"The devil wants you." The words kept echoing in her mind.
Irene had a hard time believing it. Lothaire had left her by choice, and she had decided not to follow him by choice. Why would he want her now? And if he did, why would he do all of this to get her? She couldn't understand.
Euphorion saw her confusion and went ahead to explain to her what he and Zamiel had found out. Irene listened, both in disbelief and fascination. It was the first time she heard this version of the story. It made sense, yet not.
So this was all to corrupt her and make her the devil's mate. Not just his mate as a demon.
All this for revenge?
"Not just for revenge. He does want you for himself as well."
She shook her head. She couldn't believe it. He let her children go through hell, all because he wanted her to himself and to have his revenge? All this was because of her? How couldn't she have figured it out? She would have ended this a long time ago.
She stood up. "I need to go back." She said.
Euphorion stood up as well. "You don't have to do anything. Your children are safe now." He told her.
"How can you be sure? Lothaire will not let this go?"
Euphorion shrugged. "He doesn't have much of a choice. He already risked a lot to get you. He can't afford to risk more."
She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean but I still need to go."
"And do what? Sacrifice yourself? Do you think you will be doing your children a favor?"
Irene halted.
"Zamiel brought you here so that his mate wouldn't have to lose her grandmother. You are the only close grandparent she has."
Oh, he really knew how to make her feel bad.
"I just want my children to be safe."
"You will keep them safe by staying here." He told her.
"What is Zamiel's plan?" She asked, wanting to know if he would truly keep her family safe.
He motioned for her to sit down again. Both of them sat down before he spoke.
"There is one thing the devil cares for more than anything. His mission. His revenge on humans. He spent years building his army, finding demons willing to join his cause. His kingdom was built to keep his army safe from anyone who wanted to destroy them, and those who join him have to join him willingly. If he uses his kingdom to force people into his mission or to protect those who cause damage in any other way than manipulation, then he could lose his kingdom. If he loses it, then demons won't be willing to join his cause singavece they won't be safe."
"How could he lose it?" She asked.
"I am not sure how, but the devil was given special powers with restriction. He is not all that powerful as everyone believes him to be. It is all about finding the restrictions to his powers."
"What if he doesn't care about losing his kingdom?"
"His kingdom makes his mission possible. Not caring about the kingdom means not caring about his mission. He is the devil." Was all he said, and Irene knew what he meant. His mission was what made him the devil. If he gave up his mission, then they wouldn't be having any problems.
"The other part of the plan is you. Losing a mate is very painful. He won't hurt your children." He assured.
Did he care about losing her?
"Even if he didn't, there is a more than just an emotional pain connected to losing a mate. For the demon, nothing hurts more. When demons lose their mate, it is very difficult for them to keep living. That is why most decide to end their lives to follow their mate's."
*******
If the devil wanted to stay sane and focus on his mission, he wouldn't do anything that would cause the death of his mate. The way he went about getting Irene already told him that the devil was very careful to not let anyone find out that it was Irene he wanted. It was a matter of reputation but also fear of losing her. He was well aware of the pain that followed the death of a mate.
This made Euphorion think of Zamiel. The demon had not just lost his mate, but also his child. He could only imagine the agony he went through, and the devil was a fool to want to fight a man who had already been through hell.
This is why Euphorion decided to live alone. He knew nothing about heartbreak or loss. This whole love thing was like walking into fire, knowing you would burn. Even the devil fell into that trap and now he was suffering. Euphorion would save himself all that pain.
"Why don't you rest and then take your time to think about everything?" Euphorion suggested. "Let me show you to your room."
Irene followed him in silence, still fascinated by her surroundings. The water kingdoms and the water demons were fascinating to everyone. Even to those who knew more about them. It wasn't strange that Irene was mesmerized and had many questions.
Euphorion took her to a quarter in the castle that he emptied just for her until she got used to being around water demons. He didn't want her to feel frightened.
He showed her around. "You are free to walk around here as you like. The place is only for you." He said.
Euphorion thought she would be relieved, but the way the corners of her mouth tilted down made her look sad.
'I am alone again.' He heard her think as she looked around.
Euphorion was hit with realization. She must have been excited to be finally be reunited with her family, only to end up here.
"You won't be here forever. You will go back eventually." He assured her.
She gave him a faint smile.
Euphorion wondered how someone like her ended up with the devil? He had expected something else, not exactly sure what, but definitely not someone like her.