Page 34 of Their Offering

“Only102 and 78….” I snorted. “Unbelievable.”

The brothers laughed, even Keir. I’m sure it was funny to witness from their side.

“Okay…” I turned to Nicholas. “So, do you guys live in a palace or something?”

Nicholas smirked. “We did. We grew up in Hell’s palace, but we live together in a flat in the city instead. It’s better that way.”

“So Hell has cities too?” I asked.

He nodded. “It's not much different from Earth. We have cities, towns, cars, businesses, schools, and so much more. We can show you one day.” I chose to ignore his last comment, not wanting to hash that out again. I wasnotgoing to Hell.

“Why’re your eyes red?” I asked Aiden.

“They’re full of fire, little one.” A grin accompanied his response.

My eyes widened. “What?”

“Our eye colors are directly linked to our abilities. As royals, we were born with a link to one of the realms of Hell, thus giving us each a special gift. My gift is fire. Nicholas’s is ice, and Keir’s is the shadows.” It seemed much more obvious once it was explained to me.

“Uh huh… okay then.” I smiled. It felt nice to get to know them, even the one staring at me from where he leaned on the wall, his shadows surrounding him. No wonder he was so dark and broody.

“Our turn.” Nicholas rubbed his hands together and gave me a playful wink.

“Huh?” My face scrunched up.

“It's our turn to ask you questions, Lilly. It’s onlyfair.” He used his words from earlier, and I suddenly felt very vulnerable.

Oh my gosh, no. I shook my head. “First of all, can’t you guys just get into my head and figure out what you need to know? Like you did with my address, the pizza, and who knows what else?” Before anyone could respond, I continued. “Secondly, I’m boring as hell. Don’t waste your time.”

“First of all,” Aiden mimicked me, “Hell is not boring, little one, I can assure you of that.Secondly, wecouldget into your head, but it's more fun this way.” I rolled my eyes, but my stomach filled with butterflies. I felt like some silly little girl whose crush just told her he liked her. “Say, we each get one question?”

“Fine.” I pressed my lips together tightly, trying to contain my giddiness. I loved that they wanted to get to know me. Less than three days, and I was giving them more than I’d ever given any other man, and, for some crazy reason, I wanted to give them even more.

It was insane, but I felt important sitting around the table with all three sets of eyes on me. I felt wanted. They had made me want to be vulnerable, something I hadn’t felt in so long. I had a lot of scars from my past, and some part of me felt like they were the answer to my healing prayers.

“Me first.” I set my eyes on Nicholas when he spoke up. “What’s your favorite hobby?”

I didn’t expect such a mundane question, but I was relieved, nonetheless. “Um… drinking?” His eyebrows shot up. “I told you I’m boring. I don’t do much. Getting drunk is a nice escape from life; I can lose myself and forget all my problems. I don’t feel so pathetic and weak. For that short time, I can just breathe andlive.” I smiled sadly. I probably sounded like an alcoholic. Maybe I was one.

I didn't mean to give up so much, but the words just flowed out. All three, even Keir, looked at me like I was an injured puppy. I hated that look.

I blinked a couple of times and took a deep breath. “Next.” Thankfully, no one protested.

I hated admitting I felt weak, but I was sure they already knew that. They saw my life, the mess that it was, and they’d saved me from a guy I couldn’t even run away from. Maybe I could convince one of them to teach me to defend myself, but then I remembered they would be returning to Hell, and I would decidedly not be going with them.

“Me.” Aiden was next. “Why did you open the portal that night? A portal hasn’t been opened in almost 400 years. Why were you there?”

I didn’t have to look away from Aiden to know the other two were staring holes into me with their curiosity. I shifted uncomfortably as I tried to find the right words.

Nicholas snorted. “Way to take it easy on her, man. Ask something else.”

As much as I appreciated him coming to my rescue, I could handle things myself–at least this time. “No, it's fine. Really. There’s not much to it anyway. I was drunk; like,reallydrunk. I went for a walk in the––”

“Do you realize how stupid that was?” Keir’s loud interruption caught me off guard.

“Keir,” Nicholas warned his brother, “Lay off.”

“She could’ve gotten hurt, or worse….” Keir’s concern was something I was not expecting. One minute, he couldn’t stand me. The next, he was worried about my safety. I was so confused.

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