Page 66 of A Soul to Embrace

“Okay, half our journey is over,” he commented as he looked out at the massive crack of earth. “However, it’ll now become that much more exhausting.”

She took a seat next to him with her feet out in front of her. “Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s wise to move fast through the outer and middle rings.” His tone was cool and collected, like he was talking about something that mattered little. “How good are you at climbing?”

Zylah cupped her hands to her abdomen and fidgeted with her fingers. “Not very good. My feet slip a lot.”

Just as he was about to take another bite, Jabez paused as his gaze slid to her feet. She wiggled her toes self-consciously, and she didn’t understand why that caused him to cover his face or why his ears drooped.

He cleared his throat as if something clogged it. “Was that in your more monstrous form? Your feet are more... rabbit-like when you are like that. You may have better dexterity with your humanoid feet.”

She tilted her head at that, finding his reassurance calming. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “Maybe?”

“I’ll find us the best path and I’ll climb below you in case you slip.” He finally bit off another chunk of carrot and crushed it between his sharp fangs while squinting his eyes at the horizon with a pensive expression. Then he swallowed and said, “After that, we’ll likely have to run for most of the night. Little sunlight touches the ground, and now is when most Demons are waking. They will be hungry, and they will be curious.”

“I thought you said we wouldn’t be targeted,” she grumbled, turning her head away in annoyance.

“No, I saidyouwouldn’t be targeted for being a Mavka. But we have to take into consideration the Demon nature when we’re passing lesser Demons. They eat everything, including each other, and there’s a chance they will hunt for hunting’s sake.” He pointed what remained of his carrot at her. “Once we get to the middle ring, we can briefly rest, but at the first sign of movement, it’s best to get the fuck out of there.”

“What is the difference between these... rings?” He’d briefly mentioned them before but hadn’t truly explained them.

He circled his carrot in front of them as if referencing the Veil. “The outer ring has more of the lesser Demons, meaning they have less humanoid features, are more savage in their hunting, and are dim-witted. The middle ring is where those who are halfway to completing their evolution reside. Lesser Demons enter through it, but they are wary because a medium-sized Demon can tear them to shreds, especially being more intelligent. The inner ring mainly consists of those who have completely evolved or are close to it, and they are dangerous to the others due to the simple fact that they live in groups for ultimate protection. They are far less violent, but they will quickly drive out other Demons to protect the area. When we are there, we will have little to worry about. I would consider them peaceful.”

“How will we know when we’ve reached each ring?”

“You won’t,” he answered plainly. “But I’ve lived within the Veil for over half my life. I can tell when we’ve entered each section. It’s second nature to me.”

Zylah cupped the end of her snout in thought and kept it there as she spoke. “How long will it take us to get to the inner ring... to this person?”

He tipped his head back, looking up at the sky as he let out a hum. “Not sure. For a Mavka, probably a day, but for me...”

“Because you are so slow.”

He growled out a chagrined huff, his eyes flicking to her with a glare. She chittered, her orbs shifting to a bashful reddish pink, yet her chest radiated with humour and tenderness. Her toes scrunched as she giggled at him.

“Yes, because I’m so slow,” he grumbled, eating the last bit of his carrot with his eyes slitting further. “It’ll likely take me twiceas long. If I still had my magic, I could easily teleport us there. It was a rather advantageous ability.”

He propped his elbow on his knee and shoved his chin into his palm. Then he stuck his bottom lip forward.

“What does this mean?” she asked, pointing towards his lips.

“I’m pouting.” He quickly fixed it and they flattened. “Never mind. I would suggest that you turn into your monstrous form once we reach the bottom of the cliff wall. You’ll be able to better protect yourself.”

“What about you?”

His lips curled into what she could only consider a devious grin. “You don’t need to worry about me. With or without my magic, a lesser or medium Demon wouldn’t stand a chance against me. I’ve trained my body my entire adult life, knowing that my magic can easily deplete. Only a fool would solely rest their capabilities on magic alone.”

Jabez then ate a little more food and took a last drink, readying himself to be unable to do either for quite some time. She followed his lead when he stood.

“Alright,” he stated, with his shoulders rolling back. He tilted his head right and then left until a crack sounded. “Let’s get this over with.”

Making sure both his hands had a good, steady grip, Jabez carefully leveraged the toes of his left foot onto a lower ledge of stone. He peeked downwards, noting how far he’d climbed down the Veil’s canyon wall. They were making good time.

A small rock smacked his left horn, and he turned his gaze towards the night sky. Jabez instantly regretted it. His earsdarted back as warmth flooded them and his cheeks, and he quickly averted his gaze to the side.

Fuck. I shouldn’t have chosen to climb beneath her.But it was safest for her, as he could quickly grab her should she need saving.

The issue was: every time he looked up to check on her, he was gifted with a rather tantalising view – which was a bad fucking thing. He’d never thought about giving her some kind of underwear because it was a foreign concept to him. Currently his cock and balls dangled freely in his pants, as was normal for most Demons and Elves.

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