Page 27 of My Demon Hunter (Hell Bent #2)

26

FLOWER POWER

T hough he’d never admit it, Lily knew Mist needed more time to rest after his ordeal. He certainly had a lot of healing to do, and while he did it remarkably fast, it still took its toll.

Shortly after their postcoital cuddling, he drifted off. She dozed with him for a while but soon found she was too hungry to sleep.

And she wanted to talk to her sister.

Iris had been equally exhausted and traumatized after they’d stepped through the gate and landed back in Mist’s bedroom, and as far as Lily knew, she had used Belial’s enormous shower and then fallen asleep on the sofa. Lily also knew there was a danger of Iris and Meph stabbing each other, so she figured it was a good idea to go check on her and make sure everything was okay.

Slipping out from under Mist’s heavy arm, she dressed quickly and headed to the door, stopping to look back at the big demon sleeping peacefully. Her heart felt like it would burst, and she had to go back and kiss him before she could make herself leave.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to wash, she headed down the hall to find her sister.

Unsurprisingly, Belial was in the kitchen, stirring a big pot of something on the stove. He gave no greeting at her arrival, nor did his expression change in any way.

“Hi.” She was pleased to hear her voice didn’t squeak. Facing off against Paimon had strengthened her backbone, apparently. “That smells delicious.”

“Your sister’s still asleep.”

“Oh. Um, thanks.”

He glanced at her sidelong. “You’re lucky Meph has been pulling his disappearing act lately. Don’t think she likes him much.”

“Sorry about that.” She hated that her sister’s acerbic personality might strain things with their hosts. Demons or not, they were gracious ones.

He shrugged. “I don’t blame her. I don’t like him either.”

She smiled to herself but refrained from mentioning the note of affection in his voice that belied his words.

“Oh, wow, it’s later than I thought.” The clock over the stove said it was nearly midnight.

Crossing to and from Hell had messed with her perception of time. She couldn’t even remember what time of day it had been when they’d left in the first place, let alone when she’d fallen asleep.

“Hungry?”

“I am, thank you.”

She perched on one of the barstools across the island, and Belial served her a steaming bowl of soup. It was delicious, and she ate so quickly, her tongue was considerably burnt by the end. He served her a second and had one himself, and neither of them spoke the entire time.

When they finished, she washed their bowls and then set them in the dish drainer.

“Thank you,” she said, turning to face the imposing demon now hunched over a recipe book.

He flicked his hand in a dismissive gesture, not looking away.

“Not just for the soup.”

He pulled out an electric mixer from one cupboard and baking supplies from another. Then he uncovered a bowl of egg whites that appeared to have been sitting out for some time.

“I mean about making that deal with Murmur to get him to help us.”

“Wasn’t just for you.” He started pouring sugar into a measuring cup. “Eva guilted me into it.”

“Well, if it wasn’t for Murmur—for you—there’s no way we would have made it out of there. So thank you.”

The sugar bag was set aside, and finally, he turned to face her. Their gazes met, and it felt like she was being electrocuted by his eyes. “You’re welcome.”

“How did you know to send him?” she dared to ask. “How did you know he would help us?”

He scowled and turned away like he didn’t care for her line of questioning. “I have connections in Hell.”

That explained absolutely nothing, but she knew better than to press him for more information. Everything in his body language told her to drop it, so she did. They were alive and safe, and that was all she really cared about in the end.

“Well, I’m glad.” It felt like a lame thing to say, but she didn’t know how else to respond to his obvious evasiveness.

His brow lifted like he thought the same, and the corner of his mouth quirked briefly. “You might want to wake up your sister now because I’m about to do it myself with the mixer.”

“What are you making?”

“Macarons.”

She blinked. Belial was an enigma, that was for sure. “I’ll go talk to her.” She smiled. “Thanks for the soup.”

With a grunt, he turned back to his baking.

Lily hurried over to the sofa only to find Iris already sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She looked out the big windows at the night cityscape and frowned. “What time is it?”

“Almost midnight,” Lily replied, sitting beside her.

“That’s awful. Traveling to Hell is like the worst jet lag possible.”

Lily snorted. “Fitting, really.”

Iris looked at her. “How are you?”

“Good.”

“How’s Mist?”

“He’s good too.”

“How did he take... you know?” She glanced down at the brand on Lily’s chest.

“He said he doesn’t care. He—” Her breath hitched. “He said he likes that we’re connected.” She dragged her hands down her face. “How can he think that? I’m so guilty I feel sick.”

Iris punched her arm. “Bitch, you literally saved him. Give yourself some credit.”

“Ow!”

“I’m serious. You were straight badass. You saved your demon boyfriend from his evil mistress or whatever. You’re a hero. Act like it.”

“All I did was fall in a hole and—” She broke off.

Yeah, some of what happened had been accidental, but the fact remained that she had gone to Hell, faced off Paimon, and survived. She wasn’t going to discredit that or talk down on herself.

She was done apologizing for her own existence. From now on, she was going to take up some damn space in the world, and she wasn’t going to be sorry about it.

She nodded firmly. “I still wish I could’ve taken the brands away instead of keeping them in a different form. They’re horrible, no matter who controls them.”

“And you will. I have no doubt about that. Now that I’ve seen what you can do when you’re properly motivated, I’ll never doubt your ability to achieve anything again. And neither should you.”

She leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

“You shouldn’t be thanking me. You should still be pissed at me.”

“I told you I forgave you. And yeah, it might take me a while to rebuild the trust between us, but you’re still my sister, and you still have my back. You proved it when you literally threw yourself in front of Paimon to save me. I know better than to doubt you.”

