Draziel's POV
I had been pacing on the terrace, my eyes trained on the castle field, eagerly awaiting their arrival. My hands trembled as I carried them behind me. Why in the world would Zarek even take her to the real world?
Yeah. Humans were her people, but why? Why couldn't I shake off the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, warning me that she wasn't safe in her own world?
The air around me suddenly lifted. I threw my gaze up and saw them appear in the field.
I sighed with relief, letting the calm flow through me, as I teleported to them. I listened to a bit of their conversation before they spotted me.
She spun on her feet to me at my words, and for a moment as her golden hair swept the air around her face, a portion covering her eyes, shining brighter under the equally golden rays of the sun, I couldn't explain it, but I lost it—lost that control I had so preached to myself just a minute ago—lost that resolve to stay far from her.
I snatched her wrist instinctively without thinking. Somehow, she always seemed to rob me of my thoughts. Making me do the stupidest things I wouldn't ordinarily do. I pulled her to me, letting her rest her head on her chest.
But then, she held tight to me, squeezing her small arms around me, as if I'd disappear if she let go.
This was wrong—totally wrong. A human and a demon—it was something that should never happen. I shouldn't be making the same mistake the future me made. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to push her away. Against every ounce of reason, I watched my hands moving instinctively to wrap around her.
She jumped away from me, her head bowed from embarrassment. "I am sorry," she apologized, and she retreated from me.
I followed each foot she took back, away from me, my heart hammering against my chest, my loins engulfed in a flaming heat inside of me, burning harder as she moved away from me.
"You don't need to be sorry, Lyra." I said, and I snatched her wrist once again, pulling her back to my arms, where she belonged.
I sniffed her hair, an effervescent golden blond that smelled just like her—a pure mix of rose and jasmine. I took enough to fill my lungs as I smoothed the soft, silky tendrils between my fingers. I might regret this later—rebuke myself for breaking my own rule again. But right now. I wanted to enjoy this—enjoy this moment again.
She hugged me tighter and tighter again. Something in the way she held onto me told me instinctively that something had happened to her in the human world.
I whipped my gaze to Zarek, fury coursing violently through me like adrenaline. "Why did you take her to the human world? Don't you know it's dangerous?" I yelled at him.
"I am sorry, brother." He apologized, bowing his head away. "I just thought she would love to see her people. Since she is the only human here."
"You shouldn't—" before I could complete the sentence, he'd disappeared from the field—his usual tactic to avoid my scolding.
I growled out a grunt, folding my fist beside me as I stared at the little swirl of dust that trailed the air where he'd just been. This was my fault. I have been too lenient on him. I promised myself he was going to get an earful from me later.
I grabbed onto Lyra and teleported her to her room. We landed on the stone floor, and then she gently pulled away from my arms.
I leaned out my arms to hold onto her, but I slapped them back to my side, letting logic and reason win this time. It was better this way. I have been foolish enough—I have let my stupidity run on for too long already.
I stared down at her, looking straight into the warm amber pair just as they held mine down. "I need to leave, human—Lyra," I corrected myself immediately. I shook my head gently at the mistake. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.
"Okay, Draziel." She smiled, a large smile that reached her eyes, making the warm amber orbs of hers shine brighter. She was so infectious, I found myself returning her smile. Then I turned slowly for the door, my feet dragging reluctantly on the stone as if wanting me to stay.
A loud rumbling noise from her stomach stopped me. It crackled like thunder but was lower than it. She hugged her belly with both of her arms instantly, her face suddenly crumbled, twisted in pain, as if something was tearing her open from the inside.
I sprinted to her, my legs racing against my heart. I grabbed her fast into my arms, though she wasn't falling. "What's happening, Lyra?" I demanded sharply.
She pushed my arm gently around it. "It's nothing. I am just hungry." She said.
Damn me. I clenched my teeth angrily at myself, muttering under my breath and rebuking myself. How could I have been so foolish? Humans eat far more than demons. Unlike demons, they follow a strict 3-course-meal-a-day routine. How could I have forgotten about that?
I let go of her gently, careful so I wouldn't hurt her.
"I'll have the maids fix you something to eat," I said. I moved sharply in the direction of the door.
She snatched the sleeves of my robe. She forced a smile through the mask of pain that claimed her face.
"I think I'll pass." She said with a grim twist of her lips. "I bet all you have got is raw meat. Mostly from snakes, because that's probably the only animal that survives in the underworld."
"We have got pigs too. They taste more delicious than snakes." I said eagerly. I didn't see why talk of cuisine mattered.
"Probably uncooked." Her face twisted further in distaste.
"What do you mean by uncooked? Meat is meant to be consumed raw. Not—"
She jerked forward as if something suddenly nudged her forcefully from the inside. I rushed to grab her, but she leaned her arm out, pushing me back. Her mouth bulged like she was holding back something from pouring from her.
I cleared my throat as I watched her. I paced on the spot, my muscles quivering beneath my robe. Something was happening to her, and I had no idea what the hell it was.
"What is happening, Lyra?" I leaned my head lower to her as I whispered softly. Perhaps she would give me an answer that way.
But she just ran fast into the bathroom before. I ran after her. I stood by the door as she leaned over the bathtub, pouring out something silky out of her mouth onto the bathtub. It looked like a thick, almost whitish substance roped around a large, long trail of saliva.
I grabbed hard at the doorframe, the stone almost coming off in my hands. What could be happening to her?
She slumped onto the edge of the bathtub, collecting water from the faucet to wash her face. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But your talk about uncooked pig meat just stirred up chaos in my stomach, which made me vomit."
"Vomit." I repeated the word to her, my eyes squinting slowly at her. "Is that what you call what you just did now?"
Her brow cocked up in question at me, yet she said nothing. Her look could have said I was crazy. "Forgive me, Draziel." She hit her palm on her head. "You will know about all these things when you meet the future me."
She stood up from the bathtub then, rubbing her face still with another round of water from the bathtub. "I guess in the meantime. I'll starve," she said casually, as if it meant nothing. I didn't know much about humans, but I know they have to follow their 3-course meal routine or they die.
"You are not going to starve, Lyra." I yelled at her, walking towards her. "I won't let you."
She waved me away. "I don't mean to be rude, Draziel. But I can't bring myself to eat what you and your people eat."
"Then let's go eat what your people eat."
I had promised myself not to go to the human world again, but now, I didn't seem to care. I couldn't let her die. I teleported to her and grabbed her waist.
"You don't have to, Draziel." She yelled.
But I wasn't listening; I teleported instantly with her to the human world.