My Demon King and I (Book 1)

4. We Shall Meet In A Place Where There Is No Darkness

Raven

This is something I never planned on doing. Bringing my mate - my possessive, gorgeous, strong, daring, breathtaking, extremely territorial demon mate - home. My eyes cut to my brother who continued driving, not glaring or squeezing the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, like I thought. Mustn't be really angry, I thought to myself. I chanced it and tried to star a conversation. "Sooooooo... Nice night out isn't it?" I pretended to look interested in what was outside the window, though not much could be seen. I chanced a quick glance back at him to see his reaction. He was fighting a smile and he knew he was losing.

He couldn't stay mad at me, no matter how many guards I had knocked unconscious because they stood in my way when I was in a foul mood. Michael looked at me with pride mixed with something akin to anger. "Raven, what you did is unacceptable. You tore down thirty guards, broke their necks, so you could escape on your little night out all because you didn't agree with the relocation of your room."

I looked at Michael like he had two heads. I cleared my throat, turned so I was facing him more, and stated the facts that he seemed to constantly exaggerate. "Firstly, it wasn't thirty guards, there were fifty seven. Over-protective much? Secondly, I did not break their necks, I incapacitated them by pressure point." I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration of me breaking fifty seven necks. "Thirdly, the relocation of my room? It was the relocation of the entire flock. You wanted to relocate away the forest, closer to civilization. At this rate, we might as well walk straight to a journalist who can write a report on the supernaturals who go bump in the night. Then maybe we'll all get a group picture, get the front page story and hope nobody hunts our kind back to extinction." I said the last part with over-dramatic optimism while glaring at him.

He kept his composure, never once taking his eyes off of the road. He kept his silence until we pulled up outside. "Look Raven, I want to be here for you. You're the only family I have left, besides Nikolas, and I want to stand with you through thick and thin. You are the most important person as well as the most powerful in this entire flock, and must be under strict observation to make sure your... other side remains dormant."

I flinched at his mention of the blood running through my veins that I inherited from my cursed father. "Michael, this is the last I want to hear of this stupid conversation. You are being unreasonable because of blood that I have inherited. You fear the blood that runs through my veins and you lock me away like a damsel in distress and have me under the pretense that it is for my safety, that my 'other side' is the reason that I, the alpha female who protects and provides, am protected and provided for like a spoiled little child!"

At this point my voice rose to a roar and my brother, used to my temper, remained as calm as possible under the circumstances. I could see his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel in a vice like grip before replying, "I'm sorry Rave, maybe it's that I've been getting really stressed out lately. Ya know, you're my only family besides Nikolas and I'm just afraid that I'm gonna lose ye one day. I can't handle that, love. I'm only one man." I calmed my breathing and glared at Michael while unbuckling my seat belt. I know it's not his fault, but the idiotic man would treat his alpha like a child instead of speaking to her like a respected woman.

"D'you know what, Michael? I just need space right now. I'm not really in the frame of mind for conversation and empathy. Come back to me in about a week and we'll see where we both stand. Got that? Think I'll take some of that well deserved space." My alpha voice took over as I stared him down, until finally, he submitted.

Before he could reply I turned away, walked up to the house and waved with a smile on my face as Nikolas pulled away behind his mate. When I turned to my front door, key in key-hole, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I looked at the hand that covered my whole shoulder, and then to the amber eyes of my mate. Shit, I forgot he was there. He looked at me, trying to find an answer in my eyes, but I just smiled and said, "I'm fine," and opened to the door.

As I started to take off my leather jacket, Lucien came up behind me, wrapped his hands around my waist, kissed my neck and whispered in my ear, "Honesty, my love."

I rested my head on his shoulder and said quietly, "I'm just so tired Lucien. Since my parents' death, its one thing after another. Meetings, poachers on the land, kidnappings, murders. It's just getting to be too much. I'm supposed to protect and provide, but I can't do that when I'm treated like an invalid and being guarded like a priceless treasure." 

Lucien tightened his hold and whispered in my ear, "You're my priceless treasure, Raven." That made me smile. "Surely it hasn't been all bad." That brought a bigger smile to my face that I tried to fight. 

Pulling away I sashayed provocatively to the kitchen, heard him growl behind me, and replied over my shoulder, "No, not all bad. I met a beautiful male in a bar with a body that looked as though it was sculpted by the Gods and a face that could make the angels weep."

I stopped at the counter and reached for tea bags, only to be pulled back against a rock hard chest. I smiled as I turned my head away and heard him growl teasingly into my neck, "And who, dear Raven, has caught your attention so vividly?"

I shrugged innocently, pulled away and said, "well who knows?" I pulled away, turned back to the kettle and said, "Right now I just need my cuppa and a good night's sleep. Now, you coming with me or d'you plan on brooding all night in the cold?" I looked back at him and smiled as he was, in fact, brooding behind me.

"Does that mean I can brood with your luscious figure next to me?" he asked, his face lighting up with so much hope that I had to laugh. Well, at least he's smiling, I thought to myself.

"Sure thing, hon. Let's go to bed so you can sulk in comfort," I said teasingly.

This brought a surprising laugh from him, which caused me to pause. The rich baritone laugh caused goosebumps to rise up my arms and I wanted to bury my head into his chiseled chest and ask him to laugh so I could hear those delicious vibrations more closely.

Then he pulled me against him and whispered in my ear, "Well, love, will sulking be all I would be doing?" 

I pulled away, smiling sweetly at his words. "That would be up to you. Maybe you could spare some time to sleep and rest easy so you don't have a permanent furrow in your brow."

All thoughts of the conversation with Michael slipped away with my irritation when I heard him growl as I moved towards the master bedroom. I thought to myself, maybe life with him would be interesting. Maybe.