And two seconds later, the demon was asleep.
Danger cringed at the horrendous sound of her snoring. "Don't tell me Simi does that as well?"
"No, she's louder."
"And you tolerate her?"
"Considering she is the one thing Acheron loves most in this world, yes. I honestly think he would literally die if anything happened to her."
"What about you?"
"I would kill or die to keep her safe."
Danger smiled at that. "There aren't many men in the world who would die for a demon."
"That's only because they don't have one to love."
Maybe, but it would take a special kind of man to look past the scaly weirdness of such a creature and be able to love it. "You must have been a good father."
Sadness creased his brow an instant before he turned away from her to look out the window.
Danger mentally kicked herself for saying that out loud. "I'm sorry, Alexion, I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," he said gently. "Simi tells me that all the time-whenever she's not pissed at me for trying to teach her manners." He gave a light laugh. "She says I'm the best 'other' daddy a demon ever had."
Even so, she could tell that it bothered him. But then it bothered her too. She'd wanted children so much as a human that it still ached whenever she thought about it.
That was one of the nice things about being nocturnal-she didn't come across children except in movies and on television. And even that hurt.
But not as much as seeing kids playing in real life, hearing their laugher.
What she wouldn't give to hold her own child in her arms, just once. To be in a delivery room with her husband holding her hand as she cursed him for the pain of the life that was struggling to be born.
It really was all she had ever wanted.
She swallowed against the painful lump in her throat. Some things weren't meant to be.
Love. Family...
They were gone from her future. But at least she had some semblance of life. Alexion didn't even have that much. He was denied even more than she was and that made her hurt for him deep down inside her heart.
Danger turned onto her street. She didn't speak as they neared her house, which looked just as it had when they'd fled. She pulled into the garage, but left the door open in case they had to make another hasty exit.
Alexion got out first, then paused. "Xirena?"
The demon snorted, then rolled to her side.
She exchanged an amused look with Alexion before he leaned into the car and gently shook her shoulder. "Xirena?"
"What?" the demon snapped.
"We're here, and if you wish to meet Simi, I need you to come inside to make sure the other demon isn't still here."
She opened her eyes, which were no longer human in appearance. They were again that eerie yellow. "What demon?"
"The one that tried to kill me before you."
She made a strange snorting noise. "He's not here. Why do you think Strykerius sent me? Caradoc is a wuss."