Page 88

“I am surprised she is not running away in fear after learning all this.”He tilted his head at her, and his folded arms lost some of their tension. “Well, yes, technically you are correct. Most of my mass and intelligence comes from already deceased humans.I shouldn’t tell her they all screamed, regardless.” His orbs flashed a reddish pink in embarrassment.“Fuck.”

Her eyelids fluttered in trepidation, unsure if she should answer his thoughts. She decided not to.

“Do you...” Linh licked her lips nervously. “Do you regret harming humans? With how kind you are to me...”

“Why ask me such a question that will only make her harbour resentment?”Nathair covered his face and sighed behind his palm. “Yes, and no? I do not regret developing, and my past is lined with bloodshed in order to do so. But, yes, I regret hurting people, especially as this is not my task.”

“Task?”

“I am a soul harvester for Weldir. I am supposed to eat Demons and cleanse the souls they incidentally carry and then ferry them to my father. This is why all Mavka were born. It is why weexist.However, we have an insatiable hunger he did not foresee, and the only way to remove it is to...No. I should not tell her that we seek a–”He stiffened and let out a vicious snarl that overshadowed and hid his thoughts from her.

Even his orbs flared bright red behind his hands, as if he was growing angered by his thoughts slipping from him.

Linh chose to ignore it, and instead lifted her hands. Then she started counting with her fingers all she’d learned. “Okay, one, Duskwalkers call themselves Mavka. Two, they are soul harvesters for a demi-god, who is also their dad. Three, they gain weight from eating things, but humanity from people. Four, you are unwell, and my singing managed to aid you. Five, your memories are actually fragments, and I’m guessing that makes you more aware than others of your kind, and you can understand humans better. Is that right?”

As she spoke, Nathair lowered his hand. His orbs flared bright yellow.“I knew she was smart, despite her clumsiness. Her face is not the only thing that is pretty.”

He called me pretty and smart.Linh’s ears flared with heat at that, and he mimicked it with a reddish-pink glow. He grunted, like one might clear their throat.

“Yes, that is correct. However, there is much about humans I don’t know, as the fragments are only pieces of their memories, and always their death. Some are unpleasant, and others areverypleasant.”

Oh god, he probably means memories like sex.

As if to answer her thoughts, his thoughts slipped out.“I have experienced humans fucking in so many different ways that I could show her...”He growled again and clutched the sides of his head.“Stop. Don’t think about touching her. Don’t think about spreading her thighs apart and...”

Linh gasped when Nathair lowered his arms so he could rake his claws down his forearm until purple blood welled and gushed down the sides of it.

“Hey!” Linh cried, rising to her knees to reach out to him. “Stop. It’s fine.”

The Duskwalker parted his maw to hiss violently at her, warding her back and rendering her silent. “My thoughts are mine! It is unpleasant to spill them. When I decide to tell you what I want to do to your supple body, I will do so whenIam ready.” Then he darted forward so their faces were barely an inch apart. “And when I know you willmoanlike I have petted you with them.”

Linh didn’t back away from the menacing way he towered over her. Her heart fluttered, and she was unsure if it was in titillation or wariness.

“Okay,” she conceded, then let an appreciative smile fill her features. “Thank you for talking to me, despite how uncomfortable it’s making you. I also wanted to apologise for earlier, and how I–”

Her words were cut short when he placed his unbloodied hand over her mouth.

“Is this really what you wish to speak of now?” he asked, tilting his head. “I can...feelthe voices returning.”

He pulled back just enough that he gave her some space. “They are?”

Nathair nodded. “Yes. There is a familiar heaviness returning. Once they begin chatting, I am unsure if my ability to speak will remain.I do not wish for us to waste what valuable time we have on pointless apologies. Both of us are sorry.” Then Nathair turned his head to the side to look away from her. His voice sounded quieter than before. “I am... thankful to you. As much as I care about speaking with you, being able to sleep even for only a little... it means more to me than you can ever understand.”

“I can sing for you every night if you like,” she offered. She’d like to help him, especially when he did so much for her all the time.

His orbs faded to blue. “No. I do not think that is wise. If you were to fall asleep with me, and I slipped into a trance, I may harm you. Like I said, they are worse when I am asleep.” He turned his saddened glow to her.“I would rather not sleep than hurt her.”

Her heart squeezed in tenderness with how sweet she found his words, even if they were hollowing. “I can always do it in the morning, so I’m fully rested. That way, I’ll have the energy to stay awake.”

“Would that not...boreyou?” he asked, his voice even quieter than before.“To even offer this on my behalf...”

“No,” she answered warmly. “I’ll just pet your skull like I did before. I really don’t mind.”

He cupped the side of his head.“She petted me?”She barely heard what he said, but the joyful awe in his tone was evident,especially when his orbs flickered a bright yellow. “Really? You would do this?”

She nodded, and he leaned down once more, this time holding his torso up with one arm. He reached forward with his free hand.

“Will you sing for me then, my little nightingale?” Nathair rumbled with a purr, raking his claws from her collar bones and up her throat.