“Thanks, Lil.”

The mixer fired up in the kitchen.

Iris frowned. “What is that?”

“Belial’s making macarons.”

“Belial?” She rubbed her eyes. “That’s so weird, honestly.”

“I think it suits him. He looks like a chef.”

“Yeah, and Mist looks like a cuddly puppy.”

“You’re right,” Lily said with a smile, and Iris snorted.

“I need to get out of here. No offense to your new mates, Lil, but I think it’ll be better if I try not to hang out with them much.”

“Bel said Meph isn’t here right now, so you don’t need to worry.”

Iris shrugged. “Dunno what you mean.”

“Sure, sure.”

“Are you coming? Do you want me to walk you home?”

“No. Mist is asleep, and I’m going to join him now that I’ve had some food. I’m still knackered.”

“Me too, but I want to sleep in my own bed.” Iris stood up and winced. “And I need to mix up a good healing draft.”

“Are you okay?”

“Just sore, and I’ve got a killer headache. Call me tomorrow?”

Lily stood too. “I will.”

“You sure you’re okay, Lil? You wrestled with a demon queen, for fuck’s sake.”

“I’m fine. Promise.” She was well aware she could have died falling into the Pit, or at least broken her spine, but she wasn’t even bruised.

The sisters stared at each other for a moment, and then Iris snorted. “God, it feels weird leaving you in the company of a bunch of bloody demons and not being scared about it.”

Lily grinned and snatched her twin up into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Careful of the ribs!”

She leapt back. “Oh, sorry!”

“And what are you thanking me for anyway?”

“For being my sister.”

Iris grumbled and looked away. “Whatever, cheeseball. Just be careful. They’re still demons.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure. Okay. Let’s meet up for brunch tomorrow at the diner by your place. I’ll bring Mist and show him how to eat eggs Benedict.” She grinned. “He’s going to hate it.”

“What? Why?”

“Because he’ll have to eat with a knife and fork in front of a bunch of humans in human form. He’ll be growling the whole time.” She couldn’t stop grinning at the thought.

“You have a weird sense of humor,” Iris said approvingly. “Call me when you’re up, and I’m there. Just don’t bring any of the other demons. I’ll make an exception for your guy, but I don’t think I’m ready for anyone else yet.” She cast a suspicious glance at the kitchen.

“Baby steps,” Lily replied.

They embraced again, and Iris left shortly after. After bidding Belial goodnight as he sifted almond flour, Lily finally crawled back into bed beside Mist. Her hunter snuggled against her from behind, nuzzling her hair, and her whole body tingled with a sense of rightness. She fell asleep instantly.

A short time later, however, she jolted awake. Opening her eyes, she wondered what had woken her—

Oh. That was what.

“Lily?” Mist’s deep voice rumbled beside her ear. Her sudden tension must have woken him too.

“It’s okay. I’m just glowing again, and it startled me.”

He smoothed a hand down her side. “I like it.”

I think I do too. “Mist, I think it... When I fell into the Pit—”

His arm clenched around her. “I couldn’t reach you in time. I saw you falling and—”

“It’s okay.” She stroked it to soothe him. “I’m okay. I’m completely okay. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t have a scratch on me.”

“Maybe it’s a shield, then. It protects you from harm.”

“Yeah, I— I think it might.” She shook her head. All the times she had panicked upon waking in the night to her glowing skin... only to discover now it was a gift meant to protect her. Something to be grateful for, not ashamed of.

Would she still continue to awaken in the night to random bouts of luminescence? Or, now that she understood the ability, would it only come when she needed it?

She wasn’t in need of it now, though. She’d been sleeping deeply, not even caught in a nightmare, which was surprising after the horrors she had just faced in Hell.

So perhaps she would have to accept that she was a witch who occasionally glowed at random times. And in turn, when she needed protection, the strange ability would shield her. It was a compromise she could gladly make.

“I can’t believe I hated it,” she told Mist, “when all along I should have been grateful.”

“We fear what we don’t understand,” he said. “But now you know. It’s like a superpower.”

A surprised laugh burst from her, and she rolled onto her back to look at him. “Where did you learn about superpowers?”

“In addition to romantic films, Eva showed me superheroes.”

She tried to picture him watching the latest Marvel flick and laughed again. “Did you like them?”

“No. Humans would not manage well with such abilities. They are too lawless and impulsive. Beings of power need discipline.”

“Still a stickler for the rules, then?”

“Only the ones worth following.” He smiled, though his eyes were closed again. “A wise witch taught me that.”

Lily chuckled. “She sounds amazing.”

“She is.”

He mumbled something else incoherent and pulled her closer, the sound of his deepening breath indicating he was lost to sleep once more. She turned on her side to face him and watched him sleep, totally and completely head over heels for him.

She was humbled by his trust in her. After everything he’d been through, that he would give her the gift of his love meant the world. She would guard it until her dying day—which might be a very long time from now if that silly prophecy was anything to go by.

She mentally scoffed. As if she was actually destined to be some legendary, immortal witch.

And then she stopped that train of thought in its tracks.

Timid, Self-Deprecating Lily was dead. She’d burned up somewhere in Hell.

Who said she wasn’t a legendary, immortal witch? She’d already done a few things that were pretty damn legendary. As for immortal, well... time would tell.

But if she was what the prophecy proclaimed her to be, then she would begin her reign of power by finding a way to get rid of Mist’s brands once and for all. And she would use her strength to protect the ones she loved, just as her parents had done for her.

With that conviction, she drifted back to sleep, safe in the arms of her demon.