The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,31

supposed to be, well, evil?"

"What is evil?" he countered. "You? Me? I think that word is losing its power with her, which is why I felt it's a good time to talk about it."

"She was terrified to be with more than one man at a time," I hissed, all too aware that the soundproofing of her room went only one way. "Do you honestly think she'll just blow off being told that she's destined to torture people so long as she exists?"

"I think she'll take something so drastic with a grain of salt," he said. "Nick, she was scared to be with more than one guy because she felt guilty, and Sia doesn't do anything partway. She loves you with her entire existence, and she had to figure out how to love Sam just as much. Then Bel. Now, she's working on Ron. That's what held her back. I also believe that the more you tell her she can't, or she won't, or that she shouldn't, then the more she'll fight to prove you wrong."

A little chuckle slipped out, because he was right. "So, you're basically saying she's a 'hold my beer' kinda girl?"

"She really is," he agreed. "Which is where I think we went wrong with explaining the legion to her. We told her she could. We reassured her that we were all ok. We even tried to help her. For Sia, that's like setting up the trap. You know she was picked on as a kid, right?"

I nodded. "She told me about it. Being a local media sensation because she was abandoned at the fire station. Yeah. Probably bullied."

"And that's what bullies do," he said, gesturing to himself. "I would know. The best way to win is to catch them off guard. Get their defenses down by promising exactly what they want, and then screw them over before they can even brace for it. Well, are you surprised that when things looked so good, Sia braced? I'm not."

I just lifted my hands and patted the air, conceding defeat. "Fine. But if she's Ayala, then what the fuck is the dragon?"

"A dragon Muse?" he shrugged. "Don't know, and I don't really care. Right now, you and I need to figure out what this means for us. If Sia really is as powerful as Stieviel predicted, it means she can do this. Nick, she can lock the angels away, and she wants to!"

"Do you trust this guy?" I asked. "The one who came up with the theory, is he reliable?"

"In truth," he admitted, "I've never met him. Dominions can't work with aether, similar to citizens on Daemin. Instead, they focused on the staff positions. When we began keeping slaves, they managed them. Just like in Hell, Heaven has a small group of inventors, and he's one. He reported to the thrones; they reported to the cherubim, who passed it to the malakim, up to the seraphim, until it got to me. Archangels don't really interact with the lowest choirs."

"Snob," I teased.

He canted his head as if he couldn't disagree. "I was a very powerful angel. I didn't have time for such things. We had demons to defeat." And his green eyes jumped up to meet mine. "I'm trying to take care of her, Nick. Believe it or not, I actually like that girl."

"I know you do. I just wish you'd stop pretending like you don't feel anything for her."

He blew out a breath. "I'm scared, ok? She's mortal, and things feel like they're going too good. Sound familiar?" He lifted a brow. "And she's ok with it. We've worked out our problems."

"And yet she still watches you walk across a room like she's mentally undressing you."

"So do you," he countered.

I just crossed my arms and leaned against the counter across from him so we were looking at each other. "You're not any better."

Luke pushed himself up. "This was easier when I kept my love life out of the legion." Then he turned, clearly heading for the living room.

I caught his arm as he passed. "You didn't mean to fall in love with Ron," I said. "I get that, but you deserve him. He's not scared of you."

"Are you?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. I'm scared of a lot of things, but you are not one of them. I've always assumed that you'd actually stand beside me when I had to face them down."

"I'm scared of losing someone again," he said, his words little more than a breath.

I pulled him