Chapter 18 #2
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but he didn’t freak out to the point of incoherence until Karaj tried to pull me away from him. Clearly, that was the trigger.
I patted his shoulder and horn in slow, soothing strokes until his growling stopped completely.
His breathing was still uneven, but his arms were no longer skirting the edge of crushing where they wrapped around my ribs.
He essentially tucked me against his chest like a small child with his favorite teddy bear.
I had no idea how much time had passed, but my feet were beginning to go numb from dangling.
“Bo, you need to set me down. I can’t feel my feet.”
He grunted but didn’t release me. Instead, he walked to the sofa and sat on it, arranging me on his lap.
He was so tall that my forehead fit perfectly beneath his jaw against his throat.
Holding me close with one arm, he reached out and flipped my boots off with the other.
Then, he cupped my foot in his clawed hand and began massaging it.
As soon as the blood began to rush to my feet, I sighed in relief. The pins and needles subsided quickly as he continued to rub the sole of my foot with his fingers and the top of my foot with his thumb. As the muscles in my right foot relaxed, he laid it down and picked up my left.
I relaxed against him, wrapping an arm around his torso. He was so large and broad that I couldn’t get my arm completely around him, but my hand rested on the latticed muscles just below the side of his ribcage.
The longer we sat on the couch, the more his muscles relaxed. Finally, he inhaled deeply before releasing it with a sigh, and his body sagged into the back of the sofa.
Without lifting my head, I asked, “Better now?”
“Yes,” he rumbled, his voice soft.
“Can you tell me what just happened?” I paired the request with a soft stroke of my hand against his ribs.
He winced slightly, laying his hand over mine. I wondered if it tickled, but didn’t ask. I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to change the subject.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he stated. “And you’re not going to like what I have to say.”
“I’d rather hear the truth and process it than be lied to and find out later I was betrayed.”
“I know.” He sighed, dropping his head back to rest on the top of the sofa.
His hand came up to cup my head, keeping my head pressed against his shoulder. I didn’t fight his hold. I relaxed against him, giving him a moment to collect his thoughts.
Finally, he said, “After last night, I feel very… possessive of you. Daemons have instincts sometimes when it comes to females and sex. It may seem strange to humans, but I didn’t even like the fact that he was looking at you.
When he offered to buy you, it set off those instincts, and I lost control. ”
“Was that why you had red streaks in your eyes?” I asked.
“Yes. We call it mating rage. It usually only happens when our female is threatened.”
My entire body went still at his words. Mating rage? As in mates, like marriage? My thoughts crashed together in my head. Then, logic asserted itself. Maybe mating was interchangeable with sex for them.
“Mating?” I asked. “What does mating mean to daemons?”
He paused. “We can sense when a female is compatible with us. It can trigger our mating instincts, which are similar to those of predators. We feel the urge to chase and hunt. Female daemons want to run, to be pursued. It is their way of testing a male’s worthiness.
We also feel possessive of the female and protective.
If we perceive she is in danger, we will neutralize the threat.
If we feel another male is trying to pursue her, we will fight them. Sometimes to the death.”
“Can you control these instincts?” I asked.
Bokkan shrugged his opposite shoulder so he wouldn’t jostle my head.
“Yes. To a point. If the female rejects us, the instincts fade within a few days. If she does not run from us or is not under threat, it is usually very easy to deal with them. We have more control than that. But I tasted you last night. I brought you pleasure. That created a connection between us. Then, today, Karaj tried to take you from me. First, with words, then by touching you. I was unable to control my reaction…” He paused, and his throat bobbed against my forehead.
“I apologize for frightening you. And grabbing you the way I did.”
“You didn’t frighten me,” I replied. “I was confused because I wasn’t sure what was happening. And I didn’t want you to be hurt.”
A low chuckle vibrated in his chest. “The day Karaj Darkblade could hurt me will never come. He might be cruel and enjoy inflicting pain, but he is not a good fighter.”
