I nodded, wetting his shirt with tears and snot. “I don’t want him to go.” I drew back and pressed the heels of my hands on my eyes. “I have to let him go, but I don’t want him to go.”
“Then you should not.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
I blinked hard, the pool of confusion and conflicted emotions I was swimming in way too much. “Youof all people say that?”
“I would rather have the risk of the Devil being with my wife than see you in all this pain.”
Joshua came in, too. “For thirty years, we’ve been trying to make you forget him, waiting for you to let him go, but it’d never happened. I don’t think it ever will.”
“Damien can’t hurt you or us anymore.” It was Kayden who said that as he and Alec stepped inside the house. “If a visit to Hell every now and then is gonna stop your agony and give our children and all the supes the freedom to live on Earth without fear of being hunted, so be it.”
My hand pressed to my chest as I laughed and cried at the same time. These beautiful, kind and loving beasts, my eternal companions, my lovers, my husbands, the fathers of my children were the best in this universe. I glanced at Alec, begging him with my teary eyes to not ruin this moment and give me his blessing, too.
“I’m always the jerk who says something stupid that makes you angry, but for fuck’s sake, when you look at me with those eyes, Belle… Just go.”
Blubbering still, I grinned and threw myself into his arms in a bear hug.
He kissed my cheek. “Go, baby. We’ll tell the kids.”
“Thank you. All of you.” I rushed out, stumbling on my step. Damien’s back was vanishing in the horizon down the river bank.
I ran and dragged an angel with me, telling him to make me visible for Damien. He called me insane but did as I told. He knew better than to question my demands by now.
My breath caught as I stared at the back of the black suit vanishing away. “Damien.”
He stopped midway, frozen like a statue for very long moments. His rough exhale echoed in my ears as only his head tilted to the side.
I wet my lips. “Look at me. Look me in the eye and tell me what you came here to say.”
At last, he turned, giving me his full face, the green of his eyes deep and dark and beautiful, the curve of his mouth sculpted to perfection. “I didn’t think there was anything more I could say that you wanted to hear.”
I shrugged helplessly. “Yet here I am.”
His palms found my cheeks in a caress, and his breath fanned my face. “Here you are.” He lifted a thumb to my eyes and brushed under it. “Have you been crying, darling? Over me?”
“Yeah. Guess you’re not the only one who is a fool.”
“You are not a fool, Isabella Ferro. You are the smartest creature I’d ever met. You defeated the Devil, my queen. Fool is the last thing you can call yourself.”
“Did you mean anything you’ve said, Damien? Please tell the truth. I’m so tired and torn to be lied to again.”
“I meant every word. I’d give anything to have you back, Isabella. Anything. You name it.”
“All I want is for you to keep your word. All I want is the peace of my heart and soul with you and the rest of my family.”
“You have it, my sweet Rena. You have it, my queen.”
“No war?”
“No war.”
“No trying to unleash Hell on Earth again or anything bad with my kids or the Darkborns?”
“No more.”
