Page 49 of The Demon's Delight
“You’re ridiculous.” I was blushing, I was sure of it. And tempted.
“No,” he countered, “I’m practical. Come on. It’s a lovely bed. Very comfortable. Perhaps we should nap before we go back out to the festival.” He closed his eyes and folded his hands together over his stomach.
Thatwas a temptation for sure. It seemed sleep was the one thing we were constantly chasing, though I was still feeling fairly rested from our extra day in Coltor’s glade.
I toed off my new boots and carefully laid myself out as close to the edge of the bed as I could get.
“Come now,” Seir tutted, his strong hands sliding under my hip and shoulder. I made a squeak as he pulled me toward the center of the mattress. “No need to fall off the edge. There’s plenty of space.”
His fingers combed through my hair, and I found myself melting into the mattress despite my anxiousness. “Just a little nap?” I suggested, eyes already getting heavier.
“An hour or so, to recharge our energy for the festivities.”
“How can you be sure we won’t sleep through until morning?”
“My stomach, for one,” he chuckled, fingers delving deep into the strands, short nails dragging along my scalp. “I have a relentless body clock, remember? And I don’t sleep much. I’ll bet we’ll be up and ready for supper without any trouble at all.”
“If you say so.” My words were mumbled, running together as I dissolved into my pillow.
“I do.” Seir’s fingers disappeared from my hair long enough to pull the quilt over me.
“You’re kind, Seir.”
“Oh?”
“Thoughtful. Generous.”
“You flatter me, Hailon.” He shifted a bit closer, both hands now in the mix, pulling sections of my hair into little braids. “To what do I owe such pretty words?”
“I just… needed to tell you. For a while, I think I was sort of waiting for you to stop being so nice. To be sure that it wasn’t an act. But then I realized it’s who you are. Are all demons like this?”
He made a thoughtful noise in his throat. It rumbled through my chest, and I reached up to soothe the slight burn that flared with my hand.
“I’m hardly a rarity, Moonflower, but I suppose not all that common either. My brothers and I decided early that we would do our best to remain ourselves, no matter our location.”
“What does that mean?”
“Mostly that I simply refuse to let Hell turn me into one of the beasts it houses. It would be very easy to let it happen, honestly. Seeing ugliness, torture, violence all day every day… it does something to you.” His voice grew distant. “Battle. Blood. There’s only so much the mind can take before it fractures. But I am still myself, despite all I’ve seen. Despite my own terrible deeds. The choice to fall was mine, and I stand by it.” The mood lightened again, the shroud of despair disappearing as quickly as it had come. “We’ll talk about that another time though. Or not. It’s not something you need concern yourself with. You’ve seen plenty of the darkness yourself, after all. Rest now. Dream of savory meat skewers and fluffy candy floss. Perhaps there will be fireworks or those little sticks that sparkle when they are met with flame. We can look for a gift to take to your Aunt Sal. Maybe there’s a book she’d like, or a little trinket…”
I drifted away as he pulled his fingers through my hair and listed off curiosities and baubles, wondering what the angel version of him must have been like if this was him after he fell.
Chapter 23
Seir
“Come on!” I threaded my fingers through Hailon’s and pulled her with me through the crush of people.
“You’ve been hauling me through town all day!” she complained, but there was no bite to her tone. In fact, there was a wide smile on her mouth and wonder in her eyes as she looked at all the activity around us.
“Just a bit longer, I promise. And it was worth it, was it not? You have those lovely new boots, a whole bag full of treats. You got a nap, and?—”
“Yes, yes.” She laughed, and my heart soared.
Our nap had been longer than an hour but completely needed and well worth it. When I woke, it was to a peaceful Hailon tucked into my side, her head pillowed on my shoulder with my fingers tangled in her hair. I didn’t move until she stirred, taking the opportunity to memorize every tiny freckle across the bridge of her nose and sprinkled over her cheeks and the sound of her breathing as she dreamt.
After she opened those glorious eyes, my concentrated study was over, however. She blinked at me twice, like she was trying to decide whether or not she was still sleeping, then when Isaid nothing more offensive than hello, she bolted from the bed and disappeared into the little bathroom, her cheeks a rather intense shade of red. No matter. I’d been entirely present while she cuddled with me and would remember the quiet moments before she panicked.
After securing our most valued items in a hidden space next to the tub behind the locked attic door, we made our way back out to celebrate with the townspeople.
