Page 29 of Their Demon

Aiden scooted on his knees until he was close enough to grab my legs, placing his head in my lap. “We couldn’t tell you it was us. We were afraid you’d want more.” He was right there. “You needed out, but it couldn’t have anything to do with us. At the time, it was what we thought was best. Looking back, it was stupid. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know if that’s good enough for me,” I said with a shrug. “I was genuinely worried about getting Ida in trouble. I’ve been writing to Mavis in secret because I didn’t think you guys knew about our friendship. I felt so bad for lying about the whole thing, but it turns out, everyone already knew. I feel like a fool.”

My glare flitted to Nicholas, who was chewing on his bottom lip nervously, still not looking at me.

I continued speaking, since neither of them had anything to say. “You had every opportunity to tell me you knew, and you still kept it a secret.”

“Lilly…” Nicholas was looking at me now, his eyes filled with deep regret.

“Don't,” I cut him off, and even though I felt guilty for snapping at him, I felt like it was a small price to pay for the lies he’d hidden.

“Take it easy on them, tiger,” Ida said, popping her head into the living room. “It was just as much me as them. I’d been pushing them for weeks to let you get some fresh air. They meant well, in their own ways.” She gave me a look, and I knew what she was telling me.

The princes had been raised by a man who didn’t value his woman, who saw her as property and treated her as such. Their father gave them a horrible example to follow when it came to women, yet I’d been loved and cherished from the moment I met them. Despite their upbringing, it was apparent they were determined not to take after their paternal side, but that didn’t mean it came without bumps.

But I was mad—furious, really. They’d lied to me, knowing I’d ‘snuck’ out of the house weeks ago and made my first friend. I’d been dying to talk to someone about that day, but I had no one to confide in except Ida. I’d held that secret this whole time, yet I was the fool.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, moving my hands to rub Aiden’s head still in my lap. Ida was right.Theywere right. This hadn’t been done to hurt me. It was to give me what I wanted within their boundaries. I understood, in a twisted way. Had I known they were behind the whole thing, I would have pestered them to be let out again, and at the time, I was supposed to be a secret. Despite the situation being handled the wrong way, I knew they did it with tenderness in their hearts, not animosity.

“I forgive you,” I spoke softly without opening my eyes. Aiden’s head left my lap.

I felt the room’s energy shift, the twins' demeanor too. The tension dissolved, leaving gentle silence in its wake.

“Open your eyes, baby,” Nicholas’s soothing voice reached out to me.

After a beat, I gave him what he asked for. I blinked my eyes open to see them still on their knees, both looking at me with hope.

“I forgive you,” I repeated, though I wasn’t sure if it was a reminder for them or me.

While I was really fucking upset and felt wronged in so many ways, I wanted to move past this. We didn’t have time to be angry at each other. I wanted to enjoy my time with the men who loved me, men who weren’t necessarily perfect, but they were perfect for me.

Their shoulders relaxed at my confirmation, small smiles forming on their faces. “Thank Satan,” they said together, relieved.

I chuckled and shook my head. “Do I still getanythingI want?”

They nodded profusely.

“Anything,” Nicholas said.

“Name it,” Aiden followed.

I smiled at them. “I want to go see Mavis… atherhouse.”

“That sounds like a lovely idea, doesn’t it, boys?” Ida said as she carried a tray of plates with steaming food into the room for us.

“But Keir—”

“We will all handle Keir together,” Ida interrupted Aiden. “Four to one. The odds are not in his favor.” She winked at me.

Over dinner, the twins listened to me tell them about sneaking out of the flat and meeting Mavis. They laughed when I told them about Ida having to cover for us and called me a human slave to get us past the doorman.

“I wouldn’t mind you being our slave,” was Aiden’s reply. “Servicing our needs all day long?” One brow hitched to his hairline as his lips spread into a devious smirk, tongue swiping quickly across his bottom lip.

I, of course, smacked his arm and told him to at least behave while Ida was over. I doubted she wanted to hear his dirty fantasies.

By the time we finished eating and Ida had left, things were relaxed and back to how they were before—better. Keir still hadn’t made it home, though. He’d missed both our trainings entirely, which was not like him, considering how seriously he took them. The twins said they suspected their father was keeping him busy and away from me. I hated to admit it, but I actually missed him.

Chapter 13

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