Page 36 of A Soul to Embrace

As he spoke, he marked an X in different locations before once more drawing a circle around Lezekos City.

“Then how did you get here?” she asked, perplexed by all this. She barely understood the world she currently lived in, and the idea that there were many more was daunting.

“I was born as an experiment. You asked about family and parents after reading your books. My mother took Demon seed and conceived me to discover if there is a way she could help the Demons evolve into fully formed creatures. Before she could learn of that answer, I was labelled an outcast and imprisoned for five years at a young age.”

Zylah chittered in unease and cupped her hands on her lap. “They trapped you?”

“Hmm. Trapped isn’t the right word. I walked into my cell willingly after I instigated a... fight.” He sighed as he sat back on his ankles. “Regardless, I was young. I escaped when I wasseventeen with other Demons the Elves had imprisoned for their ‘safety’ and stole a portal stone as I did. That portal led to here, to Earth, and I have stayed here for over three hundred and fifty years. I built an army, elected myself as a leader and saviour for my own protection, and even built a castle as my home.”

A spike of annoyance flittered into Zylah. Despite that he was sharing, she knew there had to be more to this story. She could count to three hundred and fifty, and she knew what years were.

“What else did you do?” she grumbled, refusing to let him skip over so many years.

His features grew dark and cold, like aglare.“My companions were Demons. I spent my years surviving, and trying to make bonds and friendships where I could with those around me. I grew a village for the Demons, and I hunted humans to help my people grow just as I did for you. I did what I needed to, especially as I was fighting a war against the Elysians for what they cruelly did to me. I was in my prison for over seventy human years and was, justifiably, angry.”

“You had other companions?” she answered, picking from just one aspect to avoid the weight of the rest.

“I had very few, most of whom left my side,” he answered without a shred of emotion, making his deep voice dark and foreboding.

Reddish pink entered her sight as she quietly stated, “I will not leave your side.”

And Zylah meant that with every bit of confidence. After spending so much time with Jabez, she had no intention of letting him go. He was her only companion, and she’d already proven she wouldn’t leave his side no matter where he went – even if it meant abandoning her own home.

She’d been hoping for a rare chuckle, or perhaps a fond smile at her admission. So, when she brought her sight back to him, she hadn’t expected his expression to look so empty.

Unsure as to why his brows had narrowed mistrustingly or why his lips had pressed into a hard line, her chest tightened.

“As charming as your words are, you know very little about me,” he stated without a shred of remorse, his eyes meeting hers with a stern heaviness to them. “There is much I’ve done wrong, all in the name of self-preservation. I am, at heart, an entirely selfish person, Zylah. I have enough self-awareness to know who I am, and that is an inherently Elvish trait. When one lives as long as an Elf, you have the time to reflect quite heavily. My life is not fleeting, although it is as easily ended as a human’s.”

“Then I will protect you,” she answered with the tiniest growl.

His eyes crinkled, finally giving his expression life, as a laugh burst from him. His pointed ears pressed back, and he covered his face to stifle the genial sound.

“Yes. I’m well aware that is how you perceive our dynamic.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” she grumbled, her sight once more changing to reddish pink.

“I was a powerful being, Zylah,” he stated around chuckles. “The magic you use to heal – I once had such magic. I intend to have it again. Until then, sure, you may be my protector, but even then, I don’t need your aid. I’m stronger and faster than any Demon or human, and I have far more experience in battle than anyone living.”

Zylah folded her arms with a harrumph. “You’re not stronger than me.”

“I can’t deny that. But once I have my magic back, you’ll see the shift in our dynamic. Much will change.”

But she didn’t want it to change. She liked how they were. She liked that he could rely on her strength, even if he didn’tneedit. It made her feel good. She liked feeling as though she was his protector and was needed, while secretly aching for more. She wanted to hold him so she could shelter him.

She wanted to know what it was like to be held in return.

“You were hurt,” she said in irritation to remind him that he wasn’t as strong as he stated. “I healed you. Why?”

“I was attacked in retaliation. As you know, like Demons, I’m susceptible to the sun, although not as instantaneously. An enemy of mine managed to harness some kind of sun power in the form of a bomb. You found me just as I used the last of my magic to protect myself. Alone, I held the weight of my collapsed castle off myself, and healed my body enough to survive. No one else could have achieved such a grand feat by themselves.”

Zylah wasn’t so sure of that. She thought she could do something so grand, as she was stronger than even him. She may not be able to heal herself, but in a full sun cycle, she magically healed on her own.

She wouldn’t have needed days of aid, like he did.He is weaker than me, she thought with a sulk.

Still, she let it go, her tail twitching with the knowledge that they were finally having a proper conversation. It moved faster when his features relaxed, softened, and even looked...warmin her direction, like he felt relieved too.

“Why do you...knowme?” she asked, wanting to understand a different topic. She peeked at him as her fingers fidgeted on her lap. “You know me better than I do.”

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