He frowned at me. “You aren’t a prisoner here. I do want you to stay close to me for now, but once I know you will be safe, you will have more freedom to move throughout the house and grounds alone.”
That sounded reasonable.
“When can I return home?”
His expression shut down completely. “I don’t know.”
Shit. I carried the bowl of food back into the bedchamber and set it on one of the tables by the sofa.
“Why not?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. I clutched the knife I’d acquired from his soldier in my right hand and rested it over my left elbow.
“Only strong magic users can send humans and daemons across the veil. I don’t have enough magic.”
“I’m stuck here?” I asked. My throat closed up as I spoke, the last word nearly silent.
He shrugged. “Not exactly. There are some witches here that will open portals through the veil. For a price.”
“So, there’s a chance I can go home?”
“Yes, but it will require at least a thousand crowns. And…” he trailed off.
I didn’t have any money. And it seemed the only way I would be able to make any would be on my back. I was desperate, but not that desperate yet.
“If I hadn’t spent fifteen hundred crowns to reimburse my men, I would have paid the fee gladly.”
I shook my head. I might be desperate, but I wasn’t ready to prostitute myself just to return to my life. I had no idea how long it might take me to work off that kind of debt on my back. “That is a price I’m not willing to pay. Not yet. Probably not ever.”
“I understand.”
The way he said it, the measured tone and words, told me that he was sincere.
“Thank you.”
“Eat your food and wash the dust off.” He walked over to an oversized armoire and opened it, pulling out a shirt. “It’s not ideal, but it’s clean and it will keep you covered.”
Bokkan held it out to me, waiting. It wasn’t just a shirt. It was a test. A test to see if I would get within arm’s reach of a monster that was big enough to kill me with a single blow. I had no doubtthat I only managed to knock his soldier on his ass because Talus hadn’t wanted to harm me too much.
I crossed the room and took the shirt from him. “It’s better than what I have now.”
When I first saw the daemons, the deep black of their eyes frightened me. Even the sclera was black, like two voids in their deep reddish-brown skin. I hadn’t realized it was possible for those inky depths to appear kind. They also didn’t move away from my face. He wasn’t eyeing me like a juicy piece of meat he wanted to devour in greedy bites, even when I referenced my lack of clothing.
I appreciated not only the shirt, but his consideration.
“Thank you, Bokkan,” I said. As much as I wanted to hang on to my aloof demeanor, I couldn’t. This daemon hadn’t brought me here. It wasn’t his fault I’d been kidnapped. And he was being kinder to me than any of the other imps or daemons had been, save his housekeeper.
He bowed his head. “I’ll leave you alone for an hour, so you can enjoy your food and bath in peace.”
He started to leave the room, but I stopped him with another question, “Does your offer to answer all my questions still stand?” I asked.
The daemon paused at the doorway, his hand on the handle as he turned his head toward me. “Yes. Any time you have one.”
“Good,” I replied with a nod. “Because I’m sure that once my brain calms down, I’ll have a thousand more.”
Bokkan smiled at me then, a wide, white, fanged grin. He should have looked terrifying with the fierce black horns curving back from the top of his head, onyx eyes, and clawed hands. But he had two dimples, well, creases really, in each of his cheeks. Paired with the gentle sparkle in his eyes, he wasn’t frightening. He was beautiful.
I remained perfectly still as he left the room and shut the door behind him, shocked at my own response to that smile.
I had to remember that he might not be the enemy, but that also didn’t make him my friend.
