The air in the room thickened, threatening to suffocate him.
Kalia moved half a step towards the door when Saer found his voice.“By my command?”
“We came to help you.”Neyu’s forcibly calm tone matched his.
Saer’s shoulders tensed as his gaze warred with hers.“Then someone else could have been sent.”
Neyu glanced towards Kalia—who stared at the ground.Lust allowed a small growl to slip, sliding her focus back to Saer.“I insisted on coming.”
He hated that hope and fear bubbled in his chest at her words.
Decades spent cutting himself off from Neyu, Hellsbent on forgetting the way she made him feel, following Lucifer’s orders to the letter—all to keephersafe—only to have her throw his efforts away.Why didn’t she see?
He couldn’t allow her to get under his skin.
“You insisted.Because of me?”His tone blended rage and irony.
Neyu straightened her sleeves and shook her head.“Don’t flatter yourself.You’ve been gone from the Hells for too long.If your ego wasn’t so massive, I’d have been the first you called for help.”
“Not the first.And I don’t need help, especially not yours.”
Neyu frowned.Saer fought to ignore the shape of her mouth, a perfect cupid’s bow.
“Kalia, please wait outside so Saer and I may speak.”
Kalia didn’t hesitate, stumbling out and shutting the door behind her.
Alone.With Neyu.
Again.
Saer’s fingers curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms.
The demoness stepped towards him and Saer stiffened.She sighed and halted.“Why do you treat me like this?”
“You know why.”Being alone with her was bad enough.Watching her move closer, the curves under her clothes whimpering for his fingers to glide along them, was almost unbearable.Her imploring eyes, framed by cascading ebony and silver tresses, were a temptation he couldn’t resist forever.
Neyu took another cautious step forward, something softening in her eyes.“Then you are still as affected by the sight of me as I am of you.”
Every muscle in Saer’s body screamed, the tendons in his neck straining even against the loose shirt he wore, but he didn’t speak.
Neyu glided closer.“You can only hide it so long, Saer.”
Saer’s face darkened as he backed away from her, holding up a hand to ward her off.“Is Kalia responsible for this?”
Her feet slowed to a stop.“She didn’t request that I join her, no.”
“Only she could have led you here.”Accusation scalded his words, but Neyu showed no fear.The others all took caution with his temper, but it only seemed to harden her resolve.He hated it.
He loved it.
He still loved her.
“She did.Because I asked her to,” she said.
“Why?”
“I’m not going to insult your intelligence by addressing questions you already know the answer to.”
