I pulled away from the car and hugged him. His wings enveloped us in a little bubble. I finally felt like I could breathe.
He is alright. He is alive. He is in my arms.
“Don’t you ever leave me,” I whispered in his ear. I shivered when I heard his answer.
“Till there are no stars in the sky, till Hell freezes, and even after that, I’ll never leave you, Di, and I’ll never let you go.”
He kissed me gently, and in that moment, everything felt right.
Chapter twenty-six
Dagon
Iheld him for a long moment. Just held him. His heartbeat against my chest. His hands fisted in the back of my hair. The taste of him still on my mouth. The kiss he had given me with the taste of demon blood on my lips.
He had kissed me.
He had run toward me, not away.
I wasn't ready to believe it yet. I wasn't sure I would ever be ready to believe it. But the body in my arms was Di's, and the body in my arms was not letting go. So for now, for this one moment, I let myself feel it.
Then the worry came back. It always came back when it was about Diablos.
I reluctantly let go of him and looked him over.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
My heart thundered with horror at the thought of him being hurt. When I was going after that demon and turned to see Di on the ground with another demon close to him, I almost lost my mind. The sight of the blood on his arm had sent me into a rage, ready to storm to Hell and tear that demon apart all over again.
I gently touched the scratch on his arm. It wasn’t serious, but the worry still gnawed at me.
“You got stabbed and you’re worried about this little scrape?” Di looked genuinely confused, but when he saw the concern in my eyes, he sighed and said, “I’m fine. I only almost had a heart attack watching you get stabbed. Meaning, if you want me to be okay, don’t get hurt again.”
His body trembled, and I realized then how frightened he was. Not because of the demons. Not because Iwasa demon. He was terrified of losing me. He was terrified he almost lost me. But he didn’t know that a little stab wouldn’t kill me.
Tugging him toward me, I whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Di. I won’t let anyone hurt us again.”
He nodded, burying his head in my neck.
I couldn’t believe his reaction. All those years, I'd dreaded him finding out the truth. I never imagined this would be his reaction. I thought he'd hate me, be afraid, and run away. But here he was, trusting me. Trusting that I wouldn't hurt him, even though I was a demon.
He accepted me. And he didn’t leave.
Hell, what had I done to deserve this man? I damn well knew I didn’t deserve him. But I fought it for so fucking long. I couldn’t do it anymore. If that made me a selfish demon, then so be it.
“Can we go? I want to leave this place,” he shuddered.
Kissing his forehead, I murmured, “Of course. Let’s get out of here.”
I turned to Blue, reaching out with a hand, “Blue, come here.”
Blue swished his tail and flew to me. He perched on my shoulder, his power unmistakable. Blue wasn't a pet. He was a part of me. He came when I called, and protected what was mine.
His body blurred and dissolved into smoke as he reached my hand. When I turned to Diablos, I saw him staring at my hand with his mouth open, his eyes wide.
“What? How?”
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around him, saying, "The little thing, as you named him, is Blue. He's my familiar, and a dragon. He appears when I call, and when I need him. There is no need to worry about him."
