed, but his face remained the same. They were two conflicting images, making it impossible to understand him in that moment. “Why?”

“I would like some time to... think.” She hated that her orbs shifted to orange in guilt at the lie, but she didn’t wish to explain it.

Then, to make sure he understood, she lifted his arm so she could cup his hand, and he willingly let her. He dropped his indifferent gaze to where they were touching skin to skin, but Zylah had to stifle the way his warmth bled into her. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever held his hand so gently.

Strings wrapped around her heart and grew taut in the strangest ache, radiating tenderness through her.

Distracted by their joined hands, it took her longer than it should have for her to speak. “I wish to talk to you about something, but I don’t understand how to right now. I-I think tomorrow will be easier.”

Jabez looked to the side before he tugged his hand from hers and turned. “Sure. I see no issue with that. I’ll attempt to stay away, but I make no promises.”

Zylah chittered nervously when he immediately began to walk away, the bottom of his cloak billowing around his legs. A terrible feeling overcame her, like she’d made the wrong decision by waiting.

What she did know was being in his presence even for a mere few minutes had only made her feel... worse. Her heart rate had accelerated the instant she looked upon his pretty face, and his alluring scent had flooded her mouth with drool. Even her internal temperature had risen, causing a shiver to tear through her at the loss of his warmth. Touching his hand had sent a spark throughout her system, and she’d done everything she could to avoid reacting to it.

The moment he was gone, the urge to sniff where they’d touched ate at her like a terrible beast. Unable to resist, she raised her palm to her snout and her orbs flickered purple in reaction. Her body pulsed, and she gave into the desire to lick his taste from her skin and nearly moaned when she did.

Now that she was near the cave entry, his lingering scent beckoned her inside. Her avoidance of him in the last few hours made her chest radiate with longing, and she already missed his presence like a horrible ache. The fact that the space was empty, and she was alone, meant everything she’d been holding back finally escaped. She dropped her book carelessly and fell to her bedding, before immediately crawling to his.

She’d never been called to another like this. The beginning of the sickness never nibbled away at her being so intensely before. Zylah shivered as she rubbed her skull over his fresh scent, as if he’d only just been sitting or lying there seconds ago.

Mmm. She grabbed his blanket to bring more of it closer. He smells so much nicer than usual. Strong, masculine, divine. It smelt... utterly soothing. Her sight flickered with black as she secretly basked in it, her feet kicking while her toes curled in delight. It would be much better if I had his warmth. If it was coming right off his skin.

She nuzzled into her palm to relive his silky but brief touch.

This is why she’d been avoiding him. Every time he was near in the last two days, she’d been wanting to rub against him.

Zylah would greedily take his bedding for now.

Given that he’d been asked to refrain from returning to his current place of rest – for an entire night and day, no less – Jabez was feeling rather displeased. Although he’d done what was requested of him, with no objections on the matter, the current heavy downpour only deepened his frustrations.

Soaked from head to muddied toes, he’d given up shielding from the rain under a meagre tree. Dusk was approaching, and he was done being out in the elements like an animal. It didn’t help that it was colder than usual, the water having an icy bite to it that was only ever present in winter.

Being closer to the coast stopped snow from forming, and the air was subtly filled with salty brine. He would have been truly pissed off to be caught in a blizzard like the ones that raged just a thousand kilometres north. Thankfully his cloak was mostly weatherproof, and it protected his torso and satchel from getting soaked. It also kept out the worst of the light wind.

Filthy. He sneered at himself, watching his footing as he stepped through mud and decaying leaf debris. I’ve been reduced to such a pathetic state.

Then again, he’d once lived off the land like a creature when he’d first arrived on Earth – after escaping his human captors, of course. I told myself I’d never be subjected to such disgrace again.

A branch slipped from his grasp when he moved it out of his way, and it recoiled to smack him in the face. It sprayed cold heavy drops inside his hood, and it only soured him further when they slipped down his neck and into his tunic. His feet almost came out from under him in the shock of the hit, and he grabbed that same branch to steady himself before he went arse over head.

Why am I out in the rain like a bumbling fool? The answer was simple – Zylah.

