Standing in the hallway, she had her head cocked as she gave him a look reminiscent of a hawk sighting prey, "I have been thinking much this last day. I know you care for my sister and I want to stay with her. But I don't want to bond myself to the cursed god for it. His mother is unkind and vicious, and no matter what you say, I don't trust her son to be any better. But if I don't bond, the bitchtress can reclaim me and make me go back to Kalosis and serve her. My brother has left there and gone I know not where, and my sister was sent away countless centuries ago."
Her eyes were troubled and sad, and they showed the full depth of her heart. "I only want to be with my family, Alexion. Will you let me bond to you so that Xirena can't be forced back to Kalosis?"
Alexion exchanged a shocked look with Danger as Xirena's words rang in his head. That was one hell of a request she was making.
To bond with a demon was irreversible. At least as far as he knew. Xirena would become a part of him in much the same way that Simi was part of Acheron. She would live on his body and be his to command.
Could he even do that?
"I'm not human or a god," he said to her. "I don't really even have a body for you to bond to."
"We bond to the ousia. Not the flesh."
He looked back at Danger. If he took Xirena up on her offer, he would have one more entity who could guard her at all times. No matter when or where Stryker attacked, Xirena would be with him.
But he couldn't take advantage of the demon for his own peace of mind. That would be selfish and cruel, and there was no way he would ever be like that to another living being. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Xirena nodded. "I have to. Please don't make me go back there. The bitchtress will kill me and I only want to stay with my sister. Please."
"Will Ash be mad?" Danger asked.
Xirena hissed like a cat. "I don't care what the cursed god says. He doesn't control me."
Truthfully, Alexion didn't know how Acheron would react, but he couldn't imagine him getting angry over this, especially not if it made Simi happy.
In a weird way, it made total sense. The last thing he wanted was to see Xirena pulled back into Kalosis where she might be punished for helping him. He didn't know much about Acheron's mother, other than the fact that she wasn't known for her understanding or compassion. Alexion had already had Simi for nine thousand years—at least this one was an adult.
"I guess it's okay," he said.
Danger gaped. He was bonding with a demon? She didn't know what that was, but it didn't sound good. "Are you two getting married?"
He laughed. "No."
Still not sure, she watched as Xirena's body became a bizarre shadow that shrank in size until it was no larger than half a foot. She took on the shape of a dragon.
Alexion lifted his shirt and she laid herself across his ribs to form a brightly colored tattoo there.
Completely stunned, Danger reached out to touch the demon tattoo. "Does that hurt?"
"Burns a little," he said as he looked down at the demon on his skin.
"What did she do?"
"I'm not exactly sure how they do it, but she's now a part of me. She can feel my emotions. If she senses I'm in danger, she'll manifest back into her demon form and protect me."
Wow, mat was impressive… and scary. "Can she hear us?"
"No," he assured her. "I can hear her thoughts, though, and if I allow her to, she can hear mine."
"That's just so weird."
"I know. Apparently, the ancient Atlantean gods used to pick one demon they favored above all others to become their companions."
"So Simi is Ash's?"
"Yes."
Her face lightened as if she finally understood something. "So that's why Ash's tattoo changes shapes and positions? It's not really a tattoo. It's his demon."
He nodded.
"Well, that's just a total freak. So what happens if one of you dies? Does it kill the other?"
He felt the color drain from his face. "Now there's something I never thought about. Let's hope we never find out."
"Yeah, it could seriously stink, huh?"
Before Alexion could answer, Xirena started crawling up his chest, toward his shoulder. He jumped as her path burned him and caused him to shiver. "Xirena, stop moving!"
"Sorry, akri."
"Don't call me akri, Xirena. I'm not a control freak."
"You are good, quality people, Alexion. Xirena will sleep now."
"You two talking?" Danger asked.
"For only a second. She's going to sleep for a while." He rubbed his chest where Xirena now rested as a permanent part of his being. "Now I understand why Acheron jumps every now and again for no reason. Simi must be twitching on him."
Danger laughed. "I hope you don't start doing that. People around here might think you're having a seizure. Next thing you know, they'll be throwing you down on the ground and putting a stick in your mouth."
"Really?"
She laughed again. "No. C'mon, gullible. Let's go eat."
"So why aren't you eating this time?" Danger asked as they sat in a small family-owned Italian restaurant down the street from her house, looking over the menu.
"I told you, I can't taste anything."
She gave him a piercing glare. "C'mon, Alexion, don't lie to me. With the exception of the popcorn, you haven't eaten anything since you've been here, have you?"
He looked away from her.
Danger reached across the table and took his hand. She wanted an answer to this. "Please tell me the truth."
Alexion considered the ramifications of being honest with her. But then she wouldn't remember it, so why not? She already knew more than she should.