“Mira, listen to me,” he says calmly. The edge in his voice is gone, like it dissipated with his magical light show. “I know this is confusing, but I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not a demon or whatever human lore you might think of.”

I stare up at him, wide eyed and scared.

“You look pretty fucking demonic to me,” I whisper breathlessly.

Sunder kneels in front of me, laying a hand on my knee. I flinch as he touches me, and something like sadness flickers across his eyes.

“I’m not sure what I am. Not anymore. I used to be Prince Dan’thiel of the Elven Kingdom of Valenfall, but that was a long time ago.”

“… Sorry. What?” He’s not making sense. The words he’s saying aren’t real. Elves? Kingdom? This guy has absolutely fallen off the wagon. He’s off his rocker. He’s so far off his rocker that he probably doesn’t even know what a rocker is. Panic claws at my throat.

I have to get out of here.

Seemingly oblivious to my panic, he continues. His tone is dry, as though he’s reciting something that’s common knowledge.

Something everyone should know.

Except I most definitely do not.

Sunder sighs. “I was born long ago in Illuemera. This place is unknown to you and the other humans. We go to great lengths to keep it hidden from knowledge here.”

I blink at him, my eyes darting to his rounded ears skeptically. “Illumi-where-a?”

“Think of me as a magical being that lost my powers a long time ago to an evil witch. You are my fated mate. When our mate bond snaps into place, which of course occurs after we mate, physically that is, it will grant us both powerful magic. Do you understand?” he looks at me for confirmation.

“You want me to… mate… with you,” I say.