Without a word, he plucked me off the back of the horse and set me on my feet in front of him. My hands landed on his forearms as I tried to get my balance. My thighs were still burning, and I wouldn’t know if my feet had fallen off because I couldn’t feel them.
“Better?” he asked, holding me steady as I shook out my legs, trying to get the feeling back in my feet.
“Yeah.”
He started to release me, but the sound of a horse galloping up the gravel drive had us both turning. My legs tried to collapse again, and his hands grabbed me fast.
The same female daemon from yesterday bore down on us. The horse skidded to a stop not far and pranced nervously as Venna handled the reins with an expert hand. “You,” she hissed, glaring down at me.
In the bright sun, her black eyes took on a reddish cast. I wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light or if she was so angry that her eyes were changing from black to red.
“You have no right to him!” she snapped, finishing her thought. “You’re nothing but ahuman.” She spat the word as though it tasted foul on her tongue.
The hair on the back of my neck pricked up. Her expression and gaze promised violence. Even as adrenaline surged through my body, I focused my thoughts on de-escalating the situation.
“I am human,” I replied, my tone even and as kind as I could make it. “And neither of us has any right to Bokkan. He is his own person… er, daemon. He gets to decide who he has in his life.”
Apparently, my attempts to pacify her were the wrong thing to do because she scoffed, tossing her long red braid. The sun glinted off the glossy black of her horns, making them appear more threatening. It made me wonder if daemons used their horns like weapons in fights. The thought sent a thrill of fear through me.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,human. I do have rights to him. I’ve declared my intentions.”
“And I’ve politely declined,” Bokkan growled back. “But you seem unwilling to accept that.”
I glanced up at Bokkan, whose jaw was clenched so tightly I was surprised his fangs didn’t pierce his own lip. “Whether there is something between us or not, he still wouldn’t be interested in you. Why are you blaming me for that?”
Oh, that was definitely the wrong thing to say. The daemoness drew up to her full height and glared down at me, her lips curled back in a snarl, showing me all the fangs in her mouth. “Of all the insolent, stupid…” she muttered, looking off the side. After a moment, her eyes returned to me. “I challengeyou,human! A fight until submission or death!”
I fought to keep my reaction off my face. I refused to let her see my confusion and my burgeoning fear. She would not get it. I had no idea why she was challenging me to a fight to the death. Honestly, the term seemed melodramatic. She wanted to kill me because I said something she didn’t like?What the hell?
Bokkan went rigid beside me. “She is unfamiliar with our ways, Venna, and human. You cannot challenge her for me.”
Oh, I was beginning to understand. She wanted to piss on her patch.
I leaned toward Bokkan and murmured, “What exactly is happening?”
He glared at Venna and said, “Excuse us for a moment.”
Without waiting for her response, he scooped me up with one arm around my waist and carried me about twenty feet away.
When he sat me on my feet, I leaned toward him and growled out, “Don’t ever do that again. I am not a child, and I don’t need you to carry me.”
“I know, but I wanted to get you away from her as quickly as possible.”
I let it go. Now wasn’t the time to get into it. “Explain to me what’s happening,” I demanded, keeping my voice low. I wasn’t sure how good daemon hearing was, and I didn’t want to find out right now.
He sighed. “In our realm, females can challenge each other for a male. Several generations ago, when females outnumbered males, they would often fight for the one they wanted. Especially if the mating would be advantageous politically or financially.”
“Does it matter that I’m human?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Not according to our laws, but you technically belong to me since I paid Guldan and the men for you. I could deny her challenge based on my ownersh?—”
“Fuck. That.” I snarled. “What happened to me being your guest?”
His tone gentled, and I knew he was trying to placate me. “You are my guest. But, to outsiders, you will be viewed as property, no matter what I say.”
“If I accept her challenge and win, will I still be viewed as property?”
He stared at me with a blank expression on his face.
