Lilith smiles at me. “Amon… Amaymon is the name you knew him by, is a phenomenal martial artist. We take classes together. He wanted to meet you too, but Mom thought it’d be best if just one of us met you for the first time so we wouldn’t overwhelm you. He’s obsessed with the hero work you do. He’s working so hard to get into the superhero academy because he wants to be like you.”
“I’m not a hero,” I say.
“I’m pretty sure you are,” Ellison counters.
I shake my head. “You guys are making me out to seem like I’m… something I’m not. I’m just?—”
“Asmodeus, she isproofof the good you’ve done,” Ellison tells me. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, so I wanted to show you something that you’dhaveto believe.”
“So many people in that organization died before they even reached Lily’s current age,” Annie says. “I’m sure you’re well aware of that. They didn’t… they didn’t let people leave if they failed their tests because they couldn’t let their secrets out. Anyone who didn’t fit the bill was found buried on the property. She could have been killed because she wasn’t strong enough or made a simple mistake. You saved her life. You gave me the daughter I always wanted and needed. And I can’t thank you enough for that. Every day of my life, I thank you. And I know Lily thanks you, as well as the other children you saved.”
I feel like my world is spinning out of control. What she’s saying is so different from everything that’s been said in my head. A hand slides onto my leg and squeezes it, making me glance up at Ellison.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs.
“Ha… I’m not sure I am, but we shall pretend.”
“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed,” Annie says. “Why don’t we order some pizza and Lily can tell you a bit about her life?”
I nod. “Yeah…”
So we sit at a table eating pizza like it’s the most normal thing to do as Lily tells me about a life I never got to experience while claiming that I made it possible for her to experience it. She tells me about how she’s on the honor roll and wants to go to college on a volleyball scholarship. How she has a little sister that Annie also adopted, and then she tells me how she’s won every single marksmanship competition she’s joined. Apparently her father likes to hunt, but she doesn’t like to kill animals, so he takes her to competitions instead and boasts about how his daughter can shoot better than any of the adults.
“No one’s ever beaten me in any of the competitions. I want to shoot against you, the person who taught me how to hold a gun,” she says.
“Yeah?”
“Can we? We could have a competition sometime? I’d love to see you shoot.”
“Sure,” I agree. “I have my rifle in the car. Ellison doesn’t let me bring it into restaurants.”
“Not right now,” Ellison says. “Ignore him. Lily, while you had someone to teach you boundaries and what is legal, Asmodeus is still learning… slowly.”
I shrug. “I’m a phenomenal listener. I listen to everything. Just doesn’t mean I’ll do it.”
“Uh-huh… sure.”
After we’re finished and say our goodbyes, I head out to the car and slump down in the passenger seat.
“I apologize that I did not inform you of my plans ahead of time. I was quite confident you’d have run.”
“I would have.”
“Aren’t you glad you didn’t run?”
“The demons are happy.”
“Yes, and is Asmodeus happy?”
I’m quiet for a moment before glancing over at him. “I am.”
“That’s all that matters.”
“Is it?”
He looks away from me and I find myself wanting to see his face. I want to kiss him again, but he’s avoided getting into a small space with me since then. Does he regret it?
My eyes linger on him, but he refuses to look my way. He starts the car and begins to drive. “We were going to do something with the others today, but I asked them to push it back to tomorrow.”
