Page 41 of Drawn to the Demon Duke
To let a seer into Susanna’s garden… that would take a member of my palace guard. And who brought Dagon to me, claiming I requested his presence.
Tropp did.
And, soon, he will join Bandu as ash?—
“Haures?” Her voice is dozy, with a hint of concern. She’s coming down from her heights of pleasure, something I do not want. Let my demons scent her need and their lord’s musk all over hers. Let them know she ismine… “Is everything okay?”
I squeeze her to me gently. “Everything will be just fine, my mate.”
I am Duke Haures. Lord of the Shadows. Ruler of the Flames.
Susanna of Earth’s claimed mate.
Everything will be fine because I will make sure of it.
Later that night,after I sent for Caim to return to Mavro so that he could clean up the ashen remains of his seers and asoldier from his clan, I returned to Susanna’s current quarters, eager to at least see that my mate is doing well after her scare.
I want to apologize. I am her male. Her mate. I will always go to her when she calls, but no matter how I try to protect her, there’s a possibility that danger can find her. In a way, I am almost grateful that the gold moon is this eve. Before I bond Susanna to me forever, I need her to understand just what it would mean to be tied to Haures for the rest of her existence.
I have conquered many enemies. For Su, I will conquer them all. But I never want to feel that horror that I was too late to save her. Making her immortal would alleviate some of that fear for me, but to claim her without giving her another chance to change her mind after Bandu attacked her… it would be as selfish as not giving her the opportunity to search for the ashbalm flower.
And while I can admit that that was also a rare mistake from the ruler of Sombra, she chose me then.
Hopefully, she’ll still choose me now.
When I enter the room, she’s wearing a night dress, showing off her enticing human body. I know that she does not do so to tempt her male. It wouldn’t even be necessary; I always hunger for my mate. But that she’s wearing a night dress and not tucked under the blanket that she requested despite how warm Sombra must seem to her… she was waiting for me.
I check the bond, inwardly winces when it’s clear that she did not do so because she wanted to resume our mating.
No. Susanna wants to talk, and while I do, too, she wants to confess something that she shouldn’t be so nervous to admit.And because sheisnervous, I don’t stop her before she can begin like I have ever since she returned from the shadows. I thought I was being an honorable male. I don’t blame her for the way she promised Yelios her firstborn, though I can sense thatSusanna blames herself and is fearful of how I will react to learn the truth.
But I already know the truth. I know because I know her, just like I have to begrudgingly respect that she made her vow to save one of my subjects. Dagon cannot help that he is male anymore than Susanna can help her kind and brave heart. She saved him at her own loss, and that makes her as honorable in my eyes as I yearn to be.
So when nervous hands fiddle with the hem of her skirt, I stride across the room, joining her on the edge of the bed, and listen as she tells me everything that happened during her trip to the shadows. I stay quiet, letting my presence and my echo down our bond assure her that she did nothing wrong.
Still, she must think that she did because, once she finished her confession, she hurriedly says, “I don’t have to. I mean, if we ever… if Ihavea kid… there’s gotta be a way to keep him from taking him or her from us. Right?”
There is nothing more that I want in that moment than to scoop Susanna up in my embrace and tell her that is true. That our spawn will be ours, and that I would end Sombra myself before I let the deranged demon king claim them.
But I am Duke Haures.
As powerful as I am, I am no match for the gods.
How can I be when they blessed me with my mortal? To question their judge might mean that they take her away from me as easily as they granted me her glory. So while I would fight Yelios, I cannot fight the gods.
So, with a voice solemn with regret, I tell her the truth: “In Sombra, the gods will always make it so that you stand by your vow. Any vow, my mate. Once given, they are unbreakable.”
“Oh.” The saddest sound in all my existence will forever be the soft sob she lets out after I crush her hopes… until she follows it with a mumbled, “I’d understand if you decide youdon’t want to be my mate anymore. I mean… we haven’t really done the deed yet or anything, and if you want to have kids with someone who didn’t stupidly promise theirs away, I don’t blame you.”
My heart stops. For a moment, I’m sure she’s rejecting me—but she isn’t.
She’s preparing herself for me to rejecther.
No. I can’t do that.
Iwon’tdo that.
Reaching into her lap, I take her trembling, tiny, icy hands in mind. And then, with as much emotion as I can, I promise, “My soul will be yours. My heart is in your hands. Our lives will be forever intertwined?—”
