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Gaz’s inner voice shocked him. Melchom blinked at the hellhound making her way between them.

Right.

They were bonded now, and she recognized the shift.

Keep your eyes on Dove outside.

Gaz drew her ears back. She really was nailing all the canine looks. Yes, Master.

Melchom nodded to himself. Nothing and no one was going to interfere between him and his gift.

Ever.

EPILOGUE

DOVE

“Isn’t this pretty?” Dove twirled around.

“Gorgeous.” Beel bowed teasingly.

Dove liked him. After a year in Hell as King Consort, Beel was the only demon he thought of as a friend. He reminded him of Jordan in a way. Maybe that was why he’d talked his demon into assigning Jordan to Beel’s… care. Dove had tried to stay on top of it at first, but he didn’t ask about him anymore.

Beel didn’t offer any information, either. He just hung out with him wherever Melchom wasn’t around to keep him busy.

Gaz ran toward them then.

“You know who to give that to, baby girl.” Dove did his very best not to grimace.

Playing fetch with actual human bones wasn’t something he’d grown used to yet. Beel’s friendship was definitely useful, though.

“Your Master still gets icky about some good old bones, huh?” Beel cooed at the hellhound, prompting her to give the bone to him instead.

Small mercies and all that.

“I wanna surprise your cousin, but it’s hard.”

Understanding all the family relations between the Princes had been hard, too. Dove was sure he’d made Melchom read him every book available on the subject, and he still didn’t get everyone right.

“Because of the bond?” Beel snorted, but he couldn’t hide his curiosity that well.

Beel just got so evasive every time Dove tried to ask. “Yeah. But I think it’s just him, too. He’s just… He reads every stray thought, every image.”

To be fair, Dove did the same. Walking through that bridge and seeing everything was addictive. Unlike his own dizzying house of mirrors, Melchom’s brain looked like a strangely unclustered jungle, full of memories and ample leaves that sparkled when the sun hit them.

There was just so much to do there. Sometimes, it wasn’t even about seeing old memories or being awed by the things that Melchom had seen throughout his life. Sometimes, he just sat down against one of the trees and felt the sun on his face and the tall grass caressing his skin.

Melchom had blushed furiously when he realized that was what Dove ended up doing more than half of the time.

Dove made a point of remembering all the times he made the demon blush.

It wasn’t a common occurrence.

“I don’t blame him. I find all human minds enticing, but yours is especially so.”

“Ew.”

Melchom had once said he could shield from others if he wanted. Dove had tried it, but in the end, it was a lot of effort, and it made him go back to feeling paranoid and doubting every single thing. He didn’t love that every demon tried to feast on his past traumas, but… He had Gaz, and the demons respected him in a weird way after they spent a while there.