Chapter Twenty-Eight
Bechora
I woke up in an unfamiliar bed. My memory was hazy as I sat up in the puddle of silk sheets draped over my body.
Zypher was sitting on the floor, slumped against the open door.
I carefully climbed from the bed and moved toward him, peeking into the room beyond, recognizing Vallynn’s dorm room.
Except it wasn’t nearly as put together as it had been when Zypher and I arrived the evening before.
Broken furniture was strewn everywhere, and my books appeared to have been unceremoniously dumped so someone could use the coffee table as a weapon.
Professor Thrackborne sprawled on his back across the uneven couch, his feet on the floor with the way that section had been demolished.
Gabriel was on his stomach on the floor nearest Zypher, one hand reaching toward the door.
Dante slumped against the counter dividing their kitchen from their living room, and Vallynn was curled on his side near him.
I nearly laughed at the way the normally put-together prince’s hair stuck up in every direction.
Zypher stirred near my feet, and the brush of his arm against my pants leg sent a memory rocketing through me.
My face burned with embarrassment as I recalled how I’d begged for these males, desperate for any one of them to fuck me.
Flashes of them fighting against Zypher’s shield as he tired, and of them fighting one another to be the one to reach me, caused my stomach to roil.
“You’re awake.” Zypher’s sleepy voice drew me from the haunting memories.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.” The words spilled out of me without a thought.
Zypher pushed himself up from where he sat in a movement too graceful to be human and smiled. “It’s not your fault. It was the allure. Though I am quite curious how you came to possess such a talent.”
“Allure?” I asked dumbly.
“Succubus magic.” Zypher shrugged.
I frowned. “I… well, I don’t know. Just another weird thing for the list, I guess.”
“Allow me to escort you back to your dorm, Dilectus. You can tell me about this list along the way.”
“Let me just—”
“Never mind that. I’ll ensure your books are returned. I want to get you to your room before the others wake, as I do not know what state they will find themselves in when they do,” Zypher insisted.
I nodded, not sure whether he meant they would still be under the spell of the allure he mentioned or if he meant something else entirely.
Zypher offered me his arm, and I took it, grateful for the support as more embarrassing memories flitted through my mind.
The memories were laced with something else, a longing and a draw to the four men passed out around the room, that I wasn’t quite ready to face.
As soon as we stepped into the hallway, it felt like I could breathe again.
A part of me yearned to turn back, but it seemed smaller somehow now that the others were out of sight.
“What is this list, Dilectus?” Zypher asked, guiding me through Magus House toward my dorm.
“A list of all the strange things that have happened to me since arriving here,” I replied. “My magic doesn’t seem to be normal, and I’m hoping the list will help me figure it out.”
“Hmm. Why don’t you talk me through it all from the start, and I will see if I can help,” Zypher replied.
The sincerity in his words shifted a weight I hadn’t known I was carrying.
Something about the way the demon prince had been a quiet, steady force since we met, always respecting my boundaries, made me want to open up to him.
I realized at that moment he’d chipped away at my reservations little by little until all it took was his offer to help to smash the rest to bits.
I told him everything. From the moment Thrackborne yanked me through a portal, to the dream that Geordie appeared in, to all the strange manifestations of magic I’d experienced.
Zypher listened quietly, guiding me into my door and settling us on the couch while he waited for me to finish.
“So, that’s everything. This allure, as you called it, is just another thing I don’t understand.”
“And you’re working with your friends to figure this out?” he asked, though he wasn’t truly seeking an answer. I nodded anyway. “If it is alright with you, Dilectus, I’d like to speak with my mother about this. She may have some guidance that can help us get to the bottom of things.”
“Your mother?” I asked, my brows dipping down in confusion. “Why not your father? He’s like the oldest demon in existence, right?”
Zypher laughed. “No. My mother, Lilith, is the oldest demon in existence. Followed by Mazun, my other father. Lucifer is my father by blood, but he was the last to join her Vinculum. Mazun prefers the shadows, and my mother prefers her enemies think her weak, so Lucifer wears the crown as far as anyone outside of our family bond is aware.”
“Back up. Your mom is Lilith. Like, removed from the bible, Lilith?” I squeaked out the words, just barely.
“Yes and no.” Zypher frowned. “My mother’s story is hers to tell, as yours belongs to you. She may be able to help us if you allow me to share what you’ve told me with her.”
“If you think she can help, you can tell her everything,” I replied. “Thank you. For everything.”
