Eva POV #13
And all the tiny moments replayed differently again. Him pretending the hoodie meant something. Him acting casual about the bond. Him constantly giving me exits.Him looking genuinely relieved every single time I stayed anyway.
The younger brother quietly elbowed Anderson. “I think this became worse to the core.”
“I noticed.”
I still couldn’t stop staring at my demon.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“And I’m still angry at you.”
“I know.”
“And this is still deeply insane.”
“Yes.”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly for the first time since we entered the throne room, small and careful, not hopeful exactly but more like he was genuinely surprised I was still standing here talking to him at all, and the realization of that hurt far more than I wanted it to.
Chapter 21
Eva POV
The throne room stayed painfully silent for another few seconds while silver fire crackled softly against the enormous black walls around us. Every demon in the chamber was still watching me and my demon like we’d accidentally turned a political crisis into public relationship therapy.
Then one council member finally stood from their seat near the center of the chamber.
“The human cannot remain beside him.”
Immediate tension snapped through the room. My demon answered before anyone else could. “She stays.”
The ruler’s expression darkened slightly. “You would risk instability in the kingdom for a human attachment?”
Nina huffed in exaggerated offense. “Okay, wow. You people say 'humans' like it's a contagious disease.”
The younger brother quietly leaned toward her. “Technically speaking, humans are considered highly unpredictable here.”
“We invented reality television. That feels accurate.”
Nobody else in the room were amused. My demon stepped slightly in front of me again automatically, his shoulders tense now beneath the dark coat while silver shadows curled faintly around the floor near his feet.
The council noticed it, and judging from the way several expressions darkened around the chamber, that was apparently a problem. One older ruler leaned forward from the elevated throne platform above us before saying coldly, “Look at him.”
The atmosphere in the chamber shifted instantly after that, sharp and tense enough to make the entire room feel one wrong sentence away from violence again.
“He reacts to her presence before thought,” the ruler continued calmly. “That alone makes her dangerous.”
I stood still. “That feels weirdly insulting to both of us.”
“It was intended to.” I stopped from snapping back at him.
Anderson finally stepped forward before I could continue escalating problems accidentally. “The bond remains incomplete. The human still has full autonomy.”
The rulers seemed unimpressed by that argument. One council member’s gaze shifted directly toward me for the first time since entering the throne room. “Then let the human return to Earth.”
I was stunned. Every instinct in my body hated how easy they said it.
Like removing me from him would solve everything neatly.
I turned toward my demon automatically. His expression had gone completely still.
Not calm but controlled in the kind of way that felt genuinely dangerous, like every violent instinct he had was being restrained by force.
“She will decide for herself,” he said quietly.
The ruler’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if she decides against you?”
For one second, something painful flickered across his face before disappearing again.
“Then I accept it.”
The answer hit hard enough that for a second I completely forgot I was supposed to still be angry at him because he meant it, he still meant it even now, even after everything that had happened between us.
Nina noticed my expression and whispered under her breath, “Oh this is becoming downright irritating.”
The younger brother nodded sympathetically. “That’s been happening to him for weeks.”
“I HEARD THAT,” my demon snapped instantly.
The younger brother didn't look the least bit apologetic. “Good.”
Meanwhile I still couldn’t stop staring at him because every single time the council pushed him, he responded the same way by giving me another choice, another way out, like he was trying desperately to undo the damage from the moment he first brought me here, and the realization settled heavily into my chest right before another council member spoke again.
“If the human remains,” they said coldly, “she remains under royal supervision.”
I frowned. “That sounded threatening.”
“It was a procedure.”
“That made it MORE threatening.”
The ruler seated at the center throne finally rose to their feet, and the reaction throughout the chamber was immediate as every demon lowered their head at once while even Anderson straightened subtly beside us, which told me everything I needed to know about exactly how dangerous this person was.
The ruler’s ancient eyes shifted toward me calmly. “You arrived in Hell attached to a prince. You carry a royal mark. The kingdom will speak of nothing else by sunrise.”
Nina whispered softly beside me, “This place gossips fast.”
The younger brother’s expression soured. “We are an ancient civilization.”
“You are supernatural Reddit.”