A Soul to Embrace (Duskwalker Brides #8)

Chapter 38

He’s been asleep for a long time, Zylah thought, as she sat down on the edge of the bed and turned to the male laying on his side in the very middle.

She brushed the back of her knuckles up the side of his face before lifting them to the centre of his forehead to lightly caress his temple. Jabez’s ear twitched when she tucked loose strands of hair behind its pointed length so she could better see him. She also gingerly untangled the strands wrapped around his segmented, tapered horn.

With a flat pillow under his head, one of his arms was beneath the pillow she’d been lying on earlier. The other was curled up in front of his chest from where she’d gently placed it earlier. She’d gotten up to look out the window and distract herself from this long wait.

The wait wasn’t truly that long, but it’d been a few hours, and he usually didn’t sleep like this. The fact she was also able to touch him without waking him was also strange.

His eyelashes really are silvery. In the sunlight currently showering over him, they looked like sparkling moth wings. She lightly stroked her claw over their soft lengths and his eye twitched.

Such a pretty male. She gazed at his handsome brown face, admiring the graceful arcs of his brows, his smooth, nearly flawless cheek, the straight line of his nose, and even the ball at his throat. She brushed the pad of her thumb over his parted full lips and accidentally revealed the sharp points of his fangs.

Zylah was happy to see him finally resting like this. She wondered if her touch didn’t wake him because, somewhere deep within his sleeping conscience, he could sense it was her and trusted he was safe. She wanted to believe that was the reason as she trailed her knuckles down his pulsing, calm jugular.

Her hand didn’t go any lower, but she let her sight fall to his broad chest and how his bulging pectoral muscles squished together as he lay on his side. Then her focus drifted to the sets of chiselled muscles bulging against his abdomen before she followed the trail of silvery hair that started a path from his navel to his groin.

The circles, triangles, stars, and bands of runic symbols all over his body caught her focus, and she hoped one day he would explain what spell each of them represented.

My pretty bride, she thought with a silent giggle, squeezing her torso with her arms in joy. She’d learn in the future what he actually wanted her to call him, but for now, she was going with that.

He’s like the prickly rose I held in Spiral Haven.

As much as he’d witnessed her bloom into the being she was, watering her with knowledge and care along the way, she knew he was beginning to flourish as well. Sometimes his petals withered, as if autumn had come. Other times, he was frozen and hidden away like in winter, but she hoped the rain of her affections, like spring returning, helped bring him back to life and regrow.

He was also mesmerising and delicate in his own way. The aroma of bergamot suited him. Sturdy like a tree, but he was also like a flower which could bear thorns. He was mean and cruel, but that didn’t have to detract from his beauty so long as she held him just right.

He is my enchanting thorn. Her mesmerising Elvish-and-Demon bride.

Just as Zylah stroked the back of his shoulder, Jabez’s parted fangs snapped shut to let out a half-hearted growl. It quietened quickly as his hand reached out to clasp her thigh before slipping off, like his unconscious reach had been expecting to throw the weight of his arm over her entire body.

Worried that if she continued to touch him, she’d disturb him from the sleep he obviously needed, so she left him be.

She pulled his soul from between her antlers to look at it again, as she had many times since she’d woken. She stroked the back of her index finger under its jaw, pleased that its body had returned.

His soul sat exactly how it had before and looked exactly the same. The only difference was the spiral of its blue-and-green flames rotated in the opposite direction as if it’d... changed in the smallest way. Its horns were still green, its long ears and hair blue, and she realised all the physical parts of him were differently coloured.

Those that were obviously Demon were green, while those that were Elvish were blue. Everywhere else, like its arms, legs, torso, and even half of its face were split with the spiralling colours.

Eye-shaped sharp red looked up as it tilted its face to her. It never seemed to sleep or rest, since every time she handled his soul, it always sat in a cross-legged position. Occasionally its hands and arms would move in reaction to her touch, often grabbing at her fingers when she tried to stroke it, but it seemed to tilt its head back in welcome when she caressed under its jaw.

I love his soul. She adored staring at it, and she knew she’d greedily covet it and do so forever.

She placed it back between her antlers and glanced at Jabez. The urge to touch him again itched at her fingertips, so she turned away before she gave in.

What else can I do then? She’d already tried to press her skull against the glass to look at the city below, as well as the ocean in the distance.

The first sun had already risen, and a smaller blue one had also peeked over the horizon.

Her gaze slipped to the door at the back of the room. She let her curious nature take her feet there, and she opened the space. It was small in comparison, and she had no idea what any of it was.

Almost square with rounded corners, the entire area was made of obsidian with smelted bronze ore keeping the stone in place.

There was some kind of seat with a hole in it to the left, but it looked wildly uncomfortable. There was also a counter with a shallow bowl fitted into it and some kind of silvery spout. The only other thing in the room was an empty space that had a much larger and wider spout that towered over even her height.

She sniffed at an unusual sweet scent and found multiple wooden containers had been placed on a shallow shelf next to the taller spout. Just below it, she noticed a small pulsating purple light.

