Chapter Sixteen
Warmth bathed me on all sides, like sunlight that heated my skin and the Earth itself beneath me. Even the pillow I held had grown delightfully warm, a feeling I hadn’t savored in ages. I pressed my face into it, absorbed by the remnants of my dream.
As I drew a breath, I expected the crisp, slightly damp air of a balmy summer’s day to greet me. Instead, perfumed smoke met my nose. I knew that scent. With the fog of sleep still heavy on my mind, I struggled to place it. It reminded me of incense, burning sandalwood, and vicious battles.
It reminded me of Sitri.
The demon’s name alone was enough to jolt me from my slumber. My eyes flew open, and when I looked up, I met his glimmering silver gaze.
There was no sunlight in Hell. The sweet warmth that enveloped me came from Sitri’s body pressed against mine. He’d even dared to wrap me in his arms. Only two thin layers of cloth separated us, keeping our skin from touching. Not enough space, not enough distance.
Sitri smiled at me, his face inches from mine.“Good morning, darling.”
I pulled back with a cry of surprise, but Sitri’s arms stiffened around me. They trapped me like a cage, bringing on an all-too-familiar dread. Vapula had held me this way. My throat tightened, my muscles locked as my heart pounded. I needed to break away, to put distance between us… but my traitorous body froze.
“Let me go.” I just barely gasped the words through the fog of my growing panic.
“Let me go…?”
I couldn’t breathe. A tremor started in my hands. “Let. Me. Go.Please.”
Sitri released me. I shot backward with so much force that I crashed over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. I landed with a thud on the spongy wood. The pain of the impact left me groaning and rubbing my joints. Sitri took his time stretching his body, shuffling to the side of the bed, and leaning over it to watch me.
“If you want space, you need only ask, darling. I will grant it if you are polite.”
I scowled. Whatever pity I’d held for the demon last night evaporated, and a deep, indignant rage replaced it. Sitri had a knack for appearing almost human, only to slip back into his devilish ways the second I let my guard down. I was getting sick of it.
“Don’t act like I wanted this.” I shot him a glare as I picked myself up off the floor.
Sitri gave a hearty laugh. “Oh, but you did.You’rethe one who cuddled up tome.Keep on this way, and I might start thinking you actually like me.”
As I dusted myself off, Sitri stood from the bed and swept past me, moving with renewed strength and grace. Before I realized what was happening, the Prince had planted himself between me and the exit,controlling my movements yet again.
“Don’t conflate ‘trust’ with ‘like,’ Sitri. We need each other to survive.”
“Hey, that’s progress. I’ll take whatever you give me, darling, and you offer more with every passing day.”
As if on cue, the lantern on the dresser across the room sputtered out, and darkness swallowed us both. My stomach lurched. Adjusting my eyes to the shadows would be a slow process, and I needed my sightnow.Without the light, Sitri’s presence swelled until he was everywhere and nowhere, all at once.
I stumbled through the dark, careful to avoid the space where Sitri once stood. By the time I claimed the lantern, I’d lost him altogether. Metal jingled to my left, a warning—Sitri had equipped his weaponry. My shaking hands raised the wick. I fumbled with the matches. Struck one with a hiss. The lamp came to life, and when I turned around, I found my face mere inches from Sitri’s.
His sudden appearance made me flinch, and my hold on the lantern slipped. Sitri caught it as it left my hands and lifted it, bathing our faces in an amber glow. He wore a familiar, smug smile. My cheeks grew warm with frustration.
“You’re too cute when you’re flustered, darling,” the Prince purred.
I growled and tried to shove him aside. He stood firm as steel. With all my weight behind me, I didn’t even move him an inch. Sitri watched, unbothered, until I relented.
“Get out of the way,please.”
“I’m proud of you,” he said. “I was beginning to think you’d never learn.”
The scowl on my face only deepened. Satisfied, the Prince stepped aside. I shot him an ugly look as I strode past.
“You demons are all alike. Controlling and manipulative, the lot of you,” I spat at him over my shoulder.
Sitri followed, hot on my tail. “You would say such a thing to the demon who spared you? Who housed you, fed you, and protected you? Think carefully, Lillia.”
I whipped around to face him, venom on my tongue. When I met Sitri’s eyes, it wasn’t Vapula’s cruelty I saw in them. It washurt—hurt that gave me pause.
