Page 50 of All's Hell That Ends Well

I shook Mammon to get his attention back on me. “What happened to Taylor?”

“What?” squeaked Mammon.

“My. Best. Friend.” I bared my teeth and let him feel a wave of my power. “You put her life in danger by telling her Belial’s true name. He was pissed at her for summoning him to deliver messages to me. You swore to fix it. Did you? Is she alive? Is she safe?”

He laughed. The audacity!

Eyes dancing with mirth, he said, “Oh, she’s perfectly fine. No, really! Safe as can be. Alive and well.”

Some of the tension left me, my shoulders relaxing a bit. Still, I didn’t let him go. “What about the whole thing with Belial? Did you resolve that? Did you find a way to make sure he won’t come after her?”

Mammon’s shoulders shook with his near-silent laughter. “I didn’t have to. She did that all on her own. Don’t worry. Belial won’t ever raise a single finger to her.”

I glanced at Azazel. “Is that true?”

He nodded, the hint of a grin upon his lips.

I narrowed my eyes. “There’s more to this. What is it? What’s the story here?”

My beloved demon gave a fluid shrug, a sly expression on his face. “It’s not mine to tell, love. You’ll have to get it from Taylor herself.”

I huffed. “Yeah, when I’m allowed to see her. And who knows when that will be. I don’t know if Lucifer will continue to be a little shit about this…”

“I’m sure you’ll get to visit her soon,” Azazel said.

“Um,” Mammon piped up, raising one finger, “now that we’ve cleared this up, I don’t think there’s any reason for you to keep choking me.” He paused, and a contemplative look came over his face. “Although, on second thought…this is actually stimulating.”

“Ew!” I let him go as if his throat were a slimy eel. Shaking my hand, I stepped back and sent him a dark look. “That was so unnecessary.”

Mammon rubbed his throat and eyed me. “This is by far the hottest version of you. Fierce looks good on you, and now you’ve got the power to back it up. Chapeau!” He sketched a bow.

“On that note,” Azmodea chimed in, “how come you’re this strong? You feel like a seraph now. And your power tastes very familiar.” She tilted her head and pointedly looked at Azazel.

“Uh, yeah,” I said. “We’re bonded.”

“Duh.” Azmodea waved her hand. “You’re married. I know.”

“Actually, that marriage was dissolved with my death.” I grimaced. I’d never get used to speaking so casually about the end of my human life. “The bond we have now is new.”

She squinted at me and Azazel in turn, then her eyes widened. “You didn’t.”

I just grinned.

“What?” Mammon asked around a mouthful of the food on the small table. “Someone explain this, please.”

“There’s an ancient way of bonding,” Azmodea said. “A connection of two souls. It’s permanent and incredibly intimate,tying the two partners together on every level. Which is why no one really does it.”

Mammon nodded. “We like to keep our options open.”

“I don’t,” Azazel and I said at the same time.

“Some demons you are,” Azmodea muttered, but her tone was affectionate, her lips curved upward. “Well, I don’t quite understand your folly, but I congratulate you anyway and wish you nothing but happiness.”

She hugged me again and then gave Azazel a kiss on his cheek, which he rewarded with a warm smile.

My gaze flicked to Mammon munching on the food I’d scorned earlier, and my stomach fizzed with anxiety. “Uh, you probably shouldn’t eat that.”

“Oh, did you want any?” His eyes dropped to the almost cleared plates. “I’m sure we can order more.”

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