Shit. Okay, I would have to find someone else to ask about that.
“If I did return home after the trial period is over, what will happen to Bokkan?”
The imp tensed as she stared at me, her hands fisting in her apron. “What do you mean?”
“Would he go mad?” I asked.
She looked down at her lap and picked bits of weeds and plants off her apron. “It is likely,” she finally answered.
“Would they kill him if he did?”
Her eyes filled with tears as they lifted to meet my gaze. “If they were unable to control him or return him to himself, yes, they would. The magistrate would end his suffering.”
My heart sank at her words. “Why?” I choked out.
“Daemons have mating instincts. For males, their instincts encourage them to protect and care for their female. It is their way of proving they would be an exemplary mate. If a female rejects them during this stage, as long as they avoid each other for a month or so, the instincts will fade. If the daemoness accepts their advances, then the male daemon’s instincts become more predatory. He wants to hunt her, to chase her down, and bite her. He will also brand her with his fire. That will complete the mating bond.”
I swallowed hard at her explanation. Bokkan had been taking care of me since the day I arrived—making sure I was fed and warm. Protecting me from anything and everything. I hadn’t rejected him. In fact, I’d relished it. It felt so nice to have someone take care of me.
“What about female daemons?” I asked. “What are their instincts like?”
“They push the males. They fight them at every turn, not physically, but by trying to remain independent. It is up to the male to anticipate her needs and provide for them. Then, if they accept him at that stage, they will run from him. When they do, he cannot fight the urge to chase them.” She leaned forward. “It is important that you do not run from male daemons when they are aggressive or aroused. Even if their mating instincts were not triggered before, it will set them off.”
She reached out and took my hand. “These instincts are a part of the daemons. They are strong. If mates are separated once the instincts are active, one or both of the daemons will lose all reason. They become little more than animals at that point, and their only desire is to return to their mate’s side. You haveaccepted the first stage of the master’s mating urges. If you left without completing a rejection, he would be unable to control himself. He would lose all reason until he found you. Even then, he would not return to himself until he had bred you, bit you, and branded you.”
I had so many more questions. I opened my mouth to ask her more about branding, but her eyes widened, and her head whipped around to our left.
“Get inside, Leda,” she whispered.
“What?”
A low whistle filled the air, and suddenly, there was a dart in Masu’s neck. Her red eyes rolled back, but even as she was falling back, she cried out, “Run, Leda!”
Heavy footsteps sounded on the other side of the herb garden, but the plants were too high for me to see who was coming.
I leaped to my feet and sprinted toward the kitchen door. Another whistle sounded through the air and a dart imbedded in the wood right in front of me. I veered to the right and ran around the corner just as another dart hit the side of the house level with my shoulder.
I ran faster than I ever had before, my feet flying over the ground. I heard more footsteps and knew they weren’t far behind me. I dove behind the open gate of the training ring just in time for another missile to embed into it.
The training areas were empty. The soldiers must be in the dining hall in the barracks for lunch. I aimed toward it.
I was pissed at Guldan, but he would intervene in whatever this was. He wanted me to stay here with Bokkan, and he would certainly protect me from the daemons chasing me.
Well, I thought they were daemons. I didn’t take the time to look because they were closing in.
Shit, I wasn’t going to make it to the barracks. I shifted my path, angling toward the armory. It was the closest building.
Just as I burst through the door and leaped over the threshold, something sharp pierced the middle of my back. My legs refused to hold me, and I crashed to the floor, rolling into the wall next to the weapons room.
I remembered too late that the door to that room usually remained locked. I managed to push myself to my feet and grab the latch. To my utter shock, it opened beneath my hand.
I stumbled inside, my legs suddenly feeling too weak to hold me up. My entire body tingled, and I knew I only had moments before whatever was in those darts took me down as it had taken Masu down.
I made it to the shelves next to the door, the ones filled with the potion bottles. I grabbed several and tucked them into my pockets. I also managed to put two in my bra between my breasts.
Turning toward the back wall, I planned to grab a short sword, but my legs collapsed beneath me. Falling to my hands and knees, I didn’t give up. I would fucking crawl if I had to.
My vision became fuzzy, and shadows began to creep into the edges of the room. A moment later, my arms wouldn’t hold me up either. I laid on the floor and began to drag myself across it on my elbows.
