Page 11

Iris

“T hank you,” I said sheepishly as a small demon with short blue hair and matching horns came to deliver yet another dish piled high with questionable meat to the dining table.

The demon’s jeweled eyes lingered on me before shooting Yien a look, but she just waved them away.

“Am I not supposed to say thank you?” I asked, a slight teasing in my tone.

Yien’s face was impossible to read, but her tendrils swished back and forth lightly.

“You’re my companion,” she said. “Some masters would not like what’s theirs talking to other demons.”

“Good thing you’re not most masters,” I said, then used my hands to pick at a piece of meat from a random plate.

This better be human-safe. Should I ask what it is? Do I want to know?

Trying not to grimace, I plopped the food into my mouth.

I expected something gross. A taste that matched its look, but instead a delightful burst of spices played across my taste buds.

“Worried your master might poison you? It’s lesser demon meat. Totally safe for humans.” Yien’s drawl shouldn’t have ignited a flame inside me.

Neither should the use of the word master . And yet, I’m burning.

“ I was afraid it’d taste horrible,” I admitted, plopping another bit into my mouth. I guessed demons weren’t much for utensils because of their claws. But it didn’t bother me much, and Yien wasn’t judging.

Or at least I hoped she wasn’t.

She was watching intently as I shoveled food into my mouth, as if she’d never seen someone eat before.

Then it hit me.

“You’ve never had a companion before, have you?” I asked.

I expected her to get flustered by my questions, but instead she just blinked.

“No,” she admitted. “I didn’t need one before.”

“And you do now?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Yes.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her one-worded answer.

“It’s okay to be lonely,” I said. “I felt the same at home, though I couldn’t just buy myself someone.”

Her aura reached out to me, wrapping around my ankle.

“Are you mad that I purchased you?” she asked. “Because I don’t want to return you.”

Her words caused my face to heat, and I couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes zeroed in on me every time it did. As if she likes it when I blush.

“Not mad,” I muttered. “Grateful. I could be in a much worse situation.”

“You could,” she admitted. Silence, as if she were considering my words, then, “I don’t treat humans like the other demons do. I want you to live here freely and enjoy my realm. Nothing will be asked or forced from you.”

I didn’t think I was worried, but her admission caused my shoulders to sink and a weight to be lifted from my chest.

“That’s new,” I said with a laugh. It was meant to be a joke, but the way her eyes narrowed on me caused my heart to stop in my chest.

“Have you come across a demon before that forced you?” she asked, her tone deadly. Her aura spread out around her, darkening the space.

It was almost… endearing.

“In the form of a human,” I supplied, though I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t intend to talk about my past, but it just came spilling out. “Let’s just say my family had… a use for me, and if I wasn’t doing my duty, they would see fit to punish me.”

“They hurt you?” She growled. Three more tendrils wrapped around me possessively, and I ate it up.

Never once had anyone cared about what my family was doing to me. It was always swept under the rug. All throughout my life, and once I became an adult, there was no need for counselors or teachers to even pretend to be concerned.

I was stuck with no one to fight for me.

But this random demon who bought me at an auction was growling and upset at something someone in a completely different world did to me.

It was sweet and maybe it made me sick that I was enjoying it.

“They did,” I said. “But you don’t need to worry anymore. They can’t hurt me now.”

I thought that would placate her, but she was still angry.

“No one will touch you here,” she vowed, her dark eyes never leaving my face. “Tell me you understand, human. If anyone even attempts to hurt you while in my care, all you have to do is tell me.”

Air whooshed from my lungs.

“I understand,” I whispered.

She nodded and just like that, her aura shrunk down in size and she began eating the meat on her plate as if that conversation hadn’t happened.

But it had , and she had no idea just how much it caused my chest to warm.