before he turns and walks away, pulling open the creaky door and shutting it as quietly as the hinges will allow.
As soon as he’s gone, Toreon’s shoulders slump, and I see his hands fist at his sides. I’m suddenly burning with curiosity about him. My mind is busy cataloging all the things they said to one another, making as many connections as I can. For the longest time, Toreon just stands there, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head and feel the anxiety dripping off him.
“Family or boyfriend?” I ask, setting the dishes down.
He jerks around like he forgot I was there, his eyes flaring as they settle on me. “What?”
I tip my head in the direction of the door. “That guy. Is he family or a boyfriend?” I ask curiously.
He blinks at me in confusion. “You think we’re related? Did you even look at him?”
I shrug.
“No to family. We’re both Nihil, but not related in any way. And no, he isn’t my damn lover either. I prefer pussy to cock,” he says with a roll of his eyes. He sits back down on the ground, scooting back until his shoulder blades hit the stone wall behind him. I don’t think he’s going to divulge any information, but when he rests his head back, he surprises me by adding, “Vudu is my sworn protector.”
My brows rise in surprise. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said,” he snaps. “Now why don’t you go back to not wanting me to talk to you.”
I sigh and sweep my bangs to the side. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m strung a little tight right now with everything that’s happening, and your constant pessimism is too much.”
He snorts in reply, and I look over to check on Medley, but she’s still out like a light. I hesitate for a moment, and then I move over to be closer to him, until I’m right up against the bars that separate us. “So...you’re important.”
It’s not a question, but Toreon looks over, cocking his brow. “What makes you say that?”
My eyes trail over his sage-green face. “You have a sworn protector,” I point out with a small smile. “I’m pretty sure only important people—demons—would have that. And Morax locked you up in here. Which means he wants something from you that he can’t get from someone else.”
Toreon twirls the file that Vudu gave him in his hands, his arms braced over his bent knees in front of him. “You’re not wrong,” he says simply.
“Are you an Annulus too?” I ask curiously. “Is Morax collecting us or something?”
“As far as I knew, there were no Annuli left,” Toreon replies, looking at me like he’s studying me. “You must be the last of your line. Hidden away in hopes that someone like the Ophidian wouldn’t find you.”
“That worked out great,” I say dryly.
He lets out a surprised chuckle. “Tell me about it,” he murmurs. “Did you really live in the Mortal Realm?”
“Until I was tossed in this dungeon.”
“And you had no idea what you really were?” he asks, not with judgment or doubt, just simple pure curiosity.
“Nope. All my life, since I was a little girl, I...saw things. Monsters,” I say a little shyly, embarrassment at my own ignorance. “I would look at someone and they’d be perfectly normal. And then I would blink, and they’d have horns or terrifying teeth or slime trickling out of their eyeballs.” I give an involuntary shudder at all the memories. “I don’t remember my adoptive parents, but they gave me up when I was three. I was abnormal. Had delusions. Did something questionable to the family cat because a monster told me to,” I say with bitterness. “Nurses and doctors and treatments, that was my childhood.”
Toreon’s eyes soften. “Sounds like you were dealt a bad hand.”
I glance over at Medley’s sleeping form again, just to avoid his gaze. I wonder what her childhood was like. Did she see things too? Was she thrown away like I was? Heat prickles my eyes at the thought, and Toreon’s words sit heavy in my chest. “It wasn’t awesome.”
“Humans are an ignorant species. But now you know you weren’t crazy. You were just seeing what they couldn’t.”
“Yeah. Turns out the fake monsters were real demons.” Lucky me. If only Dr. Gupta could see me now.
9
“So you have two mates and Delta has four?” I ask with surprise, ignoring the little squeak that sneaks into my voice. “Is that a demon thing or an Annuli thing?”