"We are here," Eli whispers to my ear.
Bright sunlight? We were in Benny's living room a moment ago.
"Let's go." He holds my hand. "The Dark gate is only a five-minute walk from here."
"We aren't in your world yet?" I ask him.
"No, we are in J Country," He tells me with a casual tone.
How did we come from B Country? We are even wearing the same clothes. I shouldn't have closed my eyes. It's been a while since I inhaled such fresh air. The ground is wet and the air is cool. It must have rained before we came here. We walk for a while in silence through the dense trees. I feel like I am walking in a circle.
Everything looks the same to me. But Eli looks like he knows what he's doing. After a short walk, we come across a small lake. I could see a gateway in the middle of the lake. The pillars are vermillion red with paper talismans sticking all over them.
"That is the dark gate," He says to me. I follow his gaze to make sure that we are looking at the same thing.
"But that is just…" I don't know what to say. Can he see something that I can't?
"It's closed at the moment." Eli lets go of my hand. "Wait for a moment."
He moves his hands in the air as if he's forming letters in the air. His eyes are glowing brightly. Though I can't see anything, I feel vibrations in the air. I squint my eyes. I could see the dark letters. The sound of the wind distracts me. I turn my head toward the gateway without a door.
I could see a road starting from the gateway. Then, it's the mountains. It changes again. This time, I see buildings. The scenery keeps changing.
"The Dark Gate is connected to many lower worlds." Eli looks at me and smiles. "There is one thing left to do."
"What is it?" Damn it! He's really from another planet. I am both scared and excited to see his world. I am also relieved that we aren't going to his home. I have never met a duke before. A ghoul duke is too much to digest at the moment and there are twelve siblings. What about his three step-mothers?
"You smell too good." He puckers his lips. "You are too pretty. I don't want to look at anything else other than you."
This guy is at it again. "I am not that pretty."
But Eli isn't listening to me. He talks without a pause, "In my world, there are demons and other creatures. Some of them are supposed to be more good-looking than I am."
What does he want to say? I raise my brow. What if someone is better in appearance?
"Keep your eyes on me." He sighs. "Don't get seduced by someone else."
"..."
Seduced by a demon? Being seduced by you is more than enough.
"I should leave my mark on you before we head there." He leans closer and brushes away the hair from my ear. My body becomes stiff when I feel his heated breath on my skin. It's tickling me. He mumbles, "I can stay like this for eternity."
"Just do it," I snap at him. He laughs. I feel his warm lips on my ear. I close my eyes, tightening my arms around the cat. He presses me against the tree and nibbles my earlobe. I suppress a moan. This is not the right place or time for this. The cat groans and slips out of my arms. Eli sucks in the air and then, he licks my ear again. How long is he going to do this?
"Shameless!" The Devil cat shouts. "You have no shame. I am still a child."
I push Eli away and turn my back to him to fix my clothes. I am easily seduced by him. I look at my palm. Is Eli going to expunge everything that I feel for Baek Joon-Woo? If I remember everything, what would happen? Who is going to win? My feelings for Baek Joon-Woo or my feelings for Eli? Am I going to hurt this man who is alive?
Am I doing the right thing? I made promises to Baek Joon-Woo. At this moment in my life, I was supposed to be with him. He didn't break any promises. He didn't kill himself. He didn't break any promises to me. He was taken away from me.
If he was alive, I would have never met Eli. I would have never looked at Eli.
"What child?" Eli asks the cat. "You are a spirit."
I let out a breath. I won't think about Baek Joon-Woo until I remember. There are things that I have to do. But it's hard. Forgetting. Forgiving. Loving without feeling guilty. I feel like I am letting down Baek Joon-Woo. Then, there are times when I feel like I am doing something wrong to Eli.
"I was born from a piece of her soul. She carried me inside her head for more than nine years. In some way, she's my mother."
I glance at the Devil cat. What the hell is he talking about? It was not my choice to carry it in my head. What kind of child asks his mother to die?
The cat ignores my question. He seems to be mad at Eli for some reasons.
"Your creator." Eli glares at the cat. "You are not her child."
"Same thing." The Devil huffs at him. "You are my slave, but you will be my father if you marry her. Then, you will be my slave father. It is the same thing."
I am having trouble following the cat's logic.
Eli runs his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated. He looks straight at the cat's face. "If you think of her as your mother, then you have to protect your mother at all times and you should never interrupt when I am trying to make your sibling with her."
Both of them have lost their minds.
"Have mercy on my eyes and make it where I can't see both of you," The cat tells him with a sharp tone. "The weather is hot here. How long are we going to stay here?"
"Fine." Eli looks at me and sighs. "Wife, you must give me a proper kiss soon. I am reaching my limit. On our wedding night, I am going to eat you thoroughly."
His tone is serious. I don't know what to say.
Without a word, he lifts me in his arms. The cat jumps to his shoulder and puts his head on Eli's head. I bite my lower lip. Eating me thoroughly? I can't get over these words.
It happens so fast. I look down and realize that he's running on the damn water. I purse my lips when we get closer to the gateway. A powerful forcefield slams against us. I grasp his coat and press my face against his chest.
"Nell, open your eyes and look," He tells me with a cheerful voice.
I look up at him. He has changed back to his original form. I follow his smiling eyes. Under the coral sky, a vast city with ancient architecture. In the middle of the city, I could see a large cobalt-blue palace. A silver river is gently curving through the city. The sky has no sun or stars. The air is warm. In the horizon, the hills are covered by the dark clouds. I blink my eyes again and again as we fall through the air. So, this is his world.