Page 13 of Once Upon a Demon's Heart
I force myself back to my feet quickly and prepare to try again when Kalel’s hands come around my waist and he hoists me up. It’s more like him tossing a bag of flour carelessly, though.
Kalel jumps up behind me and secures a strong arm around my center. My cheeks flush at how tightly he holds me against his chest. Every fiber of my being is begging to get away from him, but I don’t dare do anything that might make him more displeased than he already is.
He sets a slow pace for the rest of his forces as we ride toward the demon’s camp. It’s a few miles over the ridge lining the kingdom. The sun set an hour ago and the deep chill of the night has already begun to invade my bones.
Once the camp is in view, he signals to his second in command and pulls his horse over to a tent further away from the rest. My stomach drops. No amount of shivering or cold air burning my nose takes my mind off the dread of this situation.
Kalel dismounts, then offers me his hand with a cold expression. I take it carefully and hop down from the giant horse’s back. He nods toward the tent, watching me with wariness and disdain in his gaze.
I wrap my arms around my body and do as he says, heading into the tent. It’s empty for the most part. Only a small pallet bed in one corner and a makeshift desk of crates with letters, newspapers, and maps neatly piled on top. I’m guessing they only set it up for the night.
Kalel enters behind me a few minutes later and ties the flaps together. He hasn’t spoken once since we started the ride here, so it startles me when he finally talks. “All that is left is for you to make the sacred oath and then you may rest.”
My throat is tight with dread. The sacred oath leaves a mark on the bonded, and it requires a high degree of soul essence to perform.I’ll be out for days.I clench my hands at my sides. It’s taxing on our bodies—it puts demigods into a deep slumber after. I’ve never personally performed one, so there’s no telling how long I’ll be asleep. It’s different for everyone depending on their parents and amount of soul essence.
The sacred oath is a power all beings with holy blood hold to make with another willing party. It’s used when trust needs to be established. Both individuals must have the desire for the bond, or it won’t work. It will tie his life to mine, so he can trust me not to try to kill him. If I die, he’ll be fine, but I can’t hurt him.
I wasn’t expecting him to request an oath. It gives me a breath of hope that I might actually survive until tomorrow, finally breaking the time loop I’ve been trapped in.
Does he think I’ll actually try to kill him in his sleep? The darkness in his gaze suggests as much.
“We don’t have all night,” he grunts passively.
I clear my throat. “I bind my heart to you, Duke Lornhelm.”
As the words leave my lips, a bright light of the holy pact shines between us. Surprise consumes me as an immense amount of power is siphoned from my chest. My skin burns at the center of my collarbones and the flinch Kalel gives as he looks down at his concealed chest tells me he feels it too. The person receiving the sacred oath gets a mark of faith matching that of the granter.
The light fades, and as it does, my vision goes with it.
Low,deep murmuring stirs me awake.
My head is spinning and my body aches from head to toe. I groan as I try to sit up but fail. Did I pass out? Where am I?
I open my eyes slowly, lids heavy with exhaustion. I’m in a spacious tent, the fabric of which is dressed in the crimson and beige colors of the Devicitian Kingdom. Their ribbons and propaganda hang from the metal framing.
I don’t recall seeing these before I lost consciousness. How long has it been?
I let my hands drift down my body, over my breasts and stomach, then my thighs.I’m still alive.Excitement draws a loose smile to my lips.
The pain doesn’t keep me from sitting up this time. I wince and my hand instinctively lifts to my sternum where the oathmark lies. A loose fitting canvas shirt hangs past my waist and dips down to my collar bones. My armor and clothes from Alzhor are nowhere to be found. Who undressed me?
Although I suppose being dressed by strangers is the last thing I should be concerned about. I press my palm to my forehead and try to quell the pounding headache that relentlessly pulses.
“You’re awake.”
My spine stiffens at the sound of Kalel’s voice.
Turning to look behind me, I find Kalel sitting relaxed in a chair. He’s no longer wearing his war armor and somehow, he’s still equally as intimidating now that I know what he truly is.Apothecary, my ass.I want to call him out on lying, but I keep my mouth shut.
His hair is swept to the side, a strand falling over his forehead perfectly. His cold golden eyes observe me with an equal amount of curiosity that I find myself experiencing for him.
The black long-sleeved shirt he wears is half unbuttoned, revealing the lovely olive tone of his muscular chest. I’m convinced this man is a god, one of deceit and suffering, but a god nonetheless. How else could one explain away this demon’s beauty? His near seven-foot stature. The oath mark is brandished on his sternum like it is mine, a golden circle with a single gilded line vertically cutting through it.
He tilts his head, and my attention catches on his pointed ears. Four gilded loop earrings hang from them, making him look like a true duke.
He notices my awe and bears fangs that dip below his top lip. I wouldn’t exactly call it a smirk, maybe a warning to remind me that he loathes me.
I turn my face away from him, bringing my focus down to the rest of my body. A gold ring that looks like a small crown has been placed over my ring finger. My hair covers most of mychest, silver and white locks curl in big waves naturally down to my waist. I’ve been washed in a scent that matches Kalel’s.
