The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,37

they're perfectly ok with snuggling, you know? And then there's you and Luke." I leaned my head against his arm. "Do you think it's because it's your name that everyone knew? And Luke's?"

"I honestly don't know," he admitted. "I can tell you that it started with Abaddon. Somehow, he convinced me that being involved with my legion would weaken us. And I don't even know how it ended up as my legion. That part, I think, was Luke's fault. He couldn't defeat me, so he slandered me, and it worked. I was the great and evil Satan, leading the forces of Hell. When he changed sides, he became the evil and deceitful Lucifer. And then we just never did anything to change it."

"And are you changing it now?"

Nick nodded. "I'm trying. It seems that having a woman around makes all of us want to try a little - or a little more. Since we found you, all of us have become a little closer. We have a lot to work out, dove, but we are trying."

"You've been alive for a long time," I reminded him. "It's not surprising. Just remember that it's not supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be wonderful. Those two things are not the same. And if you need more time with Luke, I'm ok with that." I bumped his side gently. "I'll even let you have the room."

"It's your room," he told me. "Now, I might sweet-talk you into taking those three demons with you again, but I'm pretty sure you won't mind. I also have a feeling that they wouldn't either. I think Ron and Bel just need a little excuse."

"And Sam?" I asked. "I mean, since he's the lover of the legion?"

Nick shook his head. "No, that demon is all yours. For the first time in his life, I think he's figured out what it really means to fall in love."

I glanced away, hoping to hide my smile, because I really liked how that sounded. Sam and I had something. I couldn't even explain what it was, but it was always there. Where Nick awed me with his sex appeal and Luke drew me in with his charisma, Sam just had this way of making me feel like I had it all together. Even when I didn't. I was still figuring out Bel, and coming to realize that he was definitely a romantic. Ron was shy and sweet. They were all great in their own way, but none of them was as easy as Sam.

"Are you ok with that?" I asked him.

Nick nodded. "I am. I also think that if I wasn't, Bel might beat my ass into the ground, so it's a good thing I'm on Sam's side in this." Then he leaned closer and kissed my temple. "How's Ron?"

"Lame and cramped," I told him. "He's not too bad, since he went back to sleep, but we should probably see if we can fix him."

"Think you can change him here?"

I could only shrug. "Nick, if I can't give him a skin, I'm not sure I can change him at all."

"Heal him," he said. "Don't give him a new shell to live in. Fix whatever it is that made him twist. And if you can't, then I'll take out the rune and everything can go back to how it was."

"Even the protections?" I asked.

Nick made a noise that warned me there'd been a problem. "So, I'm not an aethersculptor. I can't just alter something with a thought and a push. For me, there's a very slow and complicated pattern that has to be created. That's how my ability works. Luke's is almost an inverse system, but also slow. Although that doesn't really matter since he can't see the veil."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked him.

Nick sighed. "I haven't tried to put in the protection runes yet. I wanted to make sure that the process was reversible first, but it seems the bubble is completely attuned to me. Luke can't even touch it. He definitely can't see the pattern it's made of." Then he paused. "Can you?"

"I never have," I told him. "Even when I get to the crease in the ground, there's nothing. No shimmer. No glowing runes. Nothing."

"And for me, it's always there," he said. "On the upside, that means Michael won't be able to break it if he can't even detect it. On the downside, I would really like to figure out how I did this so I can