Meanwhile I just stood there staring at my demon while my chest tightened in one deeply inconvenient way after another.
Because the horrible part was, I didn’t actually know if he was wrong anymore.
The realization hit hard enough that I looked away from him on instinct, like avoiding eye contact might undo the entire situation. It didn’t help. Judging from the expression on mydemon’s face, he noticed every second of it, which was rapidly becoming a problem for me.
The taller demon watched both of us in complete disbelief before rubbing one hand across his face. “This is exactly why attachments are forbidden.”
Nina lifted her head from the kitchen floor. “Okay, now that sounds deeply unhealthy.”
“It is survival,” the taller demon corrected calmly.
“Those should not be the same thing.”
My demon's expression tightened with annoyance, only to soften whenever his gaze found me. “You are upsetting her.”
The taller demon stared at him. “You are upsetting yourself.”
That shut the apartment up instantly. Even my demon didn’t answer right away.
The silence stretched long enough that I looked back at him despite myself. He was still standing near the broken apartment door wearing my oversized hoodie while freezing cold air curled around the room behind him.
And despite all the terrifying demon prince information, he felt more familiar than frightening to me now.
That felt downright irresponsible.
Nina pointed at both demons weakly from the kitchen floor. “I would just like everybody to remember this entire relationship started because Eva got drunk and bought decorative candles.”
“They were discounted,” I muttered automatically.
The taller demon blinked once. “…That is genuinely embarrassing.”
“It was a bad week.”
“You summoned royalty accidentally.”
“I KNOW.”
My demon glanced toward me quietly. “In fairness, your ritual technique was excellent.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Do not compliment my demon summoning skills.”
“That feels ungrateful.”
“You ruined my life.”
“You invited me romantically.”
“I BOUGHT CANDLES.”
The taller demon rolled his eyes looking tired beyond human understanding. “How are you arguing like a married couple already?”
“We are NOT married,” I snapped.
My demon tilted his head slightly. “Not technically.”
I pointed at him so fast the blanket almost fell off my shoulders. “You need to stop saying things that sound threatening.”
For the first time all night, the taller demon actually laughed, and the sound caught me off guard because there was nothing cruel in it. Amusement lingered in his eyes as the disaster unfolding in my apartment played out.
