Page 44 of Hunted By Fear

It takes him a second to turn around, but I wait, and I get the feeling he’s well aware of my presence.

I don’t give myself a second to overthink it as I step toward him, throwing my arms around his waist and burying my face in his very bare chest.

Maybe not my best idea, but even as my face heats up, I can’t bring myself to regret it. Just like last night, ‌being this close to him settles something in me. It makes the voice that sounds a lot like Rome quiet, even if just for the moment.

I breathe a sigh of relief, and when I inhale, it’s his spicy and smoky scent mixed with the metallic hint of blood, probably from his drink. It’s strange, but not bad.

He doesn’t hug me back, and somehow I didn’t expect him to. Last night was different. He only did that because I needed him, not because he wanted to, and honestly, I don’t want him to hug me if he doesn’t want to.

I pull away after what feels like an eternity but was probably closer to thirty seconds. I smooth my dress before I force my gaze up to his face.

“Thank you.”

His brows shoot up to his hairline as he looks down at me as if he’s never seen me before.

“Between you and Bast, I didn’t have any nightmares, and I’ve been myself more than I have been in…” I trail off, unsure how long it’s been. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here.

Damn.

“Yes, well, whatever that was, leave it for Bast.” He moves around me, heading back to the table to sit, leaving me confused.

“A hug?” I ask, looking at Bast, who stands behind his chair with a smirk on his face.

It’s Talian that answers, though.

“I’m not sure he’s ever been hugged before, Darling.”

My head snaps back to look at Lucifer, waiting for him to deny it, but he doesn’t. In fact, he seems to be ignoring us altogether as he cuts up pancakes.

The devil eats pancakes?

No, stay on topic, Aeri!

“You’ve never been hugged?” I all but demand moving back toward the table; I don’t even try to keep the disbelief from my tone.

“Who would hug the devil?” His voice is even, as if the question is obvious, but even if it is, it makes my heart hurt.

Even I’ve been hugged. Back before my parents sold me off to Rome, they had been perfect. I had everything I ever wanted; I just never realized it came with a time limit.

“What did Ruin want?” Lucifer asks, and my head snaps up.

Ruin.

I look around at the others, unsure who he’s talking to.

“Nothing worth wasting my time to go to the border for,” Kai answers, and I should have known it was him. He and Ruin seem to have a strange friendship I can’t wrap my head around.

Like a Sour Patch Kid, Ruin is the sweet, and Kai is the sour.

Nobody speaks, and after a moment, Bast gestures me toward the chair next to Lucifer. I take it because, as entertaining as this all might be, I’m starving. My stomach, of course, agrees, loudly rumbling as Bast pushes my chair in like a gentleman, and I can’t even find it in myself to be embarrassed.

When was the last time I ate?

Logically, I know it couldn’t have been that long ago, but it feels like it as I look at the huge selection of food before me and attempt to stop myself from drooling.

Pancakes, eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, French toast, waffles, and every fruit in the world, some I’ve never even seen before. And that’s not all; there's pizza, mac and cheese, burgers, tacos, and no less than ten pitchers of different-color drinks.

“I wasn’t sure what you might enjoy, so I had the imps make a little of everything,” Lucifer says, and I turn to look at him, only to find his attention still on his plate.