Page 8

8

CALLIOPE

I stayed curled in Adan’s lap for a long time, his promise circling in my head. His arms stayed wrapped around me, and his chest was warm and solid beneath my cheek. The intensity between us hadn’t faded, not completely. It hummed beneath the surface, but he didn’t push. He just held me.

I needed that more than I’d realized.

For the first time in my life, I’d practically thrown myself at a man. And not just anyone. A demon—something I didn’t even know existed twenty-four hours ago. One who claimed I was his fated mate.

It should’ve been too much. But even now, with the heat of his body surrounding me and my pulse still racing, all I could think about was how natural it had felt to kiss him. My body had responded like it was waking up for the first time.

And maybe it was.

I’d always felt out of step with other women my age. They talked about hookups and flings, dating apps and guys they’d met at parties. I thought something in me was broken for never finding someone who truly sparked my interest. Not until Adan.

I knew that sleeping with guys you just met was a thing, but part of me worried this was all moving too fast. That I was losing my grip on reality and none of this was real.

I tilted my head back and studied Adan. “You meant it when you said I’m your fated mate?”

“I did.” His gaze was steady, and there wasn’t a hint of doubt in his deep voice. “There is no one else for me, Calliope. Not now. Not ever.”

His words sank into me, warming places I hadn’t let anyone reach before.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around what being your fated mate means,” I admitted softly.

Adan didn’t reply right away. His fingers traced a slow, reassuring pattern across my lower back first. “It means you’re mine. In a way that has nothing to do with possession and everything to do with connection. It’s a recognition that happens once in a demon’s life, if at all.”

“Once?” I breathed.

“We don’t get second chances. Demon mating is final. Absolute. The moment I saw you…” His hand stilled. “Something ancient inside me woke up and refused to go back to sleep.”

I shivered, not from fear, but from the weight of what he was saying. “Is it like that for all demons?”

He nodded. “For those of us lucky enough to find the other half of our soul, yes. But too many demons spend centuries without their one.”

The emotion in his voice stole my breath.

After a long pause, I whispered, “Exactly how old are you?”

“Older than most buildings you’ve ever stepped foot in. I was born before this country existed.”

I blinked at him, trying to process that. “So when you said plural centuries, you meant…”

“Three.” He said the number so casually, I almost missed it. “I’m three hundred and two.”

“That means you’re two hundred and eighty-two years older than me.” My brain almost stalled as I did the math. “Being a demon must have its advantages because you definitely don’t look it.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” His palm stroked up my spine. “But I didn’t make it through those years untouched.”

“What do you mean?”

He looked away, his jaw tight. “My father is Abaddon.”

The name didn’t mean anything to me. “Who?”

“Some call him the Destroyer. Others say that he’s the king of a swarm of demonic locusts. A general in hell. A beast made of smoke and teeth.”

My mouth went dry. “And he’s your father?”

Adan nodded again. “I inherited his power and part of the reputation that came with it. The supernatural world expected me to follow in his footsteps, including him.”

The shadows in his voice made my heart ache.

“But you didn’t.”

“As soon as I could get free, I left and chose something different for myself.” His chest lifted as he heaved a sigh. “I’m still tied to him in some ways, though. Which is why I chose the name for this place…because he’s also known as the demon of the abyss.”

My eyes swept the luxurious room around us—the stone walls, the magic etched into the foundation, the layers of history humming beneath it all. “You chose to build this place. Not destroy it.”

His gaze snapped back to mine, and I saw something flicker there. A quiet kind of awe. “Nobody has understood so quickly before.”

I beamed him an impish smile. “Maybe it’s a fated mate thing.”

“Could be,” he agreed with a grin. “You’re my first and only so I’m sure there will be lots of things we will learn about our bond together.”

The absolute certainty in his voice cracked something open inside me.

And I wanted more. Not just answers or explanations. All of Adan, too.

“Can I see what you really look like?”

His eyes bled to black and back to blue again. “You already have.”

“No,” I whispered. “I mean…your demon form.”

Adan didn’t move right away. His expression turned guarded, and for a moment, I thought he might say no. Then he stood, his tall frame casting a long shadow across the stone floor. “You sure you’re ready for that?”

Oddly enough, I was. “Yes.”

“Stay exactly where you are.”

My breath caught as the air around him rippled. The warmth of the room deepened into something heavier. The ceiling lights flickered, the sconces dimming to a low golden glow. And then he began to change.

A low crack echoed through the suite as his bones started to realign. His back arched, and with a low snarl, his body began to expand. His shoulders grew broader. His muscles thickened, flexing as his clothes dissolved in a whisper of smoke, replaced by iron armor that latched onto him like second skin. Black horns pushed free from his skull, ribbed and slightly curved at the top. And a long tail flicked behind him, shaped similar to a scorpion’s and ending in a magenta-tinged tip.

The sound of leathery wings unfurling sent a shiver down my spine, and I watched in stunned silence as they stretched wide behind him. They were massive. Powerful. And with their magenta coloring, beautiful in a way I hadn’t expected.

His eyes were the last to change. The deep blue I had come to recognize bled away, consumed by a swirling fire that danced in pure black sockets. Yet even then…I saw him.

Not a monster. Not a beast.

Still Adan. Just bigger and with demonic features.

The Abyss responded to his transformation. The stone floor pulsed beneath my feet, and the chandelier above us dimmed further until it glowed with a soft, flickering heat.

Adan stood motionless, letting me take him in. His breathing was even, but his jaw was tight. As though he was bracing himself.

I rose slowly, never taking my eyes off him.

He was massive. At least six-foot-eight now, every inch of him solid and fierce in an otherworldly kind of way. His armor gleamed across his shoulders and forearms, gleaming iron molded to his body as though it had been forged just for him. His torso and thighs were bare, showing off the raw power of his body.

My steps were slow as I approached him. Every instinct in me should’ve screamed to run, but all I felt was awe.

I reached out and touched the center of his chest. His skin was warm, the beat of his heart steady beneath my palm.

“You’re still you,” I whispered.

The fire in his eyes flared.

And then—quietly, reverently—he whispered back, “Only with you.”

I felt Adan’s breath hitch beneath my palm, just slightly. Even with all that power, he was holding back for me.

The realization settled inside me like a truth I hadn’t realized I needed. Adan was a demon feared by others, descended from one of the most powerful creatures in existence. But with me, he was gentle. Patient. Even vulnerable.

I knew deep in my bones that I didn’t need to be afraid of him. Or of what being his fated mate meant.

If I listened to my head instead of my heart, I’d take a step back to give myself time. But I threw caution to the wind and slid my hand up from his chest to cup his cheek. A low rumble vibrated in his throat as he leaned into my touch.

“I’m not afraid of what you are.” My voice shook, not from fear but from the depth of emotion surging inside me. I didn’t know where it came from, but there was no denying I felt an irresistible pull to Adan.

His large hand rose to cover mine where it rested against his face. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

“I think I do,” I breathed.

I still didn’t understand so much about this world and the bond between us. But I didn’t need all the answers to know that I wanted the opportunity to explore whatever was happening between us. To experience the passion I felt for the first time while I had the chance since my trip was only supposed to last for three more days.

I stepped closer until his body nearly enveloped mine. His wings slowly lowered to wrap around my back.

My voice didn’t waver this time when I said, “I want you.”