A Soul to Embrace (Duskwalker Brides #8)

Chapter 2

Once they all climbed out of the metal cage he’d installed around Earth’s side of the portal, Jabez looked up at the brightening sky.

Dawn is rising. He was prepared to protect both himself and Lehnenia from the sun, but he’d rather conserve his energy until he really needed to. Teleporting six times within such a quick timeframe was fine. Doing so while carrying the weight of two Mavka had exerted him enough that his breath had turned shallow for a few seconds.

This is only going to get worse as the day progresses. He cut a glare at the back of Merikh’s bear skull. The bastard has no idea. He probably also wouldn’t care.

He better be thankful I agreed to this. It would alleviate Merikh’s ire towards him, but he was also doing this to make Zylah happy. She’d been thrilled when he told her about taking a trip back to Earth temporarily.

The synedrus council had only approved a certain number of hours, but here on Earth, it equated to around two days. He figured Raewyn had used her seat to strong-arm the others, since Merikh had been the one to request this.

“I hate how cold it is here,” Raewyn muttered quietly, blowing into her hands and rubbing them together.

Jabez lowered his gaze to the green hedges just beyond the portal’s cage, most of which had their leaves now after being damaged by the sun bomb that had almost killed him nearly seven months ago.

It’s summer, from what I can tell. The fact she was already cold after being here for a few minutes just proved how much Jabez’s body had adapted after so many years of living on Earth. The night air did feel frigid to him, but it would feel lukewarm by the peak of the day. She’d be freaking useless in the winter.

Which is likely why this trip had been planned for sooner, rather than later.

Merikh looked down at the child shivering in his arms, and he pulled the jacket from his satchel to dress her in it. He handed Raewyn the set of socks they’d spoken about earlier, and the demonling screamed as they put them over her feet. They even gave her a set of gloves before they transferred her into Raewyn’s arms.

Other than the socks, the gloves and jacket weren’t common pieces of clothing within Lezekos City. Jabez figured Raewyn had gotten them tailor-made just for the excursion.

Now that he was free from the child, Merikh took a single step through the shrouding black mist with his muscles bunching in tension. He put a small amount of space between him and his precious family, who had sensitive ears, before roaring, “Weldir!”

Once done, he snorted out a huff through his nose hole.

“You called, little one?” a masculine voice stated from above, forcing them all to rotate to the cage behind them.

On top of it sat a figure shrouded in dark robes that hid all his features. Black mist wafted from underneath his hood and the seams of it, hiding him further, as if he didn’t wish to be seen. From what Jabez could tell, he sat with his legs crossed and appeared to be peering down at them.

“So...” Merikh started, casting Jabez a glance before lifting his snout upwards. “It’s true. You’ve obtained a physical form.”

“What is it you need, Merikh?” Weldir asked, his hood tilting slightly to show he’d angled his face towards those behind him. Jabez could almost feel his creepy gaze on him.

“Where is the Witch Owl? She’s usually the one who comes when I call you.”

“You mean your mother?” he retorted disapprovingly, his tone stern. “She is resting. What do you need?”

As they spoke, Jabez took a step to the side to see if he could get a peek at the demigod’s face. Even when he positioned himself in view of the open gap of Weldir’s hood, black mist made it near impossible to see anything but a strange yellow glint. His skin looked shiny or glossy, but Jabez couldn’t make out anything else in the impenetrable darkness.

“I’d rather not talk to you,” Merikh grumbled, feeling the same way about his parents as Jabez did with his own. “But I guess you’ll do. It’s your power anyway. Show me where my brothers are.”

Weldir didn’t move a muscle as five seeing discs formed in front of them. Each oval disc had a mirrored surface with black sand glittering around its edges. The centres of them waved and rippled before each displayed a different image.

Jabez could produce such magic, so long as he had some form of the creature’s essence to scry with, whether it be their fur, flesh, blood, or even bone. He wondered if Weldir needed such tools, or if he was able to sense where all his direct descendants were at all times.

Three of the discs produced locations that were familiar to Jabez, each one within the Veil he and his companions currently stood in the middle of. One was of Orpheus’ log-cabin home and the salt circle surrounding it, another a sky view of a yellow dome with a house in the middle, and the third of a green dome with a similar log cabin to Orpheus’.

