Page 104 of All the Devils are Here

Three bright lights were pinning the points of the world, and just like the first time I’d been drawn into the dream, walking toward them didn’t make those bright lights come any closer. ButIwas different.

The image I was shown of myself was deeper. My skin shone where it was purple, my hair almost entirely dyed. I’d never thought purple would be my color, but this was making me reconsider. The energy wasn’t hostile in the image, but curious and unhappy.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry about the crystal.”

But it didn’t seem like that was what it was sad about. I couldn’t put my finger on the emotion I felt, only that it was raw. Unfiltered.

“I don’t know how to help you. I can’t get to you without dying, and Prospero won’t let me live if I give the power back. If there’s a way to solve this, we’ll need to know. Please.”

Three lights blazed, burning across my vision, and I opened my eyes to a much darker landscape. My bed.

I’d been sleeping for a while—the stiffness in my body told me that. And the room was darker than it usually was.

A rumbling purr sounded behind me, followed by an arm falling over my waist and pulling me backwards. “My kitten slept a long time.”

“Really?”

“A long time. You needed the rest.”

I pushed myself up to sitting and looked over to the closet. The door was open enough to show the mirror, and I saw myself as I was. The violet tinge to my skin was now taking over my shoulders and hips. “How long?”

“A day,” Ban said. “It is the middle of the night now.”

Fuck. A whole day? No wonder I felt like I’d just woken up after being drugged. But getting full rest was good too.

Ban pulled me back to him, his mouth dragging kisses up my spine. “I have missed you, kitten.”

I turned and stretched, wrapping my arms around him. “You have me.”

He was everywhere, touching me and exploring me with his hands. “I don’t know anything about you,” I said quietly. “I know some, but not enough. About any of you.”

“There’s nothing to know, kitten. I am who I am.”

“But you’ve been alive for so long,” I whispered.

“Yes, and I have been here. Prospero figured out quickly he could not send me into the human world. I do not fit in there. So I have been here. What I’ve seen of the real world has been through his visions, or what Ariel and Trin shared with me.

“The others are the same. They have been beyond the shores more than I have, but we have simply existed.”

My heart ached for him. “I’m sorry.”

“Where else would I go?” He smiled sadly. “I do not look human, even in this form.”

“There are places you will fit in. Monsters exist in the world, and you belong there too. If we all make it through this, we are leaving this island and you are coming with me.”

He didn’t look sure, but I made sure our eyes were locked. “You protect me. But I will always make sure you’re safe out there. I won’t let anyone look down on you. Ever. Do you trust me?”

“Yes, kitten.” Then his eyes turned gold. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“How much?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

The low growl in his throat made my hair stand on end. “I still want to hunt you. I intended to days ago.”

“So you can eat me alive?” I smirked.

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