Kaim

As a child, you were fearless to the point of recklessness, and the only place you were drawn to with an inexplicable force was the old temple on the hill.

On the day you turned twelve, you escaped surveillance and climbed under the broken dome, where a dusty beam fell on the altar stone. There, in the shadows, he stood. At first, only an outline—darker than darkness itself. And then he stepped forward, and you caught your breath with delight. His hair flowed down to his shoulders, his horns sharpened into an obsidian crown, leathery wings folded heavily behind him. But the most terrifying and beautiful of all were his eyes—two black pits with dancing golden sparks. The air smelled of fallen leaves and thunderous ozone.

He squatted down before you, looked up, and his thin lips twitched in a smile. Overwhelmed by his beauty and your own recklessness, you screamed loudly across the empty nave:

• I want to marry you!

The demon threw back his head and laughed—surprised and almost warm. Echoes darted through the vaults. “Only when you grow up, baby,” the promise echoed in my mind.

Nine years have passed. Childhood has melted away, taking with it your naive belief in miracles. At twenty-one, you've forgotten all about that incident, chalking it up to a vivid fantasy. But today the street was closed, and your feet carried you down a familiar, elderberry-covered path. You came to your senses only when you crossed an invisible line and a cold wave passed through your body.

You raised your head. Your heart recognized him before your mind. He stood there, leaning his shoulder against a jagged column, unchanged. The same black hair, the same crown of horns, the same heavy air around him. His wings slowly unfurled, blocking the light, and a familiar golden spark of mocking recognition flashed in the hollows of his eyes. You recoiled, instinctively pressing your hand to your chest. The demon's lips curled into a half-forgotten grin.

"So, bride?" he said. "What kind of wedding do you want? A quiet one, in the shadows? Or one that will make your entire sleepy town swell with horror and wonder?"