Page 92 of Their Offering

“Shit.” Aiden picked me up and cradled me. “Lilly, how long have you been sick?” He looked at his brother. “She’s burning up.”

I mumbled something about feeling off for a while, but today was certainly the worst. I thought I just had a headache from adjusting to the warm weather. I closed my eyes and leaned into my fiery prince.

I woke up on the couch in the common room, Ida and Keir whispering with the twins. Everyone rushed to my side, even Keir, when I tried and failed to sit up. I felt much worse than I had earlier, unrealistically quickly.

“What’s going on?” They were all looking at me like I was on my deathbed.

Ida looked at Keir, who nodded, then turned back to me. “We aren’t quite sure what’s wrong, but I’ve called someone who might be able to help.” That got the brothers’ attention. She gave them each a motherly look. “Don’t be mad. She went through something similar when she first got here. She can help her.”

“And what if she outs us to our father?” Keir was visibly upset.

“She won’t. I’ll explain everything. She will understand. I’m sure of it,” Ida responded.

Keir and Ida continued to argue as the twins helped me get propped up on the couch.

“Wait. Who are they talking about?” I asked.

“Our mother.” Nicholas winced. “Not ideal, but I think Ida’s right. Our mom was human once, so maybe she knows how to help.” Their mom was a human? I shook my head. I must’ve heard him wrong. He kissed my forehead and then leaned his against it. “You look awful.”

I choked out a laugh. “I can only imagine how I look, considering how I feel.” I felt sicker than I’d ever been. I was hot and cold all at once. I had chills and aches all over. My stomach was churning, and I felt barely conscious.

Aiden squeezed my hand. “You’ll be okay.” He gave me a sympathetic smile.

“Guys, I’m not dying. I probably just have a bad cold, right? No need to get all worked up.”

Ida and Keir had finished their bickering, and everyone looked at me like a sick puppy. Before I could respond, the elevator dinged and opened.

Keir and Ida went straight to the elevator. I couldn’t hear their words, but they sounded worried and angry all at once. Then, I heard a cheery, higher voice that must’ve been their mom.

I felt panicked. I was about to meet their mom.Holy shit. I was a mess, and the queen of Hell was here to see me. I tried to sit up, but the motion made me nauseous, and I threw up over the side of the couch. Thankfully, Nicholas jumped out of the way just in time.

“Oh dear, sheissick.” My eyes lifted to meet hers, and I was speechless. I knew where Keir got his good looks from.

Their mom had long black hair that framed her face and fell just below her midsection. Her lips were full and red, her eyes large and identical to Keir’s. Her presence filled the room. I would have satisfied the urge to bow to her if I had not been weak and sick.

She bent down and wiped her hand across my cheek. “She’s burning up. How long has she been like this?”

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. “We aren’t sure. She’s stubborn,” he gave me a side-eye, “and refuses to let us help her. She was fine this morning. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. Hours later, she's like this.” His voice was heavy with worry.

“She said she’d been feeling bad for the past few days, but today was the worst,” Nicholas added.

“You poor thing.” Her touch was so gentle and nurturing. Why did the brothers have an issue with her? “Give us the room,” she commanded. Everyone, even Keir, left me alone with their mother, the queen of Hell, though their looks of apprehension did not go unnoticed.

I swallowed, feeling beyond nervous. What was she going to say? What was she going to do? Did she know I was in love with her sons?Shit. Did I just admit I was falling for them? I hope Keir didn’t hear that.

I waited, expecting to hear his voice in my head, but it was silent. I relaxed with relief. Maybe he hadn’t heard me. We hadn’t had that connection for a while. There had been no chances ofheightened emotionsbetween us. He’d been avoiding me like the plague since Austin.

“My darling.” She lifted my head and sat down, placing my head back in her lap as she stroked my hair. “We were never meant to be in this world, yet our hearts led us here anyway, didn’t they?” What was she talking about? “I’m going to tell you a story. About me.”

She continued to stroke my hair, making my body erupt in goosebumps.

“I was human once too, darling.” I turned my head to look at her, and she nodded. “It’s true. I was twenty-two, a year younger than you are now.” How did she know how old I was? Did someone tell her? “It was the 1920s.” She looked to the side, as if reminiscing. “I ran into him, Arthur, at a party. He was captivating, the most charismatic man I’d ever met. Of course, he talked his way into my bed that night.” She laughed. “It was supposed to be a one-night thing, no strings attached, but I guess he was as captivated with me as I was with him. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. He finally did leave, to return to Hell, which I knew nothing about at the time. It was a month later that I found out I was pregnant with Keir.”

“Wait…” I spoke out loud. “Is Keir…?” Was Keir human? No way. I saw him be all demon-like with his brothers. He was more terrifying than both of them.

“No. Keir is not human. I was human when I bore him, but he was not. Thankfully, I had the feeling there was something special about him, so I refused to go to the doctor. A friend helped me deliver him at home. It nearly killed me.” She paused. “Arthur said he felt the birth of our son from Hell, and he came back for us. His sweet-talking convinced me to forgive him and come to Hell as his companion. It was what was best for Keir. He needed to be around his own kind.” Another pause, this one longer, sadder. “Anyway, within a couple of months, I was in your position, on my deathbed.” I tensed up. Deathbed? Was it that bad? “Luckily, there’s a cure.”

I sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. I shoved the heels of my palms into my temples, trying to make the pain subside. “What do you mean a cure? I’m just sick.”

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