What is that? She touched it inquisitively. As soon as her hand made contact with it, warm rain suddenly fell over her, and she squealed and slipped.

Her arms swung and flailed, and she grabbed some kind of pole that had a fold of fluffy material over it to steady herself. It broke under her weight, and Zylah fell to her backside as the water continued to sprinkle over her miserably slumped form.

With her orbs white and her fur completely drenched, she scrambled to touch the purple light again. What is happening?! Unsure how she’d managed to turn on rain inside , especially as she’d never had the power to do so before, she couldn’t help panicking that she’d broken something.

Before she could even rise from her knees to her feet, they came out from under her again. She fell forward with a squeal to smack her chest and the underside of her jaw against the wall.

With one last attempt, her claws gouging into a sheet of obsidian to steady her shaking arm, she reached up. A chunk of black crystal broke off, but she did manage to get the rain to stop before she slipped forward again.

A hand snaked out to protect her forehead from bashing against the wall. On her knees, Zylah gasped and darted her face to the side just as Jabez crouched down beside her.

His eyes glinted with mirth, as he flashed her a humour-filled – although groggy – smile. “Having fun?”

“No!” she exclaimed, wondering how pitiful she looked sitting on her backside with her legs bent to her sides, drenched from head to toe. Her orbs shifted to blue and the bottoms of them wavered. “I don’t like this thing.”

He caressed the top of her skull soothingly, then reached his hand out to her. “Showers can be slippery.”

“Did I wake you?” she asked as she placed her palm in his and let him help her to her feet.

“Hard not to wake up with you screaming,” he answered with a hint of laughter. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”

She threw her arms to the side, causing water to shoot off her fingers and splatter against the ground. “A little. Now I’m just wet.”

“Here.” He gestured for her to stand under the spout and he waved his hand over a different dreaded pulsating light she hadn’t noticed before.

This one was red, and it glowed just as heat and air silently swirled around her. When it stopped on its own, he had to wave his hand in front of it to power it again since she was still partially wet due to her thick fur.

Just as she and the ground and walls dried, a knocking came from the entry door of the room.

He cocked a brow as he stepped back. “Are you going to fall over again if I answer that?”

Her sight shifted to a reddish pink, and she scratched at the nape of her neck. “No,” she grumbled.

Nervous about being in the obsidian room alone when he teleported away, Zylah steadied her hand against the wall as she slowly and carefully escaped. He’d already answered the door and closed it by the time she stepped out of the small room and back onto the wooden floor of the blessed white tree.

In his hand, he held a red tray, and she noticed all the different pieces of food on top of it.

“I was wondering when they’d try to feed us.” Jabez walked to the bed and sat down near the headboard with one leg bent up and his other foot remaining against the ground. He picked up a square piece of pale-green something and sniffed it.

“I think they knocked earlier.” She cupped her hands together nervously when he paused, popping whatever food it was into his mouth, and lifted his face to her with a frown. “I think that’s what woke me, but I wasn’t sure what it was. You, um, were very deep in sleep.”

He scratched the side of his head as he chewed. “I’m not surprised. If it was about the council’s decision, they would have been incessant.” Then he shifted so he was sitting back against the pillows and wall. “Come sit with me.”

Zylah walked over to the bed and sat next to him, only to gasp when he curled his left arm around her waist and dragged her between his outstretched legs. With her back resting against his bare chest, he kept his arm around her tightly, like a hug, and reached out with the other to slide the tray across the bed so it was closer.

“Here, eat,” he told her, lifting a slice of something pink and veiny.

Zylah sniffed it before pulling her nose hole away. “Why? I no longer feel hunger after eating your soul.”

The corners of his lips curled slightly. “Even if I have to feed you tiny bits of meat forever, I’d like to see these disappear.” His left hand clasped hers and he brushed his thumb across her remaining protruding knucklebones. “It’ll mean your body has reached its fully evolved state, and then you can decide if you want to be plumper or not.”

“Do you not like me how I am?” she asked, as he wiggled the flap of meat at her.

“You’re perfect as you are, but I’d prefer you to be what is considered healthy for a Mavka.” When she refused to take the food, he shoved it into his own mouth and loudly chomped on it. “Those with lots of their skeletal bones still showing tend to look underweight and sickly in form. If you are happy with the way you are, that’s fine, and if you wish to look as big as Merikh, I don’t mind that either.”

“I don’t know how Merikh looks,” Zylah said, as she watched him pick up an orange slice of something that smelt fruity.

“You will soon,” he answered with his mouth full. “He’s in the city and you’ll likely meet. He’s currently being a cunt, but I’m sure he’ll seek you out in curiosity eventually. He won’t be able to stand not knowing who you are or what you look like.” He pointed a finger at her face. “Don’t let him be a prick to you. He’s an asshole at the best of times, and none of it is meaningless. He’ll like it if you snap back at him, since he actually likes arguing.”

Grumbling, Zylah wiggled her head. “I don’t like arguing.”

