CHAPTER 15
Loke stared across the rippling dark water to the far end of the cavern, not seeing the black stalagmites that rose around the bathing pool. He had turned his focus inwards the second he had eased into the hot water and had lost track of time after that.
The past few days had been a strange yet pleasant experience, blissful in a way but terrifying in others.
They had been together the whole time, growing closer to each other every day. It felt nice. He had never lived with anyone before, not in all his six thousand years. He had easily fallen into it though, settling into a routine of bathing with her, feeding her and learning about her, and then taking her scouting for her friends. They were yet to find any of them and he suspected the dragons who had taken them were the older generation that lived in the mountains beyond the village. He would take her there tomorrow.
Today, he needed to do something else.
He sighed and tipped his head back, staring at the black ceiling of the cave.
He was enjoying her company and how well they were getting along. It reassured him, chasing away his fears about her leaving him and filling him with the belief that he could have the forever he wanted with her.
She had shown interest in his life, culture and his species too. They had passed every evening sitting in each other’s arms near the fire and exchanging tales. She told him of the battles she had fought and the various creatures who had come close to taking her life, which, if her accounts were anything to go by, happened too often. He had told her about the wars he had fought in and the way Hell had changed over the millennia.
Change happened more slowly in Hell, but it still happened. The elves had started it by bringing light into their new realm and technology from the mortal realm, harnessing the winds of Hell to grind seeds and their light to grow food. The demons had followed their lead, and he had seen technology in the Third Realm that had astounded him.
Anais called them wind farms.
Huge turbines that generated what she had termed electricity.
He had pushed her to her limit asking her about electricity. It seemed he needed a better source of information if he wanted his deepest questions about it answered. She had faltered and had admitted that she was no scientist and she couldn’t explain how it worked or where it came from.
He wanted the information though and then he would somehow procure himself one of these turbines. The winds were strong in the valleys and could easily generate enough electricity to power items in his cave.
He could make it more comfortable.
For her.
Loke grimaced at his thoughts. He was treating her as a nesting female, desiring to give her all the comforts she craved. He wanted her to view him as a good potential mate. One who could provide for her and take care of her.
Gods, if she would have him, she would want for nothing.
But acquiring everything he wanted to give to her to convince her that his cave was more than basic and she could happily live there required him to work with the demons or those in the free realm who could use the portals to reach the mortal world.
He couldn’t venture there himself.
The demons of the Seventh Realm were the most amiable of the kingdoms. They had procured things from the mortal realm for the dragons in the past. Perhaps he could seek out a few different demons of that realm and form a working relationship with them.
Although all he had to offer was gold.
Anais had been astounded when he had finally shown her his hoard. Her eyes had lit up, reflecting the bright gold that had surrounded her in the torch lit room. The diamonds had drawn her the strongest and she had zeroed in on a beautiful necklace made of white gold and teardrop diamonds. She had lovingly stroked it as she had told him that the stone was her birth one. He’d had no idea what that meant until she had explained it, telling him that in the mortal world, diamond was considered the stone for those born in April, but that she had never owned a diamond.
He had responded to that by placing the necklace on her, gifting her with it. She hadn’t taken it off since then. Not even to bathe.
It got in his way whenever he wanted to kiss her neck.
Loke closed his eyes and tipped his head back, trying to shut out the sudden surge of thoughts of kissing her neck and more wicked things.
It was getting more difficult.
More dangerous.
Every time they made love, the urge to claim her as his mate grew stronger. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could resist the deep need that rose within him whenever they were being intimate. The last time it had been so strong that he had almost lost control. He had barely managed to hold back.
He feared what might happen next time.
He sighed out his breath and sank lower into the water, so it lapped over his shoulders and against his chin. He needed to speak with Anais about it, because he was constantly losing himself in his thoughts and he had been avoiding touching her since yesterday evening. The concerned looks she gave to him, an edge of confusion and hurt in her blue eyes, haunted him. He didn’t want to be distant from her or for her to feel she had done something wrong.
He needed to tell her that she was his fated female.
She had feelings for him that went beyond simple attraction and desire. He was confident of that. He would speak to her about it today, when she woke, because he was sure that together they could work something out.
He leaned the back of his head on the smooth side of the pool and tried to relax, preparing himself to talk with her about something that was liable to confuse, upset and place pressure on her. She was strong. He felt certain that she would find a way to handle what he had to tell her.
His little Amazon.
A sharp spear pierced his mind at the same time as unfamiliar scents reached him.
People were in his cave.
He snarled and shot out of the water, using his magic to cover his legs with his leather trousers as he sprinted towards the cave entrance. His senses located two intruders.
Close to Anais.
He roared and ran harder, eating up the distance between him and his female. The second he burst into the cave, he took in everything with one swift assessing glance. A huge demon male blocked his path to Anais, charging at him, his dusky horns curling from behind his pointed ears as he flashed fangs at Loke.
The Third King.
Anais turned fearful blue eyes on Loke and he snarled as he set his sights on her, determined to reach her and pull her away from the black-haired female standing in front of her.
The one called Sable.
They had come to take his little Amazon from him.
His dragon instincts burst to the fore, screaming that the two before him meant to take his most precious possession from him—his fated female.
A red veil descended and his focus sharpened, narrowing on his enemies, and his claws extended.
He roared and diverted course, launching himself at the broader demon male. They clashed hard, the demon king stumbling back a step before he found solid footing and drove forwards. The male grappled with him, his strength matching Loke’s, and almost managed to pin him.
Loke twisted out of his grip, using his natural agility to escape the demon’s hold, and came around behind him.
The cave was too small for him to shift in it near the tunnels, but if he could reach Anais, he could grab her and transform as he sprinted towards the mouth of the cave, changing in time to take flight with her before the end of the ledge.
The demon growled, turned on the spot and grabbed Loke’s arm before he could start towards Anais and the huntress. He dragged Loke back and wrapped his other arm across the front of Loke’s throat, cutting off his air supply.
It wouldn’t stop him.
Loke sank sharp teeth into the male’s arm and blood flooded his mouth at the same time as the male cursed him in the demon tongue. He bit harder, cutting flesh and severing tendons, and the male released him, shoving him in the back for good measure. Loke slammed face first into the black wall of the cave and grunted as his head struck it hard. Pain spider-webbed across his skull and his eyes stung as he struggled to regain his senses.
The demon king didn’t give him the chance.
He grabbed Loke’s wrist and Loke twisted to face him, throwing a hard right hook at the same time. It connected with the demon’s jaw, snapping his head to one side and sending him back a step. The demon flashed his fangs on a snarl and his red eyes glowed like the fires of Hell as his dusky horns curled from behind his pointed ears, twisting around themselves to flare forwards like twin daggers beside his temples.
He stepped into Loke and his fist slammed into Loke’s stomach, striking on the left side and hitting the healing scar there.
Agony tore through him, hot and fierce, a rush of blinding pain. He doubled over and breathed hard, fighting for air as his head swam and the cave turned around him. Voices rang in his ears, a mashed up cacophony of sounds that he couldn’t pull apart and understand. Perhaps he hadn’t been as healed as he had said to Anais or as he had thought.
It didn’t matter.
His gaze slid to Anais where she stood beyond the huntress, her blue eyes wide and filled with fear.
He needed to keep fighting for her sake.
He needed to reach her and take her far away from here.
He sucked down a hard breath and began to straighten, determined to overcome the pain and protect Anais. He would take her fear away and make her feel safe again. He would never let anything happen to her.
He would keep his promise to protect her.
The Third King slammed his fist into the side of Loke’s head.
Cold black ground struck his right side.
Oblivion swallowed him.