Page 104 of Kiss of a Hellish Prince

“I’ll train daily as soon as I’ve recovered from all my injuries, and I won’t go out into the field until I’m ready.”

“How do you know when you will be ready?” he asked.

“When Darrius and Ulric say I am.” I hoped he would see that I was trying to meet him halfway on this.

If I were being honest, having a place that a demon could go for help with living in the human world, or a Nephilim trying to learn about their demon side, was a great idea. I would have abused the shit out of a service like that. Although I could set it up and run it, I knew it wouldn’t make me happy long-term.

I wanted to be out in the field. I wanted to use my gifts. That made me feel alive.

Even after being stabbed, holding a weapon in my hand felt good. It made me feel powerful. I wouldn’t be giving it up anytime soon.

“Okay. I’ll get you on payroll. You will start on Monday. Employment in the compound does come with room and board.”

“Maybe eventually. I think I need to stay with my sister for a bit,” I said.

Rune nodded.

The silence wasn’t stifling this time. It was comfortable.

“Tori…” Rune started but was interrupted when the door behind him slammed open.

My heart lifted as my mother marched in, tying her long blonde waves into a topknot with the elastic she always had around her wrist. Every time I saw her tie back her hair like that, it reminded me of Violet Baudelaire from theLemony Snicketbooks she used to read me. It was a sign she was getting to work, and the best thing anyone could do was get out of her way. She shoved Rune to the side without a word.

I shot him an apologetic look.

“Hi, Mom,” I said.

She took the nodes for the heart monitor from my hand and stuck them back on my chest. She then looked over at the IV and the bag. When she was satisfied they wouldn’t poison me, she nodded, then pulled the hospital gown they had put me in to the side and peeled off the bandages so she could look at the incision.

“Whoever stitched this up did a masterful job. You may not even scar, which is saying something with the size of this laceration.” She sounded almost impressed.

“I learned from the best,” Arik said from the doorway.

The blood in my mother’s face drained. Her eyes stayed on my cut, checking it over. “How deep was the wound?”

“Deep enough that it pierced the muscles around the joint, but those were stitched up too. She should be fine in a few days,” Arik said to my mother’s back.

She scoffed. “It would take months and rehab to recover from that.”

“She lost a lot of blood, so she had two transfusions of mine to be safe. But she is like me. She would have healed without it.”

She nodded, still not looking up.

“Are you not even going to look at me, Diane?” Arik sounded exhausted.

My mother ignored him, her eyes focused on assessing me. When she was satisfied I wasn’t about to die, she finally looked into my eyes. The icy blue in hers turned warm.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” She leaned down to hug me as gently as possible.

“I’ll be okay,” I said, trying not to cry.

“Your sister told me what happened. As much as she knew, anyway. You’ll fill me in later?” she whispered.

I nodded, hiding my face in her neck and taking a few shuddering breaths. I was a grown woman, and I was still about to cry from just being in my mother’s arms. I took a few deep, calming breaths and willed the tears filling my eyes to retreat.

“Where is Vivi?” I asked when my mother stood up and brushed my hair from my face.

“Right here,” Vivi said, climbing into my bed. She wrapped her arms around me in a not-so-gentle hug. “Thank you for saving me,” she whispered.

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