One of the remaining two was a known location to most, simply because of the heated springs near the base of the mountain. A pink protection dome sat over the top of a large section of it.

The last disc revealed a place he couldn’t decipher due to it only being the edge of a very large orange protective dome. He squinted his eyes, as if that would be enough for him to gauge where it was, but there was nothing but a mountain wall and a cave entrance to be seen.

“An orange dome?” Merikh asked, tilting his bear skull as his orbs flared dark yellow. “What Mavka has orange orbs?”

“I would think you would know who they belong to,” Weldir answered cryptically, with the mildest hint of humour in his tone.

“Unless Lindiwe has allowed her other younglings to form their skulls, the only Mavka I know to have orange orbs was... Nathair ,” Merikh said quietly, his voice at the end dripping with emotions Jabez knew all too well: pain and regret .

“Precisely,” Weldir almost purred.

Jabez watched as the tip of Merikh’s bull tail curled so tight around the tuft of fur at the end it looked like a ball. His orbs flickered with blue as his fisted hands repeatedly opened and closed.

“You mean... he’s... alive ?” Merikh asked, his voice raising an octave. “Where is he?”

“North.” The image in the disc shifted to a town built into the side of a mountain. “Mated and happy.”

Merikh turned from Weldir, giving the demigod his back, and his skull darted towards Jabez. He’d managed to stop his orb colour from permanently changing, likely to hide his emotions, but Jabez could hear how hard his heart pounded when he approached.

“Did you get all that?” Merikh grated.

Jabez nodded. “Yeah. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“What are you planning, Merikh?” Weldir asked darkly. “You’ve brought your mate and someone we consider an enemy.”

“You’re no longer needed,” Merikh bit at the demigod with a light snarl. “No doubt you’ll watch regardless. Figure it out on your own, but stay the fuck away from me. Lindiwe too.”

“I think it’s best if we go to the fox-skulled Mavka’s ward,” Jabez stated, eyeing Weldir just to watch him disappear in a puff of black sand at his own child’s hateful ire. He folded his arms and tapped his fingers against his right biceps. “They already know of me, and Zylah has met them.”

“They are my parents, right?” Zylah asked, stepping closer to brush her fingertips against the inside of his forearm. She loosely held him in a way that indicated she was wary.

“Yes,” he answered.

“I don’t know the fox-skulled Mavka, though,” Merikh rumbled in protest.

“No matter who we go to, things will go astray due to my presence. It’s best we first face those who I’ve already spoken with and I know won’t be on the immediate attack.” Then he nodded towards Raewyn holding Lehnenia. “That one won’t attack your bride and child, as he already has his own.”

“Guess I can’t argue with that,” Merikh said as he took Lehnenia back from Raewyn. He turned to their females. “Don’t get into too much trouble while we’re gone. I’m trusting you, Zylah, to keep her safe.”

“I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to,” Raewyn stated confidently, placing her hands on her hips and popping them to one side.

“Yes, yes. A pretty fairy who can protect herself with grass .” Merikh rolled his head like one might roll their eyes in exasperation before he stepped over to Jabez to be teleported with his child. “You’re as useful in defence as a fish is at walking on the ground.”

Raewyn poked her tongue out at him, and Merikh’s chuckle echoed all the way through Jabez teleporting them to the edge of Magnar’s green ward. He watched to make sure they were able to enter it before leaving. He did the same for Raewyn and Zylah, clasping both their wrists before materialising them there as well.

When everyone stepped through the protective ward freely, Jabez eyed the height of its circumference. He then knocked a foreknuckle against it, expecting it to warble in reaction and not let him pass like in the past. His knuckle went right through it. He dipped his hand inside with his lips pursing in surprise, then stepped through.

I wonder what’s changed. He’d never been able to enter a Mavka’s ward before. Was it that he was now a Phantom and it’d been able to sense that, or was it due to his intention being non-violent?

He eyed Lehnenia and wondered how she’d managed to pass through despite being a full-blooded Demon. Perhaps because she was being carried?

As a group, they walked towards the large log-cabin home.

Just as Merikh placed a foot on the stairs of the porch, intending to knock on the front door painted green, it bashed against the wall when it was flung open. In the doorway, the fox-skulled, deer-antlered Mavka shone red orbs at them and blocked it so they couldn’t enter freely. With neck feathers flared and a long, fluffy tail puffed out, aggression lined his entire body.

