Chapter 19

Eyelids fluttering in surprise, Linh stared down at the Duskwalker who snored loudly.

Each one was muffled, and long. The kind of snores that were evident the person was exhausted and so deep in sleep, it'd be near impossible to wake them.

She didn't even try.

His orbs are black. I've only seen them remain like that once.On the first night he'd brought her into his home, and it'd been for less than fifteen minutes, if that.

Has he really been awake this whole time?

Pity filled her. Linh continued to sing, and petted his bony forehead softly as she did.

He... spoke.She'd heard him ask her to keep singing.

It hadn't sounded like a human's voice. His mouth had also been closed, when usually he opened it to ‘speak' from the memories he stole, like they came from his gut. It was creepy and made her skin crawl in dread.

This had been nice. His voice was deep, and kind of growly. Since he was a monster, she'd expected more bass in his tone, but it was smooth.

When minutes, maybe even an hour, passed, Linh finally stopped. Is this all you needed? For someone to sing you a lullaby? A small, but saddened smile curled her lips. I'll sing you one every night if you need it.

Her eyes drifted to what she could see of his body. His torso was pressing against her back, while his hips had partially curled around the opposing leg his skull pressed against. The length of his tail pushed around her feet, but then swayed back and became a wiggly line leading from the cave entrance.

In some ways, it almost looked like he was in the foetal position, the first bend of his tail like a set of knees.

He appeared remarkably innocent in that moment.

As silence dragged on for a long while, Nathair eventually stiffened. He pulled in tighter, just as white flickered in his orbs like the beginning of a trance. Are the memories returning? Linh quickly sung, and he instantly softened. His snores resumed.

I guess singing a lullaby isn't enough.Her brows drew together.

When she stopped again, she had about thirty minutes to rest before his orbs flickered white. She started back up, realising she needed to keep going to keep his trances at bay.

My throat is starting to hurt.She hummed instead, wondering if that would be enough. He remained asleep, and she took that as a win.

As boring as it was, Linh pushed herself to stay awake, even when the hours dragged by. She did accidentally nap, but upon waking, she instantly started to hum to keep him resting peacefully. She also got up to go to the bathroom, eat, and drink some water, but she always returned for his sake.

Nathair had barely moved an inch, and she always came back to be seated where he originally held her.

He's done so much for me. This is the least I can do.

Only when he stirred of his own volition did she stop.

Lifting onto a singular arm while clutching at his forehead, Nathair groaned. Linh twisted to greet him.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Well, afternoon really." He'd been out for what could only be a day. She patted herself on the back for making it that long with little sleep, and she bet she looked frazzled and tired.

"It's been so long since I slept like that,"he stated, his voice rich and soothing like before. "Fuck. It's been forever."

Oh, he swore,Linh thought, her cheeks heating a little. She didn't think a Duskwalker would swear, since it was a rather human thing to do. He's also still talking.

He shook his head, as if trying to shake it of sleep. He'd never really shook it so hard or fast before, so when she heard the quietest rattle of bones, it took her aback.

"How long have I been out?"he asked, removing his hand so he could stare down at his palm and claws. "I cannot believe her voice and scent made me fall asleep. Why? I know she doesn't have any magic."

"You've been asleep for about a day," she answered, as a mischievous grin formed.

"A fucking day? That's it? No wonder I'm still so tired."He snorted out an annoyed huff as he pushed himself higher and shuffled his tail underneath himself to support his torso. "I thought when I finally slept, I'd pass out for years. All I get is a day? At least the fragments are gone."

A sort of giddiness fluttered in her belly. Did my singing heal him of his trances?

"The memories aren't returning?"

Nathair looked up before tilting his head up at the ceiling. "I... don't think so."

"I'm glad I could be of help then," she answered. She kind of liked that she had this magical power – although she didn't really think magic had anything to do with it. Unless...

"Little female, you have no idea."She heard the sincerity of that, but also how his voice had been slightly louder than before. It quietened once more as he said, "I'm tempted to start calling her a siren."

"I think a siren is a bit much," she stated with a laugh.

He chuckled along with her until it abruptly cut short.

His head darted down and then twisted so hard it almost went upside down. His orbs morphed to dark yellow. "Wait... did she just respond to me?"

"I did." Her brows drew together as she tilted her own head. "Did you not know you were talking?"

