Chapter 12 Talian
It’s been three days since we brought Aeri to Hell, and she’s still out. The only reason I’m not freaking out more is Kai’s ability to access her mind, and while it’s still full of Rome’s bullshit, at least it’s not mush.
Why she’s still asleep, none of us knows. She’d passed out when I visited her, but Kai kept her under until we figured out what to do. The last thing we needed was for her to wake up freaking out.
Kai kept her out temporarily so that we could transfer her, or so he says. I’m starting to wonder if he did more than that; it’s no secret he’s not her biggest fan. Even if he did fuck her, I know that doesn’t change anything; it shouldn’t have for me either…
Yet here I am sitting beside her bed like a fool, waiting for her to wake up.
Bast sits opposite me on the other side of the bed, his eyes fixed on her.
He’s more demon than man right now, and while that makes sense considering we're once again in Hell, I’m unsure if that was something he did on purpose or not.
He looks seconds from going over the edge.
If I weren’t already here because I have no willpower to leave, I might very well be here to watch him and ensure he doesn’t do something he might end up regretting.
Like tearing Aeri apart, because that’s what it looks like he’s about to do.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he growls, pulling me from my thoughts, and I turn my gaze from him back to Aeri.
I don’t bother trying to pretend I wasn’t watching him; it's not worth the argument right now.
“Why isn’t she awake?” Bast snaps, and while I’m the only other one in the room, I know he’s not talking to me. He knows I don’t know any more than he does, but that doesn’t stop him from asking every so often.
“I believe her body is acclimating to the…” Lucifer trails off, seemingly looking for the right words as he strolls into the room, completely unfazed by Bast’s glare at his sudden appearance. “Climate change, if you will.”
“What?”
“How long will it take?” Bast all but demands, making Lucifer raise a brow at his tone, but he doesn’t comment on it, and I’m not even sure Bast realized.
“I’m unsure. I’ve only ever brought one mortal to Hell before her.” He nods toward the bed as he walks around the room. “And that was a long time ago.”
“Aerilyn, but she goes by Aeri,” I tell him, and he turns his attention to me, looking confused. “Her name.”
“Who and why?” Bast asks, unable to hide his curiosity even now.
“I’m unsure who she was, but Asmodeus requested I grant her access, and so I did.
At the time, I was unsure if she would survive crossing into the realm, but he was willing to take the risk to find out, so who was I to say no?
” He shrugs as if the fate of the mortal is insignificant to him, and I guess it is if I’m being honest.
Before Aeri, I never cared about what the mortals did, if they lived or died. They were a means to an end, a way to enjoy my time while topside, nothing more, and with the exception of Aeri, I still feel that way.
“Is she still alive?” I’m honestly not sure where the question came from, but there it is.
Damn it. I know why I asked, and judging by the weight of Bast’s gaze on me, so does he.
Thankfully, Luce seems none the wiser.
“Yes.”
Bast turns his gaze from me back to Luce, his eyes wide.
“What do you mean, yes? You said it was a long time ago, and considering how long we’ve been alive, that often means more than ten or twenty years.”
Lucifer nods along, thinking for a moment. “Yes, I’d say it was probably around five thousand years ago, give or take.”
“How is that possible?” I ask Bast more than Luce because while this might be his domain, he doesn’t seem like he will have the answers. It doesn’t seem as though it even interests him in the least if his wandering feet and eyes are anything to go by.
That can’t be said for the mortal girl on the bed, though. Aeri continues to draw his gaze, even though he appears to be doing his best to disguise it.
“I have no idea. If she was the first, it’s not like there's anything to look into or research. The real question is, would the same thing happen with any mortal Lucifer brought into the realm, or is that extended life expectancy somehow related to something she or Asmodeus did?”
“Only one way to find out.” I half expect Bast to jump at the chance to learn something new, and as I watch him, I get the feeling he wants to, but he remains in his seat.
“I can watch her. I’ll have Asta pop in and grab you if something changes,” I offer even though I know he won’t take it. I can’t blame him; I haven’t left either, and I have no plans to.
“Ah, there. See, I told you.” It takes me a moment to understand what Lucifer’s referring to, but the soft groan from the bed has my head snapping back toward her like a whip.
I watch as her face scrunches up in obvious pain. While I don’t love seeing her like that, I do love seeing something. For too long I’ve stared at her blank features. I’d almost believed her dead if not for my ability to hear her heartbeat.
If there was even the smallest chance that Bast was going to go, it’s gone now as Aeri blinks open her eyes. It only lasts a moment before they fall closed again, but despite the low light of the room, I’m sure it seems intense after days of darkness.
Her eyes fall closed, and she groans. The sound shouldn’t affect me, but it does; my cock is half hard from a single sound, as if I haven’t been having sex for thousands of years.
“Aeri?” Bast leans forward, his hands pressed to the bed at her side as she continues to stir, though her eyes remain closed.
Her breathing picks up, the undeniable sound of panic as her heart rate increases, and this time, when her eyes open, they’re wide with fear and confusion as they dart around the room.
“What’s going on? Where am I?”
Bast looks at me, unsure of how to answer that, but I don’t have the foggiest idea either. I turn to Lucifer, unsure if we should tell her she’s in Hell or not, but he’s no longer there. Looking around the room, I see he’s gone completely.
Coward.
“Talian?”
The sound of my name on her lips makes the world stop. I hear the confusion, and I know she needs comforting or, at the very least, answers, yet I can’t bring myself to speak.
Kai said she didn’t recognize him when he found her, and I experienced the same thing when I went to collect her.
So then why is she looking at me like this?
“Aeri?” Bast pulls her attention, and I feel the loss of her eyes on me like a physical blow. I’ve always been what people call an attention whore, but this…
It’s different. I don’t just want Aeri’s attention. I need it.
“Bast?” Her eyes fall closed again, pinched as if she’s in pain, as her hand comes up to press against her forehead.
“Aeri, are you alright?” Bast asks, reaching out before he drops his hand back to the bed, unsure if touching her is a good idea.
I hate this, and I know he does too, but it’s not about us right now, maybe not ever again.
“What do you remember?” Bast asks, leaning closer as if pulled to her.
This is crazy. I feel crazy, and as I rake my hand through my hair, I pull on it in an attempt to ground myself. It does nothing as I look at Aeri in the bed, knowing she’s at Rome’s mercy and we’re helpless to do anything about it.
I’ve never been helpless in my life.
Not even when we fell from Heaven, because we figured it out together, and I’m happier for it now.
Aeri isn’t awake long before I see the exhaustion written on her face.
She remembers seeing me at the house and Kai at the shop, but other than that, it’s a lot of Rome.
It's all pieces, and she doesn’t know what's real or not, but she remembers us, and that’s something.
She’s anxious; I can hear it in the way her heart rate continues to beat rapidly, but worse, she’s in pain.
Her hand has yet to leave her head, and the little moans and groans aren't the feel-good kind.
“Go to sleep; we’ll be here when you get up. We’ll figure this out, Darling,” I tell her, reaching out and grasping her hand. She flinches from the contact, and I almost pull away, but she doesn’t, and I don’t have the willpower to either.
Aeri looks at me and then Bast before she moves to lie back on the bed, our hands still clasped together, and I swear she’s out before her head even hits the pillow.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Bast says, his voice low and gruff, and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard him so upset.
“As much as I agree he deserves it, we both know you can’t.”
“Watch me.”