Page 33 of The Demon's Delight
“No.” I considered changing my mind but let the fantasy of resting go. “No, I’d rather finish.”
“Let’s get me up to sitting against the wall so it’s easier for you, yes?” He pulled his body along the floor with his hands until he was leaned up against the stone. “There. May I?” He reached for one of the clean cloths and swiped the remaining blood away from his abdomen. “Lean forward.” I did as he asked, and he used a clean corner of the cloth on my face, thumb and forefinger of his other hand holding my chin steady. “I made a mess of your face when I touched you before.” His words were soft, his touch gentle.
“That’s okay.” I shivered and had no way to disguise it. The corners of his mouth lifted, the gold in his eyes burning as he stared right through me.
“All done,” he said, the spell between us breaking as he lowered the cloth and sat back.
Face flushed with heat, I shifted so I sat cross-legged at his side, and pulled the injured leg onto my lap, scooting as far under him as I could so I could stretch one hand to his stomach wound. Seir flinched gently away from my touch.
“Okay?”
He flushed. “Yes, fine, it’s just a bit… awkward.”
“Sorry. I can try something else instead.”
“If you’re comfortable, it’s fine. That’s not what I meant.” He covered my hand with his over the ripple of muscles on his torso, using the other to pull his cloak and then mine over his lap so my arm had something to rest on. “I don’t mind you touching me, Hailon, that’s not the problem.” The depth of his tone made my chest ache.
As I realized what he meant, where my arm rested, I blushed harder than I ever had before and stuttered some incoherent words. He was amused by this, his smirk potent.
I struggled to focus but did my best to pull myself together. “Are you… feeling faint at all?”
He gave me a smile full of sharp teeth. “No. I’m perfectly conscious and feel nearly normal, believe it or not.”
I relaxed under the smooth rise and fall of his breath. “That’s good. Do demons have the same amount of blood as humans?”
My hands rested lightly over the bandage on his leg, which had soaked through but had since started to dry.
“Upper-level demons like me have slightly more than humans do. Lower-level demons are far smaller and have less.” He watched me with curiosity as I removed the bandage and carefully cleaned what blood and debris from the wound I could with one hand. He was still holding the other against his stomach and seemed very disinclined to release it. After setting the wet cloth aside, I summoned my magic again.
My skin tingled as my magic feathered along the edges of the broken bone. There were still some rough places, but there wasn’t much to be done about it now. Breaks that happened as the limb twisted were nearly impossible to fit back together exactly right again. Hopefully between my help and Seir’s innate demon healing, he wouldn’t be left with any lingering issues.
“Can you shift?” I asked.
“You want me to try now?”
“Do you think it would help? I just thought maybe, it would reset some of the injuries… I don’t know. Is it worth an attempt?”
He shrugged and closed his eyes, his horns slipping out against his scalp. Whatever came next appeared to be taking a whole lot of effort. Then he hissed and reverted, shaking his head.
“That won’t work. It’s very difficult to find my magic. Probably the same thing that’s keeping me from being able to fly. It’s no different than it was when we first left the house in Olinbourg.”
“Okay, sorry. I was thinking… Well, it doesn’t matter. Can I have my other hand back now?” He raised his but gave me a look that reminded me of a sad puppy. “Take a deep breath,” I instructed, moving down toward his foot. I placed a knee on either side of his leg, using my arm strength to make one hopeful tweak by pulling on the leg and turning it a little, aiming for the bone inside to align just a little more naturally. Seir grunted but was still as stone. “Sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
I glanced up at his face as I resettled myself at his side, surprised to find him watching with fascinated interest instead of showing any indication of pain. “I don’t mean to be crass, but you dofeelpain, don’t you? I honestly can’t figure you out,” I asked, thoroughly confused at the signals I’d been getting from him.
Seir smiled wide, tipping his head back against the stone. “I do. Acutely, in fact. I’ve just learned to disguise it well. Showing discomfort or weakness is not of any benefit in Hell.” When I looked closer, I could see the light sheen of sweat dotting his forehead and collarbone again.
“Nor here,” I muttered.
“Mmm. In any case, I think perhaps the amount of time I’ve been away from there is changing me a bit. Everything here is much more potent than there. Pain included.”
“Is that strange?”
“I don’t know.” He swallowed and exhaled slowly through his nose as though trying to distract himself. “I’ve never noticed a change when I traveled before, but that doesn’t mean much. I’ve never been injured like this outside of Hell. My time in the faerealm was mainly for leisure. When I fight, I don’t lose, so…” He shrugged and leaned his head back against the wall, eyes closed.
“The fae realm?” I asked, both curious and glad to have something to keep him talking about as a distraction.
