Page 30 of Raising the Sun

Ignoring my flirtatiousness, he moved on.Spoilsport. “Where are you from?”

“I believe you already know the answer to that.”

“Hell?”

“A version of it, yes.”

“What’s it like?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Your home?”

“Hot,” I joked, fully anticipating the eye roll that followed. In truth, it was difficult to describe, especially to a human. Not because of the otherworldly sense of wealth and grandeur, or the thrum of magic that drifted constantly in the air, buthomefor a demon didn’t mean the same as it seemed to for mortals. They had more romantic or sentimental connotations for the word, whereas, for us, it was merely a place we resided, ruled over, and nothing more.

My manor held no deeper attachments for me other than strictly material, or as a symbol of power, though I doubted that was what the little creature wanted to hear.

Never let it be said that I hadn’t strived to humour his inquisition.

“It’s decadent,” I finally said, tone turning wistful. For effect. “My manor itself is the grandest display of architecture, to be sure. It was built from gold and marble with pillars of quartz, and it stands on a colossal hill overlooking the iridescent river used to ferry souls to their judgement.”

The human stiffened under me. “Sounds, er, wonderful.”

“You did ask, pet.”

“Yeah, I know, but…” He cleared his throat. “Was it not depressing?”

“On the contrary, I found it rather peaceful. There was nothing quite like lounging on my balcony with a good book, the white noise of all those bloodcurdling screams of despair playing in the background. They reallyare—”

“Alright, alright. Forget I asked.” I let out a soft snort at his unease, though he clearly wasn’t put off enough to abandon his questioning. “You mentioned a brother before. Do you only have the one?”

“I have five brothers and six sisters.”

His eyes widened. “Holy shit. That’s… a lot.”

“Hm. Growing up, it was rather crowded for a time, I’ll admit.” The distant memories of us all inhabiting the same palace halls, learning our places, and vying for the attention of our father were not particularly welcome ones. “But as we came of age, we were granted our own estates to manage, and it wasn’t as suffocating. In fact, our familial bonds possibly saw improvement because of it.Marginally. We would still destroy one another if the need arose.”

“You weren’t close with any of them in particular?”

“No,” I said, honestly, shrugging at his sympathetic frown. “It is what it is, my dear. Though, credit where it is due, Amara threw the best parties, so I did frequent her manor more than the others. Shame I’ll miss her next one.”

Isaac wilted, his eyes dropping. “And that’s my fault.”

I tapped the underside of his chin, bringing his gaze to mine again. “None of that, pet. I am enjoying myself here more than I expected. A great deal more than I would at any party—even one with an arena for… wrestling.” My insinuation startled an exasperated huff out of him. “Besides, my years come slower than yours. I could be by your side until the end of your days, and only a fraction of time will have passed in my realm.”

“So, this could be like a holiday for you?”

I smiled at his comparison, and the hopeful look in his eye. “Yes.”

Without a sign of nervousness, he slid his arm out from under his head and reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before resuming his position. The touch was soft enough to make me falter.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have questioned the shopkeeper more, but I honestly didn’t expect the spell to work. I thought he was just a really good actor in a novelty shop.”

I snorted. “Yes, perhaps you should have been slightly more inquisitive, but you are not at fault. Thisshopkeepershould have warned you of the consequences.”

“So you don’t hate me?”

“I have no reason to. You are a wonderful little thing,” I said honestly, swaying forward to press a kiss to his jaw. “I am quite fond of you.”

The smallest smile ticked at the corner of his lip, but I felt his elation seeping through the tie in our chest, giving away his true feelings.

I rested my head on his ribs, facing away so he couldn’t seemy look of pride.

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