Oh. I guess I thought… I don’t know what I expected. Tony only came here because I accidentally summoned him—it’d make sense for the Devil to herd Its sheep back into Its den. Guilt weighs down on me for not including him in my bargain, but something tells me it wouldn’t have worked anyway.
Unsure what to do, I rub his back, reveling in the way his saturated top feels against my hands. We stay standing there, in front of a manor we’ve both been stuck in and may finally be free to leave, letting the rain pelt onto us, and for a moment, I think Lynx’s chest might be shaking.
Movement out the corner of my eye has us separating to watch a dog trot out of the forest toward the manor with something that looks concerningly like a severed human arm in its mouth. It shakes its coat once it reaches the dry area beneath the porch, nudges the door wider with its nose, and walks in like it owns the place, hitting the wall with what is most definitely a male hand.
I shift my eyes up to Lynx’s. “Holy shit, it looks like a mini Tidus! Can we keep it?”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I can’t get rid of the fucker.”
34
Lynx
Ikind of miss being a demon.
Sable has spent the last half hour explaining to me that no matter what, I need to pay taxes. For what goddamn reason? The world has way more money than when I was born and somehow got into evenmoredebt. So, I need to work my ass off and lose a large percentage? Why? Can’t I dodge it?
I’ve looked at numerous jobs. There are loads, but I don’t have the first clue what any of them are. Sable explained to me about working in a garage—applying to be a fireman, policeman, going to college, and a range of technological vacancies. Honestly, I’d rather die and go back to Hell sooner than my agreed deal.
But to please her and to push myself back into humanity, I start my new job next week in a garage as a trainee mechanic. Which is stupid because, in the last few months, Sable has driven me around town and taught me how to drive in a straight line, but that’s as far as my patience has gotten me.
I’m still learning the ins and outs of this century. Sue me. I’m fucking old.
Sable sighs loudly, pulling me from my thoughts. “You aren’t even paying attention.”
“Sorry, I seem to have forgotten how to be excited over paying someone else’s debt.”
“It’s not debt,” she says with a laugh. “It’s tax. Everyone has to pay their taxes.”
“People don’t even know I exist. There’s no proof.”
Sable takes my hand, leading me to our bedroom. “You very much exist to me,” she says with a smirk. “And if I’m to keep my conscience clear, I can’t be with someone who doesn’t pay their taxes. Imagine what our children will think?”
My chest tightens, and I’m not sure if it’s a bad or a good feeling. “Children?”
“Well,” she continues, averting her gaze, “in the future, we can talk about it. I know we both don’t want them, but we can reconsider if we ever get over the fact that kids make us uncomfortable. But it doesn’t matter if you aren’t going to pay your taxes…”
“Are you giving me an ultimatum? Be a good little soul and fuck you until you’re pregnant or lose you forever?”
Without any words, she raises her shoulder.
I’ve never thought about having my own family—it was never on the cards for me before. I can’t see us having kids. We both aren’t built for that lifestyle, and we’re in no way ready for that kind of responsibility. Shit, I’m still figuring out how to work a damn phone and the internet.
Even making her a cup of coffee is a task I dread every morning.
But seeing her eyes light up is enough for me to give in to her little flirting tactics. I’m staring at the most beautiful woman inthe world, and I feel warm. I feel at peace with not one single weight on my chest.
“I love you, Sable.”
She stops edging toward the bed, fully turning to me with her lips parting. Like the words have shocked her and I haven’t said them to her thousands of times since I first declared my love for her.
“I love you,” I say again. “If you want me, you have me. If you want kids, then so do I. If you want me to build you our own house and keep it in our family for generations, then you’ve got it.” I close the distance and take the side of her face. “I’m not leaving your side for the rest of our lives, or in Hell, after. Ever. Unless you demand that I leave.”
“I could never tell you to leave me,” she whispers, her gaze dropping to my mouth. “I love you too, Lincoln.”
My lips press into hers, and everything feels right. Our bodies mold together, and I walk her back until we drop onto the bed, pushing my tongue against her and hearing her moan into my mouth.
She’s freeing my cock and pumping it in her hand at the same time as trapping my bottom lip between her teeth and pulling until it snaps back into place. “I’m never going to be able to get enough of you.”
