Chapter Twenty Nine

Children's laughter and mumbles of conversations could be heard beyond the small cabin, but one individual was still fighting to gain a bit more sleep.

"Mom, it is time to wake up…" Nathaniel lightly shook his mother then nuzzled her trying to wake her.

"Mmm…five more minutes, go to grandma…" Rina mumbled, turning away from Nathaniel.

"I can wake up your dear mother." Michael offered.

"Back up or catch a fist." Sarah said. She chucked a wooden spoon at him.

"Ow!, okay. Geez." Michael rubbed the side of his head.

"What she said." Rina mumbled into her pillow and turned over facing away from the bickering group.

"Now ladies I am quite offended. What could have I possibly done to provoke these words from such lovely women?" Michael said inching closer to Rina when a growl stopped him in his tracks.

"You never learn." Sarah muttered.

Michael chuckled nervously and moved to his next target steering clear away from the priestess when he was reminded what would happen to him by the demon Lord should he touch her again.

As Michael avoided the irritated demons glare, Sarah took the opening and gave him a hard shove that sent him tumbling over Tristen.

"Ahh get this freaking perv off me damn it!"

Nathaniel burst into a fit of giggles. Tristen and Michael were a tangle of limbs trying to push the other away.

Sarah added more wood under the small fire pit and stirred the light stew bubbling in the black pot hanging above the fire.

"Men are so stupid," she said.

"Hey that's mean." Michael shouted as Tristen pressed his hand against his face and shoved him to the side.

"Damn weirdo, its too early for this." Tristen growled.

Rina rolled to the side and let out a yawn and stretched before throwing the blanket off of her.

"Good morning everyone!" Rina said cheerfully, ignoring the two bickering men behind her. She gathered her bathing supplies and placed them in a small cloth sack.

"Well I'm off to the hot spring, Sarah can you please watch Nathaniel for me?"

"Of course, don't worry about it, go and take your time! No wonder you're in such a good mood!" Sarah said while getting breakfast ready.

"Thanks, you know I love the hot springs!"

Rina turned to Nathaniel and pressed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Be good, okay?"

"Okay," Nathaniel quickly responded.

"And no sneaking out." Rina called as she walked towards the door.

"Yes mom," he grumbled.

Gold irises followed her out the door.

-O-

She hummed a low tune as she bent down dipping her hand in the hot water testing the temperature. Satisfied with the result she stood up and began to undress, her mind slowly drifted to last night and what had occurred between Damien and her.

She inhaled deeply; Rina finally came to realize that she still had some unresolved issues with Damien's inner beast. She was frightened by what had happened in their first encounter, the pleasure he forced her body to feel. Rina shuddered, she still had dreams of their heated encounter. It left her body trembling and unfulfilled.

The crave for his touch never quit left her. The numbing feeling was always there. She became an expert in ignoring said issue and carried on with her life, but it still clawed through her when her guard was down.

Rina had always assumed she would lose her innocence to Tristen. She still felt conflicted how she went along with Damien's desire, she shook her head. Damien was insanely handsome, she could even describe him as beautiful, it was undeniable. But it left her to think if she really loved Tristen, how did she find herself wanting Damien at the end.

But her beautiful innocent son was the end result so she couldn't find it in herself to regret what happened between them. She combed her hair back before entering the hot spring. The heated water tingled over her skin. Small bubbles came to the surface as she spread her arms.

Rina relaxed immediately as the warm water soothed her tired body. No matter how much sleep she would get, it would be nothing when she woke up to deal with the arguing and brotherly rivalry.

Rina groaned as she thought about the conversation she needed to have with her friends. She had to tell everyone that she would be leaving with Damien. They needed to be introduced to the demon society. She would be walking into his world.

"The other three Lords need to know about my heir and…my mate." Damien's words rang through her mind.

There would be so many things expected of her, it was the main reason she passed on her crown to her brother. She didn't care to be heiress to the Northern lands. Yet here she was about to take the position as a Lady in another territory. Not only was it a different world she would enter, it was also a foreign court system she would have to learn. The laws of human and demon territory were vastly different.

Worry of an uncertain future creeped in, Rina truly believed Damien would protect them. But she did not want Nathaniel to witness the harshness of his father's world.

'I'm sure the other Lords will have a field day with this one, a priestess mate of Lord Damien ruler of the Western Lands, birthed him a demon heir. It will definitely come along with a slew of speculations.'

Rin sighed and tipped her head back and laid her head against the mossy edge of the hot spring. Wisps of steam curled around her, the heated water loosened her muscles. Her eyes slid shut. Thoughts of the future began to fade.

Then the short but peaceful relaxation came to an end.

A demonic aura clawed at the edge of her senses, a few moments later she realized it was heading towards her direction. Heat pulsed through her mark. Rina rubbed her neck trying to sooth the tingling sensation. A shimmering dome barrier came to life covering the entire hot spring.

Heavy thuds crashed within the woods. Snaps of branches and scraps grew the closer it came. A large brown furred creature on all fours came barreling out of the dark line of trees at the edge of the spring. It leaped into the clearing.

Saliva dripped from his fanged mouth, its beady red eyes focused on her. It stomped its front legs into the ground and snarled. Before it came any closer a white blur stepped before the hot spring cutting the large demon in half with his acidic whip. It slumped to the ground in a pile of flesh. Blood pooled before his feet as it began to seep in to the moist soil.

He slowly turned towards Rina's direction. She dipped further into the water and turned away from the bloody scene.

Eventually, Rina turned back around making sure her arms covered her upper half. The misty white water covered her lower region.

"Hi…" she whispered.

"You should not have come here alone." Damien said.

"Hey I'm a big girl, I am much stronger than the last time you saw me. Besides if you did not intercept the attack it would have been purified by my barrier." Rina defended as she made the invisible barrier glow.

"Hn," came the typical response.

"Umm…can you turn around I need to get out…."

Here they were again in a very similar scene that changed their life the first time around.