“Who are you?” Magnar bit out in English, his snout drifting over them all to show he was inspecting them. He produced a snarl, only for it to die as his orbs shifted to dark yellow. “Zylah?”

Zylah chittered and wrapped both her hands around Jabez’s forearm to shield herself.

“Did you say Zylah?” Delora asked, groggy with sleep, as she peeked around Magnar’s arm in a white nightgown. “Oh gods, Magnar! How did so many strangers get through your ward?!”

“A Mavka will always be able to enter another’s ward, and I imagine that goes for their brides as well,” Merikh answered, folding his arms across his chest to take his usual offensive stance. “I’m Merikh. I’m sure you’ve heard of me by now.”

Frozen and unsure what to do, considering the mixture of people at his doorstep, Magnar did nothing more than stand in the doorway. Delora refused to leave his side, staying a step behind to glance around him, but her fingers did tentatively wrap around her Mavka’s much larger hand. It was obvious when her gaze landed on Zylah that she wanted to greet her, but with so many strangers, she wisely remained where she was.

Her gaze narrowed into a glare in his direction, but he wanted to chuckle that both mother and daughter held their partners similarly to each other. He managed to hide his humour by dipping his gaze back to the fox Mavka’s skull.

“What do you want?” Magnar tilted his head and almost smacked the end of his large antler rack into the door frame.

“Fuck, why is this so awkward?” Merikh bit under his breath, before snapping his fangs at Jabez. “I told you we should have gone to someone else. At least Faunus knows me.”

He threw his free arm out to the side and shrugged. “Don’t blame me. It’s better we leave Zylah with people she knows. Just pull your bitch panties up and get on with it.”

With an irritated huff, Merikh waved towards his family. “This is my bride, Raewyn. She’s an Elysian from the Elven realm.” Then he jostled the girl in his arms. “This is Lehnenia, our daughter.”

Magnar’s orbs darkened in their yellow hue, and his skull cocked to tilt again. “But she does not look like a Mavka youngling.”

“She’s a Demon we adopted from the city,” he answered.

“Adopted?” he asked, tipping his snout to Delora for answers.

Her voice was quiet as she answered, “It means she was a child who lost her birth parents, an orphan, and they have taken her in as their own. She is not related to them.”

“Look,” Merikh stated with a sigh as he handed the child off to her mother. “I’m rounding up all you knuckleheads because my bride wishes to meet you all, and apparently , it would be good for me. Since Zylah is your kid, we figured it was best we left them with you while Jabez and I drag the others here.”

“You... want to have a family reunion?” Delora asked with her voice high with surprise. “ Here? ”

“Where else?” Merikh asked, raising an arm and mirroring Jabez’s earlier shrug, clearly uncaring that he was intruding on them. “Unless you’d like to do it in the Veil where Demons run rampant. Rather foolish, no?”

Delora’s gaze slipped to Jabez again, then darted between him and Zylah. Her eyes froze and widened before her expression twisted into what could only be distress or anguish. Jabez let his eyes flick up to her antlers to look at the floating green-and-blue flame.

She’s probably only just realised Zylah has my soul. She didn’t look too pleased about that.

“Delora?” Magnar called, turning his head to her once more. “What should we do?”

“I... don’t know,” she mumbled. “I have no issue with people staying, so long as you all don’t intend any harm. However, I do have a problem with him being here.”

Merikh darted his skull to Jabez before rolling it away. “You’re going to have to get over the past. He’s here to stay, and without his help, this isn’t possible.” Then, with a rather mean chuckle, Merikh gestured towards him. “Say hello to your new son-in-law. Congratulations.” He clapped while balancing the demonling on one inner elbow.

“If he can’t stay, then I won’t either,” Zylah bit out confidently. “He is my mate , and that won’t change.”

Jabez noticed how she called him her mate rather than her bride. He’d told her either was fine, as his masculinity wasn’t so fragile to be bothered being called a feminine term, but apparently, she still couldn’t figure out what she felt most comfortable with. She kept changing it, and he was content to let her figure it out on her own.

