Page 68 of Saved By Monsters (Everwood Demons 3)

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“Hey mom.” I stepped into the house, softening as I found my mother watching a show with my younger self. The image of my small frame curled up into her side with a bowl of popcorn hurled me right back into the sweet memory I’d had when I’d woke. It was exactly as peaceful and homely as I remembered.

“Lily.” My mother turned her head and smiled at me as she carefully pried herself away from my young double, and I headed out to the front porch with her. I couldn’t help but want to allow my double some peace, although she didn’t even see me on my visits.

“You’re back.” My mother’s arms went around me like a vice as soon as the door had shut behind her. “You’re okay.” The words were filled with relief as she held me tight. “I knew you would be.”

“Of course I’m back, I had to see you again, tell you I did it, everything is okay,” I murmured as I held her tight.

“I never doubted you.” Her tone was full of pride as she stroked my hair soothingly. “I just didn’t think I’d see you again,” she whispered.

“Why wouldn’t you? If I can access your Heaven, of course I’d come see you again,” I assured her. “I’ll continue to do so if that’s what you’d like.”

“More than anything.” Her voice hitched as she managed to hold me even tighter, and I relished the embrace that made me feel completely at home. “I have so much to tell you, but there’s something else I came here for,” I said as I pulled back and smiled. My heart hammered with anticipation as I swallowed down my flurry of emotions. I hoped I was doing the right thing. I wanted to tell her all about my hellhounds and our connection, about how I was helping Michael deal with the outbreak of demons.

“What else did you come here for? Is everything really okay?” Her face dropped as she searched my eye for answers.

“Everything’s fine, trust me,” I assured her as I glanced over my shoulder into the garden.

Her brow creased in confusion as her gaze followed mine, and her smile dropped, her expression shifting to utter shock.

“Turns out I can access all the levels that angels and demons can’t. And I can change some things,” I explained as I watched her slowly descend the steps, her movements slow and jarred, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. My stomach knotted with unease, and I hoped I was right in my belief, that this was the right thing. I’d thought about it over breakfast, and Chum had given me his opinion alongside Bug. Both had their reservations, but ultimately it was my call.

“Asmodeus?” The name left my mother’s lip like a pained promise, and I tracked my gaze to where my father stood in his white suit, younger than when he’d passed—the way I’d found him in his own Heaven. It seemed he’d been judged and placed upstairs despite what he was, which had been a shock to me.

“Remiel.” My father’s face lit up as my mother shot across the yard, hurling herself into his arms as my heart burst with joy and relief.

They laughed as my father lifted her up and twirled her around like a child on Christmas morning, and I just watched on, my chest tight at the perfect reunion.

“Oh, Asmodeus, I thought I’d never see you again,” my mother clung to him tight as I slowly walked over to join them.

“Well, you have an incredible daughter, far stronger than I could have ever imagined. She’s grown into an amazing young woman,” my father said as he set her down and rested his forehead against hers. “She found me.”

“Wehave an incredible daughter,” my mother corrected him, and his smile only widened as she reached for me.

A strange sensation washed over me as she pulled me in for a group hug, all sorts of emotions overwhelming me. Love, a sense of belonging, relief, joy, excitement. It all boiled through me as my parents wrapped their arms around me.

My true family, finally together and whole.

I held onto them both tight as they chuckled in relief, soaking up every moment of the reunion. This was more than I could have dreamed of. As a child, I’d daydreamed about my father returning to us, my mother being overjoyed by his return.

And now it’s come true.Imade it come true.

“Thank you,” my mother whispered as she kissed the top of my head.

Those words filled me with utter delight as I quivered, unable to contain the joy it brought me.

“My family, finally together,” my father said quietly. “I never thought I’d get this.”

For just a moment, I thought I’d heard his voice hitch, but then my mother laughed softly and kissed him, and I just grinned.

We eventually made our way to the patio, where my mother brought out some fresh juice while we sat down.

“There’s so much catching up we have to do,” Remiel said as she sat down, her gaze flicking between my father and me. “I can’t believe this. You’re really here.”

“Are you sure this is okay?” my father looked at me with a hint of concern mixed in with his joy.

“Yes, it’s fine,” I assured him. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I just did. Since my father had been in his own Heaven, linking his with my mother’s had been something odd to try, but I’d managed it when I’d focused and tried. Michael hadn’t argued, and it didn’t seem like anyone was going to stop me. No grand power was going to be upset, nor any balance.

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