"What?"He leapt back from her before halting. He cupped the end of his snout. "I'm talking? Am I really?" Once more, Linh noted that his voice changed. It didn't change in tone or bass, but was either softer or louder. He lowered his hands. "Can... you really hear me?"

"Yes," she giggled.

He cupped his snout in a thoughtful gesture. "Why now, though? Is it because the voices are gone?"

She raised a brow since she'd been expecting him to be overjoyed. "I don't know, but isn't it a good thing they're gone?"

"Well, yes, but–" His head reared back, as if with surprise. "Wait, did you hear my question?"

"Well, yeah. Did you not mean to ask me?" He's being really weird. "I didn't expect you to be this chatty," she said with an awkward laugh.

White flickered in his orbs. "Can you hear this?"

"Yes?"

She didn't expect him to suck in a loud gasp, or for him to suddenly cup both sides of his head like the world was ending. His muscles bunched, as if with tension, while a curt whine escaped him.

"Fuck! She can hear my damn thoughts!"

Linh, surprised by the horrified tone, fell back from kneeling to land on her backside. "I can?"

"No!" Nathair clawed down his skull, seeming to fret under the power of this realisation. "I don't want her to hear my damn thoughts. She probably heard that, and that. Shit. Shut up. Shut up!"

"I-it's okay, Nathair," Linh reassured, reaching out to comfortingly palm his biceps.

He darted away from her. "No, it's not. You have no idea the kind of thoughts I have."

"It'll be fine," she offered, her brows furrowing. "Now that I know you're not meaning to say them, I'll try not to take them seriously."

With a soft growl, Nathair ducked closer until the tip of his snout was less than an inch from her nose. "You do not want to know the kind of thoughts I have, little female. I am a Mavka, and we are not pure creatures. And my thoughts about you are wildly perverse and impure. You would not be able to handle knowing what I really want to do to..." His orbs flashed a reddish pink. "Shit."

"At least it makes you honest?" she attempted to joke, while trying to not let what he said, or rather thought, make her eyes widen.

He was so irritated, his growl had a sharpness to it that almost gave it a hiss-like quality.

"I cannot stay here," he stated, turning towards the lake.

"No!" Linh shouted, lunging forward to grab his wrist. "Wait! Please don't go."

"Linh," he warned, likely only halting so he didn't drag her across the ground.

"We've never been able to talk freely like this before, and I have so many questions. Please? I promise not to get upset if your thoughts slip something out. I can ignore them."

"You say that–"

Her cheeks warmed, and she clenched her eyes shut in courage as she shouted, "I know you want to touch me! I know you probably want more than that. I'm not an idiot. But I-I don't think I'll mind hearing things like that, even if they are... more bloodthirsty. They are just words, and I know you aren't going to purposefully hurt me, nor are you saying them to make me uncomfortable or get a rise out of me. I'll trust what you do, not what you say, e-even if it makes me uncomfortable."

Gosh, she was rambling, but she really did want him to stay.

What if this is only temporary? If she missed her chance to get answers, she'd be really upset.

Yes, she was learning what he'd called ‘Nathair speak,' but it was taking time. She'd only been learning for a week, and it was all new to her. It'd take forever to understand a whole new language.

Nathair turned to her slightly, seeming to assess her and weigh his options.

"Please? I want to know why you are suffering from human memories when you told me it isn't normal for other Duskwalkers. I want to know where you came from, how you came to be, why you're choosing to... protect me."

The wrist she was clinging to for dear life pushed through her hands towards her. He gently cupped the side of her face, and she let out her held breath as her eyes flickered open.

"I am protecting you because you deserve to be shielded." He fully turned towards her and retracted his hand to fold his arms across his chest. "Fine. I will stay unless something rather difficult to bear slips out. I will try to remain thoughtless. She has aided me, so the least I can do is answer her questions."

The smile she gave was fully of relief. "M-my questions, then?"

He grunted in answer at first, his arms tightening, before he loosened them in defeat. "You asked about my fragments and why it is not normal. The reason is because I ate souls in the afterworld when I should not have."

Her brows drew together, her lips puckering in uncertainty along with them. "Afterworld?"

"The afterlife is what your kind call it." When her lips parted in understanding, he tipped his head to the side like he often did when annoyed. "Yes, little female. I died."

"B-but you're alive!" she exclaimed, her eyes roaming over his very alive body.

