A human is my mate
A human is my mate, Daresh said repeatedly fear cuddling his voice he wasn't afraid of the Other demons,he wasn't afraid of breaking the laws of nature he had always been defiant perhaps that's why he was so drawn to Reina
"Reina" he whispered under his breath, his mind went back to her and how peaceful it felt watching her sleep, how soothed he felt around her
He was scared for her ,she was human how would she defend herself against Attack
He was the most hated among his brothers,he had no alliances because he had no Demon wives and now he was about to break the rules of nature and bond with a human
Demons had a special bond deeper than marriage,as a demon your mate connects with you on a deeper level and one could have only one for their lifetime
Royal demons often married for Alliances and power so they almost never met their mates
The tradition of mate bonding seldom happened and was so rare that it became lost in the sand of time ,younger demons even believed it was a myth
Darish knew he had found his mate in Reina,he should have been happy, even prevented her to the court by now just to piss off his father and brothers
He would have if he didn't love her so much but now he couldn't risk her life,so he had to protect her
Lost in thought he realized he had rode too far away from home, and wandered into strange territory
Looking up he saw a grove of fire demons all chained up and building ammunition, like they were preparing for a war -a great war
Something sinister was happening and his mind raced back to the palace, Reina was In trouble
After Daresh stormed out, Reina sat frozen at the table, her heart still racing.
What just happened?
She'd seen his memories. All of them. The abuse. The fire. The suicide attempts. That little boy who just wanted to be loved.
Tears streamed down her face-not for herself this time, but for him.
For the child he'd been. For the man he'd become.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stood on shaky legs.
The room felt too quiet. Too empty without him.
She needed air. Needed to think.
Reina walked to the door and peered out into the corridor.
Empty.
No guards. No servants. Just the long, dark hallway stretching in both directions.
Where did he go?
Part of her wanted to follow him. To find him and tell him... what? That she understood? That she wasn't afraid of him?
But another part of her knew he needed space. Time to process whatever this thing was between them.
So instead, she stepped out into the corridor and began to walk.
The demon palace was massive-far bigger than her father's castle had ever been. The walls were carved from black stone, covered in strange symbols that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Torches burned with blue flames, casting eerie shadows that danced along the floor.
Reina walked slowly, taking it all in.
She passed grand doorways that led to rooms she couldn't see into. Staircases that spiraled up into darkness. Hallways that seemed to stretch on forever.
It was beautiful. Terrifying. Otherworldly.
She turned a corner and found herself in what looked like a gallery-portraits lining the walls. Demon kings and princes from ages past, their eyes seeming to follow her as she moved.
And then she saw him.
A portrait of Daresh.
He stood in full armor, his silver hair flowing, his blue eyes burning with that familiar intensity. He looked every bit the warrior prince-powerful, dangerous, untouchable.
But now, after seeing his memories, she knew the truth.
He was just as broken as she was.
Reina stared at the painting for a long moment, then turned and made her way back toward his quarters.
She didn't know how long she'd been gone-maybe twenty minutes? Maybe longer?
But when she pushed open the door to his room, something felt... wrong.
The air was different. Colder.
And there was a smell.
Metallic. Sharp.
Blood.
Her heart began to pound.
"Daresh?" she called out softly.
No answer.
She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the room.
Everything looked the same-the bed, the fireplace, the table where they'd eaten breakfast.
But then she saw it.
On the wall.
Just above the bed.
Written in dark, dripping blood:
"DARESH IS MARKED FOR DEATH"
Reina's breath caught in her throat.
The letters were large, jagged, still wet-as if whoever had written them had just left.
Her hands began to tremble.
Who did this? How did they get in?
She took a step back, her pulse racing, her mind screaming at her to run.
But she couldn't move.
Couldn't look away.
The blood dripped slowly down the wall, pooling on the floor below.
And beneath the message, smeared across the stone, was a symbol-a crude drawing of a crown split in half.
Callum.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Reina spun around, her heart in her throat.
The door swung open.
And Daresh stepped inside.
He froze.
His eyes locked onto the message on the wall.
For a moment, he said nothing. His expression didn't change.
But Reina saw it-the flash of fury in his eyes. The way his jaw clenched. The way his hands curled into fists at his sides.
"Daresh-" she started.
"Get behind me," he said, his voice low and deadly.
"What? Why-"
"Now, Reina."
She didn't argue. She moved quickly, stepping behind him, her heart hammering.
Daresh's eyes swept the room, searching. His hand moved to his side, where a sword hung from his belt.
"They were here," he said quietly. "In my room. While I was gone."
Reina's stomach dropped.
"Who?" she whispered.
But she already knew the answer.
Daresh turned to look at her, and in his eyes she saw something she'd never seen before.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
"They know," he said, his voice rough. "They know you're important to me."
He looked back at the blood-written message on the wall.
"And now they're coming for us both."
