Cross let out a heavy sigh.
The sound was quiet, but something about it made my chest tighten and I could tell he wasn’t joking.
He was serious.
“I need you to take me back to the museum, the place you found my tomb.” He said.
I frowned immediately, searching his face for some kind of explanation.
“Why do you want to go back there?”
“There is a possibility my crown was sealed inside the tomb with me.” His voice remained calm, but I could hear the determination behind it.
“I have to take that risk and go back to confirm if it was there.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
Images of the demons tearing the place apart.
The leader screaming for the Devil’s Crown.
The desperation in every one of their faces.
Only then did everything begin to make sense.
The crown wasn’t just a crown.
It was his life.
A key to his powers and the only thing that could help him rebuild what was left of his kingdom.
“What if it isn’t there?” I asked quietly.
“I have to try.” He didn’t hesitate.
“I need the crown.”
There wasn’t even the smallest trace of doubt in his voice.
Slowly, I nodded.
At least if we returned to the museum, I would finally have a chance to go home.
That was all I wanted.
The sooner I left this strange world, the better.
“Are we leaving right now?” I asked, unable to hide the excitement spreading across my face.
A small smile almost escaped my lips.
“No.” He said.
“I need more essence to travel that distance and bringing you along will require a whole lot more.”
My excitement disappeared almost instantly.
“Oh.” An idea suddenly crossed my mind.
“Well, you can just take me back alone. I’ll look for the crown. If I find it, I’ll return it back to you.” I said.
I smiled innocently, hoping he wouldn’t notice the real reason behind my offer.
If he sent me back, I would never return.
Not in a million years.
I was only testing him to see if he would actually agree.
Cross smiled softly.
For a brief second, I thought I had convinced him.
“No.” He said sharply.
“I’m not dumb, Imogen. I know you’ll use that opportunity to run away.”
The smile on my face disappeared.
Damn it, he was right.
What a smart devil.
I pouted and folded my arms tightly across my chest.
I guessed I was stuck with him after all.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke, then he suddenly looked at me.
“How about your tummy, do you still feel that burning sensation every night?” He asked.
I froze.
Every playful thought inside my head disappeared.
I stared at him.
How did he know about that?
A chill slowly crawled down my spine.
That burning pain wasn’t something I told people.
It would wake me up in the middle of the night without warning.
Sometimes the pain became so unbearable that I would curl into a ball on the floor, crying like a child.
My boyfriend would panic every single time.
He would rush me to the hospital while I could barely breathe through the pain.
The doctors never found the cause.
They only gave me painkillers and injections before sending me home but the pain always came back.
Cross shouldn’t know any of this.
We had never met before.
So, how?
My heart began beating faster.
“How did you know about that?” I asked.
He looked at me quietly.
“You’re my bride. I know you in and out.” He replied.
My eyes widened.
In and out?
What was that supposed to mean?
My imagination immediately wandered somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have and heat rushed to my face.
“No.”
I quickly shook my head and forced those ridiculous thoughts away before they embarrassed me even more.
I swallowed hard.
Cross watched me for a second before stretching one hand toward me.
“Come. I need to take you somewhere. Maybe that will help your memory.” He said.
I looked at his hand.
I honestly didn’t want to take it.
Not after everything that had happened.
Yet, something inside me wanted to. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Every time he touched me, a strange warmth spread through my body.
It was comforting and safe.
A feeling I couldn’t explain no matter how hard I tried.
Before I realized what I was doing, I reached forward.
My fingers rested against his hand and the warmth returned immediately.
He gently wrapped his hand around mine and effortlessly pulled me to my feet.
Neither of us moved.
We just stared into each others eyes before he turned and began walking.
I quietly followed behind him.
Keeping up with him wasn’t easy.
He was far too tall.
One step from him felt like three from me and I found myself almost jogging just to keep pace.
I let out a small sigh.
“This devil doesn’t even know how to slow down.”
The palace gradually disappeared behind us as we entered another part of Larvana.
The air grew colder with every step.
The roads became empty.
Snow covered abandoned buildings whose rooftops had collapsed long ago.
Massive demon statues stood in both sides of the road, their faces worn away by centuries of wind.
Some had broken wings.
Others were missing their heads.
Soon, I noticed what looked like a massive staircase stretching high into the mountains.
It seemed endless and my mouth slowly fell open.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The stone steps disappeared into thick white fog, making it impossible to see where they ended.
Snow drifted gently through the air, settling across the ancient stairs.
The cold immediately bit into my skin and I wrapped my arms around myself.
How was I supposed to survive climbing all of that?
Cross didn’t stop.
He had already begun climbing without saying a word.
His expression remained calm, but there was something different about him now.
He looked determined.
As though wherever he was taking me held a piece of his past.
I didn’t want to interrupt him, so I followed.
The higher I climbed, the colder it became.
Snow crunched beneath my feet and my breathing grew heavier.
The wind howled around us and not long after, the fog became so thick that I could barely see more than a few steps ahead.
I slowed down.
My legs were beginning to shake uncontrollably because of the cold.
Finally, I stopped climbing altogether.
“Cross, it’s really cold right here.” I said.
There was no answer.
I looked up and he was gone.