As much as he wanted to be annoyed with the female, he lacked the capacity right then to muster any ill-will towards her.

He understood.

She’s avoided me since learning about my past. He couldn’t blame her for that, given her soft-hearted nature. I had a feeling this would happen. He’d been prepared for it, and his trip to the village was him further doing so.

He patted his satchel to make sure it had remained dry and protected within his cloak. It held many items, some for himself – mainly food – and some for her.

He had acquired... parting gifts.

She chose me, but that’s because I didn’t think to give her another option. He realised his mistake only once she refused to be in his presence. Then again, it was an option he could only present to her now.

I told her she could go with her mother, or remain with me, but there was always a third possibility. She could have chosen herself.

Zylah no longer needed him. He’d taught her how to hunt, about the world, how to read, write, and count. She had enough building blocks to gain knowledge on her own.

If she no longer wished to be by his side, then he had no qualms about handing over his gifts and parting ways. They were useful books, and he was sure she’d understand them after a bit of study.

A book on complicated math, so she could do more than add and subtract. Understanding percentages, multiplication, division, and even algebra were useful tools to have in one’s arsenal.

A book on human etiquette would also prove beneficial, especially as it explained complex social cues that she obviously lacked.

And, finally, a book on human biology. This wasn’t a book he’d give her in his presence, as it detailed certain aspects about male and female anatomy that he didn’t wish to explain. But understanding her own gender, sex, and pregnancy were all important and would save her in the future – should she find a partner.

From there, Zylah could make her own choices, and he could leave with a clear conscience that he’d done all he could. He’d rid himself of this pointless task and move on to...

Fuck knows what I’ll do.

Now that he’d been away from his false throne, the desire to return to it had dwindled into nothingness. Shirking those responsibilities had been undoubtedly freeing. Having no one watching his every move was relieving.

I guess I’ll return to Spiral Haven. Also known as the Demon Village to those who never bothered to learn its real name – then again, it wasn’t like Demons were truly fond of speaking with Mavka to tell them. There is magic there I can take. Hopefully it would rejuvenate his natural mana flow and allow him to heal it.

If not, then Jabez knew one thing with certainty: he was fucked. Without his magic, he was as powerless as a human. He may be strong and fast, but in comparison to many Demons, he’d be considered prey.

Where else can I go? No human town would accept him, as they’d see nothing but his inhuman qualities. He couldn’t return to Nyl’theria unless he wanted to be eaten.

His only option would be Lezekos, the Elven city, and he’d rather throw himself into the ocean than ever go there as some kind of beggar. They’d likely just toss me in their fucking prison again.

There were a few who might take him in, acquaintances with whom he had amicable relations with. He’d be subjected to living like a pauper, or a farm hand, or something equally mundane and boring.

Not really the future of leisure he’d envisioned for himself. A waste of his life, considering what his past entailed.

Everything he’d done would be for naught.

I’m over this. This, life, and his meaning and purpose. He’d been reduced to a mundane existence, and the worthlessness that pervaded his thoughts was beginning to take its toll.

At least being Zylah’s teacher had offered him something.

Then again, her company had been easy. He didn’t need to feign interest, as his mind was rather content near her. Instead, he’d just acted as his true self as much as possible, and he couldn’t remember when he’d let down the majority of his facade and false arrogance like this.

In the face of others, he’d acted and behaved in certain ways. Conceited, egotistical, immodest. With Zylah, he was nothing but a man – no one of importance – whose every action could be ridiculed.

Doesn’t help I think she’s rather cute. He would have chuckled warmly at that, if the likely departure of their companionship didn’t loom.

But he couldn’t help finding her bashfulness and awkwardness rather endearing. He always felt awful for chuckling at her for it, since it obviously made her uncomfortable, but it was just too charming. For a creature who lacked skin upon their face, her orbs were revealing of her true thoughts.

And unfortunately for her, Jabez had a rather intimate understanding of what those colours represented. He could almost read her thoughts by which emotion shone alongside her physical tells, like the way her fur would puff or her hands would twist.

