Page 228 of A Soul to Embrace

Merikh had seen Jabez and Zylah’s matching pair of bonding charms and grown interested in the Demon custom. Especially as he’d noticed Delysian couples within the city wearing similar charms.

Jabez had a feeling Merikh probably wanted to visually mark his female like a possessive Mavka to keep others away from her. He liked that he’d given him the idea, and it was amusing how Merikh had tried to hide his awkwardness in asking for assistance regarding it.

He let Merikh decide his own charms, but he’d obviously borrowed the idea of representing their eye colours and used crystals and metal to symbolise his bride’s rather mesmerising starburst pupils.

Raewyn patted Merikh’s side until her hands found the cream satchel strapped across his torso. She dug into it with deeply furrowed white brows and spoke in English.

“Are you sure we have everything? Did you grab the snacks for her? You know she probably won’t want to eat anything there, as it’s new.” She dug around a thick jacket, before gasping. “Where are her socks?!”

“They’re in the front pocket,” Merikh answered back, shutting the bag so the woman could stop fretting. “I’ve checked it multiple times, Raewyn. We have everything for her.”

Jabez put the child down, who was reluctant to be let go. She went over to Merikh, rose her arms up to him with grabby hands, and demanded that her father pick her up. He easily complied, and Jabez was already aware he spoiled the demonling.

“Alright, are you ready?” Jabez asked, placing his arm around Zylah’s waist. “I’ll have to take you and Lehnenia first, and then Raewyn and Zylah.”

Merikh scoffed. “Still can’t take more than two people, huh?”

“Listen, you fuck. Do you know how damn dense your kind are?” Jabez argued, rolling his eyes like that should have been obvious. “You know I can only teleport what I can carry, and your furry arse is as heavy as a boulder the size of your torso.”

“Can you please not swear in front of Lehnenia?” Raewyn bit out while folding her arms and narrowing her eyes in his general direction. She tapped her thin biceps in annoyance.

“It’s not like she’ll understand Engl–” He was cut off the moment the child repeated the word ‘fuck’ with a coy grin curling her lips.

Jabez chuckled as his eyes crinkled with humour.Look at her go.

He coughed and looked away when Merikh’s orbs shone deeper in their reddish hue than normal. He almost began whistling like a deviant, but he knew that wouldn’t bode well for him.I’m not used to being around children,he thought in his own defence. Filtering himself when he spoke had never been on his radar.

Much had changed in just a few short weeks of being here.

His relationship with Merikh had begun to shift to how it used to be, since the Mavka went everywhere with him when he left the city for the council. Training together, getting books for Zerik, and mining mana stones meant they were in each other’s company almost daily and for an extensive period of time.

Merikh’s anger towards him hadn’t truly faded, but it had ebbed over time when he saw Jabez was... changing. Jabez would always be the same brash, cold, arrogant, and cheeky man when he wanted to be – as he’d always been – but his wants and desires had shifted entirely.

Jabez had also warmed up to his half-sister a little. He’d thought Raewyn to be a soft-hearted woman, but she could actually be rather stern and prickly when she wanted. She had a bubbly personality outside of the conference chamber and her laboratory, and she changed how she behaved upon walking out of those spaces.

However, he had quickly, and rather harshly, placed a boundary between them the first time she’d tried to bring up the idea of Jabez meeting with his mother and stepfather. He was in complete refusal of it, and he hoped he never crossed paths with them in the city.

The fact his stepfather still worked in the hospital left him ill with the idea of Zylah visiting it in curiosity. He told Raewyn if she went behind his back to introduce them, he’d cut emotional ties with her and his niece within an instant. He would also only communicate with her through Merikh, even within her own workspace, and he warned her of how cold and callous he could be once betrayed.

Her features had twisted, the idea of already losing the shaky bond he was allowing to form leaving her distressed, and she agreed. She’d even offered to help Zylah and him evade his parents to the best of her abilities.

He’d learned through such actions that Raewyn was exceptionally stubborn when she wanted to be, but willing to be passive when required. She was pushing for a bond with him and was doing everything in her power to make it possible, despite his original aversion to the idea.

He wondered if her stubbornness was how she’d won over Merikh.

Once everyone confirmed they were ready, Jabez released Zylah’s waist and approached Merikh. He placed his hand on the surly Mavka’s arm and teleported him and Lehnenia to the gate of the city. They left the safety of it while Jabez went back to grab their females.

Then he followed the same transport pattern as he took them to the portal to Austrális he’d created a long, long time ago.

I still can’t believe he forced me into this,he thought, as he looked at the glowing yellow portal with utter disdain.

To fucking Earth I go.

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.

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