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I don’t know what I did to deserve Callie, but for the first time in my life, I find myself thanking God. Fallen though I may be, it seems He has found me worthy of something that most demons can only dream of. Even His angels aren't allowed to love the way mortals do.
She’s a precious treasure, and I must protect her at all costs.
Leviathan’s Minions are getting bolder. They have been appearing closer and more frequently as of late, and though Callie seems to hold her own against them for the time being, I dread the thought of what might happen if she crosses one of My Brother’s stronger allies. Among the upper-level demons, there are some who would give even me close to a fair fight. Callie might not fare as well against one of those.
When she returns from an outing with a deep gash over her eyebrow, my rage is such that even the damned run screaming from my path.
“Calm down, Az,” she says as Irali, one of My succubus Daughters, blots at the gushing blood with a damp cloth. “I’m fine. It’s just a cut. The envy demon is toast, and if You’d just slow Your roll, I could heal this in a nanosecond.”
“You shouldn’t have to heal it!” I scream. Irali flinches and drops the cloth. I grit my teeth and run my hands through my hair, trying to do as Callie asks and calm down. “What about Amir, the incubus who was guarding you?”
Callie averts her gaze, a tear rolling down her cheek. “He didn’t make it. I wasn’t fast enough.”
Seeing her chagrin quiets me more than any words could. Here I am, raging, and she’s in more pain over the loss of My Son than I am. I kneel at her side and stroke her cheek, wiping away the salty wet trail. “Don’t blame yourself, My Love. It is Leviathan and His Underlings who are responsible, not you. I’m sure you did everything you could to try to save him.”
It seems my words are inadequate. Callie’s face crumples, and the tears flow freely. I shoo away Irali, retrieving the cloth from the ground and gently dabbing at the cut, which still seeps. With my other hand, I draw Callie in close, hugging her to my chest in an effort to comfort her pain. She sobs as I rock her in place. It’s a rare moment of weakness for My warrior Mate, and I worry that living in Hell is taking a toll on her.
Since I was designed for sex and torture, not healing, I use my bond with My incubus Children and summon Arman, who is not only a familiar face for Callie but also miraculously skilled in using his infernal magic to heal. He appears in an instant, eyes wide as he takes in Callie’s fragile state. Without need for any instruction from me, he sets to work right away, pressing his palm to the wound and using his magic to mend the hemorrhaging cut. Seconds later, all that’s left of the laceration is a bloody smear. The skin underneath is smooth and clear, not even a scar to remind Callie of this day.
Her sobbing slows to a sniffle, and she takes Arman’s hand and squeezes it. “Thanks, bro. Please don’t tell Lena about this, though. You know her; she’ll be storming down here to take out Leviathan herself, and she’s got other things to worry about.”
Arman nods and squeezes back. “Don’t worry, Calliope. I will not tell Elena. You have my word.” He glances at me, his eyes searching mine for permission, and I give a brief nod. Arman shifts between planes and returns to the mortal realm, leaving Callie and me alone.
“Come, Callie. Let’s go to your room, away from prying eyes.”
“No.” She wipes her eyes, then pushes me back and stands. “I’m not hiding.”
“Callie—”
When I meet her gaze, I see a steel in her eyes that wasn’t there a moment ago. Her jaw sets as she grits her teeth, and her fists clench at her sides.
From crying to confident in a mere breath … I can’t believe it.
“Az, I think we need to speed up my training. I need to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. Not just fireballs and lightning. I need to learn itall. The infernal tongue. The writings. If there are books, I need to read them. If there are lessons, I need to study them. I need to get serious about this. No more playing around.”
She means it. I can tell her resolve is absolute.
I must choose my words carefully. “Callie, even for demons, for whom the infernal arts are second nature, it can take ages to master everything there is to infernal magic. You could likely die before I could teach it all to you.”
Callie scowls and places her fists on her hips, and I realize I’ve made an error, though I’m not yet sure what that error could be.
“What do You mean? Does that mean You never intended to teach me everything?”
Not quite what I am trying to convey. “That’s not what I said, Cal—”
Her fist connects with my jaw before I can finish her name. I stand there, frozen not in pain but in shock. Did she really just hit me?
She jabs a finger in my face, millimeters from my nose, her blue eyes blazing. “So, what, You were just saying what I wanted to hear? Was this some stupid demonic ploy to get in my pants? Oh, Gods, I can hear Lena now with the I-told-you-sos.” She tosses her hands in the air and storms off a few feet, then stops and whirls back around. “I swear, You’re just like all the other demons out there: in it for Yourself. What makes You any different from Leviathan?”
Her words cause more pain than her punch. How could she compare me to Leviathan, even for a moment?
“Callie, I never said I wouldn’t teach you; I just don’t know how much I can teach you in the time we have together. I don’t know if I can teach you literallyeverythingthere is to know about infernal magic. I don’t know if it’s possible for a human to absorb that much knowledge.”
She crosses her arms over her chest, and her scowl turns almost to a pout. “And You couldn’t mention that earlier?”
My head hangs in shame. I should not have misled her. “I did not realize you wanted to learn all infernal magics. I thought perhaps you just wanted to learn enough to defend yourself on Earth, perhaps enough to make a living outside of your sister’s shadow.”
Callie glances down at her feet and kicks a rock with the toe of her boot. “Well … I guess I could have been clearer, too.”
