Tortured Mate (Sassy Ever After Universe #62)(12)
“Basically yes, that’s correct. When Jericho escaped he became a demon hunter and sent those released back before they could reap too much damage. That of course only pissed the occupants of Hell off even more. Aeron railed that Jericho was a disgrace to the family name, that he was ruining Aeron’s reputation and it was all because of some personal vendetta. That he’d escaped to embarrass him, hence the vow to make him pay for Aeron’s perceived wrongs.”
“Jericho is safe now thanks to the potion Cadence had made, so he’s focused on you now. I get that, but how is he tormenting you?”
“He’s got powers like I’ve never seen before, mentally at least. I’m half witch, half demon. Therefore, I have some unique abilities, one of them being that I can mask my location from those searching for me. It takes a lot of energy and willpower though. By the time you stumbled across me in town I was struggling to hide. He was dogging my every step, waiting for my guard to drop and he could find me.”
Valac fell silent for a moment as he watched a shooting star fly across the sky above him. Moments like that almost made him want to fight forever. It was a futile wish though. His fate was sealed long before he’d even known there was an option for anything else.
“You’re stalling. Talk to me, babe.”
Valac took a deep breath and began again, “He won’t let me sleep. He bombards me with images of torture. I can hear their screams and feel their pain. At least when I’m awake I don’t have to see anything.”
“Not see, but still hear?”
“In crystal clear quality. Every whimper, every crack of the whip, every scream, plea, and cry. It never ends, day and night. Overlay that with Aeron’s voice giving me detailed descriptions of what he’ll do when he finally gets me back under his control.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you must be going through, but I can promise I won’t give up. We’ll find a way out of this for you that doesn’t involve going back there.”
The two men lapsed into a soft silence, Valac could feel Rogue’s eyes on him, but he didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes. He knew there was nothing that could be done for him. He just needed everyone else to accept that and move on.
“Rogue, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, anything.”
“Why won’t you shift?”
Rogue was quiet for so long, Valac wasn’t sure he was going to answer. He was debating asking a different question to diffuse the tension when Rogue’s words finally filled his head once again.
“I want too, I really do. I want nothing more than to meet you man to man. But I don’t know if I can.”
He debated on what to say. He wanted to know more but he didn’t want to be pushy and make him uncomfortable. “I think we should create a bucket list. Things I should do before…”
“You won’t be going back, but I have no problem making a list of things you should do anyway.”
“I’m crossing this one off the list already. See we’re doing pretty good, just decided to do it and I’ve already marked one as done.”
Chapter Ten
“What sitting under the stars with a talking wolf?”
Valac laughed, “I don’t think many people could claim that one. It would be unique. But I was referring to the stars in general. Thank you for bringing me here.”
It amazed him that such a simple gesture like this would mean so much to the other man. He hadn’t considered he’d never laid down and looked up before, but it made sense when you considered he’d been living in literal Hell forever.
“For this bucket list are we talking travel the world type things or insane like base jumping or something like that?”
“I’m open to anything you think I should experience. There’s not much in Hell to do and since I’ve never been allowed out that I wasn’t on an assignment of sorts. I’ve never had time to do the things I’ve seen humans do and enjoy.”
Every time Valac opened his mouth, he wanted to cry at what he said. He may have been alive for hundreds of years, but he's never really lived. That was even more reason to make sure his mate didn’t go back.
They talked on their pallet of grass and wildflowers, the night sky their blanket until Valac fell asleep a few hours later. Rogue vowed he’d stay beside him and keep his demons away. He took the chance that his mate would stay asleep and shifted to his human form. Every time Valac began to cry out in his sleep, he’d start singing a lullaby his mother had sung to him when he was in the hospital as a kid.
As the sun begun to rise the next morning he quickly shifted back and waited. It wasn’t long before Valac stirred and awoke.
“Morning.” He said with a soft smile.
“Good morning to you. You look much better, sleep must have done you wonders. How do you feel?”
“Still really tired, but almost refreshed at the same time.” Valac pulled himself to a sitting position and yawned. “Would it be weird if I propositioned you?”
“Excuse me?” Rogue couldn’t believe his ears, was his mate really asking him that? Had he died and gone to heaven and not realized it?
“I haven’t slept that good in weeks, I can only guess it’s because you were here. Sleep with me every night, hell afternoons too if I can talk you into it.”