His head tilted to look down into his palm and saw strands of her blonde hair, so bright and shiny in contrast to his dark-grey skin. The bells tied to his horns jingled when he twisted his head, reminding him that Reia had given him a gift when no other had before.

There was more than one or two strands that would have come out naturally with the securing clips. There were clumps of it, like it had been yanked from her head by force.

Orpheus growled. He didn’t know if he was only believing what he wanted to, seeing things that might not mean what they did, but he didn’t care.

Whether Reia went with Jabez willingly or not, he was going to go get his female back this time. She had given

him hope, and he wanted to have faith in her. He placed the amulet in his pocket, ready to give it to her when he saw her.

She is mine.

He would go get her. She said she wanted to stay with me.

Turning towards the yard, he started morphing before he even made it down the steps. She cried for me when I told her of Katerina. She held me and told me she would not do the same.

With all four limbs on the ground, Orpheus snarled and shook his head wildly, making the bells rattle on purpose to remind himself of them, of her, of her acceptance of him.

Leaping forward, he sprinted in the direction of the Demon King’s castle, quickly darting into the trees. His muscles strained under the speed in which he was running, narrowly missing trees as he almost barrelled into them in his haste.

She did not leave me. He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Reia hadn’t wanted him. That her smiles had been lies, that her embraces had been laced with falsities, that her words had been filled with deceit. She did not forsake me.

Dirt, sticks, and leaves flung up from his claws as they gouged into the dirt. He paid no mind to the Demons he could see and hear as he ran past, focusing only on the direction he was going, the direction in which Reia was.

Anger filled him, but his eyes were white once more. She is strong. Brave. He feared that when he got there, she would be dead in trying to fight her way out. If she was truly kidnapped like he wanted to believe, then she was in danger.

His breaths snorted through his nose hole, wet and heavy with exertion. His vision was only impacted by how fast the forest was moving around him, the mist making it hard to see at this intense pace. Wind whistled past his ear holes and brushed across his bony face that could only feel

intense sensations, like the coldness of the wind, or the soft warm press of her lips.

Scents bombarded him, but he only cared to smell one –

and it was of elderberries and red roses.

My little doe will not be prey for anyone but me. And he was the predator that wanted to protect his prey rather than eat it. If she wants me to save her, then I will fight for her even if it kills me.

It was a four day’s peaceful walk to the castle, but a determined Mavka on all fours could make it there in one.

Reia screamed with all her might when she found herself suddenly within the four walls of a stone castle’s throne room. Pushing and shoving against the hard torso of the man holding onto her, she knew it was pointless, but refused to stop.

“You sure are trying hard for something so utterly weak,”

he laughed, before shoving her to the side so hard she crumbled to the ground.

Her sword clattered against the stone, bouncing out of her reach, and slid across the floor when she let it go at the painful impact of her body hitting the ground. A cry was wrenched from her when agony shot through her shoulder and side as her own arm crushed her ribs.

“Hey! I told you not to hurt her,” a feminine voice yelled.

Reia looked up just in time to see a woman, a human woman, getting up from the large stone throne.

With blue eyes narrowed in irritation at Jabez, she crossed the wide room by going down the steps that led to the lone chair she’d just left to come upon them.

Her hair was as black as midnight, her skin a darker shade of white in comparison to Reia’s own pale complexion. Wild freckles dotted her face, and her body was voluptuous while curving beautifully in all the right places.

She wore a long red gown of velvet with gold stitching and a rope that appeared it was made of gold around her hips as it danced down the front of her legs, swaying side-to-side with tassels. Her black slippers were plain, but she had gold bands around her ankles, her wrists, and a necklace with a red ruby in it.

The woman was dressed like a princess, adorned in a fine gown, and wore so many riches that Reia had only ever read about in fairy tales and in history books before the Demons came to desecrate the Earth.

“Yeah, and I told you not to sit on my throne,” he sighed, lifting a single hand up as though to struggle. “I am King. I can do what I want, and you should do as you’re told.”

“When have I ever done what I’m told?” she sneered, scrunching her cute nose up at him.

“All the time,” he winked, wiping a reddish-purple tongue over his lips. “Especially when you’re on top of me.”

Her irritation faded at his wide grin, and she rolled her eyes in return. Well, that plainly explained their relationship.

Reia’s lips thinned as her nose crinkled. She sleeps with him? Sure, he was pretty in an odd sort of way, but he was a Demon. King or not, human-looking or not, he was still one of those creatures.

She may have befriended the cat Demon in the bookstore, but that was as far as she’d go with anything like them.

Then again, Orpheus is not much different, and I care for him. And Jabez was obviously intelligent. He wasn’t like the ferocious ones that lurked around her home.

“Can you not be crude?” She sighed loudly while shaking her head at him. “We have a human guest, and I’m sure she’s rather frightened at the moment.”

Kneeling next to Reia to check her wellbeing, she tucked her hair behind her ear adorned with gold jewellery that had red rubies dangling from them.

Reia immediately shuffled backwards on her arse when she reached out to touch her shoulder, putting space between herself and the two others in the room.

“She is not afraid,” Jabez stated as he gestured to her.

“There is no smell of fear in her scent.”

The woman looked up at him, before turning her gaze back to Reia. She smiled brightly.

“No wonder you’ve survived so long, then.”

“You’re a human,” Reia gasped.

What is a human doing in the Demon King’s castle? Why was this woman in the Veil at all?

“Please, don’t be surprised,” she said, her welcoming gaze deepening. “You’re not the only one that was taken and hidden in the Veil.”

Even though she had a warm expression, her voice had been laden with something. It was almost like she was implying that Reia wasn’t special and shouldn’t pretend she was.

“What’s your name?”

“Reia,” she answered swiftly, unable to stop her eyes from raking over her in confusion.