Page 42 of Resurrection (Daemons & Lumens #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Gremory

W e walked back to our rooms after the afternoon of training.

Well, there wasn’t much training. Seraphina had no control over her power.

It was there, any daemon or lumen could sense the ocean of magic in her blood, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t access it, except for bits and pieces when she was particularly emotional.

Which was often, considering the annoying pest of a daemon prince hovering at her back.

Phenex was a wounded puppy with the rage of a lion, but she seemed capable of handling his moods.

“Your thoughts are loud and busy, Grem.” Delphine quirked a brow, side-eyeing me.

I winked at her, but she could see through my casual demeanor.

Delphine Bellinor was my mate, and we were bonded to our very bones.

Every emotion barreling through me, she understood it, sometimes before I did.

Which was also why the petite woman walking between us was here.

I glanced down at Tabitha, sniffing the air around her to sense her emotions.

I refused to probe her mind in any way. She had enough assholes digging into her mind already, and I would never be another.

After I stole her away from the Blackbyrn Manor, I brought her straight to Delphine. If there was one person on this Earth who could help Tabitha, it was her. The moment I landed back at Vespertine Hall with the unconscious and mortally wounded woman, my mate jumped into action.

We healed Tabitha’s flesh wounds easily enough, but it was her mind that was a fucking mess. It took hours for Delphine to pull the damaged girl from her own hiding place inside her head. Only with our combined power could we do so, and it soothed the rage in me to bring her back to life.

Tabitha slept for the next twelve hours or so after she was healed. I stayed by her side, not wanting her to be left alone and wake up scared. My witch, my perfect master and mate, encouraged me to do so.

She had a sly smile about her when she checked in on us, but when I asked her what she was keeping from me, she merely winked and walked away. She was infuriating like that, and I loved her for it.

Delphine was the perfect creature for me. She was dominant, clever, and gorgeous as hell. We met in New Orleans, roughly six years ago. I knew instantly she was to be mine but found out quickly not only was I to be hers, I would become her submissive.

I wasn’t exactly the soft and whimpering type, but Delphine quickly scolding me for assuming submissives were weak, as they were anything but.

I’d never been in a relationship with a woman who took the dominant role, but with her, it was fucking thrilling.

She reeled me in, and before I knew what was happening, I was begging for her to leash me. I smirked at the depraved memories.

When Tabitha first woke up after she was healed, we were both in the room.

The tiny human’s eyes locked with mine, and I felt the beginnings of our bond form instantly.

I nearly ran from the room, but my mate reached out and squeezed my hand, reassuring me this bond was real.

She knew, of course, that this was coming.

My mate was not the great seer Aurora Valdis had been, but her magical talents were powerful, and she could sense bonds before they were even formed.

I’d never heard of such a thing, having a mate bond for more than one creature.

And to think she was human! How the hell that was even possible was a question I didn’t have answers for.

Tabitha still didn’t know we were mated, and Delphine said we would tell her when the time was right.

I trusted her and agreed to keep the knowledge a secret for now. It may overwhelm her, anyway.

In the short time since her near death at that manor, Tabitha flourished. She was still scared and her nightmares were hell, but she was so damn strong.

“My ladies.” I bowed, opening the door to our rooms and allowing them to enter first.

Tabitha smiled, small and tentative. Her caramel-brown eyes darted away from mine before I could drown in them.

“So, are we going to the party tonight?” I asked, flopping down onto the couch tucked in the corner of the room.

Tabitha crawled onto the bed and tucked her legs beneath her. She chewed on a fingernail. Delphine pulled her dainty fingers away from her mouth.

“Do you want to go, sweet girl?” Delphine asked, brushing her fingers against Tabitha’s cheek.

Tabitha’s skin flushed, and she looked at me. My dick throbbed at the heat I found buried in her gaze. Her eyes turned up to Delphine’s before she responded.

“Maybe.” Tabitha’s voice was soft and tinkling like that of the fae. “Will you go with me?”

I swear she had a fae ancestor for how pixie-like she appeared. And I said as much to my mate, but she only responded in her usual cryptic manner.

Delphine smiled. “Of course.”

I grinned. “As if we would let you go without us.”

Tabitha grinned. “It will be nice to do something other than mope around. I might mope myself right into the floor if I don’t do something fun soon.”

I chuckled, standing from the couch and stalking toward my little human. Delphine’s eyes watched me with a smirk.

“Are we boring you, love? If so, I will do whatever I can to…stimulate you.”

Tabitha giggled, but then her eyes snapped up to my witch and back to mine and her smile faded.

“I’m sure you guys are ready to get back to…

your life, or whatever. I think I can find a room on my own.

And I am very grateful for how much you’ve helped me.

I’ll never be able to repay you for saving my life. ”

Her words sent a spike of pain to my gut. I dropped to my knees before her, before them both. “There is nothing to repay, love. You deserved to be saved. You deserve to be happy. Loved.”

Delphine brushed her long fingers through Tabitha’s short blonde hair. “Do you want your own room, darling girl? If you say you want to leave, you are free to, of course. But if you want our thoughts, we would prefer you to stay.”

Tabitha’s heart picked up, pattering like a hummingbird in her chest. “Why? Aren’t you like mates, or whatever?”

I glanced up at my witch. Her love for me pulsed through our mate bond, and I purred at the feel of it. She smiled, and it took my breath away each time. She nodded, and I dropped my gaze back to the sweet human sitting before us.

“We are, love.” I reached out and took Tabitha’s hand. She shivered as I rubbed circles against the fast pulse at her wrist. “And in my centuries of life, I never knew a daemon to take more than one mate. But we are in a new age. It is only natural for creatures to evolve.”

Her eyes were wide as she absorbed my words, and I continued.

“The first time I saw you, the smallest spark of light burst into my heart and never left. I think I was meant to find you, Tabitha. We were meant to find you. Can you feel it?”

Her breath hitched, and she licked her pink lips. I tracked the movement.

“I think so. I’m just…” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

Delphine turned Tabitha’s chin gently, commanding her attention. “Never be afraid to share your feelings with us, darling girl. There will be no other creatures in this world or the next who will care for you the way we do. No matter what you want or don’t want from us.”

My heart burst with love and pride at my mate’s words. She was always so strong and fierce, but my lioness was a softie at heart. She held more love inside her than any creature I’d ever met.

“I’m scared.” Tabitha’s soft voice cut the silence. “I’m scared to have feelings, to care. To trust. It’s never worked out for me.”

Delphine nodded. “And we will do whatever you need to earn your trust. Isn’t that right, Grem?”

“Absolutely. I am your servant, love. As much as I belong to Delphine, I belong to you, in whatever way you would have me.”

Tabitha’s pretty eyes filled with tears, and she nodded.

My mate and I moved at the same moment, each wiping a tear from her cheek.

The bonds between the three of us hummed with power, becoming more solid with our declarations.

A new beginning had arrived for us, and I was eager to see what would come next.