The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,85

on the big demon's face was playful, and he'd phrased that in such a way that Luke couldn't deny what we all knew. That kiss he'd given Sia had been more than an accident, and much more than simply incidental. It had been brewing for a very long time, but I had a feeling our angel wouldn't give in that easy. No, if I knew him as well as I thought I did, he would try to find one more reason to resist, and it would probably be a weak one.

But he was getting closer every day, and these things had to happen in their own time. If he gave in too soon, then he'd resent us for pushing him. If he hadn't fully accepted that his attraction to Sia was real, he'd find some way to fuck it up, then convince himself he was doing her a favor. Was it frustrating? Yes! But we all still knew that this was just what he did. Usually, we blamed it on him being an angel, but only because we loved him enough not to care.

Soon enough, the two of us were alone. Still feeling drained, I eased myself down onto one of the benches, then let out a heavy sigh. As if that was some kind of sign, Luke joined me. For a long moment, neither of us said anything. Mostly because there was so much that I wasn't sure where to start. A few hours ago, he and Sia had gone to see her parents. That they'd come back like this? My head was still spinning.

Never mind what it meant! Her skin had glowed like it was lit from within. I'd seen her eyes, burning with the shade of aether that she almost never used, but which belonged to her. The roar that had fallen from her dead lips would haunt my dreams for centuries to come. And that was when I figured out where to start.

"How is this possible?" I asked, looking over at Luke.

He dropped both elbows onto the table, then rubbed his face in his hands. "She is the Ayala."

As if that was any answer. "But what does that mean, Luke?"

"She's a monster," he breathed.

"She is our monster," I countered. "Shit, you and me? We're monsters. Don't make it sound like her being one is a bad thing."

"You don't understand," he snapped. "Sia is a literal monster. The Ayala was a warning to us. The first time angels met, one told the story as if he was reciting it. The others recorded it. I honestly don't know if they wrote it down or just memorized it, but the myth is that old. Well, or the warning."

"Warning from who?" I asked. "Maybe it was nothing more than an angel trying to relay his dream?"

Luke shook his head. "No, it's much too clear for that. This was given to him by someone. We assumed that someone was our creator, and we named him God. That's where the biblical reference came from." Then he waved that off. "Regardless, the tale says that demons and angels will bow before him. That he will drain the worlds - the planes, if you prefer - of aether. That he will be unstoppable, since he is made from the life of all worlds. Nick, it's talking about Sia!"

"It says him," I countered.

Luke groaned with frustration. "Because back then, our language only had words for men. There were no women at the time. Not for millions of years afterward!"

Ok, he had a point. "So, if Sia is this thing, then what?" I asked. "Did we not all just kneel before her? Angels and demons alike," I told him, gesturing from his wings to mine. "And what can she do? What is the threat that makes you so afraid of her now?"

"The myth says that the Ayala will end everything," he hissed. "Nick, don't you get that? And look what she just did!"

I just canted my head. "That wasn't how I took it. To me, the story sounded more like a typical fable. If we screw up, there will be consequences. That sort of thing."

Luke actually paused to think about that. "Ok," he agreed, "I can see your point. But the real question is what do we do with her? If Sia is something new, something impossible, then what are we supposed to do?"

I reached out to catch his hand, pulling it down onto the table between us. "First, you do not call her a monster.