Chapter Twenty
Well into the morning, teetering into the afternoon, the shuffles of a demon and elf crinkled through the living space. As they stirred, their gazes met for a brief moment of comfort that delved into their eyes and spread through their chests. Their hands, still together, tightened, and a thumb caressed the other, but who caressed who became clouded in the morning haze. However, the moment turned short lived and their eyes shot wide, realizing they both had fallen asleep in an untrustable environment. Detaching their hands, the two shot up and alert, examining their surroundings.
The oil lantern they had forgotten to turn off seemed to have burnt itself empty through the night. A serene aura took hold among the room in the permeating daylight. Below them, the sleeping mats they'd rested upon remained unchanged. Drokn flipped his hands to examine all sides, and checked his feet, while Eial watched first before checking himself.
A glance to each other affirmed the other's safety, and finally, they let out a relieved sigh. In their unguardedness, they'd survived the first night. Until— suddenly a shiver down their spine brought awareness to the fact a presence had been standing beside them for however long.
Spinning their heads, the two found K'ra cupping their own cheeks with eyes full of what seemed like excitement. Clapping their hands, K'ra nodded their head once and turned to walk away into another room. Soon after, a creaking of the wooden staircase introduced Vrona to the room, yawning with her entrance. She looked around and spotted the two, pausing for a moment. Then, she called out for K'ra and was responded with the ring of a bell from the room K'ra had left to.
"Rise and shine, kids. C'mon, let's eat something," Vrona waved to the two still on the floor.
Eial and Drokn looked at each other before standing up. Unsure of what to do with the sleeping mats, Eial quickly folded and stacked them before following along behind the demon.
K'ra came out of the room just seconds later, and, seeing the two loiter stiffly, they huffed a sympathetic breath and, just like the day before, pushed the two to sit down at the table. After going back into the room they were in, they came out with cups of water and set them down before coming back out with two plates. Behind them was Vrona with two more plates.
Vrona and K'ra set down a plate in front of each chair and Vrona sat by the nearest chair to her, which happened to be by Eial. But before she could even seat herself, K'ra swerved by and picked Vrona back up by the shoulder and forced her to sit on the other seat, letting themself sit near Eial.
The plates were served with quail eggs and a dusting of red powder. Switching his plate with Vrona's in case his was poisoned, Drokn started to eat without care or humbleness, as if this home was his own domain. Meanwhile, Eial froze in front of the plate, hunching over, trying to make his presence almost unnoticeable and threatless. It didn't help Eial that K'ra seemed to be staring at him from the side of his vision.
By his peripheral, Eial could see K'ra shuffle and scribble onto their pad. Once they were done, they brought the pad to Eial's lowered vision on the table.
On it read, [Do you not like eggs? Would you like something else?]
Eial shook his head, declining the offer, when another sheet came his way.
[I won't force you to eat, but I promise it's good. I added my special spice blend. It's a fan favorite!]
Looking up to meet their gaze, Eial saw a genuinely warm and eager smile and instinctively, his guard faltered.
"K'ra doesn't mind elves, Eial. They won't try to hurt you," Vrona said from across the table after swallowing a bite. "They're not from the lab, either. You can relax around them."
Eial's attention had shifted to his mother while she talked, but after her reassurance, he looked back at K'ra who had prepared another sheet of paper for him to read.
[I hope you feel safe around me as I feel safe around you. I'm excited to make your acquaintance.]
A light rosy tinge washed along Eial's cheeks and he took a polite bite of their offering, to which K'ra's expression beamed in response, causing Eial to hold back a smile. Watching Eial's bashfulness towards another made the demon feel all sorts of strange ways, but a quick glance of acknowledgement from the elf and a brief golden smile his way made the demon grumble words before submitting his fate to the eggs in front of him.
Time passed that late afternoon. All of them, well rested and fed. Eial helped put away the earthenware, which earned him an elated and grateful pat on the shoulders from K'ra. And in turn, the gesture warmed his chest with a glow of delight.
A sort of natural calm took to the air and their pace softened. An occasional call for a friend or a group going for a walk along the dirt pathways outside was heard through the walls. The light colored sunlight dashing through the windows, making visible the small flecks of debris floating gently in the air. A moment of peace among their hectic moments of late, sharing warm floral tea in a ceramic cup.
This odd homeliness caught both the demon and the elf in an odd state of discomfort. Both of them, facing an unfamiliar ease. A daily time routine unknown to them. And K'ra had no other plans but to indulge the two in this care.
By the evening, K'ra had eagerly showed them all around the house and to their small indoor garden, which they'd named each plant individually. Drokn didn't care to follow, but K'ra had a sort of kind pushiness where one could barely utter a "no."
After their tour, Vrona and K'ra had gathered to chat, in a sense. It was more of the demoness talking and the silent one nodding or scribbling along in their pad. In Vrona's softer voice, Drokn managed to hear the words, "medicine," and, "father," and for the first time since meeting K'ra, Drokn witnessed their mood deepen, a darkness flashing over their eyes. In that moment, the silent demon turned to look at Drokn with pinched lips before dawning a solemn smile.
A look from K'ra to Vrona, the demoness spoke the words the silent demon wished to say:
"I think it's time we tell you a little about what that asshole king has done."
YOU ARE READING
The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)
Fantasy[mlm] The lonely Elf had waited many years to meet his bonded mate, but reality was harsher than he would have liked when he finds out his mate is not only a Demon, but the Demon wants nothing to do with him. [Part 1/Book 1 complete. Follow the stor...
