“Wait.” Sariel touched Seymour’s arm. “We must inform Mr. Heiss and the others. They should be the ones to handle this.”
“What?” Seymour scoffed. “You really think you’re gonna get any of ’em to pick up the phone? You can go ahead and try, but I am gonna head down there myself to make sure this gets fuckin’ done right.”
“I cannot go with you to protect you,” Sariel said sternly. “Do you understand that? Mr. Heiss has given me an order and I must obey.”
“I got Day with me!” Seymour argued. “You stay here and rest, try to get whoever on the horn to come on over and help us, but I have to do this. If I don’t get the brain so Mr. Heiss can do his stupid trade with the twins, you think he’s gonna let me go?”
Sariel faltered. “I… I do not know.”
“What if Lou or Q. or somebody else gets to it before I can? They might fuck up everything, maybe decide to hold the brain hostage for their own shit, and then Mr. Heiss will one hundred percent blame me.” Seymour smiled, and he hoped it was reassuring. “The only way I have any chance in hell of gettin’ you free is by bein’ alive and not on an asshole demon’s bad side, okay?”
“I believe you already are.”
Seymour touched Sariel’s face. “Then the only way to go is up.”
Sariel sighed. “You are very stubborn.”
“I know.”
“And foolish.” Sariel’s frown deepened. “I was told to keep you safe, and I cannot decide if that includes also keeping you safe from yourself. I should stop you. I should restrain you so that you cannot leave.”
“Kinky, but uh, no.” Seymour narrowed his eyes, and he tried to keep his temper in check. “Sariel, I’m going. I have to fuckin’ do this.”
“No! You don’t!” Sariel rose then, wings flapping, and he grabbed Seymour’s shoulders. “Please. Stay. With me. We will find some other way to gain the favor of Mr. Heiss, I promise, but please, you cannot go.”
“Hey, now!” Seymour shrugged him off. “Ican’tgo? What the fuck is that?”
“Seymour, please, I am telling you?—”
“Oh, you’retellingme now? Wow, you sound just fuckin’ like him.”
Day gasped.
“Oh…” Sariel flinched, and his expression melted into sorrow. “I… I am sorry.”
Seymour’s heart cracked, and he swallowed hard against the bile surging into his mouth. He wished he could take those words back, but the damage was already done. He didn’t know how to get Sariel to understand why this was so important, that he needed to do this forthem, for their future.
Because he wanted them to be together more than absolutely anything in the world.
Instead, he’d compared Sariel to his psychotic demonic owner.
Great.
“All will be well.” Day mewled softly, but she did her best to offer Sariel a comforting smile. “I will protect him no matter what. I promise.”
Sariel said nothing, only nodding.
“We’ll be back. Okay? We’re just gonna go in, see what we see, grab the brain, and get the hell out of there. That’s it.” Seymour took a deep breath and bowed his head to press a firm kiss to Sariel’s lips. The crack in his heart went deeper when Sariel barely returned the affection. “We’ll talk ’bout this shit later.”
If there was even going to be a later…
God, he really hoped there would be.
He really, really did.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
