“True,” he murmured. When his gaze returned to the window, I knew he was thinking about Shax and all the others we’d lost over the years. “The uprising is over.”
“I really hope you’re right.”
“I am.” And then more quietly to himself. “I am.”
“What willwe, two demons who have never known any other way of life, do if there is peace?”
He stared out the window for a while before smiling. “We’ll live.”
It was such a beautiful dream, but I didn’t dare let myself get carried away by it. We still had so far to go. Yes, I believed the worst was behind us, but if I was wrong, I didn’t think I could stand the disappointment.
I wasn’t sure how I would handle not having anything to fight anymore. A part of me rejoiced at the idea, and another part was scared by the uncertainty of it. For centuries, I’d fought a battle or prepared to wage war. And now, I had endless possibilities ahead of me, but they all led back to one truth…
“We’ll live,” I agreed.
Corson settled the curtain back into place. “Do you need anything?”
“No.”
“When was the last time you fed?”
It had been a few days, but I couldn’t leave Wrath alone. What if he woke while I was gone?
“Go feed, Bale. I’ll watch over him.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Corson interrupted me before I could.
“Go. You’re not going to do him any good if you’re too weak to defend yourself. You have nothing to worry about with me when it comes to him.”
“I know that.”
“We never would have defeated the horsemen without him. Death alone would have been unstoppable for us.”
“Not for Raphael.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but Wrath is a big part of the reason we’re still alive. Go feed.”
I considered arguing with him, but he was right. If our enemies attacked again, and I was half starved, I couldn’t protect Wrath like I should. I kissed his knuckles again before gently placing his hand on the bed and rising from my chair.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said to Corson and Wrath as I caressed his brow once more.
“We’ll be here,” Corson said.
I reluctantly stepped away from Wrath and left the room. I didn’t doubt he was safe with Corson, and it was highly unlikely he would wake up while I was gone, but I loathed leaving him. I removed my heavy coat from the hangers near the door and slipped on my boots before leaving the room.
When I stepped into the hall and closed the door behind me, Zorn lifted his head from where he lay and released a snort.
“I’ll be back,” I told him.
He snorted again and settled his nose onto the floor. Like me, the horse hadn’t gone anywhere since we carried Wrath in. I didn’t know what he ate, if anything, but at least he didn’t leave any horse droppings behind.
I had a feeling he somehow gained his nourishment from Wrath. They had a symbiotic relationship, but if that was the case, Zorn was probably pretty hungry too.
“I’m going to feed,” I said.
He lifted his head again, and I saw a flash of interest in his eyes, but he didn’t rise.
“Do you want to come with me?”
