Page 24 of Snowed in with the Demon Lord
Or it might not mean anything. I’d only ever seen the two demon bodies, and only half of them vanished. Generalizing from that would be insane.
And yet, I couldn’t bear to leave him, not if there was even a chance he might be savable. I knew what he’d say to that, of course. Abaddon had been quite clear that he expected me not to waste the life he’d given me on pointless gestures.
I dragged the back of my arm across my face, wiping away some of my tears, and managed a half-hearted laugh.
“Fuck you, Abaddon. You don’t get to tell me what to do with my life, especially not if you’re dead.”
The ghost of an idea formed in my mind, and I grabbed a handy-looking broken branch. I didn’t know what I was doing, or how I’d know if I did it right, but it was something. Using the tip of the branch, I drew a circle in the churned-up snow around my fallen lover. I’d seen his name written in demonic runes, and I struggled to recreate it over and over in another circle around that.
Stick writing in snow isn’t easy, mind you, and that’s at the best of times, which this was not. My scrawl was illegible, but hopefully the thought counted more than the execution. Trembling with more than cold, I brought my palm to Abaddon’s smallest claw and pressed, not enough for a serious cut but enough to draw blood.
“Abaddon, lord of Dis, exile, master of my heart,” I said, trying to put as much information as possible into my half-assed ‘incantation.’ “I summon you, and bind you to this world.”
A ruby-red drop of blood formed on my palm as I spoke, and on the last word, it fell into one of the name runes I’d carved. Nothing happened.
I stifled a sob, unwilling to give up on him. “Abaddon, you absolute ass, you aren’t allowed to die. You hear me?”
The snow had stopped falling, and the gray light of morning filtered through the trees. Somewhere behind the clouds, the sun was rising on my worst Christmas Day ever. That thought was like a punch to my gut, and I doubled over, tears streaming down my face. The only words that came to mind were from a stupid song, but I had to say something.
“All I want for Christmas is you.”
And the whole circle burst into flame, pure and white andwarm.
Abaddon’s back arched, and he sucked in air like he hadn’t breathed in centuries. His eyes opened, white flame shining, and pulled me to him with impossibly gentle strength. I threw my arms around his neck, tried to find something to say, and gave up as he brought his lips to mine.
I made a futile effort to hold back, to give him time to recover. Abaddon ignored my hesitation, and didn’t need any time. The power surging through him was already closing his wounds. Whatever magic I’d tapped into, my demon healedfastunder its influence.
His kiss set me alight, body and soul blazing with the same fire, and I don’t know how long it lasted. Forever wouldn’t have been long enough.
“You can put me down,you know,” I told Abaddon for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’m capable of walking on my own.”
The fresh snow crunched under his feet, his steady stride not slowing one bit as he chuckled. Belial, trotting along behind him, made an amused sound, and I scowled at him. The hellhound seemed to find that funny, too.
“I know you can walk, Holly, but you do not have to. Your improvised ritual has given me strength at the cost of your own.” He grinned. “And I want you as rested as possible. I haveplansfor your energy.”
My cheeks flushed bright red, and I opened my mouth to reply, only to shut it again. I didn’t object to his plans, after all. Quite the opposite. I just didn’t feel right being carried all the way back to the cabin, especially not by someone who’d nearly died saving me already.
Okay, that wasn’t quite true. Being carried felt right, wonderful, amazing, but that didn’t take away my guilt. He’d just fought for his life, a fight to the death. Very nearly his death aswell as Seeker’s. And I wasn’t even putting in the energy to walk home!
“You need to save your energy too, you know. It’s not likeIdon’t have plans foryou.”
His dark chuckle made me squirm in his arms. “I have plenty of energy, thanks to you. And Iwillthank you properly, beloved.”
I couldn’t think of a comeback, not that I wanted to argue. Though I was a little apprehensive about what he thought a proper thank you consisted of. Soon the debate was moot anyway, as we emerged from the forest to see what was left of the cabin. Seeker’s escape had punched a hole through the west wall, taking part of the roof with it, and snow had blown in through the gap.
Abaddon walked us closer, giving me a better view of the devastation inside. I shivered at the sight, hugging my demon tight. “Oh, Abaddon, your home! I’m so sorry.”
For just a moment, he paused, but then he laughed again. “Why sorry? We need to rebuild anyway. This just gives me the excuse I need.”
“But where are we going to sleep?” I gestured at the snow-covered wreckage of the sofa, then walked my words back a little. “I mean, okay, we already broke that, but…”
“First, loveliest of all mortals, I do not intend for you to sleep much. Second, the storm is passing. By this evening, we should be able to go to your Christmas cabin.”
“The roads will still be blocked,” I said, though with rising excitement. He laughed. Supporting me with his right hand, he made a weird gesture with his left. Black flame flared from his palm, and he pointed it outward, sending a wave of hellfire into a snowbank.
“I am certain we can make it there, beloved. Now that you are maintaining my binding, I have power to spare for such things.As long as the storm doesn’t return. We should wait a while to make sure.”
He carried me inside, out of the wind. It was still cold, but warmed by Abaddon’s touch, I didn’t care. I nestled into him, closing my eyes and inhaling his scent.
