My Demon Master Is An Adorable Snake

Chapter 13

Ren cautiously approached Yuta's bedside, his face creased with worry but his eyes never leaving the snake. "Let me tend to your wounds," he said, though his voice trembled slightly.

As Ren began cleaning the blood from Yuta's back with strips of wet cloth, he noticed something that made his heart clench with sympathy. Beneath the fresh lash marks were older scars—faded but unmistakable evidence of years of abuse.

Those scars… Elrien's serpentine vision was different from his human sight, but he could sense the pain embedded in those old wounds. Who dared to hurt him repeatedly? Who left these marks on him?

"Yuta," Ren whispered, his fingers hovering over a particularly old scar. "Who did this to you? These marks… they're not from today."

Yuta's shoulders tensed, but he didn't answer. He couldn't bear to voice the truth about his family's cruelty, not when Ren was being so kind.

Tell him, Elrien found himself thinking. Tell him so I know who needs to die slowly.

Ren reached out to trace one of the older scars more closely, but the snake suddenly reared up with a venomous hiss that made everyone in the room freeze.

Don't touch him! Elrien's possessive rage flared beyond all reason. He's mine to heal, mine to protect! Keep your hands off what belongs to me!

"It's okay, Shadow," Yuta said quickly, stroking the snake's head to calm it. "Ren is my friend. He's just trying to help."

Friend? The word sent an unexpected stab of something through Elrien's chest. Why do you have friends? And why does that bother me?

"It's just protective of me," Yuta explained to Ren with a fond smile. "Aren't you, beautiful? You don't want anyone else touching me."

That's… that's not… well, actually, that's exactly what I don't want, Elrien realized with growing alarm. When did I become possessive of this human?

The snake settled back down, but its red eyes remained fixed on Ren with obvious warning.

Ren pulled his hands back, shaken. "Yuta, you need to be careful. Tomorrow is the full moon—no matter what happens, you need to stay hidden and safe. Promise me."

Full moon, Elrien's blood chilled. Tomorrow night I'll transform and lose all control. I'll hunt and kill and feast on blood, and this foolish creature will be in danger.

"I promise," Yuta murmured, already drowsy from exhaustion and pain.

As the other slaves settled in for the night, Yuta curled up on his side with the snake pressed against his chest. "Good night, Shadow. Sweet dreams."

Sweet dreams? Elrien was baffled. I'm a demon lord who hasn't had a peaceful night's sleep in centuries, and you're wishing me sweet dreams?

But as the human's breathing deepened and his body relaxed completely, Elrien found something he'd never experienced before—a sense of protectiveness that had nothing to do with possession or power.

What are you doing to me, little healer? he wondered as the night deepened around them. And why do I not want you to stop?

The human's warmth was… comforting. It had been so long since anyone had held him without fear or calculation and greed of what they could profit from him. The boy's breathing was soft and even, and Elrien could feel the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

This is beneath my dignity, sleeping in the slave's quarters! he told himself, even as he found himself curling more protectively around the human's slim form.

As the night deepened and Elrien was certain the other slaves were asleep, he felt the familiar burning sensation that preceded his transformation back to human form. His bones cracked and reformed, scales melting away to reveal pale skin and dark hair.

Within moments, Lord Elrien Vernom knelt beside the sleeping slave, his red eyes studying the peaceful face in the moonlight streaming through the small window.

This close, he could see every detail—the way Yuta's white lashes cast shadows on his cheeks, the soft curve of his lips, the faint lines of pain that even sleep couldn't erase. He was even more beautiful than Elrien remembered from the forest.

"What are you doing in my castle, little healer?" Elrien whispered, his voice barely audible. "And who dared to hurt you?"

His fingers hovered inches from Yuta's face, wanting desperately to touch but knowing that one brush of his hand would wake the boy and shatter this fragile moment.

In his sleep, Yuta stirred and unconsciously reached out, his hand coming to rest against Elrien's chest. The demon lord froze, barely daring to breathe.

For the first time in centuries, Elrien felt something other than rage or emptiness. Looking down at this broken, beautiful human who had shown him kindness, who even now trusted him enough to sleep peacefully in his presence.

Get your filthy human touch away from me! He thought but he made no move to pull away from the gentle touch.

Outside, the moon continued its climb toward fullness, and Lord Elrien Vernom found himself keeping watch over a sleeping slave.