I realized I didn’t have any money. Did they even have currency in Hell? Jezebel seemed to read my mind and laughed.
“You don’t need to pay, Lilith. This all belongs to you. You have a running tab.”
Right. I kept forgetting I was the queen of this place. It was hard to remember when I had spent most of my time here feeling like a prisoner. Regardless, I nodded my thanks and patted Art on the shoulder.
“Thanks, guys, I had such a great time,” I said, ensuring they could hear how much I meant those words. They waved as I darted out of the bar as quickly as possible.
Shit, shit, shit.The bells from the Satanic church began their chime, signaling the changing of the hour as I sprinted up the stairs and peeled through the glistening midnight hallways.
The sixth chime sounded just as I was throwing the door to the room open. I whooped triumphantly as I skidded into the bedroom, only to stop in my tracks at the sight of a blood-soaked Ramel brooding by the fire. He was sitting in one of the leather armchairs, sipping on a crystal glass full of a dark amber liquid.
Ramel dragged his hazel eyes away from where they had been transfixed on the flames. His lips were pursed in a stern line, and I winced when I realized he wasangry.Wet pieces of hair had fallen into his eyes, and his fingers were so covered in crimson that he had left bloody fingerprints all over his glass.
“Cutting it close, deathtrap,” he deadpanned, his tone dangerous. I frowned at him.
“I’m on time. Six o’clock on the dot.” I waited for his mouth to twitch or for his brow to raise, but he just stared at me, his expression growing increasingly dark.
“Ramel… whose blood is that?” I asked. I found myself scanning his body, searching for signs of injury.
He snorted and turned his gaze away from me, back to the fire. “It’s not mine if that’s what you’re worried about. Though I doubt you would be.”
I felt my frown deepen. That other version of me stirred in my chest, and I felt a twinge of concern for my demon. When I left him, he was satisfied and in a relatively good mood. What could have happened in the past two hours to have soured his mood so much? And why was he covered in so much fuckingblood?
I glanced around the room, wondering if Shem had any idea what had happened, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Shem?” I asked softly. Ramel didn’t even look at me. He took a deep pull from his drink, and I watched as a muscle in his jaw pulsed.
“Out.”
Ah. Helpful.
I hovered for a moment, not sure what to do. He hadn’t iced me out like this since I had first met him. I didn’t know what to do with this cold, distant version of Ramel. I had grown used to him hovering around me like a satellite. Always touching me, always watching me whether I wanted him to or not.
I realized with a start that I hadn’t just come to accept it but expect it. If he wasn’t actively trying to touch me, or I wasn’t the center of his universe, something was wrong.
“Ramel—what happened?” I asked softly, drifting closer to him. He didn’t respond; he just took another sip from his drink. The green light from the fire flickered across his perfect face, and he looked devastatingly sad. Moving in front of him, I dropped to my knees and reached forward to touch his blood-spatteredcheek. He jerked his head away from me, his eyes flashing in the viridian light. I yanked my hand back in shock. Okay, now Idefinitelyknew something was wrong.
“I’m not in the mood, Lilith. Go to bed, I’ll join you shortly.”
“Ramel, it’s six pm. I haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”
He growled in annoyance. “Then go find Art or Shem and ask them to escort you to the dining hall.”
I hesitated, and he snarled. “Go. Before I do something I’ll regret,” he threatened, but something was off. He didn’t sound as menacing as normal.
He’s scared.
That voice in my head echoed through my mind again, and I frowned. What could have possibly scared Ramel fucking Endlyne?
The Reaper.
Death?
Well. Hopefully, this didn’t lose me my newly won semi-freedom. I steeled myself and willfully disobeyed his direct order, crawling up into his lap instead. He stiffened beneath me, and his hand clenched so tightly around the crystal glass that it groaned beneath his punishing grip.
Straddling him, I laid a hand on each shoulder and met his eyes defiantly.
“You’ve never regretted anything you’ve done to me before, so I don’t see why you would start now.” I meant it to be teasing, but my delivery was a little flatter than I would have liked.
