Vantablack

We didn’t talk as we walked for a while even when we came across a dull and lifeless meadow.

Deciding to take a break from all the walking, we sit on a fallen tree and awkwardly stare at each other until he chuckles softly and runs his hand through his hair.

“I feel kind of bad for Ana, now”

I smile, “What are they up to now?”

“They are running around the tent butt naked and screaming their little heads off because of the sugar rush they’re on.”

I giggled a little, “told you giving them marshmallows would be a bad idea.”

He laughs, “yeah it was”

I thought back to the campfire we just had.

Demon is setting up the fire and distracting the boys with them trying to find something that’s in his pocket.

I watch the boys and make sure they don’t run off in the woods trying to find the ‘treasure’.

Demon sits beside me and watches the boys as well, “You okay?”

I furrow my brows, “yes why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugs, “Your hands are shaking, you haven’t talked all day, and you haven’t taken your eyes off the boys in a long while.”

I blink and quickly look in another direction when I realized he’s right.

I try to stop the shaking by putting them between my legs, “Sorry”

He shakes his head, “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I just figured you may be a little nervous.”

I scuffed.

A little nervous more like extremely worried.

So, I tell him just that, “What if something goes wrong? And I’m not talking about just this but while we’re on this date?”

He’s quiet for a good while before nodding slowly, “Everything is going to be okay, Onyx”

I sigh, “how do you know that?”

“One of Knox’s rules here is that children are not to be harmed by anyone. If someone was to harm or even touch the boys without our say so then they will be killed either by Knox or us.”

I nodded and look back at the boys as they pouted, “Daddy we can’t find the treasure.”

Demon playfully shook his head, “Hmm well that’s a sha- wait I think I found it.”

They jump up and down, “Where?!”

“Right…” He puts a hand behind each of their ear and pulls out the giant marshmallows, “here.”

They laugh and put the marshmallows in their mouths.

I giggle at their puffed faces, “are you sure it’s a good idea to give them sugar this late?”

He chuckles, “they'll wear themselves out”

Alex talks around the marshmallow, “Sophia would’ve love marshmallows.”

Micky nods his head but doesn’t say anything.

I turn my head to Demon to ask him who’s Sophia, but I don’t even open my mouth when I see nothing but sadness, grief, and heartbreak on his face.

Demon gets up and adds more wood to the fire when a red-haired woman with green eyes introduces herself as Ana.

Demon looks at the boys protectively before looking at her with a blank face, “You hurt my boys and I’ll kill you.”

Ana nods. When she did he sat down beside me and made some s’mores for everyone.

I bite my lip thinking about what the twins said at the campfire is in my head again and I couldn’t hold back the question, “At the campfire, the boys said something about a Sophie loving marshmallows.”

Demon sat up straight and looked away from me.

I ask curiously, “Is she their mother?”

Demon stayed silent and I took that as a sign to stop asking questions.

Though Mika forces her opinion in my head, “I don’t think she’s their mother.”

“what makes you think that?”

“the fact that they never called her mom”

I look at the side of Demon’s face, “I’m guessing that you and Shadow never talked about this?”

Mika sighs, “No and I haven’t told him about the baby either. It’s just…”

She sighs again but she didn’t have to finish because I already knew what she meant it was just too hard and sad to tell our mate that we weren’t able to protect our unborn child.

She didn’t want Shadow to think that since we couldn’t protect our own that means we won’t be able to protect his.

I don’t think he’ll think that, Mika and even if he does, we can always prove him wrong.

She lays her head on her paws and doesn’t say anything. I can feel her doubt and sadness before she shut me out…and Demon lets me in.

“I’ll tell you who Sophie is, if you tell me something about your past as well.”

He stares in my eyes as I nod my head slowly hoping that it won’t be something to horrible for me to tell.

“Sophie wasn’t their mother. She was their little sister.”

I nodded and start picking my nails, “What do you want to know?”

“Everything”

I stopped breathing at the thought of Chris finding me if I said or even thought about him. I can feel a panic attack coming when he locked eyes with me and took deep breaths for me to mock his until the feeling went away.

Once my breathing was normal again, he said, “I want the both of us to know everything but for now we’ll start slow. Meaning whatever you want to tell me.”

I look away from his hypnotizing brown eyes and asked Mika what she wanted to say.

“Say we had a miscarriage. It’s the truth somewhat”

I nod and take a deep breath, “I had a miscarriage”

Its silent in the little meadow, not a word has come from Demon and I’m still looking at the ground away from him.

I didn’t want to see the look of disgust or pity in his eyes, but Mika wants to know if he hates us now.

So, I turn myself towards him and end up hypnotize by mixed match eyes that don’t hold any pity or disgust.

Only compassion and slight trust and something else, something strong and powerful, something that made my heart swell.

Not love

Not desire

It’s something I couldn’t put a name to.

And for now, I didn’t want to.

We both blinked and his eyes went back to the mesmerizing black ones reminding me of a tar pit.

Maybe they are.

Every time I look in his eyes, I can’t get out of them no matter how hard I try. The only way out is if he looks away or something else catches my attention.

Otherwise I’m looking into the pit of his soul and he is looking in mine.

Demon shakes his head and stands up wiping his hand on his pants, “I think that’s enough of the past for one night. Don’t you?”

I take a shaky breath, “yeah”

Keeping his eyes on away from mine, “it’s almost sunrise. Do you want to go back?”

I nod slowly, “Yeah”

He slowly holds out his hand to me, “Then let’s go before the boys give Ana gray hair.”

I stare at his hand before closing my eyes and gently grabbing his hand.

Demon gently pulls me up and we make our way back to our little demons slowly.

The whole walk back we held hands and didn’t say anything else.

We walk through the trees and I see the red-haired man named James with Knox and Roger by our tent.

I stop when they turn towards us and try to calm my breathing.

Demon uses our hands to move me behind him when he sees James staring at me.

Once Knox growls at James, Demon turns to me, making me sink into his pit, and has me mock his breathing.

I did and realized he’s drawing circles on my hand so softly, “He won’t touch you. No one in this camp will touch you without your consent. Its one of Knox’s rules”

I nod my head letting him know that the news calmed my nerves a little, “Okay, thank you Demon”

He nods, “Lets go get the little demons before we lose a babysitter.”

I giggle softly causing him to smile a little.

We walk slowly to our tent with James glaring, Roger staring at our tent and Knox smiling at us with a huge smile.

We stop in front of Knox and before anything can be said two naked little boys runs out the tent and runs circles around me and Demon.

Demon smirks at me before grabbing one and I manage to grab the other, they start laughing and giggling before a yawn comes out of their mouths.

I smile at them, “Now what are you two doing out of bed, hmm?”

They looked at each other and giggled again when Ana walks out of the tent with soap all over her.

Demon sees her and starts laughing with the boys.

Oh my gosh

His laugh was really sexy, probably because it was a little croaky

But it is something special that made me smile to myself and my heart raced a little.

I shake my head at the silly ones and look at Ana in Roger’s arms laughing too but I still say, “I’m sorry Ana. They’re not usual this hyper unless they eat sweets.”

She giggles and waves me off, “Its fine, Onyx. I was trying to give them a bath and this is the end result.”

I nod my head and look at Demon smiling at me gently, “Why don’t we give the little ones a bath then go to sleep. What do you say Onyx?”

I smile a little bit, “Yeah, let’s go”

We say a quick goodnight and tuck in the little ones before awaiting a new day.