Page 45 of Hunted By Fear

Again, I find myself thanking the devil before I shake the thought away and load up my plate. I doubt I'll be able to eat half of it, but I’m sure going to try.

Talian lips quirk up in a smirk as I reach for the plate of sausage that sits just out of my reach. The table is huge, which isgreat for fitting all the food, but it's also a problem since I have short arms.

“Here, Darling.” Talian grabs the platter and holds it out for me, and I snag a few to put on my plate. “Do I get a thank you hug?” he asks, fluttering his eyelashes at me in a way that is so very him.

Rolling my eyes, I shove a sausage link in my mouth and almost melt at how good it tastes. Peeling my eyes back open, I freeze mid-bite when I see his eyes still fixed on me.

“What?” I ask after I swallow down my mouthful of food, wiping my face for good measure.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Wait, he was serious?

“You want a hug?” I ask, ensuring that’s still what he’s talking about.

“He wants a whole lot more than a hug,” Kai huffs, and I don’t need to look to know he’s rolled his eyes.

Talian’s smirk turns into a full-blown smile at Kai’s words, and being on the receiving end of it makes my stomach do a flip.

“I’ll happily take a hug for now, though,” Talian says with a wink, and before I can think better of it, I’m moving. Pushing the chair back, I stand and walk around the table, behind Lucifer’s chair, which is a lot like a throne now that I look at it, and come to a stop on his other side next to Talian.

He doesn’t move for a moment, looking up at me, shock clear on his face.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess he didn’t think I would do it, and standing here feeling all their eyes on me, I kind of wish I hadn’t.

My face is on fire as embarrassment gets the better of me, and for a moment, I contemplate running from the hall and back to my room. If only I could find it. Like an idiot, I’d been too focused on the design of the castle to pay attention to the actuallayout. It would get me out of here, but would I be any less embarrassed when I ended up lost and needed one of them to lead me back to my room?

No.

Talian’s chair scrapes against the floor as he pushes to stand fast enough that it rocks for a moment, almost falling over, before it evens out again.

I don’t think about it, because I know if I do, I’ll chicken out. Instead, I move into his space until I bury my face in his chest, my arms wrapping around his waist as I breathe him in.

A deep rumble in his chest tickles my nose as it literally vibrates through him, and I can’t stop the chuckle that breaks free.

I have no doubt these guys are plenty scary, but man, are they also adorable.

Who knew?

Unlike ‌Lucifer, Talian actually hugs me back; his chin rests on top of my head as he squeezes me.

Fuck, why does it feel so good to be hugged? As if he’s squeezing my broken pieces back together.

I pull away after a while when it becomes apparent he won’t.

Taking a step back, I glance down at my bare feet before rushing back around the table to fall into my seat and begin stuffing my face again.

Food is safe.

“Hm,” Lucifer makes a sound in the back of his throat. I’m not sure what it’s in response to, but I don’t dare look up. I need to eat, and they aren’t making that easy.

Thankfully, the conversation turns away from me and hugs, back to safer things like what Ruin wanted, which clearly wasn’t forgotten or brushed aside the way Kai had intended.

“He said Rome paid him a visit. Wanted to know where we were hiding the mortal, pulled the information from his headbefore he said he’d justtry,but that doesn’t really matter because I’m pretty sure he already did that. Hence, the mortal bleeding from her head in a corner, begging for death last night.”

Lucifer slams his fork down, his nostrils flaring in obvious anger as he looks around the table at everyone but me.

“Damn, I thought he would be bugging to see Aeri. I didn’t think it would actually be something serious.” Talian says, and for whatever reason, that makes Kai sag back in his chair, wiping a hand down his face.