Page 43 of Demons of Eden

He moves up next to me, arm curving around my back to cuddle me close into his side. “Must have been the baby brain making it slip her mind. Right, Eden?”

I’m dreaming. It’s either that, or I must have slipped into another universe, for real this time. Is Rioreallygoing to pretend to be my boyfriend? To pretend to be the baby’s father?

He squeezes me gently, and I force myself to relax into him, realising how weird it would look for me to be frozen stiff as a statue. As far as Alina is concerned, the two of us are apparently a couple. If I don’t want her to start asking even more questions, I need to make her believe the act Rio’s set into motion. I’ll worry about whatever problems this lie might cause us later. One damn crisis at a time.

“Right, it’s totally the baby brain. It uhh…didn’t help that the baby was also such a surprise, so I haven’t known about them for long myself,” I say, praying silently she’ll attribute the awkwardness to being caught off guard.

“A happy surprise though, right?” Alina asks brightly. Her cheery expression then quickly morphs into one of flustered panic, as if realising the potential negative implications of her words. She rushes to continue, her words speeding up almost like someone hit a button to play her at two times the regular speed. “I just meant that you two looked so cute and happy is all. Were you feeling them kick? You definitely don’t look pregnant enough for that yet, but you could be like my cousin, Raya. She stayed tiny for like nearly eight months of her pregnancy, I swear. Then suddenly, bam! Huge belly! The whole family was stunned.”

I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders at her anxious rambling. She probably won’t notice our weirdness if she’s too busy worrying about her own words.

“You know, I don’t know whether that sounds like the best outcome or the worst,” I reply, seizing the opportunity to redirect the conversation away from Rio.And from our supposed love child—Goddess, help me.

“No idea, but it was strange to see. Her baby is so cute, though. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much cute aggression in my entire life. His toes are so tiny, I could bite them. I bet yours will be super adorable too, what with how you two look,” she says with a little waving gesture at the pair of us. “Oh! Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl yet?”

“We’ve decided to keep it as a surprise,” Rio answers smoothly, saving me from blurting out something stupid. I’m thankful for the save, but I’d be more grateful if the arm he wrapped around me hadn’t just slid down a touch.

“That’s great. I don’t think I know anyone else who decided to wait and see, but I sort of love the lack of expectations. So long as you get a healthy baby, what does it matter?”

“That’s what we thought,” Rio replies, and honestly, the level of polite friendliness he’s giving off is actually starting to scare me just a little. Who the hell is this confusing stranger, and what has he done with the real Rio?

When Alina’s eyes turn back to me, as if for confirmation of what he’d said, I blurt out, “So, you sound like you really love babies?”

“I really do,” she agrees without any hesitation.

“Planning on a lot for yourself then?” If she can ask me awkward personal questions, I candefinitelyask them right back, surely?

“Absolutely not!” she exclaims with a wide smile, like she’s barely restraining laughter at the thought. “Love them. They’resuper funny, squishy, and all that. Always happy to babysit and help out, but I couldnever. A night or two without sleep, I could survive, butmonthsof sleep deprivation? Everyone’s always said I turn into a real demon when I haven’t had my beauty sleep, and I doubt even their cuteness would be enough to counterbalance it.”

She turns into a real demon?

I try not to choke on a laugh at the absurdity of her statement, of her making it to me, of all possible people.

“I haven’t thought much about the lack of sleep in my near future,” I reply lightly once I’ve finished my awkward laughter, hoping she’ll assume it’s just from amusement. It’s hard to keep my tone light, given there’s also a mild internal spiralling going on in the back of my head over how much more difficult a demon baby could end up being.

If regular witch babies cause such a lack of sleep, will I ever sleep again once they’re born?

“Probably best not to. Focus on getting all the sleep now that you can,” Alina advises. She startles slightly, quickly reaching into her pocket and pulling out her vibrating phone. “Crap, I gotta go. I was supposed to meet Mia five minutes ago, but congratulations! It was good seeing you, and I guess this finally answers why you never showed up for drinks after the festival!”

WhyIdidn’t show?What?

I’m so caught up in my thoughts for a moment that I barely pay attention to the hurried exchange of goodbyes, not fully aware again of the outside world until Rio lets out a long exhale.

“I thought she’d never leave.”

I turn my head up to look at him, realising in the process his hand is still clutching at an intimate part of my anatomy. It has been ever since his hand first slipped. “What, were you scared you’d have to keep up pretending to be my boyfriend forever?”

“Of course not,sweetheart,” he replies, voice coated in so much sarcasm it drips off of his words like poison. It’s oddly reassuring to have his asshole personality back.

“Rio—darling?”I reply, dragging out the endearment in my sweetest voice and feeling him grow tense against me once more.

“What?” he grunts, apparently deciding he doesn’t want to play that game after all.

“Get your damn hand off my tit!” I snap, despite the lack of real anger in it.

“I’m not—” His eyes quickly dart down, confirming my words. “Fuck, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “I’ll give you a pass seeing as you possibly just saved me from revealing all of my secrets to my coven’s princess.”

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