Page 68

A time unknown, but one of failure

She is cross with me, Weldir thought, as he floated before his mate with his arms folded.

Hers were also crossed over her chest, and she refused to look at him since he brought her here. Her pretty face was furrowed with deep lines, while her shoulders were raised and tense.

Yet he couldn’t help finding her bottom lip pouting forward cute, especially as he felt infinitely better now that he’d stolen her away from that half-Demon.

He’d take her being cranky with him over the disgusting pit of emotions he’d been floating in earlier. He wasn’t used to feeling them, and he thought that may be why he found himself to be much more sensitive than usual.

I don’t like that I will have to make that male reveal his true intentions.

That their companionship was fragile, and likely only reached the end of Lindiwe’s usefulness to Jabeziryth.

In his heart, that male was a Demon who had cruel and violent intentions, even if he was only a mere boy in Weldir’s mind.

I do not wish to hurt her, but she will see when I speak with him. The result of that conversation should irreparably damage their useless friendship.

Yet he felt his mist unfurling itself with her presence near and safe, and the vicious tangle of emotions quickly pulled away. She floated in his weightless shadows, completely wrapped up in him.

That was all that mattered for now.

“You continued to meet with Jabeziryth, disobeying me,” he stated with a deep tone of displeasure.

“He doesn’t like to be called that,” she grumbled. “And you likely heard him say so.”

A swirl of confusion wrapped around him.

He didn’t see why she cared, or why he should.

“But that’s not his name.”

Her arms tightened. “Doesn’t matter. Are you going to use a soul to speak with him?”

“I don’t see why I should?” he stated, a question underlining his voice as he tilted his head to the side. “I can talk to him through you.”

Her jaw dropped, then she threw her hands up, obviously more annoyed with him than just a second ago. “I will tell you what I told him. I’m not a messenger bird!” she exclaimed with a hateful spark of fire in her eyes. “Talk to him yourself. You have the ability to do so.”

“In order to speak to him properly, I would require the use of a soul. I have no desire to waste such energy on a petulant child.”

Then again, calling Jabez that was a little unfair, considering he was a fully fledged adult. Just something that was young on the scale of unending time Weldir had lived and would live.

“I’ll happily be there to mediate, but I don’t want to talk on your behalf.”

Weldir sighed. Was he being childish? Perhaps a little, but he had his reasons, however selfish they may be. “You once told me that the gods you know of were fickle beings. I am choosing to be fickle.”

Her brows drew impossibly closer, and her gaze much sharper. “Then speak to him in your mist, like you first did with me.”

“If we do that, then you will not be there, as there will be no point.”

“No.” She placed her hand over her chest. “I want to be part of the conversation, since it apparently impacts me.”

“Then you will speak on my behalf.” When she opened her pesky mouth to argue and refute, bold as usual, Weldir darkened his voice. “ Enough, Lindiwe. I have taken your disobedience lightly over the past few days, but my patience does have an end .”

She promptly shut her lips, and then her pretty features pinched into a displeased expression. She looked to the side, away from him, as her hands bundled into tight fists.

Seeing as this was a losing battle for her, he sighed.

I’d rather her not be there for her safety, but she is stubborn and she must see the error of her ways.

Especially regarding Jabez, and what he knew to be the truth.

She seemed to have more faith in a total stranger than acceptance that Weldir could foresee the likely outcome.

He wanted her there only for that reason. To know, with irrefutable proof. So she couldn’t argue with him about it in the future, and would do anything in her power to avoid him from then on.

“There is a portal in a large rainforest, which has given the Demons a plentiful home,” Weldir continued, refusing to entertain the notion of her changing his mind. “Once we are certain you are carrying another of our offspring, I will speak to Jabez through you and then remove you from Austrális.”

“Whatever you want, Weldir,” she snipped. Then, with her expression relaxing into something crestfallen, she muttered quietly, “It’s always whatever you want.”

It was almost like he’d taken a toy from a creature that did not want to relinquish it.

What I want is for her cheerlessness to fade.

Although he’d taken her from Austrális – he could have had this conversation through the bond – he had good intentions. Namely, to keep her safe, within his reach, and finally enact something he’d been wanting to try for quite some time.

