"No," he said, bringing his hand forward to brush lightly across the mark. "It's supposed to take effect immediately, to bind us with a deep connection, sometimes even a mind link. Though not everyone with a mark can achieve that unless they are of the same kind of creature, still… my mark should not be this weak on you. I don't know why it is like this, but the fact that it saved your life is more than enough for me."
He told her, but he couldn't help his own worries as to why his mark was not strong on her. And though he didn't want to give heed to anything the demon king had said, or even allow himself to believe any of it, still, one thing the demon spoke lingered stubbornly in his mind, clinging to him like a curse that refused to be shaken off.