She’d even begun to fidget subtly with the hem of her dress when she was nervous, like a feminine, shy woman, and a side lost to Jabez itched beneath the surface. I thought I was too serious to be playful with another. Yet the urge to needle and tease her further grew in those moments.

However, he didn’t. He refrained from teasing Zylah, as the droplets of his own sensuality could easily leak into the banter. He didn’t wish to give her mixed signals, considering the idea of being intimate with her pooled a darkness in the back of his mind.

Mavka feel too hard. The line between love and lust to a being who barely understood their own emotions was just too close.

And Jabez had truly lost the capability to love centuries ago. His planned future had always been a lonely one, but that had stopped bothering him when he’d just accepted it. He couldn’t even bear to love himself, so another being was completely out of the question.

He was a selfish person. A flaw he flaunted, so all knew to keep themselves protected from his eventual callousness. He cared for no one but himself, which, in turn, protected him from all others.

No one could hurt him if he didn’t care.

So why did I refrain from returning like she asked of me? He should have just used her request as an opportunity to get as far from her as possible until she lost the ability to track him.

Ah, yes... the books. He patted them as a reminder. That’s why he was returning instead of just leaving the previous day. There was no other reason. Merely a last duty to ensure he could walk away without a guilty conscience.

Then he’d be off, with the mask of his indifference firmly plastered upon his face.

He’d just pin the last two months to the back of his mind as a time he’d spent with another Mavka. He’d add it to the decades he’d spent with Merikh, which, too, had ended.

A growl escaped him at the pestering resentment that continued to linger, and had since Merikh left. The fact that he’d pushed his closest friend away was irrelevant. Merikh should have seen it as a lapse in Jabez’s judgement, rather than taking it to heart.

He paused in his wandering to cover his face in annoyance. I still regret how I acted upon learning of his blood relation to Weldir.

He should have seen the signs earlier, considering Lindiwe had been so set on getting between them. But Merikh had hated her, ignored her requests, even laughed at her, and Jabez had been rather content with that – without knowing the truth as to why she was pestering them.

But I had Katerina in my damn ear. And she’d figured out exactly how to exploit what they’d learned to get her way, which was getting rid of Merikh, a Mavka. Her hatred of him had been so deep, and he’d been too blindsided by his own feelings of betrayal and anger to turn his ear away from her words.

By the time Jabez had realised what he’d done, it was already too late. And, like the arrogant bastard he was, he refused to apologise to a creature who wouldn’t have given a damn about what he said in defence. Once Merikh hated, Jabez knew that feeling wouldn’t easily subside.

Especially when the bull-headed jerk presented Jabez with an ultimatum – him or Katerina, which only infuriated Jabez further.

No matter that it’d been a long time ago, he despised admitting he still wasn’t over it.

And, in a corner of his fucked-up, absent heart, the idea of leaving Zylah reopened that wound. Or perhaps it was just a new wound. And he didn’t fucking understand why it would bother him.

Perhaps it was because he wasn’t good enough.

His nose wrinkled in anger. Good enough for what? What do I want from myself? A fucking pity party? He wouldn’t give himself that.

He’d just add it to the pile of shit he refused to acknowledge.

Resuming his trudge through the miserable rain, he headed for the entrance to their shared cave, which lay just down the hill. He’d refrained from returning, but his place of rest hadn’t been too far away.

A strong gust of wet wind swept across his body when he came upon the mouth of the cave. The chill of it crept up his spine and hastened his feet inside so he could escape it.

“Zylah, I’ve returned,” he stated, letting her know of his arrival.

He eyed the space within the darkness and found a noticeable lump covered in twisted blankets. Their bedding had been dragged closer until the rolls overlapped.

A small whine met his ears before she stuck her snout out of the blankets to reveal two white orbs. Not quite the welcome he’d been expecting, and he wiped his face of water and shook it from his hand as he stepped further in.

“I’ve brought you more...” His words cut off when he rent out a choked gasp at the suffocating aroma that slammed into him.

His throat tightened, his ears darted back, and he covered his mouth and nose just as his damn groin tingled. By the ever-night, what the fuck?! Heat immediately filled his cheeks and drooping ears at the thick layers of arousal pervading the air.

