Angel of the lake

Chapter Ten

Megan strolled ahead of him, eyes darting about the place as she took in these peculiar wonders. From the thick trees that cloaked the forest to the blanket of white on the ground. She'd spent her entire life in the heavens never seeing this and now she had so much to learn.

Claudio enjoyed her reactions. It reminded him of the beauty around him.

He'd lived too long to appreciate these things, taking them for granted in his never-ending life. Megan's awe to these things reminded him of how great they actually were. Of how there was more beauty in everything than what met the eye.

Of course, as they walked, she had an abundance of questions for him. Most of them followed the same formulas.

"What's that?"

"How is it doing that?"

"Why?"

"What if...?"

But it was the way she'd look each time she got an answer that really did it for him. He could see it mull around in her head for a moment, then she'd nod as if to confirm his answer was satisfactory.

Now she walked ahead of him still as he waited in trepidation for the next question.

Truly, he was still in awe of the fact that she was actually here.

"Are you ready for that story now?"

She cast a glance back over her shoulder, her rosy cheeks warming his heart.

"Only if it's an interesting one. I don't want to hear about how long it took you to set up your tent or what the water looked like before I fell in it."

"The story covers more than a few hours. I've been waiting for centuries for you and I to meet." She scrunched her nose up again. He was learning that was her look of thought. It made sense. Megan didn't understand why he'd been waiting for her. She didn't understand the mate thing yet. He was hoping the books in his castle would clear that fog up for her. "Like I told you earlier, mates are an important part of the Other World. Especially within my culture. I've been waiting since I was a little demon to meet you."

"How old are you?"

Did he want to spook her that quickly?

Is she ready for it?

Age acquainted to strength, and strength acquainted to danger.

Claudio had oodles of all the above.

How would she handle that?

He'd learnt she was around two hundred and fifty. For an immortal, that was still young. Meg's age was a factor of his.

"Too old. Usually, mates remain within a species. An Inferno demon would usually be paired with another, with the rare occasion of a pairing with another species of demon. Inter-species mating is becoming more common though." What with the war and all. He and Lorcan had been discussing it. According to the werewolf King's mate, this was all destiny's plan to build strange alliances. Up until a few years ago, the witches and werewolves had been heated enemies. Now, they were the tightest of allies. "I always knew my mate wouldn't be a demon. I've seen- be it in huge crowds or not- the face of every single one of my demon subjects. Had you been a demon, I'd have been able to sense you within the crowd. I've always known you wouldn't be a demon. You had to be something other."

"Why?"

He peered at her fondly. Deeply. Better not scare you off.

"You had to be someone who wouldn't care about my title."