I twist my lips, hating the idea of losing Oreo, even if it’s two thousand years from now. That definitely makes me a selfish person, but I never told anyone I was the good guy in this story.
Keeping my eyes ahead, I watch the scenery stay the same. A horizon of dark hills and empty fields. Nothing. Absolutely nothing in the distance. “Are we going the right way?” I ask. “Because, you know, there’s nothing ahead.”
“Don’t worry.” He winks. “I know where we’re going, even if it’s going to take a while to get there. Why don’t you tell me about your mates in the meantime?”
Mm, I don’t like the idea of oversharing, but there’s not much to do other than stare at hills of nothing. Besides, what could he do with the knowledge? He already has my soul, so it isn’t like he can screw me up worse than this. A shrug shakes my shoulders. “Well, there’s Donatello. He was the first to find me. We happened to be in the same casino when I killed the Chosen One.”
Zaki snaps his head to the side, his eyes going huge. “You killed the Light Mage?”
“Yeah. I’m surprised the news got here.”
“I mean, it takes forever, but news this big?” He scoffs. “I’m impressed. What are you, anyway? You can’t be plain human. Not with a hellhound at your ankles.”
A chuckle escapes me. “Yeah, I’m a Shadow Mage.”
“Oh, that explains a lot.” His eyes glint as he gives me a slow once-over.
“What? What does it explain?”
Zaki brings a finger up, counting. “A hellhound. Walking around in the Underworld's darkness without a drop of fear. Being chased by reapers and not caring. Killing the Light Mage.” A smile lights up his face, and even his horns don’t look that bad anymore. “You are a Shadow Mage.”
I let myself smile, too. “Yeah, I think it took me a while to get used to the idea, but it is who I am. I fit the job description just fine.”
Zaki’s gaze travels over my face. “Let me guess. You’ve been fighting your inner darkness instead of embracing it.”
“Pretty much. I mean, that’s what we are expected to do. Ignore the bad things. Become better people.”
Zaki chuckles. “Having some darkness inside you doesn’t make you bad. It just makes you real.”
“Funny you saying that,since you’re a demon.” And I smirk at him.
He slowly arches an eyebrow. “Are you saying demons are inherently evil? Because that’s a prejudice.”
I laugh out loud, then catch myself doing that. That’s so weird! Why am I so comfortable chatting with a freaking demon? He’s not even hiding who he is. Or maybe it’s because of that? Maybe it’s because Zaki doesn’t hide his horns and his tail and what makes him who he is. And demon or not, he’s sticking around for some time. He has to, or I’ll have no way out.
I can only hope his sex demon ways don’t distract me from my true quest. This is about going back to my mates. That’s the only thing that matters.
CHAPTER12
CASSANDRA
It’s easy to get used to Zaki’s swishing tail, his horns, and the unnatural color of his eyes—yellow, like the eyes of a cat. He has a measure of charisma, something to his presence that makes me relax, even when I know I shouldn’t let my guard down when I’m close to a demon. It must be because of the whole incubus thing.
The trek stretches on and on, and Zaki takes natural leadership of the conversation. He’s a trove of weird stories, weaving tales of past experiences that make me laugh and shudder, the conversation flowing as if we’ve known each other for years.
Why do I feel closer to a demon than I ever did to any human?
“No, this girl,” he says, a grin on his face, “she was so into waterworks she wouldn’t do anything else. It came to a point where people were avoiding her because thatwas all she would do.”
“Wait, wait.” I arch an eyebrow, my lips stretchinginto a smile as I glance at him. “What does that mean? Waterworks?”
He gasps in mock shock. “You don’t know what it means?”
“It has to be freaky,” I reply with a chuckle. The only waterworksI can imagine is a synonym for crying, and something tells me fucking someone while they cry is too easy for a sex demon.
“Man, I can’t believe you haven’t tried it.” And he stops talking, facing forward. The silence stretches for a beat, then another, and Zaki says nothing. The fucker. He wants me to ask.
I punch him in the shoulder. “Spill it, Zaki.”