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SANTINO
“Yes,I’m fine. I just … got lost.” I shifted back to human form so she could properly appreciate the high arch of my eyebrow when I called bullshit on her.
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” she huffed as she pushed off my chest and forced me to set her down. I watched her feet carefully, impressed that she wasn’t burning from the lava underfoot. Perhaps there was something special about my little hellion after all.
“Come, we’ll go home.” I grabbed her hand and transported us back to the manor, turning to look at her when she let out a little gasp.
“How did you do that?” She steadied herself on the couch, walking around to collapse into it as she pressed her hand to her forehead.
“There are many things I can do as a demon. That is only one of them.”
She looked at me when I said demon, and I didn’t have to read her mind to know what was going through it. She might not have acted scared yesterday when I told her about it, but that was only because she hadn’t processed the full extent. Now, she was.
“How?” I pressed into her mind for more, but that seemed the only word she could think of. I walked over to the couch and slipped down on it beside her as I exhaled.
“Demons weren’t always on earth. In fact, we haven’t been for quite some time. There was a reckoning a few centuries back when demon hunters took it upon themselves to rid the earth of us as much as they could. My father, whom you know as the Devil, was trapped inside a gun not long after.”
“A gun?” She turned and looked at me in confusion.
“Yes, a gun. Silly, isn’t it?” I had to laugh because the absurdity of it was unbelievable otherwise. “An Irish priest captured him inside the gun, trapping him there and closing up hell for what he thought was an eternity. But then, a few months ago, a man named Rian Murphy sent for the gun from his family crypt in Ireland. Driven by pride and greed, Santino’s father intercepted the gun’s arrival and took it. Unknowingly, he freed the Devil—my father—by firing off the single bullet inside. He possessed De Luca senior and opened the gate to hell here in the manor,” I nodded at the door she’d gone through. “By doing that, it allowed myself and my brothers and sisters to return to earth and possess humans. The De Lucas were having a meeting at the time—Rian Murphy had kidnapped the youngest De Luca girl, Serafina—so we could take their bodies. The numbers in Hell had obviously decreased when it was shut, all the souls escaping their chance at purgatory, so my father tasked us with collecting souls to refill Hell’s well to prepare for the coming war.”
“War?” Reina shifted uncomfortably beside me, making me chuckle. She was most concerned about war out of everything I’d just told her. What a curious little creature she was.
“Yes. While there is no heaven in the way the bible might teach, there is another plane of existence unknown to us. Something that we’ve been banished from that we are not allowed to seek out. My father believes that with enough corrupted souls, we might be able to overwhelm its defenses and crack it open.”
“For what?”
I considered the answer for a moment. It wasn’t in our nature to question when given an order. Frankly, being given the free reign to wreak havoc was enough for any demon to not bother asking any more questions. But hers was interesting, and I wished I knew the answer.
“I would guess that he hopes to gain access to it to run it.” I shrugged. That always seemed to be the end game for most—power, control, glory.
“So, there’s a god?”
“There are gods, yes. And like Hell, there are levels to this other realm with hierarchies ending with the Creator. While I don’t know the specifics, I suspect my father’s disagreement is with her.”
Reina shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she processed all this. But watching her try made me realize why the rules about telling humans about all this were so strict. It was too much for them to understand and too complicated to decipher. I didn’t even have the answers, but I was comfortable with that. Humans were curious … too curious.
“This is a lot.”
“Yes, I realize that. I think that’s enough answers for today. I have to go and finish my meeting that you interrupted, but I shall see you later.” I rose from my seat and glanced back at her. “Are you going to be okay?”
“I might need to go and lie down again.” She looked overwhelmed but was clearly trying to hide it.
I nodded. “Perhaps that is for the best. We have a big evening ahead of us.”
“Right. Marriage.” For the first time since this plan sprung into my mind, I was second-guessing it. This was a lot to take in, and I still expected her to show up to the wedding willingly. Well, as willingly as I suspected my little hellion was capable of being.
“We can discuss it more later.” I held out my hand to help her, and she stared at it like I was going to burn her with it. Reluctantly she reached out, sliding her hand into mine, and I transported us back to her room. She gasped before inhaling sharply to try and hide it, yanking her hand out of mine as she sat on the bed.
“I’m good now.” I lifted my eyebrow and stared back at her before inclining my head.
“I will see you later then.”
“Thank you,” she said, surprising me. “For coming to save me back there.”
“I’ll always come when you need me, my little hellion.” I transported myself back to Hell to finish what I’d been doing, but even as I returned to the torture, all I could think about was her and how much I’d rather be back with her. However much she’d rather I stay away.
