She was going to, I could almost guarantee it. She’d only made it a handful of treacherous steps across Merry’s porch before I’d scooped her up and carried her back through the glade to the portal. The bond had been very pleased by the weight of her in my arms, the smell of her hair so close to my nose. She’d leaned in and kissed my cheek again, and I’d stopped breathing for several steps. Even my demon, lately agitated and restless because of the unfulfilled bond, seemed settled thanks to the close contact. I very much liked being useful to her, a safe presence she’d been comfortable enough to lean on.
I craved more of it, in fact. Infinitely more.
“There’s water on the bedside table, and a vial of medicine. If you wake in the night, you should take it. Drink as much water as you can.”
“Mmm.”
“Ramsey will be here with you. And I’ll be either in my room or the great hall.”
Phin patted the bed and the hellhound put her nose where she could feel it. A faint smile crossed her face and she relaxed fully, her breathing too slow to be anything but deeply asleep.
I looked away from my mate to the hound. “Do you want to speak in here?”
We should leave her to rest. I’ll come back when we’re finished.
I bobbed my head in agreement and we exited Phin’s room, leaving the door open like she preferred.
Out of habit, I walked straight past the living area and into the great hall, beginning my routine checks as Ramsey kept pace right beside me.
Do you not rest, Watchman?
I paused, glancing around as I initiated the transfer of control overactive doorways back to the crossroads from Hell. The shift in energy as they came back to life around me settled my nerves. “Perhaps not as often as I should.” She sat in the middle of the walkway, eyes fixed on mine.Has Phin acknowledged your mate bond?
The breath I’d taken stalled in my throat. “You are very straightforward, Ramsey.”
I don’t often have time or energy to waste on frivolity, demon. Does she?
I shook my head. “We have not discussed it, but no. I don’t believe she’s even recognized it as a possibility yet.”
But you do.
“Yes. From the moment I saw her, I knew.”
Her head tilted.This doesn’t bother you? Is it not painful?
“It is often bothersome, yes. But I have her near me. She is fed, comfortable, safe. I cannot and will not ask for more unless or until she’s adequately prepared. Mate bonds are eternal. That shouldn’t be entered into lightly.”
The potential length of eternity between a demon and a Nephilim was genuinely endless. The idea that she could change her mind or regret our bond was beyond paralyzing. I had to eliminate as much possibility of that happening as I could.
Your stance is wise.
I waited, unsure if I should be requesting her blessing or expecting further questioning. The hellhound remained quiet.
Unable to stand it any longer, I asked, “Could I be so bold as to ask what it is you’ve been looking for in your travels?”
The people hunting my mistress have been doing so for far longer than she knows. While her trips to Heaven were indeed for her benefit, they were not just for her education, nor forher father to perform his duties. I have been hunting them, in return.
I straightened.“Have you found something? Is that why you were able to seek her out now, after such a long time?”
I believe I have. You and the other demon and the stone kin, you were discussing activity in dormant doors. That is almost certainly connected to the trio I’ve been following. Every time I catch up to them, they manage to slip away. Their skill with the portals rivals that of any hellhound.
I didn’t care to hear that one bit. “Trio?”
Angels. Two men, one woman.
My mind flickered to Father Morton telling Phin about the people that had been in the village. “They were looking for her in Vincara not long before I brought her here.”
Yes.I tracked them there as well. It was torturous to be so close to her and not be able to reveal myself, but it wasn’t safe for either of us.