The thick fog had swallowed him completely and I began to panic.
“Cross.”
Still nothing.
Only the sound of the wind answered me.
I hugged myself tighter as violent shivers ran through my body.
“I can’t..” My knees slowly gave way.
Just as I was about to collapse onto the frozen stairs, a warm hand gently caught my arm.
Strong fingers steadied my body before I could touch the ground.
It was Cross.
Relief washed over me so quickly that I nearly cried.
His red eyes studied my trembling body.
Without saying a single word, he removed his long black coat.
He carefully draped the coat over my shoulders before tying it securely around me.
The warmth wrapped around my body almost immediately and I let out a shaky breath.
He stared at me for another second.
Then, without warning, he slowly bent down in front of me.
I blinked in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Hop on my back. I’ll lift you there. I can’t teleport right now.” He said.
My eyes widened.
“I don’t think that’s okay. I weigh a lot.” I said, still shivering.
“Hop on, Imogen.” He said firmly.
There wasn’t the slightest room for argument.
I listened to him and slowly, I stepped closer.
Carefully, I placed both hands on his broad shoulders.
Trying not to lose my balance, I leaned forward and gently climbed onto his back.
My arms slipped around his shoulders while he reached back and firmly held the back of my thighs to keep me from falling.
Once he was sure I was balanced, he rose smoothly to his full height without any sign of strain.
For a brief moment, I stiffened in surprise.
He carried me as though I weighed almost nothing and without another word, Cross continued climbing the endless staircase.
As he climbed, I caught glimpses of enormous chains disappearing into the mountainside, half buried beneath snow and giant bells hung from broken towers above us, frozen in ice.
I just watched in awe.
The higher we went, the quieter everything became.
The only sounds were the crunch of snow beneath his boots and the soft whistle of the cold wind brushing against the mountains.
The heat from his back seeped through the thick coat wrapped around me, slowly chasing away the cold that had almost frozen me a few moments ago. This chapter was taken from novelping(.)com without permission.
Without realizing it, I relaxed.
The tight grip I had on his shoulders slowly loosened and I rested my cheek against his back.
His heartbeat was calm.
For someone who called himself the Devil, there was something strangely peaceful about being this close to him.
I hated admitting it, I should have been terrified.
Instead, I felt safe.
My eyelids slowly became heavier.
The warmth, the gentle rhythm of his footsteps and the silence around us made it impossible to keep my eyes open.
I fought it but sleep slowly claimed me.
After what felt like forever, Cross finally stopped walking.
“We are here.” He said.
There was no response.
I had unconsciously buried my face against his shoulder, sleeping peacefully as though I had completely forgotten where I was.
All I could see was darkness.
I couldn’t open my eyes or move.
Yet somehow, I knew I wasn’t dreaming.
It felt strange.
As though one part of me was asleep while another part remained awake, trapped somewhere deep inside the darkness.
Then I felt it.
Strong arms carefully lifting me.
The movement was slow and gentle, almost as if someone was afraid I would break, then I heard a familiar voice.
“Imogen, wake up.”
I frowned inside my sleep.
How could I hear him?
I was asleep.
I felt another gentle touch behind my head.
“My bride.”
His voice sounded even closer this time.
Almost immediately, my eyes slowly opened.
I blinked several times before letting out a soft yawn.
Cross was standing right in front of me.
“You slept off.” He said.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes, still trying to understand what had just happened.
My head felt strangely heavy.
I clearly remembered hearing his voice, the warmth of his hands as he lowered me to the ground.
I remembered every gentle movement but I was confused.
I had never been asleep and awake at the same time before.
A small frown slowly formed on my face.
“Why are you frowning, did I interrupt your sleep?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“No, but I could hear you calling me even though I was asleep. I could hear your voice and even the movement you made. What was that, Cross? How could I feel everything?”
As I spoke, I instinctively took a small step backward.
My heartbeat quickened again.
Nothing about this was normal.
No matter how much I tried to convince myself, I couldn’t understand it.
How could someone speak to me while I was asleep?
How could I hear him so clearly?
It felt like he had stepped directly into my mind and the thought alone made me uncomfortable.
Cross remained calm.
He didn’t look surprised by my reaction.
Instead, he looked as though he had expected this question all along.
“It’s called soul link.” He said.
The words hung quietly between us and the wind blew gently across the mountain, carrying tiny flakes of snow through the air.
I stared at him.
The confusion on my face only deepened.
“What’s a soul link?”
Cross looked at me for a long moment.
Instead of answering, he took one slow step closer.
“Let me show you.”
Before I could ask what he meant, a loud heartbeat echoed through the silent mountain.
I froze.
Another heartbeat followed and without thinking, my hand flew to my chest.
For a second, I could have sworn that heartbeat was inside me.
The rhythm wasn’t mine.
It was slower and heavier.
Each beat echoed through my entire body, vibrating beneath my skin as though another heart had begun beating inside my chest.
Cross never moved.
“Can you feel it?” he asked quietly.
I looked up at him.
“Y-Yes…”
His red eyes never left mine.
“That’s my heartbeat.”
The world seemed to stop.
I wasn’t touching him.
We stood several feet apart.
So why?
Why was his heartbeat beating inside me?