“Will you get in trouble for killing him?” I asked.
Bokkan wrapped both arms around me then, keeping his palm heavy on the side of my head so I couldn’t lift it. I didn’t feel trapped by his embrace, but comforted.
Still, he didn’t answer.
“Bokkan?” I prodded, nudging him in the ribs.
“I doubt he is dead,” he finally said. “If they found a healer quickly, he will likely mend.”
“I won’t say that’s good, but I’m relieved you won’t be caused problems because he died.”
His lack of response raised my suspicion. I reached up and pulled his hand away from my head so I could lift it and look at his face. His head was still resting on the back of the couch, and his eyes were closed.
“You’re going to have problems because you attacked him, aren’t you?” I asked.
Any answer he would have given him was interrupted by the thunderous banging coming from the front door downstairs. I knew then that, yes, he was going to have an issue because he attacked the other daemon.
Bokkan opened his eyes and lifted his head. I could see the answer in his eyes. Moving slowly and gently, he lifted me off his lap and set me on the cushions. Cupping my face with one hand, he kissed my lips and then my forehead.
“Stay in the bedchamber and drop the bar on the door when I leave. Do not let anyone in this room. Masu will make sure you have food and water while I’m gone.”
“You don’t trust your men?” I asked.
He shook his head. “The only man who is truly mine is Guldan, but even then, he is loyal to the king first. I do not trust that he will protect you rather than hand you over on the king’s orders.”
Anxiety shot through me. I hadn’t realized how much Bokkan had done to keep me safe. How much I needed him in this strange world where I was considered nothing more than an indentured servant or property.
I swallowed hard. “I will stay in the bedchamber unless I have no other choice.”
He nodded, understanding that it was possible I would have to escape at some point.
“If you have to leave,” he said. “Ask Masu for directions to the witch in the Shadow Forest. She is human like you, but more powerful than any daemon mage in our realm. They will not cross her for fear that she will consume their magic and their soul.”
“Uh—”
“She will not harm you. She will take in any human in danger, regardless of whatever bargain they have made. The fact that you are here without a bargain will ensure that she helps you and keeps you safe.”
I nodded, wondering why this was the first time he mentioned this particular witch.
She might be able to help me get home. He knew that was what I wanted.
Then again, if she wasn’t trustworthy, he might consider her a last resort.
Or perhaps she hated daemons and wouldn’t want to help him.
I was dying to ask, but there was no time.
As though he sensed my unease, he said, “She would care for you, but she would extract a favor from me. And that favor might be the kind that gets me killed.”
Shit. As desperate as I was to leave, I didn’t want him to put himself in danger to make it happen.
“I don’t know how long I will be gone, but it will be at least a day. Probably more.”
I nodded again, still anxious and confused. There were loud male voices coming from the first floor, and they were drawing closer.
His black eyes studied mine for a long moment. Then, he released my face and straightened.
Bokkan walked to the door and lifted the bar. “I will return as soon as I can,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. “Bar this door as soon as I am out.”
He lifted the bar and walked out the door, shutting it behind him. I didn’t hesitate to hurry over and drop the bar. Not just because I worried what would happen if I didn’t, but because I knew he wouldn’t walk away until I did.
It was only after the thick wooden slat dropped into place that I heard his heavy footsteps head down the hallway.
I pressed my ear to the door as the male voices below rose to the point of yelling before dying away to low rumbles. I couldn’t understand exactly what they were saying, but it was clear none of the males below were happy.
A few minutes later, I heard the front door slam, and the entire house fell silent.
It hit me then how completely alone I was now. I had no help other than Masu and no protection other than my own.
My anxiety swelled, but I pushed it aside. There were knives and other weapons in different spots throughout Bokkan’s bedchamber. I would locate them all and find a knife that I could conceal better than the dagger.
Then, I could deal with my fear.
And plan what I would do if Bokkan didn’t return to the manor.