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Daring to look over her shoulder, she connected with red eyes gleaming in the moonlight. The Demon was fairly big, and seemed to be one of the rare few who could withstand the moonlight for long periods of time. It relaxed whenever a large cloud passed over it.

Humans knew the moon reflected sunlight, but it was muted enough that it didn’t give them a sunburn, and apparently not strong enough to harm many Demons. She shuddered before turning back to Nathair.

“It’s just sitting there... like a creep,” she stated with a bleurgh.

“I watch you all the time,” he argued, making her eyes roll.

“Yeah, but I like it when you do.” She hiked her thumb at it. “You don’t do it with red eyes and an ugly face.”

Thankfully all the brine in the air stopped any unpleasant smells coming from it. The wind also came from every direction, seeming to disperse it further.

“I know you like it when I watch you,” he signed slowly, purposefully, and in a way that made her stare at the points of his claws. He licked at his maw purposefully.

How have I never noticed how...nimblehis fingers are?Although his hands were large, she’d never noticed how precise he was with his signing before. How he could make her focus on just the minutest things about his claws, how a finger twitched, how grey some of his pads were. She took in the plumpness of his palms, and the natural lines in them. Even his protruding hand knucklebones seemed more pronounced.

He signs delicately, but with strong and direct movements.They were always assured.

She never realised that they were almost a perfect reflection of whohewas.

It took her a moment to understand what he was insinuating before her face heated until she felt faint and wanted to expire.Oh god! He’s talking about when I touch myself in front of him!Her mouth opened and closed, as her body tensed in embarrassed outrage.

He chuckled and shuffled her close.

“You are safe. That is all that matters,” he signed to distract her, then placed his hand underneath her thigh to lock her to him.

She grumbled, even as a small smile curled her lips.That’s true.

She lifted her gaze to the sky and took in the stars as she attempted to calm her bashful heart rate. Galaxy dust sprinkled like a rip in the faraway horizon. Linh had seen it many times, like most humans, but somehow it looked even more mesmerising over the beach. The ocean reflected it, causing stars to glitter in the water like an endless, vast world had fallen upon it.

The waves occasionally crashing upon the shore played a melody of water meeting earth, and it was lulling. It felt cleansing, like if she were to let them smash into her, they could score her clean against the gritty sand and wash away all her worries.

I’m so glad he offered to do this for me.No human would ever dream of sitting out in the open world at night like this. In the time they’d been here, three Demons had come sniffing for her.

Yet, here she remained, protected.

Like she couldn’t stray away from looking upon Nathair, she turned a smile to him. Only for it to fall when all she saw was the dark underside of his jaw. With a worried gasp, she leaned up.

His head shot down to her, his orbs orange before he tilted it in question.

“Sorry, I thought you fell into a trance,” she muttered.

Nathair patted the top of her head before dragging her back against his chest. Then he lifted his arms around her, and she was forced to translate his signs while seeing them from his perspective.

“Don’t worry. Like I said, I feel well today.”

She wondered why.We haven’t been intimate since yesterday.She hoped it was because the sleep she’d been giving him aided the weight of his mind.He hasn’t even fallen into a deep trance like usual.

She’d even woken up to Nathair already aware and ready to be a playful jerk.He’s a bully.He took every chance he could to tease her.

The arm she was leaning on moved, and a soft hand came up to hold her nape. She used to hate such a possessive and controlling hold, but she only arched for Nathair when he tickled his claws up her jugular on the opposite side of where his palm lay. Had he brushed just his fingertips up the central column of her throat, she may have thought he wanted her to sing.

I want to tell him.On her mother’s side, Linh’s familydidhave a secret they weren’t supposed to share. One they all had to vow not to speak to another person when they turned eighteen, and they’d done so in blood and in magic.

But the vow we spoke saidhumanbeing.Their lips were locked, regardless, and any attempt to write it was broken and blurry.

She’d said it aloud while she was by herself and faced no issue.Nathair is a Duskwalker, so maybe it’ll be fine?

He caressed her lips, since she’d been chewing at them in thought, and it caused her to lower her gaze from the stars to his serpent skull. His orbs flared dark yellow, his way of silently asking what was on her mind.