Rain pattered onto his cloak hood when he stepped back while shaking his head. “What’s the meaning of this?”

She moved so fast he didn’t have time to register it at all, too distracted by the way his cock was lengthening within his pants. One minute he was standing in disbelief, and the next, she leapt forward and grabbed his ankle, tugged him to the ground, then flipped him to his front, dragging him further inside. A yell burst from him, his cloak folding over the top of him and covering his head as he was yanked across the stone floor.

Within seconds, she was above him. Straddling his back, she slammed her hands down next to the sides of his head from behind. Whines flooded his ears as she leaned down and shoved her snout into the crook of his neck underneath the material. Goosebumps rose across his skin at the hot breath that fanned over him from behind.

Fighting with his cloak, he managed to unclip it and shove it away from his head. He panted against the cave floor in surprise, then she ground against his backside and fury shot through him. He couldn’t believe someone shoved their pelvis against his arse!

Absolutely fucking not!

He kicked his right leg to the side, hooked it over her hip, and managed to rotate until she was on her back. Jabez quickly shifted her until she was on her front like he’d been and straddled her waist to keep her down. Despite how she fought him, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back, needing to use both his hands.

What in the cursed light is happening? he wondered, his grip on her arms tightening to stop her from flipping them back over.

He hadn’t expected to return to their cave with her like this. Sure... Jabez knew she’d smelt like arousal here and there, but it had always been gentle and never acute like this. He could only wonder why it was happening now, considering he’d been gone for over a day!

The snarl that left him was feral, but it snuffed out when she bucked and gyrated in an attempt to get free. She reared her head back, before just laying it upon the ground as she whined.

“Please,” she rasped, her orbs flickering between white and... purple. He knew the latter meant she was filled with desire, but he just couldn’t understand as to what had come over her. “Please help me. You smell so good.” Her hips waved as she pressed them against the cave floor before letting out a deep shudder. “It hurts. I ache. Make it stop. You’re so warm. ”

She settled just so she could pant and lick at her snout, and purple shifted permanently into her sight. What drew his brows together was the appearance of ethereal tears, and purple droplets began to float around her skull.

Grappling with the fact that her arousal scent was so strong his cock had managed to harden completely despite their kerfuffle, he tried to figure out what was happening. It didn’t help that his heart was racing with adrenaline, flooding his own body with heat under the power of his huffing breaths as they sucked in the tainted, tantalising air.

Her body is really hot. She radiated unusual warmth, to the point he could feel it in his groin and where his thighs pressed against her. Uncontrollable desire. He turned his head towards the chaotic mess that was their bedding. It looked like a nest, and she’d even dragged one of his shirts closer as if she sought more of his smell.

She’s weak. The fact she hadn’t managed to fight him off was concerning, considering her usual strength.

Realisation trickled down his spine like a cruel fucking joke.

“You’re kidding me,” he whispered in disbelief as he brought his gaze back to her and her glowing purple orbs. “You have a damn heat cycle?”

Any remaining anger fled out of him, and in its place, a strange flare of desire warmed his cheeks and ears further. So did mortification.

“Jabez,” she moaned, as she tugged at her arms before giving up once more. She shivered before whining, “It’s so cold.”

Shit. What do I do? He inspected his placement upon her, and how she was pressed against the freezing stone beneath them.

“I... I can’t help you,” he admitted. “I can’t take this ache away.”

He could, but Jabez absolutely refused. She was disorientated, confused, and feverish with need. A female in this state could not consent to any form of intimacy, no matter how much she groped, ground, or begged. He also just refused intimacy with her altogether.

But if he let her go, she’d likely claw at him for aid. For something, anything. Female Demons going through a heat cycle were... vulnerable creatures, and highly sensitive. They sought pleasure, comfort. They nested in scents that soothed them, just as Zylah had.

His gaze turned to the rain.

He could go outside and wait this out, abandoning her on her own, but... Fuck. I’ve made it worse for her by coming here. She’d likely just chase him now, seeking warmth and his scent, and no doubt his touch as well.

I thought she was drawing away from me because of what she’d learned. But this clearly explained that he’d been wrong, and Jabez wasn’t often wrong.

