Page 58 of The Demon King's Destiny

A niggling ate at him when he saw Melena’s mouth occasionally move without sound. He had no memories of her doing so. His demon retreated, wanting nothing to do with the show. He was only interested in his saatus.

When the last memory passed, he released Evelyn. Thankfully, she had not been tormented with the reminiscences of him making love to Melena.

“Let us sit,” he nodded to the table.

He pulled out a chair and Evelyn sat, dropping her hands into her lap. Marrok took the other chair and drained the rest of his wine. He hoped the dreamworld’s alcohol was potent.

He retrieved the necklace from his pocket, where he’d taken to keeping it, and placed it on the table. He’d not been able to bring himself to wear it once again.

“This was Melena’s.”

Evelyn glanced down at the medallion. He’d told her he’d been wearing it the night he lost it. This night, it had been in his pocket.

“Melena was my wife.”

Her throat tightened. “Was?” she managed to ask.

“She died, decades ago.”

Evelyn wanted to ask how, being that demons were notoriously hard to kill. Maybe she had perished due to some disease of the heart. Aside from removing the organ, as Marrok had done with Brennen, ailments of the heart were the only thing she’d ever heard could snuff out the life of a Sundari.

Not wanting to be unkind, she didn’t press. “I’m sorry. Truly. I could see she meant much to you.”

“She did.”

“You kept her memory close. This is why you wore her necklace.”

“It is.”

“But you do not wear it any longer?”

“No. I’ve not worn it since the night it fell off.”

Marrok’s jaw worked, clearly uncomfortable. Seeking to soothe his distress, she put her hand atop his.

“I should have told you, Evelyn. I didn’t like keeping it secret. To be honest, since I’ve met you, her memory has only surfaced a handful of times. It never seemed the right moment to bring it up.”

“I understand.”

A dubious expression appeared on his face. “How could you possibly understand? I married someone who wasn’t my saatus. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“A little. I understand why you took her as a lover. I could feel how much you resented your feelings of solitude and how you felt a connection to Melena right away. You also felt responsible for her well-being and protected her from Brennen.”

Marrok inhaled, relaxing his posture on the exhale and nodding. “I did.”

“Why marry if you knew the two of you could never truly bond?”

“I loved her. I’d never loved anyone, not in that way. So I committed myself to loving her, in every way I could.”

Evelyn nodded, appreciating his honesty. His admission, while uncomfortable, didn’t spark any sort of extreme reaction of jealousy in her. Instead, she was empathetic to his loss.

Melena had brought him some level of happiness. Evelyn couldn’t bring herself to begrudge him for it. She cared for him enough to want his life to be fulfilling, even before they met. Someday, she hoped they, too, would find their way to love.

“I’m sorry she was the subject of your dreams. Fate can be a cruel teacher, but She shows us what we need to learn. I assume it was because I should have told you the truth of it.”

“I’m not upset, Marrok, not in the way you think.”

“You’re not?”

---