“Could have done what? Died with them? The moment you moved to help you would have ended up just like your family. You lived simply because you had been lucky to remain undetected, but you did not bring the Demons upon your family. Your home was discovered, and without protection, it was attacked.”
“But my family has lived in that house for generations. We had a protection spell from the Priests to safeguard it.”
He snorted a humourless laugh.
“The magic of humans is weak. If a strong Demon stumbled upon your home, the ward would have done nothing but made it more difficult for it to get through.” He stroked his thumb down the crease where her cheek met her cute nose. “Do not let the lies of what the arachnid said fester inside you. It is not your fault. There is nothing you could have done.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Demons aren’t what humans think they are. There are many of those that don’t hunt humans anymore since they have done enough of that to become intelligent like me. They live in a town, and if there was the possibility of special humans, they would have spoken about it. I would have known about it.”
“There’s a town of Demons?” Her eyes grew wide in surprise, her tears slowing the more they spoke.
“Yes. It’s closer to the heart of the Veil. You humans don’t know of it because none of you would survive being here long enough to discover it and then leave to tell of it.” He lowered his hand to rest it on the bed next to her feet. “You are not special, Reia.”
To him, yes. Reia was very special to him. But in the terms of what she’d told him, she was not some chosen human with a dark gift. She was normal.
“Thank you,” she whispered, before startling him when she leaned over to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “I feel a lot better now. I just... what they’d said to me felt so real, like the truth.”
He curled his arm around her torso, feeling warmth from her embrace. She hugged me. He almost wanted to crush and squeeze her in appreciation.
“The Arachnid of Sorrows reaches into your deepest sadness and uses the information to manipulate you. She liked the sour taste of it, the salt of tears.”
She’d even begun to wield her power over Orpheus.
“How did she even show me their faces?”
“She, like me, has eaten humans who have magic. It gave her this ability to reach in one’s memories and show you their faces and speak to you with knowledge that only you would know in order to trick you.”
“I-I saw the other humans you’ve brought here.” Tension shot through him like he’d been shoved into an ice-cold bath. She held him tighter when she felt it. “There were so many of them. I’m sorry you’ve lost so many people.”
“It’s fine,” he answered, brushing the side of his skull against her head. “The only one that matters right now is you.”
She gave a giggle that was filled with overwhelming sadness. “That’s very sweet.”
A grumble came from her stomach, a loud one, and she gasped before wrapping her arms around her mid-section. Pinkness, that had nothing to do from her crying, highlighted her cheek bones.
“Sorry, I’m really hungry. I haven’t eaten in two days.”
White cut through his vision. “What?!”
“All the food was outside. I couldn’t get it.”
Orpheus leapt to his feet, nearly sprinting outside to go to the garden. He couldn’t have his little human be hungry! He yanked a carrot from the ground, knowing enough that they could eat it raw, before picking the remaining strawberries from its bush.
Holding it in his hand, he thought he should have perhaps brought a bowl with him. He did place everything he’d obtained into one, so she didn’t know he had been touching her food with the bare flesh of his hand. Then he dipped a cup into the water and brought it all to her.
“Eat, drink,” he demanded, almost shoving them at her.
“Yes! Water.” She reached for it and gulped it down quickly. She was also swift in eating everything he’d brought her. “Thank you, that’s so much better.”
When she was done, he took the bowl and cup from her, putting them on the kitchen counter before returning.
“I need to wash you. Your scent is attracting the Demons and more will continue to come.”
“But I’m still so tired.” She groaned, wiping her cheek with disdain and grogginess. “Can’t you do it later? I want to sleep more.”
Orpheus shook his head. “The more that come, the more that will linger. If they accidentally brush dirt into the salt circle, it will break it and they could harm you if you are in the yard. You will not be able to sit comfortably in the garden anymore.”
And he could see how much joy that’d brought her since she did it every day.
“What if you lie down with me and hide my scent?”
His head twisted so sharply he thought any other creature may have broken their neck. “Pardon?”
“If I sleep under you, will it stop them from smelling me?”
“Well, yes. It would help,” he answered, before he licked at the inside of his mouth in uncertainty. “You... want me to sleep with you?”
Her nod was slight, almost shy.
“You’re really warm. If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I-I’ll, um, have the bath then.”
She sounded like that was the last thing she wanted.
“No,” he quickly said. “I do.”
I want to lie with her. The offer alone was enough to make his heart beat heavier, but it deepened even more when he walked to the other side of the bed. He was unsure about this.
“Do you want me above the furs?”
“No, it’s okay.” She reached over and pulled the fur covering back.
Yellow danced along the edges of his vision as he crawled under the furs, and it deepened when she was the one to wiggle further until she was pressed against him. She was facing him, her arms resting comfortably in front of her.
“You’re not doing a very good job of hiding me,” she said with a playful and mocking hint to her tone. “You don’t have to be so afraid. You can hold me if you want.”
Orpheus slowly turned, his heart quickening by the second. He’d wanted to rest with one of his humans more than anything, to hold them while they slept, and Reia was offering it, asking for it. All the things he told himself he shouldn’t be feeling after she run away soared despite himself.
Tenderness, fondness, joy, and hope.
Slipping his arm underneath her head to replace her pillow, Orpheus wrapped his other arm around her tightly, pushing her against him until he enveloped her in his embrace.
Her breaths were light and fluttery against his bare chest. He hadn’t put on his shirt yet, though he’d been intending to right after his bath. Her elderberry and red rose scent embraced him, and the squishiness of her sent a thrill through him.
I can feel her heartbeat. It came from everywhere, racing through her veins, and it was utterly soothing.
Her hand brushed his chest. “Your wounds are gone. There isn’t even a scar.”
He placed the underneath of his long jaw against the top of her hair. “I heal within a day.”
“Lucky bastard. My ankle still hurts.”
A fluttering chuckle escaped him, the sound unusual and uncommon for him.
She was silent for a few moments, and he’d thought she’d fallen asleep again.