Only Human: Hide and Seek

Chapter 187: June Jackson

            "She doesn't have to explain anything." Cenderion said with his commanding voice that he only used when playing the part of king. His hand rested on my shoulder, and again the dread that was beginning to settle lifted.

I touched his hand with mine and smiled. "Thanks, Cenderion. But I may need to explain this one." I admitted.

His gaze softened when directed at me. "Lily, you don't have to. If they don't want to help, then they don't need to. You have all the support you need."

"But I keep learning things about myself that I don't understand, and I need some idea of what I'm capable of or what I should be wary of. Besides... I think I owe Philomena to be honest with him." I said.

"Wait, what's going on? Why is everyone so serious all of the sudden?" Hildegard asked exasperated.

Eros gestured to the strings that were starting to fade away. "The black bond has demonic energy, but demons don't form bonds of love. However, there is one After Realm being that has ample amounts of demonic energy."

Her once friendly face became guarded and repulsed as she stepped back. "The Minister of Darkness..." She whispered.

This was how people were supposed to react. My partners had been far too forgiving and understanding when they found out. Even Lannister's surprise was tame compared to the animosity Hildegard was showing. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes, that bond is connected to him, as much as I wished it wasn't." I admitted sitting back down in the swinging chair.

"How is this possible, Eros? How can one person be bonded to a unicorn and then to an abomination like him? This doesn't make sense." Hildegard said.

"That's what I would like to know." Eros said with arms still crossed and eyes focused on me.

I sighed. "He came to me in my dreams. It sounds romantic, but it was more nefarious than I thought. I didn't think he was real at first and he allowed me to believe he was some figment of my imagination. At this time, I didn't have any of my partners, or I didn't know about them. I was on my own and just trying to survive the abuse I was dealing with on a daily basis. I didn't know what I was either, and when I found out everything was so much more confusing and heavy. Geralt was just a place to escape to, and he was receptive to being my escape."

Hildegard softened and almost looked ashamed for some reason, but I was the one who should be ashamed. My weakness was what got me in this situation. I had no one to blame but myself.

"Things escalated quickly between us. He only knew I was a human in Vania for the longest time, and yet he still cared about me. He empowered me and made me feel... wanted." I dropped my face into my hands while shaking my head. "I didn't know! I only knew him as Geralt, and then a demon and his host showed up in Vania with a picture of me. I asked Geralt for help or information about this Minister of Darkness, and that's when the truth came out." Tears stung my eyes and my throat tightened.

Cenderion started to rub my back. "She was devastated." He said with deep sadness.

I looked up to Eros eager for him to understand. "I tried to break things off! Even before I found out. I told him that I was married and marked. I offered to help him find a cure, so that he could touch other people. But no matter what I did, he insisted that he wanted me no matter what. After I found out, I tried even harder. I've denied him everything, out right rejected him, and told him that we could never be. But he won't stop. He never stops."