To my shock, everything around us shifted. It was as if gravity had suddenly gone into overdrive, making me feel twenty pounds heavier. The air also felt thicker and dirtier. It was subtle but undeniable. To my further dismay, I glanced around us and failed to see any other portal or way back through the Veil. It was as if we’d just appeared out of thin air.
Lyall’s Gharlakan chest shook again with a chuckle before his telepathic voice resonated in my head.
“The portals are invisible to most mortals, including lesser creatures of the Netherworld. As a human, you need to know specifically where they are to open them with a word of power. I will teach you so that you may come and go freely.”
“Wow! Thank you!” I said, blown away by such a generous offer.
At a visceral level, I understood that this wasn’t the kind of thing he often gave anyone, least of all someone he’d only just met. Being able to cross the Veil at will constituted the kind of power most arcanists would kill for. That he would just hand it to me without my even asking testified to the depth of trust he felt for me. But why would he want me to be able to come and go at will?
Because he deems you his woman.
Did he? I’d just experienced the most mind-blowing sex with him, and he seemed open to repeat this later. But what did that really mean? What didIwant where he was concerned? Mybehavior with him seriously threw me for a loop. While I had no qualms taking my pleasure when and where I saw fit, I didn’t go around collecting one-night stands. This morning, I just went for it because every fiber of my being was screaming to claim him. And now, far from being sated, I wanted him even more.
The disturbing part was that it went beyond just sex.
Lyall fascinated me. The glimpses of vulnerability behind his fierce and ruthless mask intrigued me. I wanted to discover more about who he truly was. The gentle and caring way he handled me had something addictive.
But I will leave as soon as this mission is complete.
My chest tightened painfully. For a split second, I wondered if the serum he injected me with again this morning could be the reason for my inexplicable attachment to him. But I immediately dismissed that possibility. His serum would make me horny, not have this blossoming infatuation. But a relationship didn’t really have its place in the life of an Inquisitor. Okay, fine… Plenty of my colleagues had formed long-term couples, some of them even getting married. But it was usually with another Inquisitor, or one of the people who often assisted and accompanied us during missions.
If I were honest, my instinctive reluctance at contemplating a commitment to anyone stemmed more from my rabid need for independence. I had been officially single my whole life and didn’t really know how I would adapt to a new type of dynamic where I would have to take someone else’s needs and wishes into consideration before I acted.
I glimpsed at the eyeless face of the creature Lyall had turned into and absentmindedly caressed the soft fur of his chest. Although he continued to face ahead, his massive hands gave me a gentle squeeze, and the giant, clawed fingers of his left hand gently caressed my back. I smiled and berated myself for alwaysoverthinking instead of just allowing Fate to take me where she pleased.
Is it strange that I hope Fate will somehow lead me to a certain Doppelganger?
He quickly completed the trip to the Sanctum, beginning his descent at a somewhat scary speed. An amused smile settled on my lips when half a dozen clerics rushed out of the building upon noticing our approach. I could almost feel the tension oozing out of them even from so high in the air. It was only once they noticed me in the creature’s arms that some of them relaxed slightly, although their expressions remained distraught.
I waved at them reassuringly as Lyall completed his approach. He landed smoothly in the front courtyard. He put me down on my feet even as he shifted back into his human form. I couldn’t help a snort at the gaping expressions of the clerics, both males and females. However, the sliver of pride that swelled in my chest took me aback. By rights, I should be feeling self-conscious and even a bit worried to come into a blessed sanctuary with someone who would be deemed unholy. And yet, I caught myself puffing out my chest and lifting my chin with sinful smugness as Lyall marched by my side up the stairs of the imposing building.
The clerics clearly didn’t seem to know what to do or how to react. As I outranked all of them, they couldn’t challenge my companion as I was visibly sanctioning his presence. They parted before us, watching us with unease as we headed towards the Prefect’s office. The growing anger on full display on my face made them even more reluctant to get in my way.
Wise decision.
The weak wards at the entrance of the building indicated that Ewan apparently failed to follow my instructions to properly secure the Sanctum against further potential attacks.
Like with my previous visit, Shauna raced ahead of us to go warn the Prefect of our arrival. She held the door open for us as we barged into the room. Eyes wide, she stared at Lyall as if she couldn’t decide if she wanted to fan herself before his beauty, or faint from fear.
Ewan—who had still been sitting behind his massive desk—gasped audibly upon seeing Lyall and jumped to his feet with an outraged expression.
“Have you lost your mind?! You cannot bring a demon here!” Ewan exclaimed with disbelief
“He’s not a demon, but a doppelganger. And actually far more than that,” I said dismissively while gesturing for Shauna to leave us.
That seemed to snap her out of her dazed trance. She muttered something unintelligible and hastened out of the room, discreetly closing the door behind her.
“That’s still a demon,” Ewan countered angrily. “This is a holy place!”
I glared at him, my palms itching to slap some sense into him. “Lyall is the only reason Sienna, Vivian, and I are still alive and back here unharmed,” I hissed. “So keep your self-righteous comments to yourself.”
“The Curia will disagree with—”
“The Curia disagrees with your failures,” I snapped, interrupting him. “The fact that you are unable to see his divine light makes you an even bigger failure. He belongs here far more than you do. And frankly, with each word that comes out of your mouth, I exponentially question your ability to run this Sanctum. So tread carefully, Prefect, before I remove you.”
He emitted a high-pitched choked sound as if he had attempted to gasp and squeal in outrage all at once.
“You do not have that kind of authority,” he sputtered, scandalized.
