Chapter 26 Bast
Imight be imagining things, but ever since Aeri and Luce mated, she seems more present. There are still times when she forgets us, begs and cries for Rome, and looks at me like I’m the bad guy. Some random man who took her away from her love.
It fucking kills me every time, and I swear I’d love nothing more than to get five minutes alone with Rome to make him pay, but he knows better.
He’s been conveniently missing since he came and attacked the only one of us who couldn’t do anything. Ruin doesn’t have a mean bone in his body, but I’m pretty sure even he is getting sick of this. Last I heard, he’d asked Kai to talk to Luce about coming to visit, which is kind of a big deal.
This is Hell, after all.
I sit in Aeri’s room, at the top of her bed, my back against the headboard. Aeri lies asleep, her head in my lap as I run my fingers through her damp hair.
The castle is vast, so much so that even I have yet to see it all, but so far, Aeri’s favorite room is the bathroom just down the hall. There, of course, are others scattered throughout the castle, but that one has the largest tub and is the only one heated by the realm.
It’s a great place to relax, and Asta had shown me some herbs I can place in the water to help her sleep more deeply.
Originally, Kai had suggested he put her to sleep with his mind manipulation in hopes of keeping her deep enough that Rome couldn’t reach her, but there was no guarantee when it comes to the subconscious.
Not to mention that Kai had never done something like that on a long-term basis; who knew how long he could sustain it before it failed, and we would be right back where we are now?
No, the best bet is for us to find a way to push him out and keep him out, and I’m almost positive that her mating with Luce is a step toward that.
I can’t lie; I wish it had been me. I’m still sure she is mine, even if she is also his. But I can’t deny the fact that if he wasn’t enough, I probably wouldn’t be either.
I’ve heard of multiple mates but never seen anyone with more than one. Then again, I’ve never heard of demons having mates either, yet here we are.
I feel him even before they enter the castle, but I don’t dare move and wake her. She looks so peaceful right now, and I can’t help feeling as though that has something to do with me.
Ruin and Lucifer make their way through the castle, making a beeline for us. The door swings open a moment later, and they stand in the doorway, their eyes both zeroing in on Aeri the same way. It’s telling, considering only one of them is her mate.
Angels can have mates, but to think of having one share their mate with demons…
It could only be Ruin; anyone else, and this might very well start a war that the mortals wouldn’t survive.
Luce is the first to move, strolling into her room on silent feet, a soft smile on his face that I’ve only ever seen since they mated.
I want to ask what it’s like, how it feels, but I bite my lip. I don’t know if he told Ruin or if he has any plans to do so.
“How has she been?” he asks in my mind, careful not to wake her, and I can’t help but smile. The King of Hell is an entirely different devil with this tiny mortal.
“Herself for most of the day, though she’s exhausted. Even when she gets enough sleep, he’s taking a toll on her.”
The smile melts from his face, and I see his eyes flash.
I feel that.
I don’t need him to share his thoughts to know he very much would love to make Rome pay for hurting her.
He moves beside the bed, waving his hand over the side table, and I feel my eyes go wide as a pile of sweets appears on the table.
“What is all that?” Ruin asks, his voice quiet, but it’s enough for Aeri to stir. I glare at him, but he isn’t looking at me anymore. Instead, his gaze is solely on Aeri as she blinks her eyes open.
“Ruin?” Her voice is low, hardly more than a whisper, and rough from sleep, but it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever heard. Having her wake up still herself is amazing, and I don’t even try to fight the goofy grin I know I have right now.
“Moonlight.” The whine in Lucifer's voice makes me snap my gaze to him to find him watching Aeri with… Is he pouting?
What is going on, and who the hell is Moonlight?
Aeri pushes up off my lap, and I miss the feel of her the second she’s gone. She turns to look at him as well, seeming just as confused.
“Me?” Aeri asks, pushing a finger to her chest, her brows scrunched up in confusion.
“I brought you things you requested,” Lucifer says, ignoring her question as he holds out a hand, gesturing to the tiny mountain of sweets, most of which I’ve never seen before.
Aeri’s eyes go wide as she scrambles over me to get a better look, leaving me with a better look at her ass, not that I’m complaining.
“Oh, my God!” she says, and I can hear the smile on her face even if I can’t see it.
If I’d known how much she enjoyed sweets, I would have made the trip to get her some already or made Talian, considering I don’t know what most of these are.
Lucifer pulls a face at her choice of words, and Ruin and I both laugh.
