She smiles then, and it is transformative as her pale eyes dance with delight. She looks young and vibrant rather than formidable and frightening—and I can see a clear glimpse of Jak in her. I blink at her as my sluggish brain suddenly catches up to everything she said. Wait, did she just call him her son?
She claps her hands together with a shout of laughter that makes me jump a little. “I knew it! If any of my sons could find that special magic, I knew that Jak would be the one.” She gives me another quick once-over, her smile growing wider. “It seems that he got a good one too.”
“You are his mother?” Confused, I just stare at her as I try to reconcile this image of the demoness with the one that Jak mentioned, and the one that I met only moments earlier. I thought maybe a sister or a cousin... but his mom? But of course, motherhood wouldn’t affect demonesses the same as us poor mortals... and aging isn’t a worry either. But still... his mother?
She dips her head in acknowledgement. “You may call me Elsiana for now if you are not yet comfortable with ‘mother.’”
I can’t even wrap my mind around calling a woman who looks my age ‘mother.” But I am not going to say so when she looks so happy about me, either.
“I don’t get it. You’re happy? Jak says that our relationship breaks all kinds of rules.”
She waves a hand impatiently in the air and turns toward the cabin with a hurried stride. “Rules shmools. It is just something we say to discourage recklessness and to keep them from getting their hopes up. Otherwise, every male would be out there thinking his next prey would be the one and breaking his heart over and over.”
“And females don’t?” I ask a bit breathlessly as I jog after her.
She shakes her head. “It is not that we do not, but we are more... selective. Breeding is breeding—and because it is interlocked with our feeding, it is a separate matter—but choosing a mate is something we are far more selective about by nature. Females possess an innate understanding when it comes to knowing which male is the right one. I am sure you understand,” she says as she gives me a careless smile over her shoulder.
I’m not sure how to answer that, so I just make a sound of general agreement even though I really have no idea what she is talking about. Human women haven’t proved to be any better at selecting partners but I’m assuming it’s a demon energy thing that has nothing to do with human mating rituals and selection.
“But mostly, it is because females are far less frequently lured into our world. A healthy female might come once every two or three decades. It is not very encouraging for the poor dears. And then there is Jakfros—the troublemaker among my whelps. If he had an inkling that it was possible, he would have gone straight to human realm and...” she stops abruptly at the door, forcingme to come to a sudden halt to avoid running into her, and spins toward me with a laugh. “That is it! We will take him to the human realm!”
“I beg your pardon?” I gape at her. “That is your solution? I am better off just going into the woods and finding help,” I reply as I turn away, but she catches my arm effortlessly with one clawed hand and draws me back to her side.
“Do not be silly,” she purrs. “This will work. I can just open the portal somewhere particularly festive, and we select a few individuals to feed him—to compensate for the lack of time to properly cultivate them, you understand?”
“You’re serious.” I stare back at her, but her smile just grows.
“Do you have a better idea? And abandon the thought of going out there to find help. Who is going to just happen to have an extra human on hand on Yule?” She huffs and shakes her head as she steps into the cabin. The sound of dismay that leaves her upon seeing Jack sprawled in front of the fire is small but painful. Her lower lip trembles, but she swallows sharply and visibly pushes her worry back with a shake of her head. “Getting one is hard enough. No one bothers to go for a spare. So, the question is, are you willing to feed my son?” Her eyes glitter at me as she gestures to him.
I look at Jak, and my throat tightens. I haven’t been gone for more than a handful of minutes, but he already looks worse. Somehow, he is gaunter already. How is that even possible?
“Okay,” I whisper. “Let’s do it.” I wince a little as I glance down at the fur that I had draped over his hips before leaving. “I’m going to need help to get him dressed, though.”
Chapter 22
Shawna
Between the two of us—and mostly thanks to Elsiana’s superior strength—we dress Jak quickly enough and without too much difficulty. I am kneeling on the floor with my arms wrapped around his chest, hugging him to me when she steps away to open the portal. I have never actually seen this part of the process, so I know I am gawking a bit as I watch her trace a glowing, silvery circle into the air that immediately frosts through its interior. The layer of frost is glowing but looks pretty damn solid to me, so I don’t expect her to turn so suddenly and lift Jak up, pulling him from my arms as if everything is ready.
I scramble to my feet in surprise and hurry after her. “Wait, how are we going to—” My words die on my tongue as I watch her heave Jak through the shimmering frost, leaving me alone in the cabin. “Holy shit.”
I take a step closer to the glowing mirror of frost, and then another as I hesitantly peer at it. Filled with uncertainty, I stretch out my hand and then jump, nearly coming out of my skin, when Elsiana sticks her head back through.
“Quit dragging your tail. Come on,” she says as she thrusts her hand through the frost and wraps her fingers around my forearm.
