The Lure of the Devil (The Demons' Muse #4) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,90

He's smart about these things. You know science, but Nick knows how to handle people. Sam knows how to handle emotions." Then I rubbed his arm gently. "And she came back. The thing we were scared of the most happened, and she isn't gone. This is a good thing, Ronwe."

"She drained the entire Vale, Bel."

I nodded. "I know. I hope she didn't hurt the unicorns."

"Do you have any idea how much aether that is?" he asked.

"I do not care. That is what is confusing you. I do not care that she took what she needed to fix herself. I would've given it to her anyway. Now, I will fix what she broke to do it." And I tilted my head. "Do you want to give aether to our legion?"

Ron's lips split into a smile, and he looked away. "So you can use yours for something else? Sia has plenty, you know."

"I do know," I assured him. "There is more to our Vale than demons."

"Unicorns," Ron realized. "Will they let you? You'd have to touch them to give them aether."

I glanced away. "They like me."

"Think they'd like me?" he asked.

I furrowed my brow as I thought about that. Not about whether they'd like him, because I had a feeling they would. Unicorns were fond of a very specific type of person. They were also nervous and timid creatures, more likely to attack to keep themselves safe than simply run. Yet Ron wasn't threatening. He was calm, good-hearted, and considerate. I had a feeling they could tell.

But that he wanted to see them, even after the others called them pests? That was the part I hadn't expected. Ron did not act like he was brave. He was, but he gave the impression of being more gentle than brutal. It was one of the things I liked most about him. And yet, that made me think he wouldn't want to take this risk.

"Why?" I asked.

Ron just shrugged. "Because I'm not much bigger than Sia, and I know she wants to see them again. She's mentioned it a few times in passing. I figure that if they won't hurt me, then they may not hurt her."

I stepped a little closer to him, aware of the corridor swirling around us. "But she cannot die. She can take her own risks now, right?"

"She came back this time," he pointed out. "We don't know what she'll do if it happens again."

"Oh."

Because I'd dared to hope. When she'd sat up on her own, the first thought that rushed into my mind was that it meant she had truly fixed herself. That she was now a real demon, and we could finally stop worrying about every little thing she wanted to do. It was exhausting to be so worried all the time, and she did not like being smothered. Finding a balance between those two things was very hard for me, so I'd hoped this had been the solution.

"Bel?" Ron asked when I was quiet for a little too long.

"You need to give Luke aether," I said. "I will see you in the Vale." And then I stepped back, avoiding his real question.

When I stepped into the Vale, Ron was right there with me, which meant he hadn't hesitated to follow. That Nick, Luke, and Sam were all sitting at the table made my heart stop for a second. Then Sam looked up with a smile.

"She's sleeping," he told us.

Those words let me breathe again. "You left her alone?" I asked.

"She's fine," Sam promised. "I'm pretty sure it's from the adrenaline rush she had, not anything else. Between her fall, her revival, and the makeout session with Luke, she had a lot of excitement, and very fast. She's fine, though. I promise."

"Do you think she will die again?" I asked as Ron moved over to Luke's side.

"Aether," Ron said softly, offering his hand to his boyfriend.

Luke took it, leaving Nick to answer me. "We think she needs to talk to the dragon again. Sia says that beast was another Muse, and it sounds like she is experiencing the same thing as she did after working with it."

"And," Luke said, his hand laced with Ron's, "her plan is going to require that we get a little more help."

"Vesdar." I nodded to show I understood.

Luke let go of Ron's hand and gestured to Sam, indicating he needed aether as well. "Maybe Hell," he told me. "Bel, there's a lot going on."

"So she was right." I just looked at Nick. "We need