“Raphael?” Her eyes widened. “TheRaphael? The archangel?”
His mouth twisted. He hadn’t meant to let that slip. The last thing he needed was Suyin trying to liberate his valuable blood source. Then he’d have to punish her, and he didn’t feel like doing that.
A distraction was the best way to make her forget about it. Luckily, he knew just the thing.
“I have several more of your father’s grimoires,” he said. “If you want to learn more about him, you’re welcome to look at them while I finish. I don’t need you today.”
His plan worked, and her eyes widened again. “He wrote more than one?”
“Yes. But this one”—he tapped the open book before him—“is by far his greatest achievement. And the only one that discusses the existence of Cambions.”
“Can you …” Her gaze darted away and then traveled back to his. She seemed to be gathering her courage. “When you’ve finished your work for today, can we go throughThe Book of Gamigintogether? I’ve read it a hundred times, and I never got a single iota of the information you just told me about it. I want to read it again and finally understand it.”
He pursed his lips.Wasting more time.He couldn’t. He shouldn’t.
She’ll be gone soon, and you’ll be all alone again. Enjoy her while she’s here.
Stupid impulsive inner voice. He could feel himself caving.
Suyin’s efforts to persuade him weren’t helping either. “If your spell fails or if you somehow can’t stop your vision from happening, shouldn’t someone be left alive besides Lucifer who knows all these secrets?”
He scowled. “You’re trying to manipulate me again.”
She shrugged unashamedly. “I’m just saying …”
He considered her point. If he failed at changing his vision,everything he’d learned from Gamigin’s book would die with him. Lucifer would continue imprisoning demon souls.
The consciousness of Hell was changing, and Murmur had theorized that more demons would be developing souls than ever before. There would either be a great shift, or Lucifer would dominate, becoming more powerful than ever, and things would remain how they had always been.
“I don’t care what happens to anyone else,” Murmur said, to convince himself as much as Suyin. “If I die, it’s irrelevant to me.”
She frowned. She didn’t like that answer, he could tell. She probably wanted him to save the world and all the little puppies and kittens too.
But instead of chastising him, she said, “Your vision is of your soul being trapped. That means that if you fail and die, your spell has also failed. So if you don’t care about anyone else, you should at least care about that. If you show me what exactly it is you’re trying to do here, I could try to continue your work even if you do die.”
His brows rose. “Besides the obvious fact that it would take you centuries to be even close to powerful enough to attempt this spell, why should you care what happens to my soul, or the souls of any dead demons for that matter?”
“It’s not just the souls of random dead demons. If everything you told me is true—”
“It is.”
“—then it’s myfather’ssoul. I’m almost as motivated as you are to break them free. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep at night again, knowing my father’s soul is trapped in an inescapable prison in Hell.”
“You never knew him. Why should you care?”
“I don’t need to know him. He’s my father. My mother loved him, and that’s enough for me to know he was a good person. He doesn’t deserve this.”
“Fine.” Murmur waved a hand. He was done arguing against something he’d already wanted to do. “You win. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Her eyes lit up, and her spine straightened. “Really?”
A funny lightness took hold of his chest, but he ignored it with a scowl. He’d given in far too easily, and he knew it. But he didn’t have the energy to keep fighting her and the part of himself that wanted to give her what she wanted.
“Yes,” he growled, “but not until tonight, when I’ve finished my work. And stop looking at me like that, or I’ll change my mind and throw you back into the dungeon.”
She rolled her eyes. The little witch rolled her eyes at himagain.
“Now, get out.” He dismissed her with a flick of his claws toward the door. “I have work to do, and you have proven to be the worst kind of distraction. Funny, because I distinctly remember you swearing to remain silent and keep out of my way at all times.”