I didn’t hesitate, pulling him down by the neck and leaning forward to kiss him softly on the lips.
Zypher stilled for just a second before his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me flush against him as he lifted me off my feet to get a better angle.
I tore my lips away from his, a little shocked at my own impulsiveness, and his hold loosened slightly.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” I murmured, sliding down his body and casting my gaze toward the floor.
Zypher gently tilted my head with one finger beneath my chin, so I was forced to look him in the eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I told you, Dilectus, should you want me with the allure gone, I am yours. Completely and irrevocably, yours.”
I didn’t resist this time. Instead, I leaned into him again as he bent toward me, capturing his mouth with mine.
The kiss deepened quickly, our hunger snapping like a live wire between us.
His lips moved with a fierce possessiveness, one hand tangling in my hair while the other pressed firmly at the small of my back, holding me against the solid warmth of his chest.
A soft gasp escaped me as his tongue brushed against mine, coaxing me closer, daring me to lose myself in him entirely. The world outside that moment ceased to exist. There was only Zypher, his heat, his taste, the way his power simmered against my skin like a dangerous promise.
“Well, well, well…” Shadrie’s voice rang out, dripping with amusement. “Look at you finally giving in. Took you long enough.”
I wrenched myself back, breathless and mortified, but Zypher didn’t so much as flinch. His lips curved into a lazy, satisfied smirk as his hand lingered at my waist.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry, Shadrie!” I practically shouted at her, hiding my burning face behind my hands.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Shadrie teased, leaning casually against the doorframe with her books hugged to her chest and turning her attention to Zypher.
“Honestly, this dorm has been entirely too boring lately. You’re doing the realm a public service, B has been way too wound up if you catch my drift. ”
“Shadrie!” I squeaked, jerking my hands away from my scarlet face to glare at her.
My roommate only grinned wider. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. If I had a demon prince offering himself up body and soul, I’d have jumped him ages ago. Now go on, don’t let me interrupt, just pretend I’m not even here.”
Zypher chuckled low in his throat, clearly delighted, while I wished the floor would swallow me whole.
“Don’t encourage her!” I hissed, causing him to shake his head in amusement.
“Don’t worry, B, I’m headed to grab breakfast before class. I’ll let Miles know you’re busy getting that triple D and to come by after dinner so we can chat about anything he found to do with your list.” Shadrie cackled, making her way to the door.
“Triple D?” Zypher frowned. “Isn’t that what you’ve taken to calling me, ice mage?”
“Yeah. Demon Daddy Dick. That’s you.” She grinned, waggling her brows. Zypher burst into a full belly laugh. “Take good care of our girl. I’m out.” Shadrie threw up a peace sign and sauntered from our dorm.
“I’m going to murder her,” I groaned. “Better yet, I’m going to replace all her belongings with pink, sparkly things, and then I’m going to murder her.”
“I find this new vengeful side of you quite appealing, Dilectus,” Zypher purred. “Though I suspect you wish to attend class this morning. I shall leave you to ready yourself and return with coffee to escort you to the dining hall.”
He gave me one last chaste kiss on the lips before releasing me and exiting my dorm.
It took me several minutes to regain my composure and change into a clean uniform.
Tossing my hair into a ponytail, I gave myself a final once-over in the mirror before grabbing my messenger bag and heading to meet the others.
Zypher was waiting with coffee just outside Magus House as promised, and I couldn’t help wondering how he’d managed to get back in fresh clothes with my chosen morning beverage so quickly.
Before I could ask, he kissed me gently on the lips and looped my arm through his, turning us toward the path that would take us to the dining hall.
“I still plan to follow through with your human custom, Dilectus,” Zypher said, as if he’d sensed my thoughts shifting to the more passionate kiss we’d shared. “I have planned out our date, and though it seems you’re starting to accept our bond, I intend to follow through with my plans.”
My breath stuttered. Not because he was putting effort into dating me, but because he’d noticed something I hadn’t.
My feelings about the bond had shifted; I just couldn’t pinpoint when.
There was still a small part of me, growing quieter by the day, scared of losing my agency.
But the rest, I was noticing, was filled with excitement at the thought of being bonded to the male beside me.
I should have been terrified at how quickly my feelings had changed, and yet, I wasn’t.
Being with Zypher felt right, and after the way he’d protected me from the allure, I couldn’t imagine rejecting our bond.
Zypher shot me a knowing smile as if he could read my mind. “Wait until the conclusion of our date to decide, Dilectus. If you wish to complete our bond at that time, I will gladly give you all of me.”