Chapter Twenty
Twenty
Hannah and Lily were waiting for me when I arrived home. I held my hand up when I walked into the main area. “Tea first.”
Hannah scurried to the teapot and poured a cup into my favorite mug.
“Here,” she said, putting it down on the table.
I sat, uttering a groan as I felt my body ache. I hadn’t realized how much I’d done that day, what with Marcellus taking over my body and using it to fight. Muscles I didn’t know I had hurt, and I felt drained.
And lonely, now that I knew what it felt like to have someone else inside my head.
“Are you all right?” Lily asked, sounding concerned.
“Mm-hmm,” I said before taking a sip of tea. Dante leaped up into my lap and shoved his nose into my palm. I scritched his ears, and he settled, his comforting warmth even better than the hot beverage.
“You’ve been gone a long time,” Lily continued. She sat down next to me, peering intently at my face. “And I don’t smell anything untoward. What happened?”
I told them, leaving out only the part where I wanted to stay with Marcellus in his bed. I figured they knew that already.
“So this Phenex might be your mole?” Hannah asked, her eyes wide with interest.
I nodded. “It seems that way. If we can uncover whatever kind of conspiracy this is, we can inform the Queen when we meet with her. She’s asked to meet with Marcellus rather than his father.”
“I can see why,” Lily said dryly.
“And if things go as I hope, perhaps we will reach an agreement between us and Hell, meaning we’d be opening up our borders to them and vice versa. I’m no expert on such matters, but I have to think that our mutual interests would be served by better communication.”
“You sound like a regular diplomat,” Lily said, and I couldn’t tell if it was a compliment.
“The antis aren’t going to like that. The church definitely won’t like that,” Hannah said. “People have just gotten accustomed to the unusual species who are here; how are they going to react when they’re seeing demons strolling down Bond Street?”
“Maybe they’ll help them shop for a lovely hat?
” I said weakly. I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I don’t think the answer is for us to hide away.
If Hell’s denizens don’t want to come up here, that is fine, but if they do, they should be allowed to.
Likewise, I imagine there are a few foolhardy souls who would like to get a glimpse of Hell before they die. ”
“Quite revolutionary of you, Cora,” Lily observed.
I felt my mouth curl into a faint smile. “That’s just what Marcel—that is, the marquis said.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “You can call him Marcellus here. We know you are on intimate footing with him.”
I blushed. Would I ever stop blushing about this situation?
Maybe when he had gone back home. Then I would just be heartbroken, with no time for blushing. A lot of weeping, perhaps. Maybe more tea than usual.
A traitorous part of my brain had to mention, of course, that if the borders between the two realms were eased, then he could come visit more often. That we could see each other.
But the fact remained that he was a marquis and I was a nontitled human who worked for a living.
The world might have changed substantially, but it was still unheard of for a nobody to be involved with a person of nobility, even if that nobility was punctuated by screams of agony and various torture devices.
Not to mention the nobody had pesky standards regarding monogamy and morality.
“So what are you thinking, Cora?” Lily asked in the gentlest voice I’d ever heard from her. I glanced up, surprised.
Both my friends wore matching expressions of concern on their faces.
“Thinking?” I echoed. I knew exactly what they meant, but I didn’t know if I was prepared to discuss it. But I also knew I wouldn’t be allowed not to.
“About Marcellus. About whatever is happening between you two.” Lily’s brow furrowed. “I know you, and I have never seen you quite like this.”
I snorted. “I’ve never spent time with a demon before.”
Hannah reached out and patted my hand. I felt the sting of tears. Why did a friendly touch have to undo me like that?
“You will have to prepare for his eventual departure, you know,” she said softly.
“I know that,” I said. I exhaled, then hugged Dante just a bit more closely. “I had no intention of—”
“Of falling in love?” Lily supplied. She didn’t sound mocking. “Nobody ever does.”
“But now what do I do?” I asked, spreading my hands out in question. “I certainly cannot move there, and he cannot live here—”
“Have you asked him?” Hannah said.
“Uh…no,” I replied.
Hannah gave me a stern look. “Cora. What do we know?” She began to tick items off on her fingers. “We know that stale macarons are better than no macarons. We know that tea can solve most problems. And we know that we don’t know until we ask.”
