Page 85 of Drawn into Oblivion

“Right,” Kyoko said before pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment. “We were talking about you and the empress in the Damned One’s strongho—”

A knock on the door interrupted them a second before the portal slid open.

“Pardon me,” Rosuke said as he stepped inside. Seeing him still gave Mai a warm thrill, and she couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips. “The meeting Mai wished to attend is starting soon.”

“Oh,” she said in surprise. “Yes, I nearly forgot. May we finish later today, Kyoko?”

Her aide was already packing away her writing implements. “Of course. I have plenty to work on in the meantime.”

Rosuke gallantly offered his hand to help Mai to her feet. “Is this for the account of our mission into Oblivion? The one being added to the court library?”

Mai and Kyoko said yes in unison. Kyoko added, “I already have the empress’s account, but I’ve yet to interview any of the officers. Do you have time tomorrow, Commander?”

“I do, in the early afternoon. Fair warning, though. My account will not be nearly as exciting,” he said as he tucked Mai’s hand into his elbow. She happily curled her fingers around his arm.

Kyoko picked up her writing supplies and notes. “I don’t believe that for a second. And in any case, history must be preserved. Elder, shall we meet again an hour before the evening meal?”

“Yes, here in my room is fine.”

With a smile, her aide gave a small bow before heading out first. Mai wasn’t far behind, but by the time she and Rosuke reached the end of the hall leading out of the wing, fatigue and nausea had begun to make themselves known.

“If there’s time I’d like to grab something from the kitchens,” Mai said, hand splayed over her chest. “I must not have eaten enough at breakfast because I’m starving and a little sick to my stomach.”

“One, I think we both know why you’re not feeling well.” The knowing look in his eyes as he reached into his jacket almost made her smile. “Two, we have plenty of time. The meeting isn’t for another hour.”

“An hour?” she softly exclaimed. “Why did you come so early, then?”

“Am I not allowed to spend a little time with the one I love?” He produced a small, wrapped item from his jacket. One whiff, and she could tell it was food.

“Yes, of course. Especially if that’s what I think it is.” Divine One have mercy, her mouth was already watering.

He laughed as he said, “A rice ball fresh from the kitchens. It’s your favorite—salted salmon.” He laughed even harder when she snatched it out of his hand.

Rosuke watched Mai chew her first, big bite, her eyes sliding shut in bliss. His magic had a sense of what he was planning, and stirred excitedly inside him, but he simply enjoyed the look of pleasure on her face—a look he once questioned whether he’d ever see, and which she now showed him often and freely. She was so preoccupied with her meal that she didn’t seem to notice the route they were taking.

“Is it helping?” he asked when she’d swallowed her second bite. She nodded while taking another. “I’ve been learning all I can about pregnancy. Madam Kumi was especially helpful. There are minor spells to help with certain symptoms, but for—”

“Wait, does Madam Kumi know about…?” She gestured to her midsection.

He was quick to reassure her. “No, no. I pretended to be curious based on Shumei’s condition. In fact, I…wish to keep this to ourselves for a short while. Is that all right?”

She clutched his arm tighter to her chest, and a smile played about her lips. “I feel the same.” The adorable pink hue of her cheeks nearly stopped his heart. “I want this joy to be just ours, at least for now.”

“Agreed.” He dropped a kiss onto her forehead, and she continued eating.

“These really are best when they’re still warm,” she effused, speaking from behind her hand. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” He saw she only had a couple bites left and changed the subject to something that might distract her. “I hope we hear good news at the empress’s council.”

“Me too.”

“Something like, ‘Turns out it wasn’t a demon, just dirty, drunk vagabond stumbling through the woods!’” Mai laughed, nearly choking. “But…I have a feeling we’ll be talking about forming a special, demon-hunting force. The sooner, the better.”

Worried, Mai glanced at Rosuke’s resigned expression as she passed the last bite of her rice ball into her mouth. After the first report of a demon sighting, they had talked long into the night about artificial demons and their unique properties. Their discussion had convinced Mai that only human-born demons remained of the Damned One’s forces, but she could tell Rosuke wished otherwise. He hadn’t said it out loud, but he seemed to hope the Damned One’s death had released those who were as he had once been, whether that meant their deaths or the restoration of their humanity.

Perhaps he didn’t want to imagine an artificial demon lingering on, not knowing what fate awaited their soul. Perhaps he didn’t want to confront the possibility of human-born demons who had chosen conversion, and who still willingly preyed upon other humans. The one thing she hadn’t asked him the night of their discussion had been whether he’d ever met another artificial demon, but she had the feeling he had.

Or perhaps he feared greater scrutiny were it more widely known that human-born demons existed, and that they could live indefinitely if they kept feeding and killing. No one but Mai and Shumei, and possibly Oka, knew of the incubus curse.