The little human hid behind Magnar and produced an adorable roar of frustration against his furry back. She even stamped her feet childishly before ripping his arm back so she could propel herself forward by it with renewed confidence.

“Okay, fine!” She stepped out of their home and onto the porch, and her Mavka quickly followed to shadow her like a looming protector. “I’ll be honest, we’ve been wanting to get everyone together again, but everyone is everywhere.”

“If you’re able to call the others close by and let them know, Jabez and I will go play fetch with the others further away. We are already aware of their locations,” Merikh stated. “If they won’t come willingly, I’ll drag them here by their horns if I have to.”

“Well, I know Ingram and Aleron are together with their brides, but no one will be happy to see him,” Delora stated, while pointing at Jabez outright. “He has a lot to pay for.”

“Oh, boo hoo,” Jabez retorted with a sneer, rolling his eyes as he brushed a stray leaf that landed on his shoulder. “Everyone is alive and well, aren’t they? Considering you blew me the fuck up to an inch of my life, I’d say you all dished out your share of justice.”

“You ate me! You broke Faunus’ skull! You tortured Orpheus for years and almost killed Reia! And you had Aleron killed!” Delora threw her hands to the sides. “Only the gods know what else you’ve done to the Duskwalkers that we haven’t figured out yet.”

“You did do a lot of nasty shit,” Merikh agreed, leaning back to look at him past Raewyn. “Then again, how many times have I eaten a limb of yours? And how many times have I ripped a Mavka’s skull from his neck? Even Raewyn here likes to go around kneeing Mavka in the seam.”

“That’s not fair!” Raewyn exclaimed. “You were scaring me, and I thought you were a human before you turned all ‘big frightening monster’ on me.”

A laugh burst from Merikh. “What I’m saying is we all have committed our fair share of violence. Our bonds are eternal, and this fuckwit here has decided to have a change of heart. He’s a part of the family, whether we like it or not.”

“I’m starting to get bored,” Jabez interjected with a sigh. “If you like, Zylah and I can leave so you can have a pity party all by yourself.”

“N-no. It’s fine,” Delora quickly said, her tune changing as he thought it would. She reached out to his mate despite the distance between them. “I would like to talk to her again. The last time we went to your cave, you were both gone.”

“So it’s settled then?” Merikh asked. “We’ll leave our females in your hands, and you’ll bring the others close by?”

“I’m surprised you would trust us so willingly,” Magnar commented while cupping the end of his snout. He tapped his foreclaw against the side of it as if he was musing very deeply.

Don’t hurt yourself there, bud, Jabez thought, mildly worried that thinking so hard may have negative repercussions for the Mavka.

“I wouldn’t if I had another option, but I’d rather not take a child into the wilds. So long as you keep your claws to yourself and keep them protected, all will be well.” Merikh let out a warning snarl as he stomped his right foot forward. “However, if so much as a single hair is out of place on either of them, you will learn just why everyone in this godsforsaken family is so wary of me. I have no issue with ripping the heart out of your bride in anger and making you watch me eat it. Both Faunus and Orpheus know what it’s like to cross me, and that one thing has always been unchanging. I. Always. Win. ”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

Even Jabez was stuck evading him in any sparring match they’d ever had. Although he could land a few good hits to the front of his torso, Merikh’s echidna quills made him a formidable and unbeatable opponent. Not even Jabez’s teleportation ability allowed him to get the upper hand.

“I will call for the others then,” Magnar stated, before he tipped his head back and parted his fangs wide to let the full might of his roar come through.

Lehnenia squealed as she covered her ears but was seemingly unafraid.

Jabez hung back to give everyone space as Delora and Magnar descended the porch steps – and Zylah refused to let go of him. Merikh ushered Raewyn forward and allowed her to properly meet them.

The human’s hands shook as she spoke with his half-sister, who was nearly a foot taller than her, but she managed to shove a false smile upon her face. Although quiet, meek, and shy with her greetings, Delora immediately came across as kind and welcoming, and rather quick to adjust to a situation thrown at her with no warning. She looked awkward and unsure as she greeted the demonling, who immediately shied away from the human and tucked her face into Raewyn’s shoulder to hide.

“I don’t want to stay here by myself,” Zylah muttered, refusing to let go of his arm. “I want to go with you both.”

