Chapter 28 #2
“Don’t put this one on me,” I countered, my voice shaking as I spoke. “I know nothing about your culture or how your society works. I don’t control any of this. I wouldn’t encourage his feelings for me if I realized I was.”
“I understand, and so does the general, but it does not change the outcome.”
I glared up at him. “So, now it’s my responsibility to fix whatever is broken?”
“No, Lady Leda. I do not ask you to hold responsibility for this. I only want you to have all the facts so that you will make an informed choice. I want you to think carefully about everything I have told you today.”
“You say that, but you’re still putting whatever happens to Bokkan on my shoulders,” I argued.
He shrugged. “It only matters if you care what happens to him.”
I stared at him, fighting back the urge to grab one of the wooden practice swords from the wall and beat the shit out of him with it. The manipulative dick. He knew I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Bokkan. He was playing on my emotions for his commander.
“You need to get the fuck away from me,” I finally said.
Guldan didn’t argue. He bowed his head and left the training room.
With a frustrated shout, I turned around and threw all my weight behind an elbow to the groin of the practice dummy. It rocked a bit, something that never would have happened before.
I couldn’t trust anything the commander said. I needed someone else to verify his statements, but I wasn’t sure who I could trust.
The only other source of information in the house was Masu. So far, she’d been honest with me. It was time to find out if that extended to her master and his future.
Breathing heavily, I scooped up my empty water cup and headed toward the house. The soldiers gave me a wide berth as I marched by, but I could feel their eyes on me. I wasn’t sure if shooting them a middle finger would be considered an insult here, but I thought about it.
I didn’t have the patience to deal with any possible fallout, so I kept going, ignoring them all.
I rounded the corner of the house and found Masu in the herb garden, weeding the beds. Her head came up, and she smiled when she saw me.
Until she saw my expression.
“Lady Leda, what is wrong?” she asked, sitting back on her heels and wiping her hands on her apron.
I stopped beside her and collapsed on the ground on my butt. “I need to talk to someone, but I need someone to be honest without their own agenda.”
Masu tilted her head, her red eyes locked on mine. “Are you looking for a recommendation?”
I almost laughed at her obvious confusion. “No. I was hoping I could talk to you and that you would tell me the truth without trying to manipulate me into doing what you want.”
The imp blinked at me several times before she folded her hands in her lap. “I would be honored to help you, Lady Leda.”
“Please just call me Leda.”
She nodded. “Very well. What would you like to discuss, Leda?”
“Guldan shared some things with me a little bit ago that contradict things that Bokkan told me. I’m not sure what to think and I have some questions.”
“I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“Do any of the humans here ever return home?”
“A few have,” she answered.
I took a deep breath, trying to remain patient. “How often does it happen?” I asked, trying to reframe the question without sounding like a complete bitch.
“Not very often,” she admitted. “Maybe one or two a year.”
“And how many humans come into the realm every year?”
“I do not know the exact number, but there is a slave auction at least once a month, and they usually have ten to twelve humans each.”
Shit, that was a lot more humans than I expected. It also meant that Guldan hadn’t lied when he said a few returned to the human realm.
“Do humans absorb magic while in Penumbra?” I asked.
Masu nodded. “I do not know a lot about it, but humans who remain here for extended periods are eventually able to utilize small amounts of magic to do things like lighting a fire or casting simple spells.”
“Do you know if it makes them a target for supernatural creatures when they return home?”
Masu’s face fell. “I am afraid I cannot answer that, Leda. I do not possess knowledge of the human realm.”
Shit. Okay, I would have to find someone else to ask about that.
“If I did return home after the trial period is over, what will happen to Bokkan?”
The imp tensed as she stared at me, her hands fisting in her apron. “What do you mean?”
“Would he go mad?” I asked.
She looked down at her lap and picked bits of weeds and plants off her apron. “It is likely,” she finally answered.
“Would they kill him if he did?”
Her eyes filled with tears as they lifted to meet my gaze. “If they were unable to control him or return him to himself, yes, they would. The magistrate would end his suffering.”
My heart sank at her words. “Why?” I choked out.
“Daemons have mating instincts. For males, their instincts encourage them to protect and care for their female. It is their way of proving they would be an exemplary mate. If a female rejects them during this stage, as long as they avoid each other for a month or so, the instincts will fade. If the daemoness accepts their advances, then the male daemon’s instincts become more predatory.
He wants to hunt her, to chase her down, and bite her.
He will also brand her with his fire. That will complete the mating bond. ”
I swallowed hard at her explanation. Bokkan had been taking care of me since the day I arrived—making sure I was fed and warm. Protecting me from anything and everything. I hadn’t rejected him. In fact, I’d relished it. It felt so nice to have someone take care of me.
“What about female daemons?” I asked. “What are their instincts like?”