Mated (The Queen's War #1)

Chapter 3

His mesmerising eyes held her captive as moved to stand before her, never once breaking eye contact.

"Leave." He said just above normal volume. Perci had a momentary stab of disappointment that she'd been dismissed so easily until she realised he was talking to the legion sitting at the tables.

The sound of wood scraping on the stone slabs filled the hall for a few seconds, followed by heavy footfalls and finally the slam of the grand doors. Out of the corner of her eye, Perci saw Abaddon saunter over to a table and lean against it, watching the two of them. But she ignored him, her attention remained affixed to the demon in front of her. Every breath she took filled her with his intoxicating scent, every heartbeat of time spent trying to understand why she felt so disorientated.

"You are impossibly beautiful." He murmured and reached up to caress her face. The sudden movement made her instinctively jerk back and she felt immediate regret when his face hardened.

Wanting to remove the awkwardness she could sense looming, Perci reached forward and gently took his hand. The warmth of it sent an answering heat through her body and her breath hitched. Using her unbalanced equilibrium to his advantage, the demon used his other hand to bring her forward until their bodies were flush against each other.

"Have you told her?" He asked Abaddon, but his eyes remained trained on hers.

"I thought it was best if you explained it." She heard him answer, but it was a faraway thing as if through water.

"Breathe." The mystery demon whispered and as if his words were a spell, Perci sucked in much needed air, not realising that she had unconsciously been holding her breath. Her thoughts were in freefall, her mind a hazy mess of equal parts confusion and something intense she couldn't name. The weight of it made her look away, but he was having none of it.

"Look at me." He ordered.

Perci met his gaze once more, even knowing that she would become lost in them the moment she did. His strong, attractive features were only fuel on the fires wreaking havoc on her body and she didn't know how to handle it. A flush rose in her face as she tried to tamp down the heat, but it proved impossible.

"I have been looking for you for a very long time." He told her, bringing their bodies even closer.

"W-why-" She cleared her throat. "Why me?" She asked in a whisper.

"Because of this."

Before she could mouth a protest, he closed the distance between their lips and using his hand at the back of her head as an anchor, fused their mouths in a kiss so soft it made her open and surprised eyes gain a wet sheen. Beyond the mild panic that a strange demon had kissed her and the confusion as to why he'd done it in the first place, an awareness snapped into place in her mind as if a thin thread had finally been pulled taut. The thread in her senses connected directly to the demon touching her, of that she had no doubt. It pulsed and tugged in a way that felt completely natural but at the same time so foreign.

And an understanding that had thus far been out of reach, crashed down with finality.

"Is this what I think this is?" She whispered, as she accepted the truth. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"I wasn't sure whether you would feel our soul bond." He thrummed the thread experimentally and she immediately shivered.

"Stop that." She scolded softly, halfheartedly thumping him in the chest with a small fist. Her mind was whirling. "This isn't... this can't be..."

"It can and it is. You are my soulmate." His words were said with a confidence that equally frightened and enticed her.

"This is too fast, too much." She let out in one breath. She tried to fight the large part of her that just wanted to fall into his arms, but it was difficult to resist the pull of the new golden thread in her mind. "You don't know anything about me. I don't even know your name."