Jabez kept his voice low. “I imagine our next location isn’t going to go over well,” he admitted, foreseeing Merikh was likely to keep the emotionally hardest meeting for last. He turned to her fully and offered a reassuring smile. “I’m sure everyone will welcome you, so there’s no need to worry.”

Jabez also knew it would be best if she met them all without him by her side. He would be a hinderance to her, and he wanted her first meeting with her family to be pleasant. He’d rather they warm up to her first before having to swallow that she’d bonded with him.

Zylah already tended to feel awkward and out of place, but she had a radiant personality that people easily warmed up to. He was sure they would adore her as he did if she gave them the chance, but she could also be rather protective of him.

He just hoped they didn’t say or do anything that made them irreparable in her mind, even if how they felt was justifiable. Just because she forgave him, didn’t mean any of them had to – and they likely wouldn’t, not unless he went out of his way to seek it.

That would require more time than the synederus council had allotted.

“You also have Raewyn,” Jabez added, reminding Zylah of her new companion. “She’ll help guide you, and I’m sure she’ll be fine with you leaning on her if need be.”

The woman really was a nuisance, and she tried any means to spend time with Zylah when Jabez was busy working for the council. He’d tried to prevent it at first, but decided it was healthy for Zylah to have an ally within the city – someone to spend time with, so she wasn’t truly alone in an unfamiliar environment.

She was also helping to teach Zylah Nyl’kira while they spent time together. Both females liked each other, so he saw little harm in this. It’s really what made him warm up to Raewyn in the first place.

“And,” Jabez continued, darting his gaze to the side when he noticed Delora fidgeting and constantly glancing between Merikh and his family, and them. He could tell she wanted to approach. “These are your parents. They want you to like them. I can tell Delora will go out of her way to make you feel comfortable.”

The fact she was allowing Jabez to remain on her territory was already a testament to that.

“But they don’t approve of you,” Zylah grumbled with a pout in her voice as she averted her skull to the side.

“I know, but it’s best you let everything play out freely and try not to judge them too harshly if they speak ill of me. Don’t forget, I’ve done a lot wrong to these people, as Delora has already stated.” He let an overconfident and arrogant grin fill his features. “Remember, Zylah, I really, really don’t give a shit what any of these people think of me. I wouldn’t have done what I did if such trivial things as words and little threats weighed on my conscience.”

He’d spent every moment of his life filled with hate, and he had no qualms about receiving it in return.

Jabez stepped to the side and gingerly removed his arm from her hold so he could place his hand on the small of her back. He guided her towards an awaiting Delora so they could greet each other.

The little human’s gaze abandoned Merikh and turned shy as they approached. She offered Zylah a sweet smile, her face turned up to both their daunting heights. Humans are so small, he noted, since she just came to his broad chest.

He subtly pressed his face into the fur of her neck to take in her soothing jasmine-and-violet scent and muttered, “I’ll be back shortly.”

Jabez then dropped his hand away, although he couldn’t help twirling his forefinger into the tuft of her cute tail as he separated from Zylah. She gave a satisfying shiver while he was turning away so he could meet Merikh waiting for him.

Magnar spoke to Raewyn in abject curiosity, studying the child in her arms and their Elven features. Lehnenia was more inclined to interact with the Mavka, and he figured that was due to his skull reminding her of Merikh’s.

Delora, a short human with tanned skin, dark hair, and round ears, probably appeared too alien to a Demon child brought up in Nyl’theria.

“Alright. I’m guessing the twins first?”

“I hate it when you do that,” Merikh stated, while giving him a gruff nod.

A grin had him flashing his pointed fangs, knowing Merikh loathed when he assumed correctly, repeatedly . “Do what?”

“Don’t give me that.”

Merikh offered out his arm, and Jabez blatantly held his hand like a lover would with humour tickling his chest. Merikh gasped and immediately ripped his palm away in disgust. He raised his hand in a flattened manner, like one might when they were threatening to backhand someone.

“Do you want me to bash your skull in?”

Jabez threw his head back with a boisterous laugh. “I’d consider it foreplay.”

The growl that burst from Merikh was feral, but it quickly died. His orbs flashed bright yellow in humour, and he hid his chuckle well behind a grunt.

They both glanced at their females one last time before dematerialising.