"I was brought back to life by my father, who is also the demi-god of that world. He is a soul eater, and he collects all the human souls that have been eaten by Mavka and Demons and gives them a place to rest, while also taking their life force for power."

She covered her mouth, unsure if it was in shock or rapt curiosity. She wouldn't dare argue with him in disbelief. "How long ago, and for how long were you dead?"

"I was brought back around three months ago... For how long I was dead, roughly two hundred and eighty years."

Heat drained from her face, and she gawked at him. "You were dead for that long?!"

Linh was trying her hardest to not freak out, but he couldn't suddenly throw insane information like this at her without letting her react to it. He hadn't even done it softly! Instead, he'd sucker punched her with it.

Nathair sighed. "She's a human. Humans cannot comprehend Mavka." At the slip of his thoughts, he stiffened. "Sorry."

"All good." Her apologetic smile was forced, and likely came across as a grimace. "Your memories are because you ate souls in this afterlife? Why would you eat them then?"

"I did not know. I was rather underdeveloped when I arrived. And, before you ask, it means my humanity was low, and my body gaunt and thin. Mavka gain physical strength by eating any creature, but intelligence by consuming humans. What we first eat before our horns form will dictate our characteristics. Obviously, I first ate some kind of serpent."

Linh was rendered utterly silent from the sudden bout of information he dumped on her. Is Mavka what they call themselves?

"What this meant is I was too stupid to realise that while my father was asleep, consuming so many souls was damaging for me. I also harmed him in the process and almost forced him into an endless sleep. I was confused about my new life, and despite no longer feeling hunger, I was still affected by my rages because Mavka like to chase their prey. When Weldir, my creator, woke up and realised what I'd done, it was too late to save me despite his efforts. I'd consumed too many souls, had been harbouring them for too long, and parts of them had burrowed so deep into my own soul that he wasn't able to completely remove them. I infected myself, and what remained are the fragments of dozens of human memories that constantly speak. I cannot sleep, as my trances are far worse when I do, so I rest by letting them play. However, I am tired, I am weakened, and sometimes a voice will shout louder than the others. When that happens, a fragment will take hold, and then it becomes a barrage of them."

Her lips pursed in thought. "Does this mean that, technically, you haven't actually eaten that many humans?"

"I am surprised she is not running away in fear after learning all this."He tilted his head at her, and his folded arms lost some of their tension. "Well, yes, technically you are correct. Most of my mass and intelligence comes from already deceased humans. I shouldn't tell her they all screamed, regardless." His orbs flashed a reddish pink in embarrassment. "Fuck."

Her eyelids fluttered in trepidation, unsure if she should answer his thoughts. She decided not to.

"Do you..." Linh licked her lips nervously. "Do you regret harming humans? With how kind you are to me..."

"Why ask me such a question that will only make her harbour resentment?"Nathair covered his face and sighed behind his palm. "Yes, and no? I do not regret developing, and my past is lined with bloodshed in order to do so. But, yes, I regret hurting people, especially as this is not my task."

"Task?"

"I am a soul harvester for Weldir. I am supposed to eat Demons and cleanse the souls they incidentally carry and then ferry them to my father. This is why all Mavka were born. It is why we exist. However, we have an insatiable hunger he did not foresee, and the only way to remove it is to... No. I should not tell her that we seek a–" He stiffened and let out a vicious snarl that overshadowed and hid his thoughts from her.

Even his orbs flared bright red behind his hands, as if he was growing angered by his thoughts slipping from him.

Linh chose to ignore it, and instead lifted her hands. Then she started counting with her fingers all she'd learned. "Okay, one, Duskwalkers call themselves Mavka. Two, they are soul harvesters for a demi-god, who is also their dad. Three, they gain weight from eating things, but humanity from people. Four, you are unwell, and my singing managed to aid you. Five, your memories are actually fragments, and I'm guessing that makes you more aware than others of your kind, and you can understand humans better. Is that right?"

As she spoke, Nathair lowered his hand. His orbs flared bright yellow. "I knew she was smart, despite her clumsiness. Her face is not the only thing that is pretty."

He called me pretty and smart. Linh's ears flared with heat at that, and he mimicked it with a reddish-pink glow. He grunted, like one might clear their throat.

"Yes, that is correct. However, there is much about humans I don't know, as the fragments are only pieces of their memories, and always their death. Some are unpleasant, and others are very pleasant."

