Page 59 of Galen

“I can’t.” He faced ahead, brows pulling together. “We have things to discuss. And I need to contact Lazarus.”

“He still hasn’t answered you from when he left with the ring. Do you expect him to answer you now? Joseph might not last—”

“Enough, Galen.” Alastair’s voice was laced with venom, though something else lingered there too. Heartache. “I’m not going to the hospital. Do not mention it again.”

“Very well.”

Castor and Raiden arrived as soon as we did. The four of us landed in the grass outside the mansion, retracted our wings, and walked inside. Bellamy and Daman came in seconds later. Gray had stayed home with Simon.

“You’re back soon,” Gray said from his spot on the couch. He was curled up next to Simon, head on his lap.

“Everything okay?” Simon asked.

“We need to speak,” Alastair said to Gray.

Understanding dawned on Simon, and he gently moved Gray aside before standing from the couch. “I’ll go to my room.”

I touched his arm as he passed me. It was becoming harder to keep my hands off him. That soul-deep connection continued to swirl in my chest each time our eyes met.

Simon placed his hand over mine before pulling away and leaving the room. The calming effect he had on me faded as he left.

“What do you think the demons are planning?” Castor asked, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

I recalled the sly grin on Phoenix’s face.“That’s a secret.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll be ready for it,” Alastair said.

“How?” Daman asked. “We know nothing. Lazarus won’t tell us a goddamn thing about the ring. A ring Phoenix threatened to wage war over. And now the demons back off? Are you all too blind to see it?”

“See what?” Raiden asked.

“Maybe the demons found a way to get the ring,” Daman answered.

“Impossible.” Alastair shook his head. “Lazarus took it to the celestial realm. No demon, no matter how powerful, can step foot there. The more likely reason is Phoenix acted on his own and Belphegor got pissed that he was drawing attention to whatever they have planned. You know how Belphegor is. He hates big shows of power and prefers a more subtle approach.”

Gray’s mouth downturned at the edges at the mention of his father. He wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and waddled from the couch and over to me. Knowing he sought comfort, I slipped an arm around him.

The demons had schemed, wreaked havoc, and given us a major headache many times over the years, but it felt different this time. Whatever Phoenix and Belphegor were planning felt much bigger than anything we’d seen from them before.

“That’s all for now,” Alastair said, dismissing us. He then left the room. The front door opened and softly shut moments later.

It seemed he’d decided to visit Joseph after all.

I carried Gray to his room and placed him in bed. His room fit his personality perfectly. It was filled with cute things like stuffed animals and colorful posters. The light-blue-and-cream color scheme projected a relaxing atmosphere, and the ceiling above his bed lit up with fake stars.

“I like Simon,” he said, cuddling into his pillow and closing his eyes.

The center of my chest warmed. “Me too.”

Much more than I should.

Once Gray fell asleep, I turned on the moon lamp beside his bed, then exited the room. Simon nearly bumped into me in the hallway as I shut the door.

“Sorry,” he said, face reddening. “You’re really gentle with him. It’s sweet.”

“I’m many things, human, butsweetisn’t one of them.”

He softly smiled. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”