“It’s a phrase the mortals say to express excitement, usually,” Ruin explains, and I nod in agreement when Luce looks to me for confirmation.
“Mortals are strange.” Aeri looks up at Luce, and his eyes go wide. “Not you, of course, Moonlight.”
“Moonlight?” she asks, moving to sit next to me with some kind of chocolate, I believe, in hand. The wrapper is bright orange, but before I can read it, she’s ripping it open and shoving one of the chocolate circles in her mouth whole.
The sound that comes out of her mouth is sinful and makes all of us freeze.
Luce clears his throat, shaking his head to get a grip on himself. “Um, yes. Your hair—it reminds me of moonlight, one of the few things I miss from above.”
The heat from a moment ago fades away a little as she chews up the treat and melts at his words.
She moves to get out of bed, and I have to hold my hands in my lap to stop myself from reaching out to keep her with me. “That’s so sweet! And so are the treats, thank you so much.”
She all but launches herself into his arms. For a moment, I worry she might get hurt, caught on his built-in body armor, but I know it was for nothing when I see the way he holds her.
He would never allow anything to happen to her.
“What is happening?” Ruin asks, reminding me that he’s here too, and apparently Aeri realizes it as well and quickly steps out of Lucifer’s arms. I can see the embarrassment written all over Aeri’s face, and I know she isn’t going to tell him.
Other than our mentioning it earlier at breakfast, I’m not sure she even fully understands it or grasps the importance of what happened.
Lucifer doesn’t offer an explanation either, instead turning to glare at Ruin.
Have you ever been glared at by the devil? It’s not an easy thing to withstand, but Ruin doesn’t back down, and after a few moments, I know I’m not the only one surprised by that.
“Looks like you finally grew a backbone.” It sounds like an insult, and to anyone else it might be, but with Ruin I know it’s not.
Before we fell, Ruin looked up to Luce more than anyone else, maybe even more than he did the big guy. Some of us fell with him by association, but others chose to follow Lucifer, like Asta and Kai.
I would have bet my life Ruin would have followed him, followed us… but he didn’t. The day we were cast from Heaven, he was nowhere to be found.
Luce said it was for the best, that he was too soft for Hell, and up until recently, I’d agreed.
It seems Aeri is having an effect on all of us.
“Aeri?” Ruin’s voice is so gentle, as if afraid he might scare her away. She’s stronger than that, but I can see why he might be nervous, and unfortunately, filling him in on all that he missed isn’t going to help ease his worries.
Aeri doesn’t answer, but she glances up at him through her lashes. “Sunshine?”
Her cheeks turn that beautiful shade of pink I love so much, and she rolls her eyes.
“What is up with all of you and these damn nicknames?” The smile on her face doesn’t match the annoyance I know she’s going for, and I’m not the only one who notices.
“Got a hug for your favorite mechanic?” Ruin asks, making Aeri snort a laugh, but it seems to do the trick and breaks the tension. She shakes her head but still moves into his outstretched arms. I swear I can see some of the tension leave him as he breathes her in.
“So who wants to fill me in on what I missed?” Ruin asks, looking between me and Luce.
Aeri steps back, and Ruin has no choice but to let her go, though it looks like he wants to do anything but.
“Come sit down, and we can share some treats, and maybe Bast can fill you in.” She looks at me, the question in her eyes, and I nod, unable to tell her no. It doesn't matter what she wanted from me; I would say yes, and that’s dangerous.
“I’d tell you myself, but a lot of it’s fuzzy.” Her lips press in a firm line, but I see the sadness in her eyes.
“Those treats are for you, Aerilyn, not the overgrown pigeon,” Luce says, glaring at Ruin. He does it quickly enough that Aeri doesn’t catch it as he turns to her with a smile, leaving Ruin to look at him like he’s never seen him before.
“I can share; I don’t mind.” Lucifer purses his lips, and I know he’s fighting the urge to argue with her.
He’d brought those sweets because it’s his way of showing affection for his mate, something he has no idea how to do, I’m sure. But Aeri doesn’t understand that yet, and from the looks of it, Luce doesn’t want to be the one to explain it.
It’s all very entertaining and kind of adorable.
A howl pierces the air, loud and monstrous, and I see the goosebumps that pepper Aeri’s exposed skin on her arms.
“What was that?” she asks, looking around the room before her gaze falls on me. I can’t stop the feeling of pride that wells in my chest, having her turn to me for answers, trusting me, despite her mate being here as well.