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The space she no longer occupies feels like a cold void. This is not the time or place I would choose for such a conversation, but remaining silent will only deepen her unhappiness. “I did not tell you the exact moment things began to change for me because it involves violence. Though you may know I have been brutal in fulfilling my purpose, I did not want to tell you the details of those transactions, particularly when they occurred in recent history.”
“I wouldn’t have judged you,” she says, taking my hand. “I never will.” The softness of her hand against mine is a strength far greater than the power I embody.
“I came to this realm to transact a soul from one of large cities. The revenge sought by this human male would have been easy to grant—violence has always been the most efficient way to fill the hell realm with souls.”
Beside me, Dela shivers, then squeezes my hand, a silent assurance.
“But you didn’t do it?” Shay asks. “Whatever horrible thing that evil piece of shit wished for, you didn’t do it?”
“I did not. He wished severe bodily injury to a female. The woman with whom he shared a home and a bed. He claimed she had betrayed him by traveling without him, among other men, when he had expressly forbidden her to go. He was prepared to contract his soul to hell in return for the woman permanently losing the use of her legs. He wished her to remain living, but unable to physically walk away from him.”
Shay’s expression no longer holds a challenge, and Dela’s… I have never seen her fair skin so devoid of color.
“You were in Chicago,” Dela whispers, her fingers sliding from mine so she can cup both hands over her mouth.
“Oh, girl…no. No.” Shay moves toward Dela, her hands out. She pauses, draws a deep breath, then pulls Dela into an embrace. “I’m so sorry.” Shay rubs Dela’s back, meeting my gaze over Dela’s shoulder. “What stopped you from hurting the woman in Chicago?”
“Sunshine. The sky was dark gray that day. Raining and dark as night, everywhere except the place I found the woman. Above her, it was brilliant. Surrounding her so brightly, I could only see an outline of her form. I thought she was an angel, but when I spoke, she did not answer. That meant she was human. She could not hear me because I am a vengeance demon, and she had not wished for my presence. I should not have faltered in my duty, but I could not take an action that would diminish or extinguish such pure light. Nothing was the same after that. I began to see things differently. To want things.”
“Wait,” Shay says, as Dela backs out of their hug. She removes her gloves and takes both of Dela’s hands. “Let me see.” Eyes closed, she breathes deeply, smiling as she meets Dela’s gaze again. “All clear from here out. Nothing but sunshine and horny rainbows.”
The noise Dela makes sounds like a laugh, and she’s smiling, but tears roll down her face. “Thank you.”
“You don’t need these,” Shay says, wiping the moisture from Dela’s cheeks before pulling on her gloves. “And you,” she gives me a nod, “need to ask your woman how she ended up behind the counter at the coffeehouse.” Then she walks away, leaving me with Dela, alone, despite being surrounded by people.
“It was me. I was the woman in Chicago. Doug didn’t want me to go on a company team-building ski retreat. He said it was because he didn’t trust the men around me, but I knew that was a lie. It had to be, because he’d spent years drilling it into me that nobody else would ever want me. He’d successfully cut me off from my friends and moved me away from my mom. He didn’t want me to go on that trip because he didn’t want me to make any new connections. When I said Ihadto go, he accused me of defying him. He told me I’d be lucky to come home in a wheelchair. You saved my life, Raz.”
My insides knot, pressure building in my chest. “I will destroy him, Dela. But I cannot do so without your wish for vengeance.”
“I would never wish for that. Even after he attempted to deliver revenge on his own.”
I have committed atrocities in the name of my purpose and felt nothing, because I had no emotions then. Now, I feel as if I am burning alive. This is rage, and I would wield it like a lethal weapon if she wished it. “What did he do?”
“He killed me,” she whispers. “After I said I might leave, he used my medications to overdose me. I was dead, technically, but a reaper sent me back. I woke up holding a card with a phone number. I snuck out while Doug was sleeping. He thought I was dead, and he just fell asleep, like it was any other night.” A shiver runs through her, and she shakes it away. “That number on the card led me to Fate’s Falls, and I started over. All I’ve ever wanted is a happy, safe life. I have everything I could ever wish for now. Here. With you.” She flattens her palms on my chest and smiles up at me. “There is one more thing I wished for, actually. Someone to love, who would love me back with their whole heart. I have that with you, too.”
“Vengeance demons do not have hearts.” It is becoming more natural to arrange my lips in a smile, and the one I give her now earns me one of her affectionate nudges. “But you have made me feel like I possess one. If I had a heart, it would beat only for you. I love you with all that I am, my sunshine.”
“And I love you,” she whispers, shining brighter than she ever has. “Take me home, Raz.”
“To your apartment?”
The silk of her hair glows like a sunset sky as she shakes her head. “To your home.”
“I would like it to be our home. I am having it fitted with a kitchen. And I have ordered chairs I think you will find comfortable.”
The smile on her lovely lips blooms larger. “You don’t need to entice me with food and beverages,” she teases, replaying my comment when she invited me to this event. “Or chairs, since we’d both prefer I sit on something else.” She shrieks when I scoop her into my arms, drawing the attention of everyone still lingering in the town square.
The eons I have existed do not matter. My life, my eternity, is with Dela.
* * *
Thankyou for reading The Grumpy Demon’s Sunshine! Return to Fate’s Falls for another cozy and steamy monster romance in Mated to the Minotaur by Karla Doyle.
About the Author
A small-town girl with some big-city experience, Karla resides in Southwestern Ontario with her husband and two amazing, young-adult kids. She studied fashion design in college and spent 20+ years working in that industry before succumbing to the writing muse. When she’s not writing the sexy stories that swirl around in her head, you can find her spending time with family, hanging out with book-loving friends on Facebook, or cuddled up with a book and her adorable pets.
Karla loves hearing from readers! Connect with her online, or send her an email: [email protected].
