“On Friday night, I am signing a treaty with the unseelie king. There will be a ball. You will attend as my date.”
Today was Wednesday. I ground my teeth. “It’s always some kind of bargain with you.”
“Yes. Because it’s the only way you’ll spend time with me. Why must you be so stubborn?”
I pointedly looked down at the intricate gold design on my arm. “Why do you think?”
Silence. I chewed on my lower lip. Samael let me think about it.
I didn’t want to go to his stupid ball. But the fact remained that the demon was doing me a solid. I was still pissed at him, but if the kids were safe, I’d be able to focus on hunting down the deadbeats who’d tried to hurt them. Not to mention, if I was going to a ball filled with dark fae, there was a chance I could get a lead which could tell me who my father was.
“Fine.”
“Gracious as always,” Samael glanced at the kids, who were listening intently to something Evie was saying. She was probably telling them a story. “We will go now.”
With that decree, Samael turned to Bael, murmured a few words, and placed his hand on my lower back as he led me toward Evie and the kids. I peered up at the demon. Hereallyneeded to stop with the possessive body language.
Vas wandered over to me and slipped the kids’ bag into my hands. I peeked inside and smiled. A cheap, beaded necklace, a collection of shiny marbles, a broken watch, an old, tarnished amulet, three brightly-colored plastic rings– obviously from a gumball machine– and a handful of coins from various realms. Evie and I had kept a similar collection as a kid, only ours had included various components for spells at Evie’s insistence.
Everyone fell silent as I approached. “Hey guys, so we have a new plan.”
I handed the bag of treasures to Zip and his eyes lit up as his hand darted out and grabbed it. My gaze got stuck on Evie, who was cursing as the healer jostled her arm. But within a few moments, the strain around her eyes had disappeared as the bone knit back together. Her face tightened once more when I told her where I was taking the kids.
“You don’t trust me anymore.”
I stepped closer. “I trust you more than anyone,” I admitted. “You did everything right. But I won’t have you targeted by these people. I couldn’t handle it if this shit got you hurt, or worse.”
She studied my face for a long moment and then finally nodded. “I’ll help you get them settled in.”
I smiled down at the kids, who were squabbling over something. “How would you guys like to see the tower?”
“Samael’stower?” They gave me big eyes, their little gray faces lit up in awe. It was exceedingly cute.
“Yup.”
“WithSamael?” Zip asked.
My lips trembled and I jerked my head toward the demon standing a few feet away, his mouth tight as he read something on his phone. “That’s him, right there.”
I’d blown their minds. They stared at Samael as if they expected him to burst into flames. He looked up from his phone, finding all eyes on him. He raised one dark eyebrow and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Are you ready to go?”
The boys jumped up, running at him. “Are you really Samael?” “Do you know Lucifer?” “How tall is your tower?” “Can you set things on fire?”
Evie nudged me with her elbow and grinned. “Turns out he’s good with kids.”
I blinked at that, but she was right. Samael was answering each question with serious intent, his focus entirely on the boys. His palm lit up with a ball of demon fire as we watched, and the gnomes danced excitedly on their feet at the sight. I didn’t know what to make of that, so I shrugged.
“Let’s go.”
We bundled the kids into the car Bael had ordered for us. The demons thought of everything. Once we arrived at the tower, the kids were obviously in awe, their eyes huge as they stared at everything.
“They will stay on the floor below mine,” Samael said. “I have a nanny on staff.”
I blinked at that. “You have a nanny? Do you have kids?” The thought did something to my gut, made it twist in a way I didn’t enjoy.
“No. Some of my staff do, and I like to be prepared.”
I was learning more and more about this guy. I nodded, and we all stepped into the elevator. Evie had insisted on staying to help get the kids settled in, and her eyes were almost as wide as the gnomes’ as the elevator opened to the kids’ floor.