Oh god, he probably means memories like sex.

As if to answer her thoughts, his thoughts slipped out. "I have experienced humans fucking in so many different ways that I could show her..." He growled again and clutched the sides of his head. "Stop. Don't think about touching her. Don't think about spreading her thighs apart and..."

Linh gasped when Nathair lowered his arms so he could rake his claws down his forearm until purple blood welled and gushed down the sides of it.

"Hey!" Linh cried, rising to her knees to reach out to him. "Stop. It's fine."

The Duskwalker parted his maw to hiss violently at her, warding her back and rendering her silent. "My thoughts are mine! It is unpleasant to spill them. When I decide to tell you what I want to do to your supple body, I will do so when I am ready." Then he darted forward so their faces were barely an inch apart. "And when I know you will moan like I have petted you with them."

Linh didn't back away from the menacing way he towered over her. Her heart fluttered, and she was unsure if it was in titillation or wariness.

"Okay," she conceded, then let an appreciative smile fill her features. "Thank you for talking to me, despite how uncomfortable it's making you. I also wanted to apologise for earlier, and how I–"

Her words were cut short when he placed his unbloodied hand over her mouth.

"Is this really what you wish to speak of now?" he asked, tilting his head. "I can... feel the voices returning."

He pulled back just enough that he gave her some space. "They are?"

Nathair nodded. "Yes. There is a familiar heaviness returning. Once they begin chatting, I am unsure if my ability to speak will remain. I do not wish for us to waste what valuable time we have on pointless apologies. Both of us are sorry." Then Nathair turned his head to the side to look away from her. His voice sounded quieter than before. "I am... thankful to you. As much as I care about speaking with you, being able to sleep even for only a little... it means more to me than you can ever understand."

"I can sing for you every night if you like," she offered. She'd like to help him, especially when he did so much for her all the time.

His orbs faded to blue. "No. I do not think that is wise. If you were to fall asleep with me, and I slipped into a trance, I may harm you. Like I said, they are worse when I am asleep." He turned his saddened glow to her. "I would rather not sleep than hurt her."

Her heart squeezed in tenderness with how sweet she found his words, even if they were hollowing. "I can always do it in the morning, so I'm fully rested. That way, I'll have the energy to stay awake."

"Would that not... bore you?" he asked, his voice even quieter than before. "To even offer this on my behalf..."

"No," she answered warmly. "I'll just pet your skull like I did before. I really don't mind."

He cupped the side of his head. "She petted me?" She barely heard what he said, but the joyful awe in his tone was evident, especially when his orbs flickered a bright yellow. "Really? You would do this?"

She nodded, and he leaned down once more, this time holding his torso up with one arm. He reached forward with his free hand.

"Will you sing for me then, my little nightingale?" Nathair rumbled with a purr, raking his claws from her collar bones and up her throat.

Linh shivered in delight as goosebumps prickled all over her, and she let out a raspy breath. "Yes."

Nathair grunted as white flickered in his orbs, fighting with his usual orange. He flinched as he pulled back and covered his empty eye holes and bony forehead, then shuddered deeply before letting his arms fall.

He stared at her for longer than was comfortable.

After a small length of silence, Nathair signed, "Did you hear?"

Her lips tightened in sorrow, already missing his charming voice. "No."

She never expected him to chuckle. Even when he hissed out a breath of pain and dug his fingers into the crown of his skull, the sounds of his amusement continued.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You said something important to me, didn't you? Something that would have been okay if I heard it!"

A loud burst of laughter exploded from him as he nodded.

"That's mean, Nathair!" She stood and placed her hands on her hips, wishing she could tower over him. "Tell me!"

He shook his head to deny her.

"Come on!" she shouted while stamping her foot. "You can't leave me hanging like that. If you don't tell me, I-I'll... tackle you and beat you."

"I would like to see you t-r-y."He finger-spelled the last word, as he either didn't have a sign for it, or hadn't taught her yet.

With a childish pout, her cheeks ballooning in annoyance, Linh pounced. She shoved at his chest, and he fell to his side – she had a feeling he let her push him over. Then she lightly beat on his chest.

She giggled when he wrapped his arms around her midsection and squeezed tightly while licking at her cheek.

"You're such a bully," she exclaimed, her tone dulling in annoyance at his kiss.

He chuckled in return, his orbs flaring bright yellow.

He signed, "I know."