Page 37 of Drawn to the Demon Duke
I wanted my mate to be my mate in all the ways that matter, and it seems like the bond agrees.
I remember how Haures fondled himself after the shockingly erotic image of him feasting on my pussy popped into my brain. It was definitely his fantasy, not mine, though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t imagine what that would be like with Haures’s warm mouth on my most private of parts.
He’s being careful, though. Treating me with kit gloves. As though he wants to make up for me less-than-stellar welcome, he’s not rushing me into anything. So long as I accept that I’m his mate, he’s happy to move forward at this snail’s pace.
Me? Not so much, but I refuse to be pushy, either. If he wants to wait to take this mating of ours to the next step, I can wait. So long as I do the waiting in my cushy bedroom or hanging out in the gorgeous garden he gave to me, I’m okay.
I like the garden. It’s where I had my first kiss with Haures, and where he goes to find me whenever he is hungry and desperate for another.
You know what I like even better?
The royallibrary.
That’s right. Haures has a library in this castle, and like the garden, he tells me that it belongs to me now.
If that’s not a panty-dropper, I don’t knowwhatis…
He also took me to the school of Mages to show me their library. I’m delighted to discover that, before it was bound into theGroimoire du Sombraalongside many of the school’s spells for their students, theverus amorspell—also known as the matefinder spell—was a scroll in that very library.
I wonder about taking a quick trip to Connecticut, maybe retrieve the book and leave a goodbye not behind for Mindy. I hate to think what would happen if the grimoire fell into the wrong hands, and I do everything I can not to think about how freaked-out Min must be by now about my disappearance.
I tried mentioning it to Haures once. When he understood the reasons behind my wanting to open a portal between my old world and this one, he lost his emotionless edge, promising me that I could… but only after we were formally bonded. Nothing I said could persuade him otherwise, so I dropped it.
That’s not the only topic that my haughty mate refuses to discuss, either.
In the days that followed my trip into the shadows, I want to talk to him about it. He knows about Dagon, obviously. What he doesn’t know? Is the deal I made with Yelios.
I agreed to be his mate. In that case, he needs to understandwhatI promised, and why I did it. I would never risk our child, but when I never believed there wouldbeone… no. Haures needs to know, and he needs to hear it from me, not from what he infers from the scattered emotions and thoughts that trickle down my side of our bond to his.
He absolutely refuses.
I know why. He’s stupidly worried that I’ll ask for a second chance to retrieve another ashbalm flower. As I’ve since learned, only one appears every cycle of the gold moon—the second, smaller moon that has significance to the Sombra demons—which is why I couldn’t grab another one after I destroyed the first to save Dagon.
I don’t want to sever our bond. I want to finalize it. But as long as Haures feels like he needs to protect me… I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be his duchess.
Whenever I get too anxious,alone in my bedroom or reading a book in the library, I tend to gravitate toward the garden.
Dagon, too, of course, though I’m getting used to having a seven-foot-tall shadow trailing me. I’ve made it my mission to turn my bodyguard into my friend, and while it’s slow going, I’ve been making progress over the last few days.
He even cracked an almost-smile when I made a joke yesterday!
For now, I’ve got my dress curled up beneath my butt, sitting carefully on the edge of the fountain. I kind of have to; be careful, that is. The seamstresses got my size dead-on, but I guess undergarments aren’t really a thing here because… whoops. No bras. No panties. My shadow boots—and that’s so friggin’ cool that my boots are made ofshadow—are comfortable enough that I don’t need socks. It’s just me and my dress, and I’m just grateful the bodice has enough support that my boobs aren’t flopping everywhere.
Dagon is standing at the far end of the garden, his back straight, his horns pointed up at the sky. His gaze is forward, though if I even so much as move an inch, his head jerks, making sure I’m safe. Otherwise, he’s not there, paying more attention to the full gold moon overhead than he does me.
One day, I hope I’ll get used to it. I don’t see how I’m in any danger her in the garden, and I’m sure Dagon would rather return to his home village instead of watching me play ‘he lovesme, he loves me not’ with the blue flowers, but for now, he’s refusing to leave my side unless Haures is near.
I tried to point out that he’s right there, on the other side of the door leading out to the garden. Who knows? I could scream and he probably would hear me. The garden is probably the safest part of the whole capital since no one else comes out here except for me, Dagon, and Haures.
Of course, right as I have that exact though, an unfamiliar green-eyed demon suddenly appears. I didn’t even see him come through the door, though he’s in his shadow form. For all I know, he zipped up and out of the hole in the palace’s ceiling before landing just beyond the fountain.
I make a small sound of surprise.
Immediately, Dagon is at my side, flexing his claws, baring his fangs at the intruder. “Tropp. What are you doing so close to the duchess?”
Tropp. Right. I see it now. Even in his shadow form, his left horn is slightly shorter than the other.
His green gaze flickers toward me, discussing me just as easily. I ignore it. Most of the guards refuse to accept that I’m going to be the duchess since Haures and I haven’t bonded yet, and his broad chest is still naked.