“Trust me, he’ll make you want to bite his head off. He has a way of getting under your skin.” Jabez picked up another slice of the strange meat and it flapped limply as he held it towards her. “Now, do you want to help me eat all this food?”

She glanced at it before greeting his red eyes. Although Zylah didn’t mind how she looked, and appreciated that the choice to change it a little was entirely up to her, she leaned forward and took it.

Since she lacked cheeks, she bit off a little piece with her jagged Mavka fangs before swallowing it whole, and was pleased to find it didn’t unsettle her stomach. She took each piece he offered, and he only ate the fruit so she could have the meat.

I like this. She liked sharing such a simple task with him while looking out the glass at the bright world. Basking in the intense sunlight together, the warmth fought against the tender ache inside her chest already trying to sear her. It was tranquil.

It made her feel closer to him, and like a normal being who needed to eat. She also adored that he was holding her tenderly as they did this, and she hoped they did this often in the future.

Her tail wiggled as she took the last piece, hoping if they were able to stay here in the city, this was what their future would be like.

Jabez grunted, then his hand shot down to cup between her thighs and shove her backside against his groin. “Be careful where you wag that thing.”

“Did I hurt you?” She tilted her skull to the right to see him better.

“No,” he answered as he wrapped his other arm around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “But you’re going to make me hard if you do it right against my dick.”

“Oh.” She giggled when she felt it hardening against the underside of her tail pressed against him. She stretched her head to the side when he grazed his fangs against her neck. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

“Neither do I.” His hand gripped her hip while the other came up to caress up her chest, his palm giving her breast a tentative squeeze. “But, considering they brought us food, I’m sure the council will make their decision soon. I’d rather not be interrupted.”

He said this, yet he gave the corner of her jaw a messy kiss with his tongue darting out, before scraping his fangs against it like he wanted to nip her. Zylah shivered, and she did so repeatedly as he did it multiple times. His mouth made a slow path down the length of her jaw.

Everywhere his lips went, his warm, now fruity breath cascaded over it, causing her fur to puff from goosebumps trailing down her spine. She trembled and her pussy spasmed when he drew the points of his claw-like nails along her sternum and then down her abdomen.

“Jabez,” she moaned as his mouth lowered to her neck and nipped at it multiple times. Each one was mild in pain, as her flesh was protected against his fangs due to her fur.

She’d never had him be so utterly affectionate like this before, and she felt herself melting under the power of it.

“You’re so easy to arouse,” he muttered against her, then lifted his head up to lick over the corner of her jaw. His fingers stopped before he could reach her swelling slit and instead drifted up the side of her abdomen to make her arch.

Within seconds, Zylah had turned into a panting, needy mess, her sight saturated in deep purple. She mewled at each touch, at each time his tongue lashed her or his lips caressed the bone of her face. She slowly turned her snout to him and tried to lick his tongue.

He sucked his own back inside his mouth before she could, and he gave a quiet, muffled chuckle behind his lips. When she tried to turn so she could force him to accept her kiss, he gripped one of her antlers and yanked her head to the side.

“I told you,” he grated against her taut nape, nipping at it and causing a raspy pant to come from her. “The council will likely make their decision soon.”

“Then why?” she whined, her pussy throbbing due to his ministrations. Why was he instigating this if he had no intention of continuing?

“Because, my bunny, I’m a very devious man.” He kissed the side of her cheekbone. “And I’ve never been able to truly tease you like this before. You picked a mean mate for yourself.”

A small growl bubbled its way up her throat, her tongue curling in horny agitation as her maw parted, and he chuckled at her for it. Then, he bit into the side of her neck hard and cupped her left breast with his free hand, forcing a haunted moan from her.

Mean, huh? She wondered how she could do it back to him to see how he liked it!

Just as she went to retaliate, a loud knock at the door caused her to jump and him to freeze. He pulled away as he said, “See? I told you.”

She whimpered when he pushed her forward so he could get up from around her. As much as she knew the council was important, now she was just horny and frustrated.

As she was getting up, her orbs flared red at his back in annoyance when he opened the door and spoke to the person on the other side. They handed him a bundle of material, and he closed the door just as she’d picked up her stained dress.

“Absolutely not,” he bit out, coming over to her as he held out some kind of plain cream-coloured dress. “When they brought us food, I asked them to procure clothing that may fit you. It lacks a design, as that’s cheaper, and I’ll obtain you something nicer once they’ve given us their approval.”

“You suddenly sound sure that they will,” she commented when he handed it to her.

Lacking in sleeves, the dress had a small amount of cleavage and went all the way down to the bottom of her calves. It was rather loose on her lithe form when she slipped it over her body, but it also felt too short, considering its design looked as though it should come to the backs of her ankles.

She didn’t expect his features to brighten with what could only be malicious humour. “Because they’ll be unable to resist what I’ve offered.”

Knowing him, and what she did of his past, Zylah could only imagine what that meant.

I’m beginning to not trust that look. It meant her enchanting thorn was – or had been – up to something naughty.