Page 82 of Married to the Devil

“Ben.” I set a hand on his shoulder and not bothering to remove it when the guard kneeling on the fae takes note. My instincts want everyone to know that this demon is mine.

Ben stands, his frustration churning under my hand.

“You’ll wish you were dead,” the fae one says, his eyes burning on me.

I squeeze Ben’s shoulder when he tenses, wanting to impart a calm with my touch that neither of us has.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to regal us with all the details,” I say, nodding to the guard to remove the prisoners. Which they doafter smacking a silencing charm on the men. No need to invite the likes of Lobo back here.

“Focus on the kids,” I murmur.

Ben glares at me. “You risk too much coming here, putting a target on your back.”

“Out of all the targets our enemies could select, I’d rather it be me. If they have a special treat in mind, I’m sure we’ll be able to get them to talk.” I smirk, a part of me wanting to instigate Ben further. I didn’t think he’d feel so…protective.

Instead, he takes a couple of steps back and takes a breath, hiding his worry from me and the world. “Where do you want me to take them?”

“To the penthouse for now. We don’t have the accommodations set up, but I’d rather we kept them close with the territory being the way it is. Where is Stella?”

“At the Rowan’s. She and her guards are probably heading back soon.”

“Good. Can you keep an eye on them until we get back?” I ask, nodding to the kids.

Ben shrugs. “Sure. I’ll let Silas know. Maybe he can get someone who knows what they’re doing to question them.”

I frown, not wanting to pressure the boy and girl if we could help it. “See if they are open to talking about it first. I don’t want us needing to rely on what they witnessed. I have a meeting with the harpies later. They apparently have allies past the gates, and with the Sovas being sirin, they’re under harpy representation.”

Ben’s face softens. “Good thinking.”

He takes a few steps toward the kids before hesitating and turning. “Be safe, Stoneheart.”

“I’ll try,” I murmur, but he’s already across the room, trying to put space between us.

27

BEN

I’ve been attemptingto ignore the memory of what it feels like to be inside of Stella with Stoneheart’s hard body pressed against mine all day, avoiding the hot shame of teleporting from that moment on the piano to the bed they share, hungry for the flavor of them before breaking.

It’s distracting to wonder if Stoneheart noticed that the bedding had been changed, had any clue why. Hopefully he wouldn’t guess that I went straight from the conservatory to fucking their sheets, mouthing the fabric pathetically in search of their mix of scents.

The memory throbs inside me so clearly, I could find Stoneheart with my eyes closed and feel Stella just as clearly.

They both devastate me.

Something I’d have to ponder on if I weren’t so blessedly busy trying to entertain two kids.

“Do you want something to eat? To watch?” I ask. “I think there’s a theater room somewhere in here.”

The girl, Celeste, shrugs. Timothy had been cheerful with the guard, but now seems unsure of his surroundings and clings tohis sister’s leg. The expression on his face hurts my heart, but I focus on what I’m good at, providing solutions.

It takes some creativity, but sometime later we’re settled enough. Celeste helps Timothy wash up and the front desk sends up new clothing for them.

Somehow, Silas procures a coloring page and pencils before disappearing to make calls to figure out what we’re going to do with two kids. The mystery of how quickly he had these items on hand is solved when I look over Timothy’s shoulder at the design as he focuses on staying in the lines of the giant exclamation point. When I’d glanced up at Silas before he left, he’d shrugged and muttered, “Francesca.”

I wouldn’t have assumed the cat shifter enjoyed coloring books, but I’m grateful.

Since Timothy can’t read yet, he doesn’t know he’s coloring in a giant bubble lettered “Have a fucking great day!”

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