Page 52 of Hunted By Fear

I’ve heard of multiple mates but never seen anyone with more than one. Then again, I’ve never heard of demons having mates either, yet here we are.

I feel him even before they enter the castle, but I don’t dare move and wake her. She looks so peaceful right now, and I can’t help feeling as though that has something to do with me.

Ruin and Lucifer make their way through the castle, making a beeline for us. The door swings open a moment later, and they stand in the doorway, their eyes both zeroing in on Aeri the same way. It’s telling, considering only one of them is her mate.

Angels can have mates, but to think of having one share their mate with demons…

It could only be Ruin; anyone else, and this might very well start a war that the mortals wouldn’t survive.

Luce is the first to move, strolling into her room on silent feet, a soft smile on his face that I’ve only ever seen since they mated.

I want to ask what it’s like, how it feels, but I bite my lip. I don’t know if he told Ruin or if he has any plans to do so.

“How has she been?”he asks in my mind, careful not to wake her, and I can’t help but smile. The King of Hell is an entirely different devil with this tiny mortal.

“Herself for most of the day, though she’s exhausted. Even when she gets enough sleep, he’s taking a toll on her.”

The smile melts from his face, and I see his eyes flash.

I feel that.

I don’t need him to share his thoughts to know he very much would love to make Rome pay for hurting her.

He moves beside the bed, waving his hand over the side table, and I feel my eyes go wide as a pile of sweets appears on the table.

“What is all that?” Ruin asks, his voice quiet, but it’s enough for Aeri to stir. I glare at him, but he isn’t looking at me anymore. Instead, his gaze is solely on Aeri as she blinks her eyes open.

“Ruin?” Her voice is low, hardly more than a whisper, and rough from sleep, but it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever heard. Having her wake up still herself is amazing, and I don’t even try to fight the goofy grin I know I have right now.

“Moonlight.” The whine in Lucifer's voice makes me snap my gaze to him to find him watching Aeri with… Is hepouting?

What is going on, and who the hell is Moonlight?

Aeri pushes up off my lap, and I miss the feel of her the second she’s gone. She turns to look at him as well, seeming just as confused.

“Me?” Aeri asks, pushing a finger to her chest, her brows scrunched up in confusion.

“I brought you things you requested,” Lucifer says, ignoring her question as he holds out a hand, gesturing to the tiny mountain of sweets, most of which I’ve never seen before.

Aeri’s eyes go wide as she scrambles over me to get a better look, leaving me with a better look at her ass, not that I’m complaining.

“Oh, my God!” she says, and I can hear the smile on her face even if I can’t see it.

If I’d known how much she enjoyed sweets, I would have made the trip to get her some already or made Talian, considering I don’t know what most of these are.

Lucifer pulls a face at her choice of words, and Ruin and I both laugh.

“It’s a phrase the mortals say to express excitement, usually,” Ruin explains, and I nod in agreement when Luce looks to me for confirmation.

“Mortals are strange.” Aeri looks up at Luce, and his eyes go wide. “Not you, of course, Moonlight.”

“Moonlight?” she asks, moving to sit next to me with some kind of chocolate, I believe, in hand. The wrapper is bright orange, but before I can read it, she’s ripping it open and shoving one of the chocolate circles in her mouth whole.

The sound that comes out of her mouth is sinful and makes all of us freeze.

Luce clears his throat, shaking his head to get a grip on himself. “Um, yes. Your hair—it reminds me of moonlight, one of the few things I miss from above.”

The heat from a moment ago fades away a little as she chews up the treat and melts at his words.