Beneath the Watching

12. Stefan

12

STEFAN

When I woke up Mabel was far away from me, across the bed. The room was nearly pitch-black, as I preferred, but I could see her curled in the fetal position with a blanket pulled up under her chin. I wanted to throw the curtains open and blind her with the light for taking the liberty of putting space between us. I could’ve sworn she’d been tucked under my chin when we finally gave in to exhaustion.

As if she’d felt me staring at her, she turned over. She didn’t say a word, only blinked a couple times. I hoped she was painfully sore between her thighs as I’d left her with an imprint of my teeth in the crease between her leg and her pussy. She pulled herself up without any signs of discomfort.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, quietly.

Tugging the blanket from her chest I grabbed her leg and dragged her toward me, shoving her thighs open. “Mm,” I droned, rubbing the tip of my index finger over the red and purple welt. “Perfect.”

Mabel hissed and her muscles flexed as she tried to pull away. “That hurts.”

“No, not enough,” I rasped. Leaning over, I dragged my tongue against the wound and nipped at it. Her arm shot out, tangling in my hair as she fruitlessly attempted to push me away.

“Stop that,” she mumbled and kicked at me with her other leg.

“Good morning,” I laughed. Tossing the covers away, I got out of bed feeling her eyes rake over my nakedness. Sure enough, the sweet pungent scent of her arousal began to fill the atmosphere. “Do you need help with that?” I swiveled my head and held her in place with my gaze, licking my lips.

“I’m thirsty,” she replied.

“Me too, beauty.”

A look of caution covered her expression. “Why do I feel like we’re talking about two different things?”

“Because we are,” I confirmed. I bent over and kissed her—hard. My pulse increased when I remembered the danger I was in because this woman had the power to break me.

Because I’d endangered her and myself in multiple ways, nothing would ever be the same.

And today I had to go to the High Court, leaving her without the benefit of my protection.

Running a hand through my hair, I backed away from her. “Get up, we have things to discuss.”

Mabel slid out of bed with the blanket held in front of her precious body. Annoyed, I whipped it away from her, receiving yet another yelp that reminded me of the night before.

I sighed and handed her the outfit she’d had on, before the evening gown. I had to move my thoughts away from the pleasures of the flesh or I’d get nothing done. “Get dressed,” I directed her.

“Can we discuss how I started hearing voices? And the music I hear sometimes, too.” She paused, thoughtfully. “I haven’t heard the music for a while.”

I waited for her to finish putting her clothes on. “Yes. First, get ready for the day and then meet me in the receiving room.”

Mabel met me as instructed. While she was in the shower, I traveled back to her home in the Third Realm and made note of her preferences. I gave the list to my men when I returned and sent them off.

It appeared she had a penchant for baking odd and unique creations involving baby food, so I included extras with what I wanted my men to retrieve. The written instructions I handed Benjamin and Jack also included clothing and toiletries.

I’d grabbed fruit from the kitchen for her and she sat in what I’d come to think of as her spot on the sofa. She consumed the food while I paced back and forth. My mind was in chaos, battling my own self-protective walls while knowing she was my responsibility. If I was going to successfully keep her, I needed to get over my hang-ups and not just fight her own.

Halting, I said, “Tell me how you discovered us. How you started visiting the Fourth Realm. All of it.” She blanched. I hadn’t realized I’d practically barked at her and quickly tried to soften my features.

“Okay,” she replied quietly.

Mabel went on to give me what must’ve been every detail. Listening in fascination, it seemed she’d partaken in a vision of some sort. She’d been there for the pivotal moment Kiara made her return to the Fourth Realm after some ill-fated arrangement with Ilya only he and I knew about. I’d never heard of such a thing occurring before; shared visions of the Fourth Realm. That revelation would remain private between her and I.

“I heard the voice again last night, when we were at that thing where Ilya took Kiara. It said ‘Change. Change is coming.’ Why am I hearing that?”

Before I answered her, I let out a deep breath. “I don’t know but it seems redundant. We already know everything is changing.”

“What about the music? That must be a part of the voice, right?”

Such a thing was unheard of, the disembodied music. Not once had I ever read about it or had someone mention it. “I’ve never heard of that before but that would be my best guess.” She let out a deep breath and pressed her lips together.

