My Demon King and I (Book 1)

What Comes Easy Won't Last and What Lasts Won't Come Easy

Lucien

I knew I shouldn't have lied to her, but I wanted to protect her. Now she's pregnant with our child, I want her to spend her time doing things mothers usually do; smile, laugh, plan their whole child's future before the child's even born, shop for baby clothes...

I didn't want her to stress about losing her child - our child - before we've even grown to love him or her.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by my father's tsk, "For fuck sake, Lucien. Lying to your female is the number one way to end up in the dog house. You better hope she's nothing like Khristian when it comes to forgiveness... No offence, Khristian."

"Nah, I completely agree with you on this. Rachael has always been more forgiving than I ever was." I shivered, thinking about the last time Khristian forgave someone. Some lower rank demon stole classified scrolls from his office and when it was brought to Khristian's attention, he skinned the thief, hung him on the rack and fed his limbs and entrails to the Hell hounds. Damn, I hope she's nothing like Khristian in that sense.

I left the room and left my father and father in law's laughs behind me as I went in search of my mate. I found her on the balcony overlooking the villages below with a view of the red sea. She was rubbing her stomach unconsciously and looked almost like she was day dreaming. Clara was sitting beside her with a book on herbs, and when she saw me coming, she closed her book, gave an excuse to Raven who nodded absent minded and left. I took the vacant seat and stared at my mate. For the first time in days, I looked at her, I mean, I really looked at her. She looked tired, blueish bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep and she looked older. It was unusual for phoenix shifters to age and the same for demons.

When she looked at me, I saw that she had been crying. No, I'm the reason that she's crying. I took her right hand in both of mine and leaned my head on them. "I'm so sorry, love. I have to be the worst mate ever. I was meant to protect you but instead I lie to you, I hid the truth from you. What kind of a mate does that make me?"

She didn't respond straight away. Silence ate away until she whispered, "Don't you ever lie to me again, Lucien Morningstar. You are lucky enough to be one of the few who are given a second chance. Do this to me again, and you will pay the consequences."

Damn, if that didn't motivate a guy to stay faithful to his mate I don't know what would.

I released her hand and got up. "Raven, I know that since we got here, there was one thing after another, with my father, then yours, finding out your mother's alive, the fight with Ophelia, killing Pieter, finding out that...That we're having a baby," I couldn't help the smile on my face at the thought of us being parents, "but there's something I need to ask you."

My nervousness must have reached her because she turned her whole body away from the balcony and was fully facing me. I took her left hand, kissing the knuckles and sunk to my knees. "Raven, if I were to offer you a proposal that would mean no lies, no secrets, no nothing that would affect our relationship, would you take it?"

She furrowed her brow and said "of course I would," with a little shake of her head.

I smiled and rose to one knee, still holding her left hand. "Raven Matthews, Phoenix alpha of the most prosperous phoenix clan in the world, daughter of Khristian and mate of my heart. Would you do me the greatest honor of marrying me and completing the mating rights?"

She gasped at my question. I held my breath, hoping against all that she wouldn't turn me down. What were the chance that she would turn me down anyway? We looked into each other's eyes and she said, slowly, as if picking her words carefully, "Lucien, you've lied to me, kept something important from me which concerned us both, not just me and not just you," my head lowered at her words. Does this mean she's going to reject me? She put her right hand under my chin and picked it up until I looked at her, "I will accept on the condition that if there's anything concerning anybody dear to me, you will tell me immediately. I don't want to lose anybody, Lucien. We're going to have a family," she said while stroking her stomach, "the last thing I need is to tell our child why their father is hanging from a nine foot pole in our backyard."