Page 58 of The Demon's Delight
“I’m going to sleep,” he said, gesturing toward the floor in front of the fire.
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “There’s no need for that, it’s a big bed, and we’re both adults.” His mouth twitched as he watched me burrow between the sheets. “Besides, my chest feels better when you’re close. I wouldn’t get any sleep at all if you were clear over there.” I punched the pillow and fussed until I was comfortable on my side. The bed dipped as he slid in behind me, leaving space between us. After he was settled, his tail curled around my ankle.
His breath was warm as it ghosted along the back of my neck, his fingers gently combing through my hair.
“As you wish, Moonflower.”
Chapter 26
Hailon
For the next two days we zigzagged across the Emankor Valley, going from town to town. Some were quaint little villages where we only lingered long enough to ask after transportation and buy some food or drink, others were towns much like Manvil had been.
It was nice to have hot meals we didn’t have to cook ourselves and real beds, but the closer we got to Ravenglen, the more anxious I was about finishing our journey. We left the comforts of the lush farming region for more camping, knowing we were merely a couple more days from finally reaching our destination.
Horses were still too scarce for us to borrow or buy, and neither humans nor beasts seemed particularly fond of us.
Seir practiced as much as possible with his wings as we walked and was able to get up to several minutes of flight regularly. He even managed to sift twice, though neither attempt landed him more than several paces away, and he said it still felt wrong. My leg was nearly completely healed up, and the bruises I’d accumulated at the house in Olinbourg had faded.
There was something kind of beautiful about returning home like a whole new person, despite how I’d left.
We hadn’t spoken again about mate bonds, but it was always there, lingering under whatever it was we were actually talking about. I found myself staring at Seir, calculating how we could make such a thing work. After all, we didn’t even live on the same plane. Could I go with him to Hell? Would he be able to stay on Earth part time? Would everything change when I banished him and the summoner contract was fulfilled? The questions piled up inside my mind, distracting me from the ones I’d started to be afraid of asking; the ones about Aunt Sal. Had she found anyone to care for her in my absence? Was she still alive? I couldn’t bring myself to consider the notion that she wasn’t, thought I knew it was very much a possibility. Unfortunately, Coltor’s stone kin network had not brought us any news, so I was left to stew in my worries.
Even with my new boots, by the time the sun was setting at the end of the day, my feet were sore, and I was exhausted.
We’d gotten lucky and found a nice, wooded area to camp in, one with heavy rock formations that helped us make a decent shelter. There wasn’t, however, any water to be found.
The process of setting up and taking down camp had gotten to be such an exercise in familiar teamwork that we were settled in with a fire and food before I had time to even feel tired.
After eating the hearty soup Seir had cooked for us, I stared into the flames, one thought repeating through my mind, one that had been bothering me for days. It was something I should have taken care of in the Valley, but there hadn’t been a chance to seek out a shop. And in truth, I’d thought the persistent thoughts would pass. I turned to him. “Would you trim my hair?”
“Your hair?” he asked, head tilted to the side. “My blades are certainly sharp enough, but how would you like me to cut it? And why?”
“The uneven spots, the missing chunks… it reminds me of them. Of that house. I’d like to be done with those thoughts. I’d like for all of them to rot without being mourned or remembered. It’s what they deserve.”
“Oh, Moonflower.” His eyes went soft, and he tucked himself behind me. Seir’s arms wrapped around mine, squeezing my ribs tight. He rested his chin on the top of my head, his heartbeat strong against my back. He even wrapped his legs around my body, his broad thighs over mine as he bear-hugged me. I melted into the embrace, fighting the urge to cry as my body absorbed his affection.
Seir draped one of our towels over my shoulders, then settled back down behind me, standing on his knees.
“Do you trust me?”
I relaxed, a slow smile tugging at my mouth. “You know I do.”
“Just checking. It’s been a while since I did one of these, but I promise it’ll be my best work.” I closed my eyes, the tingle in my scalp a soothing sensation as he combed and tugged and scraped with the edge of his blade. “There’s even more white today,” he mused quietly. “It’s such a pretty color.”
Worry filtered through me. I was fairly young to be going spontaneously gray. I worried that perhaps the exertion from healing him had done something unexpected to me.
Bits of hair fell on my blanket and the ground as he worked, circling around me with a serious look on his face as he measured, cut, measured again.
I was nearly asleep and the fire was getting so low it was hard to see by the time he finally sat back on his heels with a satisfied look on his face.
“Feel,” he said. “I think you’ll like it.” He smiled. “I do.”
My fingertips explored my new style, finding that the back had been shortened even with the big missing chunk, so my whole neck was exposed, and the ends were even with themiddle of my ear. The rest tapered forward at an angle, so there were long points at my face.
“It feels nice, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He gathered up what he could of the hair and tossed the remnants into the fire. “Would it be rude of me to request payment for services rendered?”
