Page 34 of The Demon King's Destiny

Chapter 8

Marrok returned to his chambers earlier than normal. He was tired and looking forward to testing his connection to his saatus. He took his time undressing and reminiscing over the day’s revelations.

He and Favin had spent the morning and afternoon talking out new plans to deal with the rogues. What they’d been doing obviously wasn’t working.

Most of the rogues were still contained on the peninsula. The last twenty or so who popped up elsewhere, or escaped from the containment area, were destroyed. It wasn’t Marrok’s preference, but some were too dangerous to simply put back into confinement.

Exterminating the entire population of rogues was out of the question. They were his people, many of whom he’d known for years. For the bulk of them, their affliction was an illness.

Sadly, there were some who slipped into madness out of their hunger for power. If he could read into their minds any memories of committing detestable acts against others to increase power, those he put down without question. They were corrupt prior to going mad.

Favin helped Marrok see they’d been merely performing triage by rounding up rogues and sending them to the colony they’d built on the peninsula. They weren’t addressing the disease.

No one could uncorrupt a demon with the proclivity to perform nefarious deeds. But there was one thing they knew did lessen the likelihood of going mad—finding a mate. They needed their people to find their mates.

How to make that happen was another matter. When he’d left his study, however, Marrok felt lighter. Maybe there was a reason for him to hope after all. They didn’t have a foolproof answer, but they had a place to start.

Before removing his trousers, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small white bundle he’d left there the entire day. Marrok tossed it on the bed and finished undressing.

He extinguished the lamp and slid under the covers. Reaching across, he pulled the lace closer so he could better smell Evelyn’s sweet fragrance. The heady scent had him hard as granite.

Controlling his desire to take her would be a challenge. He had already decided to try to take things slow with her. His demon wasn’t happy about it and made the weak argument the dreamworld wasn’t real, so making love to herwould haveno consequences.

To Marrok, being in the dreamworld was irrelevant. It would feel real and he should be mindful of her inexperience, no matter how responsive she was. She deserved to be courted, as was the custom in Gwydion. This much he could try to give her.

He closed his eyes and waited for his mate.

* * *

Marrok came out from the foliage, his eyes landing on the beautiful creature just beyond the edge of the trees. Flickers of anticipation danced under his skin. Evelyn lifted her arms and the magical barrier parted enough for him to enter the clearing.

As he stepped through, he could feel small sparks of power, different than he’d felt here before. The coloring of the night’s moon was off, as well, similar to when he’d entered the dream in a rage, furious she’d waited two years.

This wasn’t anywhere near as severe, but he could tell something was amiss. Marrok offered a gentle smile, one his mate did not return. Sensing she wasn’t quite as happy to see him as he assumed she would be, he halted two steps in front of her. His arms remained at his sides despite his urge to reach out.

“I had no trouble entering, this night. I think this will be easier from here on out,” he said. He’d only had to think of her and he’d entered this night’s dream in her forest.

“Yes, so it seems.”

Her voice was flat. Marrok studied her face. She was avoiding eye contact, looking over his ear.

“I thought this would be pleasing to my mate, especially since she demanded I make it safe for her to be claimed and brought to my kingdom.”

“I am. I would rather have this than nothing at all from you,” she begrudgingly acknowledged.

Marrok frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Evelyn’s eyes flashed to his. “I dreamt of you. After I awoke, I dozed off again and returned to the dreamworld. To the night you fought the other demon.”

“Brennen.”

“Yes, Brennen.”

“Did you see me kill him? Is that what is bothering you?”

“Partly. That night, I awoke before you. I didn’t realize … I suppose I didn’t piece it all together. That you removed his heart and that it meant …” her stomach turned, remembering the image of the blackened heart outside his chest.

“That it meant he’d die? In reality.”

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