Even just remembering, my throat feels tight.
I barely had time to process it before the guard found us, and I still don’t know exactly what to say or what to think.
I don’t know how to explain I do feel it, too.
Maybe it’s different because I’m a human and he’s a demon. Maybe the way we feel the magick is different, or maybe it just took me a little longer to come around to it.
But now that I’m here…
“Are you alright?”
I must have been lost in my thoughts for longer than I realized, because when I meet Callum’s gaze, those weary, concerned lines are back.
“Fine,” I reassure him, squeezing his hand.
There’s really no reason for me to still be holding it. Even as we walk further down the entrance hall leading deeper into the demon court, the way ahead is brightly lit with torches, and there doesn’t appear to be any danger. The demons we pass seem friendly enough, or just busily on their way to whatever important business they’re at court to do.
Even so, I don’t drop his hand.
I like having the warmth of him against me, even if the vibe between us is still so weird right now.
I like having him as an anchor point, to have him right by my side as we enter the court together.
It’s an anchor I need more than ever as the corridor ahead of us opens into the most breathtaking space I’ve ever seen.
The entire center of the mountain is hollow.
In the massive, cavernous space, balconies line the walls in a staggering number of stories that go up and up and up all the way to a small opening at the very top, open to the night sky above. Demons fly from level to level, walk along the ledges and through stone arches that lead down tunnels carved deeper into the mountain. The whole place reminds me of a giant beehive, a bustle of activity and motion, the beating heart of this realm.
Callum squeezes my hand. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
“You could say that,” I breathe, craning my neck to see every inch of it.
There’s too much to look at, too much to see. I could spend hours right here marveling at the wonder of it.
“There’s someone I meant to speak with,” Callum says, eyes roving the space. “He might have a place for us to—”
“Callum!”
A handsome, golden-haired demon crosses the center of the atrium, one hand raised in greeting. He’s not as broad as Callum, but their height is almost an even match, and it’s just about the only similar thing about him.
This demon looks much younger, and is wearing a wide grin in contrast to Callum’s perpetual frown. A bit of blond scruff hides a rakish dimple in his chin, and his crimson eyes sparkle with good humor as he reaches us and claps Callum on the shoulder.
“I heard from the guards you were looking for me.”
“Aye,” Callum says. “We were.”
At the mention of awe, I lean out from where I stand on Callum’s other side. The blond demon notices me for the first time, and his smile grows even wider.
“And you brought a guest?”
“Seren,” Callum says, “this is Finn. Finn, this is Seren. She’s—”
“His mate.” I claim him before he can claim me. Or before he can say something else meant to protect me, to keep the truth between us hidden.
Fuck it, I want the world to know.
Even if all of this crashes and burns tomorrow, I want them to know.
