The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,14

you rupture your ability to hold aether, you will. With as much as you've been doing, and as fast as you've been doing it? Let's just say that never in all of my very long life has pushing aether burned. I think you need to rest a bit before any more significant workings. Give your body time to heal."

"No," I insisted, "we need to figure out how to lock the angels away. That's been the dream of Hell, right? When we met, you said you needed me to help you, and I'm trying, but you keep telling me to hold off, slow down, and take my time. I just want to get this over with. You can't show me the horrors of the worlds and think that I'm going to be able to ignore it!"

He leaned in a little closer. "Birth control first. The bubble around this veil next. If you both manage all of that tonight, then we can move on to designing the house - "

"Nick," I groaned, aware of what he was doing. "You're managing me."

His lips tensed as he tried not to smile. "I prefer to think of it more like focusing. But, fine. If this is that big of a deal to you, then tomorrow we will start to talk about the problems with locking down Angelis. Talk, Sia. Not do. Not jump into action. We will simply have a legion discussion and start looking at the complications so we can plan it out."

"That's all I want," I assured him. "I mean, my family is there."

He nodded. "And you kinda like them, huh? Just know that Uriel is a rather arrogant man."

"He's an angel," I said, making it clear that gave him no other option. "But Kacira seems really nice. Although, you wanna know something really weird?"

"Sure."

"I can't just call her mom. I tried it. Well, for both of them, calling her mom and him dad. It just... It feels forced."

"Because you don't know them," he explained. "They're mostly strangers, and having their genes doesn't mean they feel like family."

"You do," I said, meeting his fey eyes.

"Mm." And he moved even closer. "So, does that mean I'm moving up from boyfriend?"

I just lifted my chin, tilting my face to his. "Is there a title you'd prefer more, Satan?"

"Well, lover isn't typically used in polite conversation. Husband implies a wedding, and I prefer to avoid angelic ceremonies where I can. Mate makes me sound like a beast, and it seems I'm a little sensitive to that. So, what do you suggest, Muse?"

My lips split into a mischievous smile. "I'm partial to boyfriend, but I can mix it up with 'my man,' if you prefer."

"I just like the part of that where you claim me." And he bent, pressing his mouth against mine. "Now, go get your rune." He brushed my hair back, gently caressing my face in the process. "I love you, dove."

"I love you too, Nick." And I leaned into his hand for a moment before he lowered it. "I'll be careful. I promise."

"Thank you," he whispered before stepping back.

Which meant he was honestly worried about me. Well, I knew how to find out why. Ron always had the answers, so the moment I slipped onto the bench across from him, I leaned over the table and decided I should just ask.

"Why's Nick freaking out?"

Ronwe slowly opened his journal, his eyes flicking across the pages. "Because you make miracles happen too often."

"I thought that's what I'm supposed to do," I countered.

Ron finally looked up. "Sia, the bruise on your face has faded, but it's still there. Sam won't forget how close he was when Michael pulled you through the veil. Bel believes in you, but he doesn't know how to keep you safe, and that's all he wants to do. Luke's terrified that your sliver of mortality is going to be the weakness Michael exploits next. They're scared of losing you."

"But he was on board with the plan before I made that veil," I said.

Ron nodded. "And he's still on board with it. The difference is that you told him that the dragon's aether was so intense it burned. You said that you pushed aether out and into that veil hard enough to feel like it was stripping your veins. Sia, you are something new. You're not a Muse as we know them. You're not an outworlder. You're something that we don't understand, and those guys just want to make sure that they can help