“The volcano isn’t as active as it was when I first arrived here.”
“Hrmph.” Krav sounds annoyed, as if the lazy mountain offends him. “For now, it merely slumbers.” He trails his claws over me before retracting them so he can hold me tight. “Shall I tell you the story of Mount Vracor?”
“There’s a story?”
His voice is low and rough, falling into a lilt like a lullaby. “Long ago, Ulf made the world. He formed the nine kingdoms and the wastelands, and fashioned the hills, plains, oceans, and all the creatures upon it, including the Alphas, the Betas, and the Omegas. And when he was done, he made to move on, but the land at the heart of his creation was on fire. It was the place where he had made all the life, and it burned with the vestiges of his power. Each kingdom needed a king, but who could rule a land of fire?”
Krav caresses my side, his fingertips playing over my ribs. It would distract me if his voice were not so mesmerizing. The heat radiating off his huge body envelops me in a cocoon of contentment.
“So Ulf raised up a mountain called Vracor—which means heart of the demon—and forged his creation fires once more. He spoke his intent, reached into the burning lava, and drew out his final creation from the very heart of the volcano. The creature was an Alpha, tall and well-formed, with skin the color of cooling lava and the purple sands of the desert. It had horns, fangs and claws, and wings and a tail.” Krav’s tail coils possessively around my ankle. “It was a demon, the first king of Pyreda. My ancestor.”
He pauses long enough, I feel like I’m supposed to say something. “Whoa.”
He chuckles, and I snuggle closer. “And that is how demons came to be. Ulf left Mount Vracor as a symbol of his power—and ours. It is said the volcano is attuned to the king’s moods.”
“Really?”
My body shifts as he shrugs. “That’s what my father told me. It would erupt whenever he flew into one of his rages.”
I wince. More evidence Krav’s dad was the worst. “That’s awful.”
“He was a demon. What do you expect?”
“That’s no excuse for being an asshole.”
“The fires burn hotter inside of us. We are forged in flames.” His hand glides down my hip, his fingertips brushing tantalizingly close to my sex. And I’m wet for him all over again.
I look over my shoulder to peek at Krav, but he has his eyes closed.
“Sleep, pet,” he orders, as if he knows I’m watching him. “It’s been a long day, and we need our rest.”
He’s not wrong. I close my eyes obediently, trying to quiet my thoughts. I keep going back to what Emma said, about Alphas being all about the breeding, and how desperate Khan was to get her pregnant. Krav is an Alpha, too, and yet I still don’t even know if he wants a family. Whenever the subject comes up, he skirts around it.
While it’s still early days for us as a couple, ever since I found out humans and Ulfarri can breed successfully, I’ve repeatedly caught myself fantasizing about it—staying here with Krav and starting a family of my own. Giving him a chance to prove that bad parenting cycles can be broken—even if you are a demon.
Krav acts all big and bad but when he’s in a gentle mood, he’s the warmest, most affectionate, caring guy. Having spent so much time with him, I no longer believe he’s incapable of empathy. Why else would he warm my hands or bring me food without being asked? I’ve done enough therapy to understand how behavior patterns are formed, and he had the worst role model in his father. Add to that the fact he’s never had a proper relationship before, and it’s no wonder he blows hot and cold. He’s probably confused as all get out.
I snuggle back against his comforting warmth. He agreed to spend the night with me. He took me out for an adventure. He’s certainly trying. I just need to be patient.
On the other hand, honey, you ain’t getting any younger. Try as I might to push that thought away, it keeps bubbling back up. While it might be prudent to wait some more, I need to find out whether Krav would be willing to have a kid with me.
I’ve spent the last year or two struggling to accept the likelihood of being childless forever so now, if there’s a chance I can have the family I’ve always wanted with a guy I’m crazy about, I owe it to myself to try. I read somewhere that a woman’s fertility starts dropping in her thirties so it might take a little longer—especially if he keeps coming in the wrong dang places, sheesh—but then again, I still menstruate, everyone keeps saying how fertile Omegas are, and my body feels different in so many ways since I got shot up with that serum. Maybe our rutting is enough, but maybe we could use a little extra help. Emma kindly offered to put me in touch with someone—amagician, I still grin at the term—who will hopefully have answers to all my questions about this. It would be foolish not to take advantage of the opportunity when there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Krav and I just need to be on the same page about this.
I close my eyes, feeling somewhat calmer now I’ve made the decision: I’ll talk to him about it in the morning.
The blanket has slipped below my waist but it doesn't matter. I’m being snuggled by my living, breathing hot water bottle. His light, rhythmic snores soothe me like a lullaby, and I plummet into sleep.
Fourteen
Krav
I awakento the sound of weeping. I’m on my feet—wings half unfurled, claws extended—before I realize it was a dream. My pet lies twisted in the sheets, her face scrunched in sleep. There’s a faint tinge of anxiety in the bond between us, a discordant note in the normally harmonious hum.
I long to stay beside her, which is why I make myself go. But the pain in my chest doesn’t ease.
It grows worse.