A foul glare squinted his eyes. She knew this was going to happen. No wonder she wanted him to leave.

The avoidance was common for a female who was uncertain about her companion, but Jabez also didn’t think that was the case here. The fact she’d nestled into his bedding and clothing showed, very blatantly, that she desired him.

Was she uncertain about... herself?

Given that he hadn’t taught her anything about her own gender, he doubted she had any idea as to what was happening. The damn human anatomy book will contain only half the information. It was pointless. He would have needed one that focused on Demon anatomy and the fertility cycles they went through.

Fuck. What do I do? He wouldn’t be despicable and touch her, no matter that his cock pulsated at the idea. He’d always found her body sensual; she’d never been unattractive to him.

But abandoning her for his own self-preservation would only be unfair.

Closing his eyes when frustration bubbled, Jabez made his decision.

He leaned over her until he was right next to her skull, gentling his tone so it would be taken in softly. “I’m going to let you go. I need you to be good and not turn on me. I will help how I can. Understood?”

She shivered with his voice right in her ear, her neck arching for more, and nodded for him. He tentatively let go of her wrists and backed off her to give them space.

“Go to the bedding,” he told her, as he grabbed his shirt and lifted it over his head. He tossed it towards her makeshift nest, then collected his cloak and brought it closer.

When he noticed she was slow to move now, which was so different to how she’d initially leapt for him, pity filled him. Lethargy had set in, which would only be temporary, but it was so different from the aggression she’d just displayed.

He walked over and scooped her into his arms. He grunted as he lifted her hefty weight, setting her down on his bed with her head on the pillow. Just as he made to retrieve his blanket to pull it over her, she grabbed his wrist.

“Please,” she whimpered, squeezing his forearm until he winced. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I’m not,” he answered while prying her fingers off.

He grabbed his blanket and pulled it over her before using hers to tuck it behind her like a wall. Then he lifted the material and slid in beside her, although a little higher than her, so he could slip an arm under her neck to support it. He pulled the material over her head to shield her from the cold and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and forced her face against the centre of his chest.

She squirmed against him but was quick to slide her arms around him in return. She nestled closer, and closer, until every part of their fronts touched. She burrowed into him, under the blanket saturated in his scent, and whimpered.

When she kept rubbing her thighs together, he begrudgingly shoved a knee between them to give her something . Wetness spread across it, and his heart pounded deeper, his cock thickening in reaction to a female grinding against him.

With his bare chest providing her with much needed warmth and skin contact – his scent fresh and pressed against her nose, and his heart close to her ears – he hoped this could lull her. He couldn’t provide the intimacy she required, but he could soothe her and let her feel safe in his presence while she was suffering.

He ignored how she began to lick at his chest, occasionally flicking one of his hardening nipples and causing him to jerk. His cheeks and ears grew hotter each time it happened, as his own arousal caused his pulse to pound all throughout his body. Her claws stabbed into the flesh of his back, tickling it until he almost bucked at the sensitivity of it with a needy grunt. Her pants cascaded sultry breaths, and his skin prickled as they waved over his bare chest, while his ears twitched each time she let out quiet, sensual moans. Her breasts were surprisingly soft as they pressed into him, and he marvelled at the silkiness of the fur around her shoulders and neck as he stroked her soothingly.

His eyes crinkled in anguish when he was forced to ignore how his cock pressed between them in a tight squeeze and his balls ached in growing need. He was thankful she didn’t notice the hardness, nor understand its meaning.

Fuck me. This is going to be a torturous night. He foresaw the next hours being long and requiring much restraint on his part.

He’d also have to swallow just how deeply he’d been denying that he’d found Zylah attractive from the first moment she took her humanoid form. How her slip of clothing had been nagging at him, and how her gentle voice had been tingling in his ears. Or how her jasmine-and-violet scent had both soothed him and caused lapses of desire in him when it was lightly spiced from her unhidden arousal in the past.

Hard to deny that when all her feminine curves were not only captured in his arms, but were wriggling in need... for him.

And how his body very easily – and readily – responded to it all.

Shit.