Page 8 of True Sacrifice
“Well, she is pretty,” said a woman with bubble gum pink hair and pale green skin. It shouldn’t have worked, but somehow, she rocked it.
“Hi there. I’m Yvonne, and that is Scarlett, Minx, and Yvette.” The demon to my left said, pointing to each of the demons along the way. Minx had pink hair.
“Morrigan.”
They all chatted excitedly; I heard my name several times.
“Let’s get you ready for the feast,” Yvonne said, clapping her hands and all the others got to their feet and set a bath. I was pretty sure she was the leader of this group of demons. She just had that look about her.
A bath was drawn, and they afforded me some privacy getting into the tub. Once I was in the water, that was over. The demons rushed over, grabbed my arms and legs, and started scrubbing them. They started chatting to each other like this was a normal occurrence.
“Do you mind if I ask some questions?” I looked directly at Yvonne, who was delicately scrubbing the dirt and dried blood flakes out from under my fingernails.
“Ask anything you would like. Jasper told us you would,” she said with a polite smile.
“So, you only give answers he would approve of?” I was deep in enemy territory.
Yvonne sighed and released my hand, which I suddenly realized was my bad hand and it didn’t hurt. I brought it to my face with amazement, as there was little more than bruising around my knuckles. I flexed my fingers and waited for the pain of broken bones, but nothing came.
I was healed. Healed at an impossibly fast rate.
Healed because I wasn’t human anymore.
Healed because I was a demonling.
Fuck.
“What does it mean to be mated?” I gave a loud sigh.
Yvonne gave me a look that bordered on sympathy. What followed was nearly three hours of excited chatter, as all the female demons took turns answering my questions and giving me a lowdown on what I was about to call my life.
The dream I had of being stabbed, well, that really happened. I died and sent out a mystical call to my soul mates. My soul mates are a pack of three demons. That’s right, I am mated to three demons, not just one.
The mating thing was serious for demons. It was incredibly rare and unbreakable. Something irrevocably bound me to these demons, two of which I had never even met. Oh, and as a kicker, I would get part of their powers. The demons gushed at how powerful all three ofmydemons were. They made it seem as if to their standards I had done well with my mates. That I had yet to see.
I mean, maybe I could see the appeal with Jasper, purely from a physical standpoint. He was a perfect specimen, wrapped up in professional attire. But so far, I had seen little in his personality that wowed me. He came at me like he just fucking gets whatever he wants, and considering he’s a prince, that is probably the truth of the matter. I wasn’t looking to get bossed around in a relationship. I hadn’t even been thinking about a relationship after Brad.
“What if I’m not ready for a relationship?” I asked as the girls were putting on my jewelry. The finishing touches. They scrubbed me clean, dried, and oiled. I wore a long and silky black dress that flowed well behind my feet. My hair was up in an elegant yet messy crown of braids. They set little glowing crystals in it, giving me the appearance of wearing a real jeweled crown atop my head. Dark smokey eyes made my green eyes pop, while deep red lipstick finished my look. I’ll admit, I looked fucking hot.
I gave myself a deep consideration in the mirror while Yvonne watched me from behind.
“If you’re not ready for a relationship, let them know that. But spend some time and get to know them. Maybe you’ll see for yourself why they are perfect for you.” She gave me a kind smile. I don’t know why, but at that moment, I felt like I had a friend. “Before that though, you, unfortunately, have a feast to attend in your honor. That’s what you’re going to need to know how to survive.”
CHAPTER4
JUSTICE
Ireleased the crow as soon as I made it into the hallway. I needed a few hours in my body. Wouldn’t want to forget I don’t have wings anymore and jump off a balcony. I opened my eyes, finding my body lying exactly where I had left it, in my bed. I hate being in the fucking bed. But the protection spells my body needed to keep it safe while my mind was away were imbued into the very stone of the bed frame.
I’m sure Jasper had told all our parents about the mating. The news will elate my father. I wondered just how long it would take before he tried to exploit my mate as a play for power. Worrying about when my father might try to make a move was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to take a mate in the first place.
I grabbed hold of my arm to stretch it out, feeling my bones crack as I pulled too far. I think I dislocated my wrist. My hand hung limply, and my fingers refused to respond to any request to move. It had been a while since I felt the bite of pain, and I wanted to savor it before it melted away. I drew in the sharp hot sensation as it coursed through my veins. It would heal in a few minutes. I would need to schedule a hunt soon, particularly since I had a pet to play with. Wouldn’t want to lose control and scare the poor thing.
Let’s start by peeling the fingernails back first.
Ahh, the voices were back. They never plagued me when I was in the mind of a creature. Only once I was back in my body would the voices haunt my thoughts. Apparently, spending so much time cozying up with all the soul fractures left imprints of their memories stuck in my head.
Scattered green ink covered my bare chest, marking me for what I was. Poison. Normally, I proudly displayed my markings, always reminding the surrounding demons just how venomous I was. But I felt the urge to cover my markings tonight at the feast. Continuing my little game with my pet this evening would mean a whole new introduction for this body.