I lowered myself into one of the armchairs. “You said that bottle reappeared?” She nodded. “It sounds like the same stuff some of the men drink occasionally. They get a sort of ‘high’ from it.”

Mabel considered my words for several seconds. “Do you think because I got some in my mouth it somehow activated a latent ability? I’ve never heard voices before in my life. Or seen a vision.”

“Perhaps.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes before reopening them. “Or maybe something Kiara did could’ve transferred to you. If she’d disturbed something, or something clicked at just the right moment, and you were close enough to her.”

Mabel began peeling a banana. “That’s kinda scary. What’s going to happen to us? I want to help her.”

“Kiara’s not your or my concern. Do not tell a single soul any part of what you just told me. Ever,” I ordered her. “We don’t know enough about your abilities and there are many that would abuse them. Don’t mention it to or even around Ilya.”

What she’d said about the wine indicated forces at work that I wanted zero part of. “As a matter of fact, don’t mention it again if it can be helped.”

She lifted her eyes and set the piece of fruit back down on her plate. “I’m scared,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on and I might even be scared of you.”

I smiled. “As long as you’re with me and listen to what I tell you, you don’t have to fear me.”

“And if I don’t? If I’m not?”

My lips parted, showing my teeth. “Then there’s nowhere I won’t find you when you run.” As I spoke my warning, the magnitude of her honesty washed over me. This was the most transparent I’d ever seen her, when she admitted she was scared. She always held her innermost thoughts under lock and key, never letting anyone inside.

Just as the spicy sweet tang of her trepidation filled the atmosphere, my men returned, banging the door open and ruining the moment. Mabel leaned back as they walked in, bags dropping to the floor.

“Sorry,” Jack mumbled. “Miss? Where do you want these?”

“Put them in the bedroom and kitchen,” I said, thrusting my arm in the direction of my sleeping quarters. The two men began gathering the packages from the floor and trudged across the room.

Time was running out for me to answer my summons to the High Court before my absence drew too much attention. I needed to get moving. “I have to go, Mabel. While I’m gone, Benjamin and Jack are responsible for you, and you are to stay here in my apartment. Anything you need, they’ll get for you.”

“Where are you going?” She wiped her hands on a napkin. “What if I want fresh air?”

The look on her face was pained, and I didn’t know if it was because she was being unusually assertive or if she truly desired to go outside. I went with the former. “I’ve been called to the High Court. It shouldn’t take long but however long it does, it is out of my control.”

“What is the High Court, exactly?”

“It's in the Second Realm, where my kind originated. Beings much more powerful than me or anyone you’ve met reign there. They usually don’t bother anyone outside the Realm.”

Mabel bit her lip. “So, this isn’t good, is it?”

I shook my head. “Maybe not. It remains to be seen.”

She grimaced, and I could see a hundred questions swirling through the depths of her eyes before she stood up and grabbed her plate. I almost took it from her, but she needed to feel at home. I wanted her to feel comfortable moving around and if I did everything for her, it’d never happen.

Her first step faltered but then she cleared her throat and brushed past me, and a curtain of silence descended as if a door had shut. My ability to read her was increasing, much to my relief. I distinctly sensed the moment she’d closed herself off when she got up.

I almost went after her, my instincts telling me to reassure her, comfort her in some way. Being a demon, I wasn’t supposed to care and yet I did and if I wasn’t careful, I’d give myself away. My woman, as much as she meant to me, threatened to expose everything about me.

Mabel returned to the room, wiping her hands on her legs. Knowing I was going to have to leave her alone filled me with a sense of dread.

She raised her eyes to meet mine and instantly stumbled backward a step. I hadn’t realized I was scowling again and quickly attempted to soften my expression while cursing myself.

Mabel stood there waiting and I backed away, knowing the sooner I left the better. If I didn’t get going, I was liable to throw her on the couch and work out my angst on her pussy. I’d punish her for having such a hold on my blackened heart.

I hadn’t been able to save the last woman I’d been charged with caring for. My sister had trusted me to keep her safe and it was my job to do so in a world hostile toward women. I failed. As a result, I’d managed to keep women at an arm’s length and only used them when necessary to sate my body’s needs.

Mabel had somehow wormed her way under my once impenetrable shield, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I also knew I was doing a piss-poor job as evidenced by my erratic temper.

All I could do was hide her until I found an answer.