Chapter 4 – Shadows and Secrets
Nosi sat alone in her room, knees pulled to her chest, her mind racing. The word mate echoed over and over. Fred's words—I'm a demon, and you're my mate—had shattered her sense of reality.
She wasn't sure what terrified her more: the revelation that demons existed, or the strange warmth that flooded her chest when he touched her.
"I can't do this," she whispered to herself. "I don't belong in this world."
There was a soft knock at her door. She jolted upright.
"Who is it?"
"It's me," Fred's voice came, calm and steady.
She hesitated, but something in her—curiosity, confusion, maybe even something deeper—compelled her to open the door.
Fred stood there, dressed in black, his dark eyes softer than before. "Can I come in?"
Nosi stepped aside without a word. Fred entered, glancing around her small, dim room. It was plain, almost lifeless—nothing like the fire he sensed inside her.
"You're scared," he said gently.
She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Of course I'm scared. You're a demon. You said I'm your mate. There's another woman who clearly wants to kill me. And now I can't stop dreaming of things that don't make sense."
Fred sat across from her. "What kind of dreams?"
She looked away. "A throne. A crown. Fire… and darkness. But it doesn't feel evil. It feels like… home."
Fred smiled faintly. "That's because it is. The underworld recognizes you. It's calling to its queen."
Nosi scoffed. "You've got the wrong girl. I'm not a queen. I'm a waitress who got dragged into a nightmare."
"You're not just anyone, Nosi. You're half-demon. Your mother ruled before you. And now the throne waits for you."
Her chest tightened. "Why now? Why didn't anyone tell me who I was?"
"Because if they had, you'd be dead by now."
Nosi looked up at him sharply.
"There are those who don't want you alive. Lilith is one of them. And Malvek—my brother—is the other. He thinks the throne belongs to him."
She blinked. "You have a brother?"
Fred's expression darkened. "He's powerful, ruthless, and hungry for war. He's been trying to take over the underworld ever since your mother disappeared."
Nosi swallowed hard. "So I'm supposed to stop him?"
"You don't have to do anything," Fred said gently. "But the truth is, your power is the only thing that can rival his. And that makes you dangerous—to them, and to yourself, if you don't learn to control it."
She rubbed her arms. "But I don't even know how."
"That's what I'm here for."
She glanced at him. "Why do you care? Why are you helping me?"
Fred stood and walked to her slowly. "Because fate chose you for me. I didn't believe in that bond either—until I touched you. Until I felt what we are."
Her heart pounded as he stepped closer.
"You may not trust me now," he said, his voice low. "But I'll protect you. From Lilith, from Malvek, even from yourself if I have to."
Nosi felt the pull again—the strange fire that lit inside her when he was near. But she also felt something else… trust. Small, fragile, but growing.
"Then help me understand," she whispered. "Help me become who I'm meant to be."
Fred nodded. "We leave tonight."
She blinked. "Where?"
"To the underworld," he said. "It's time you see where you come from."
Nosi stood, her legs trembling. She looked around her small room one last time—the life she once knew fading behind her.
"I don't think I'm ready."
"You don't have to be," Fred said. "You just have to step forward."
As he reached out his hand, she took it.
And with that, the flames of destiny roared to life.