“Me? Nothing. But your little wife-to-be heard something we could not, proving my theory.” He pauses, and the breakfast Evangeline made us churns in my stomach, threatening to come up as I wait for his next words. “Didn’t you, little human?”
Evangeline rubs her hands together in a nervous habit, looking between Niko and me. “You really didn’t hear it?”
Niko shakes his head. “No. We only heard screams. You heard words?”
Evangeline bites her bottom lip in a way that shouldn’t be as tempting as it is. She nods once.
“So, you see, our wives are extremely valuable.” Oziel chuckles. “You’re welcome, by the way. All I ask is that you share anything you find out. Our pretty wives are able to slip into the minds of these creatures. This can help us in the war against them.” He snarls at the mention of the Nephilim and holds out the chain keeping it imprisoned.
“I don’t like this,” Niko says, loud enough for me to hear. “We should refuse.”
That would be the safe thing, but if there’s a small chance we could get something out of the Nephilim, keeping it around could prove fruitful. As long as Evangeline is willing to try to speak to it.
“I know that face.” Niko sighs. “You think we should keep it.”
It’s not a question. He knows me too well. Still, I nod. “I think if this could provide aid, we shouldn’t be so quick to cast it aside.”
“And what of the liability of having a Nephilim in the castle? What if it gets out?”
“Then we deal with it. Just as we deal with all the others that have come through our lands.” There will be more to come. We’re only seeing the start of it. I take a step closer to Niko, hearing his intake of breath at my close proximity. “We don’t have to like it. But I think we would be foolish to cast it aside.”
Niko turns from me, body going rigid. “Why don’t you keep it, Demon King? Clearly your wife can hear it too. There’s no need for mine to talk to these creatures.”
“Ah, but there is. My wife is…preoccupied with something different at the moment. It must be your human to communicate with it.”
Niko purses his lips. He’s not pleased, but I know my mate is seeing reason. He wants to refuse, but he also knows how vital information is.
Before either of us can say more, Evangeline speaks up. “If it will help…I can try talking to him again.”
She doesn’t sound confident, or a fan of the idea, but she still offers. I both hate and love that she does. The woman is stronger than she gives herself credit for, but I still don’t want to put her in any more danger than she already is in.
After a moment of tense silence, Niko runs a hand through his hair, groaning. “Fine. But you won’t talk to him now. We keep the Nephilim subdued. The moment it becomes a problem, we kill it. I need your word, Zephyr.”
“You have it,” I say automatically.
That seems to satisfy him, and he gives a single nod. “Good. Then we accept your gift, Oziel—” Niko cuts off abruptly, eyes narrowing as he spins back toward where the demon king was standing just moments ago, except he’s no longer there. “Where the fuck did he go?” he snarls, his voice sharp with confusion and suspicion. The space is now empty, save for the chained Nephilim and a dazed-looking guard clutching the ends of the restraints, as if waking from a trance.
For better or worse, the Nephilim is our problem. I simply hope my urging to keep the creature hasn’t damned us all.
Chapter 16
Evangeline
We are left with a chained Nephilim and a sour-looking Zephyr. To be fair, he’s looked sour since I’ve arrived, but the lovely wedding gift the demon king dropped off has rattled him. The creature is no longer screaming, which is a small reprieve. The vitriolic anger spewing from the Nephilim earlier was painful. It was like it carved each word into my brain, bringing me into the pain it felt. Flashes of war and blood clouded my vision, threatening to suffocate me in its ire, but when the screaming stopped, so did the pain.
Shortly after the demon king made his hasty exit, Zephyr, with the help of some palace guards, led the Nephilim away. He murmured something to Niko about a dungeon, so I’m assuming that’s where they will house the creature. I just hope the dungeon is far away from where we sleep.
Niko and I watch in silence as Zephyr disappears from view. His body tenses once we’re alone, and for thefirst time, I see the king he is. The man standing next to me carries the weight of his entire kingdom. Of the loved ones he could lose if the war doesn’t go in his favor. That kind of pressure would make any man fall to their knees, and yet Niko remains tall, his jaw set with fierce determination. Something stirs low in my belly, a newfound appreciation for Niko’s strength.
He must sense me staring at him because he turns his head, offering me a smile. His brown freckles are prominent on his pale face, only adding to his boyish charm. But the way his heated eyes rake over me reminds me that Niko is far from a mere boy, and my cheeks flush.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
As if on instinct, he reaches for me. I’m coming to learn that Niko likes touch. Maybe it makes him feel grounded, like cooking does for me. I accept his touch. It’s gentle and non-demanding, with no expectations behind it. I’m not certain he even knows he’s doing it. He takes my hands, and his thumb gently caresses my palm. It’s all I can do to keep focused.
“I’m good,” I say, though my voice sounds far too breathy. The demon king’s words echo in my brain, and my earlier worries come back to me. “Is what the demon king said true? That I can talk to the Nephilim and you can’t?” This is a sentence I’ve never pictured myself saying. Demon king. Nephilim. What is my life now?
Niko frowns. “It appears that way. But I don’t think it’s safe to experiment with communicating with the Nephilim until we are mated. I’ll feel slightly better about it then. However, I will not force you to speak with the creature if you are against it.”