I gave her a weak smile. “So how do I do that? I can’t just go up to him and say, ‘Excuse me, Lord Demon, sir, I seem to have fallen in love with you, but I don’t want to live in your town. Could you stay here with me?’ ”
“That’s exactly what you say,” Lily said in a firm tone.
“Also, and we haven’t discussed this, I have no idea how he feels about me,” I added. “What if he has a harem of demons back home?”
“He doesn’t. I asked Keres.” Wait. Did Lily blush a faint amount when saying Keres’s name? There were things here to ask about as well. But if I did that now, the two of them would accuse me of trying to avoid the topic.
Which would be true, to be fair, but also I wanted to know. I contained multitudes.
The fact that he didn’t have anybody in Hell did make me feel a little fluttery, I had to admit.
“The first thing is to ascertain his feelings.” Lily wagged a finger at me.
“And don’t do it when you are”—and then she made a gesture that made my eyes widen—“because people will say anything when they are in the midst of things. Make sure to have that conversation when both of you are fully clothed and not touching.”
“Good advice,” I said in a strangled voice.
“If he says he cares for you, then the two of you have to discuss just what that means,” Hannah said. “Things are different there—maybe he sees the two of you as something other than what you see you two as…by the way, what do you see you two as?”
I tilted my head in thought. “That’s an excellent question. I don’t know.”
“I can tell you,” Lily replied. “You’re in love with him.” She spoke in a tone that allowed for no disagreement. And since she was a succubus who could discern any number of romantic and other types of feelings, I saw no reason to doubt her.
Damn it all. I mean, I already knew I had fallen in love with him, but to have it confirmed by Lily’s excellent nose made it even more certain.
“Fine,” I said in a weary voice. “As soon as we’ve unraveled the mystery and the Devil has seen all the exhibits in the Great Exhibition, I’ll endeavor to see how Marcellus feels.
And then figure out what happens next.” I looked at my friends, a wry smile curling my lips.
“Just be ready to supply copious amounts of tea and handkerchiefs if things go awry.”
Hannah and Lily both offered solemn nods, while Dante gave a little whine of support.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to ask anything of Marcellus until after all our current concerns were solved.
Unthankfully, that meant I was there when he interrogated various members of his father’s staff, starting with Phenex.
The two men who’d attacked us knew nothing, as it turned out; they’d been hired without knowing anything of Marcellus or his status, nor could they tell us anything about the beings that had hired them.
Since that was a dead end, it was even more essential we learn what we could from Phenex.
It was fairly early in the morning when I arrived at the Clarence, unsure of what the day would bring—the Devil had seen nearly everything on his list, and he had been returning to his more devilish ways, meaning he had been spending a lot of time at those types of clubs and was therefore sleeping in a lot later than when he had first arrived.
Marcellus was likewise less busy, though he was still fatigued from the soul-switching thing he’d done when we were attacked.
“Miss, the marquis said to head straight up to his chambers,” the butler said when I entered. I nodded, then ascended the stairs.
I heard faint noises as I approached Marcellus’s room, and my steps slowed.
If he were in there with someone else…well, that would be awkward.
And then I heard a louder sound, this time a whimper, and my chest tightened.
It wasn’t that kind of whimper; it was one of pain.
Unless Marcellus and the punching bag were in there, I had to guess that Marcellus was interrogating someone.
I didn’t want to see it, but I also knew it would be cowardly not to.
After all, if Marcellus discovered who the mole was through these means, I would benefit.
I had the responsibility to bear witness to all of it, even if it was difficult.
And I also had the responsibility to stop him if he went too far, no matter what it did to our personal and professional relationships.
I wasn’t going to stop being human just because I’d fallen in love with a demon.
I reached the door and knocked, then flung it open.
Marcellus was inside, standing over a figure seated in a chair. I couldn’t see who it was because Marcellus was blocking my view, but he turned as I entered, and I saw it was indeed Phenex.
The demon looked quite different now than before; gone was the quiet self-assurance he’d shown at the Badger and Whistle. His eyes were wide with what I had to guess was fear, and his face and neck were sweaty.