The Mayaware's reign must end.
In a world of demonic beings with a hunger for human flesh and thirst for blood, Hesi Renen knows it well. When her siblings are taken to the harvesting farms, she must do everything she can to get them out, even if it...
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Returning in the dim cave that was Mezo's quarters twisted her gut into a disarray of knots. Hesi craned her neck at the ceiling as she listened to the High Prince's cutlery clink against a porcelain plate. Like last time, he ate slabs of meat sliced so thinly and served raw.
"Does it bother you?" The demon prince's gentle tone jarred her attention back to him. "Me eating, that is."
She jerked her chin. "No, go ahead," she replied. "It's not like I can bring back their lives. We also need to avoid your...um..."
A sigh made his shoulders slump. "Of course, we will talk about that," he said. "I hoped you figured out what happened by now."
She glanced at the shelves lining the walls. They were back in their pristine condition as though nothing did. "Apart from the snake-like frills, I saw a furry tail." She inclined her head at him. "It is only found in demons of mammalian forms, right?"
"Correct." He speared another slab of meat and stuck it into his mouth, turning slightly away out of courtesy. As he swallowed without chewing, he faced her again. "I came from an interracial consummation. My father believed it was the future of the Mayaware."
"Except it isn't," she blurted out the sentiment he might fear saying aloud. "Because you have difficulty controlling it."
The demon nodded. "The High King believes having an army of hybrids will increase our might," he explained. "That is why he has to hide my condition. If the generals see my affliction and how...unpredictable it can be, they will withdraw their support."
"That is also why the King is in a hurry to produce an heir born out of a human," he continued when she didn't construct a coherent reply. Yobekh explained that. They wanted stronger soldiers and citizens and only realized the puru of their prey was the answer.
"But I doubt he will get what he wants," Mezo finished.
"I never imagined seeing you go against your father even in the dark," she noted.
He pursed his lips. Was that guilt in his eyes? Since when did demons exhibit such emotion? "Consider it my penance for the sins I required absolution for." He hung his head, saying the same thing Kharta told her. Silence thickened to a cloud for half a minute. He broke it with a sigh. "I am truly sorry about what happened to Mensa. I couldn't warn her in time."
"Like what you did for me?" she asked. "How did it become so ravenous towards Mensa that you didn't foresee it?"
Mezo set his fork down and put his hands together. When he leaned forward, only the low table stood between them. In the darkness, she felt his knees almost brush hers as they sat with their legs folded over square cushions. "My demon forms are at war with each other, but they see a common enemy in this form." He gestured to his human body. She thought of it as his normal look. "That means there are days when I can keep them at bay, and some when I can't."
