Page 102 of His Atonement

A beautiful pale purple light shines from my mate, but he looks like he's in pain, so much fucking pain, and when I almost look away, something resembling a tiny orb of light emerges from his body and goes directly into the creatures palm. The light races up his arm and shoots through his entire body, causing his marks to glow the same color.

That thing groans, groans like he's having a fucking orgasm, and when he tips his head back… my blood runs cold at the sight.

A mouth full of fangs, rows of razor sharp teeth.

Dry, cracked lips twisted into a grin.

Pointy features somehow hollow and full at the same time, eyes completely coated in silver that seems to shift and swirl.

White blond hair sits tangled on his head, the strands thin and stringy, and on either side just above his temples sit horns, long curved horns that curl and twist so strangely.

All of him is strange.

Creepy and fucking strange.

He looks terrifying to be totally honest, nothing like my mate and exactly what nightmares are made of.

"Your offering of proof has been satisfied, Ueltorrhzan.” He chuckles in that horrible laugh.

“Great." Zan staggers a bit, sways on his feet before he grips the fence of the pigpen. "Now you can leave me in peace."

The creature laughs again. "You will never truly be at peace, my son, never. Even once you obtain your soul, once you are setfree, even then your transgressions, your centuries of sins will haunt you. Our kind does not have the luxury of ever knowing peace."

Zan lifts his hand, his strength clearly compromised as he waves it dismissively through the air. "Be gone from here. I can no longer stomach the sight of you."

"Five days, Ueltorrhzan. You have five days to complete your task. When the deed is done we shall know, and once again I shall return to collect what The Caster of Shadows requires. In eight days time you will be a free demon, one with a soul capable of living as you wish, soft hearted and disgusting in your new skin.” He begins to laugh again, loud and hard. "Disgusting disgrace to our race. A loss I will not mourn."

Then he's gone.

Gone as if he was never there at all.

Zan sighs then leans heavily into the fence post for a few minutes, and despite wanting to run to him, to help him when he clearly needs it, I turn from my vantage point and press my back against the cabin.

I feel sick as I look out into the yard, sick and achy for all the wrong reasons.

That creature was the most vile thing I have ever seen and his presence is still felt despite his being gone.

I take a deep breath and look to the sky, rain clouds rolling in, a low rumble of thunder booming somewhere in the distance.

Zan and I are done keeping secrets, fucking done hiding the last bit of ourselves from each other because after witnessing that shit, neither of us have a choice.

"What are you doing out here, Frankie?" Zan steps onto the porch slowly, his attempt to hide his pain a total failure. "You should be in bed."

"Who was that?"

Zan tenses briefly, his step faltering before he plants his feet firm. "What are you talking about? There was no one here."

"Don't bullshit me, Zan. I saw it, sawhim. Who was that?"

"You do not know what you speak of,” he grinds out. "I was merely getting a little air, the cabin—"

I push off the wall and get in his face. "Cut the bullshit, Zan. Don't fucking lie to me. I saw him, saw that thing you were talking to, saw him take something from you. I heard his horrible words. You can't convince me I didn't."

"Eavesdropping is most unbecoming on you,mate."

"Don't you take that fucking tone with me. I'm done with the secrets, done hiding. You tell me who the fuck that was and what he was doing here right fucking now or I'll go straight to Cora and get my answers that way."

Zan has me pinned to the wall so fast I don't have time to react. "You will do no such thing,” he hisses. "You will leave my sister as well as the rest of the clan out of this. Do you hear me? You leave everyone out of this and mind your own goddamn business."