And his desire to do so had only strengthened over the past few days.

His mist collected tighter around him, as the oily solid parts of him moved a little faster around his body. Nervousness skittered along the edges of his being; he was unsure how to instigate such an interaction.

He knew now, more than ever, that he must be determined. Her response to Jabeziryth’s personal questions proved there was a missing link between them, one that may be paramount for a matehood. One he’d never considered until she brought such a need up.

She wasn’t making it easy with her closed-off body language.

Should I ask? That felt disingenuous. Don’t human men usually do this from a strike of passion? He didn’t know how to emulate such behaviour when he lacked the emotion necessary.

In the memories he’d looked into, usually the woman helped to instigate intimacy. With Lindiwe’s arms folded and her body slightly turned from him, Weldir felt out of depth within the ocean of his own darkness.

It was a strange feeling, really, as he was always calm and in control here.

“Lindiwe...” Weldir started, before his words lost him in his uncertainty.

“Yes. Yes, okay,” she snapped out.

Then she unclipped her raven cloak and began to fumble with the ties of her trousers with agitated movements. She was preparing herself, as she usually did, without giving him a chance to say more.

Rather than shunting himself forward through the darkness, Weldir reached his clawed hand forward and yanked her to him. Her gasp of surprise echoed throughout his realm, and her hair floated and waved as she was brought right to him with barely a few centimetres parting them.

“Do you ever soothe?” he asked with an exaggerated, false sigh.

With eyes wide in puzzlement, and her hands waving backwards in an attempt to put space between them he didn’t allow, she rasped, “Excuse me?”

“What I mean to say is: how does one soothe you?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she grumbled, her bottom lip doing that cute pouty thing. “I don’t think I’m all that difficult, if I’m being honest.”

“So it’s only me who irks you?” His tone was deflated, and he wished his question didn’t ring with so much truth.

Her eyes slitted into little cute glares, and she bore them right into his gaze. “People usually listen.”

“I listen,” he rebuffed.

It was all he could do. That, and witness.

She rolled her doe-brown eyes, giving up on swimming backwards when it was pointless. “Yes, but they understand. They compromise.”

“We compromise plenty.” When she gave him a dull look, emphasising that what he said wasn’t favourable, he quickly added, “I can try to do better.” He’d been trying all along, even if she didn’t realise it.

She let out a long, solemn expire. “You are what you are, Weldir. You don’t know what it means to feel like a human, and I doubt you ever will. I’ve started to accept that.”

He tsked. That wasn’t the answer he’d hoped for; he didn’t want her to just settle. “But there is always room for improvement. For change.”

Her lips pulled down into a frown and she shook her head, as if she couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to say.

She pushed back the tresses of her hair when they swam in front of her face as her gaze flicked side to side over his form.

Then something seemed to register in her mind and her eyes widened.

She cupped her hands to her stomach, as though it became unsettled.

“Weldir... you didn’t think I was trying to make you jealous out of spite, did you?

I’m not that kind of person.” She bit down on her bottom lip and then nibbled it.

“I just... it’s nice to have a friend who understands what it’s like to be alive for so long, to be.

.. different from everyone else. I would never. ..”

Weldir would have rolled his eyes if it were possible; he lacked any whites in his eyes for such a thing to be noticeable to her. “I’ve never doubted your intentions, Lindiwe. I see no reason as to why you would betray our deal, and with a Demon, no less.”

She shook her head while rearing it back. “Then I don’t understand what the issue is.”

Tired of going in circles when it was just easier to show her, Weldir forced all of his physical self, no matter how little it was, to fill his face in its entirety. Then he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers.

She flinched, winced, and seemed to gasp all at the same time. Her head ducked back to escape him. Caving in on herself did little to stop him until he pulled away, only because she started shoving her arms through his intangible torso to no avail.

He tilted his head when she covered her mouth with her cheeks lifting into a cringe. “What are you doing?” she mumbled past her hand.

“Attempting to give you what you asked for.”

I thought that had been obvious.

Her cringe, although semi-hidden, deepened. “Was... was that supposed to be a kiss ?”

“Well, I did press my lips to yours, didn’t I?”