Isaac laughed—despite what I’d said not being particularly amusing—and the sound was so carefree and infectious that I couldn’t help but join in.
We sat there for however long, revelling in each other’s mirth, saying nothing, but not needing to. When it eventually tapered off, Isaac just stared up at me, eyes glinting with blissful tears, and lips curved into a lazy smile. For once, I was ashamed to admit that I couldn’t quite decipher his thoughts.The impression he gave wasn’t unlike the day he’d broken the spell—the first time I’d noticed that he seemed truly and unequivocally happy.
My chest tightened, and I tilted my head, intrigued. “What is it?”
There was a pause, not a hesitation; more so a beat where he studied me even closer, seemingly enthralled by what he saw. I half expected no answer, that I would have to prompt him again, but at the tail end of a wistful sigh, he finally blurted, “I just love you.”
Reactively, I stiffened.
Isaac noticed, of course he did. It wasn’t subtle—or intentional—and much too late to play off as a shiver from the cold air filtering in through the cracked-open window. The poor, sweet-hearted creature’s eyes widened, and he was already fumbling and blushing with embarrassment.
“Shit, I’m sorry. You don’t have to say it back. I know it might be too soon for you to even—”
I kissed him.
I kissed himhard. Mostly to silence his nervous chuntering so I had the chance to process, but also because it never failed to please me how he would melt into the touch. It was as if my lips claiming his, my forked tongue coiling and seeking, expelled all thoughts from his head. It worked in my favour: the perfect distraction.
And much more fun than simply freezing time.
In truth, I hadn’t adequately prepared myself for those words to be shared—a witless error on my part, but still, he’d caught me off guard. Despite my previous aversions to sappiness, my reaction was largely due to the spontaneity of the declaration, not the declaration itself. Something I wouldn’t have been able to admit so confidently before my time with Isaac.
Was that progress?
I should have expected it. The phrase was a natural progression in a human relationship—or so I’d learned—and the rushed delivery was on par with Isaac’s personality, but part of me clearly wasn’t yet fully in tune to their customs.
Demons did not declare themselves as vocally as humans. Not in matters of the heart. We valued actions over words, but even then, it was more to do with fealty or tolerance than devotion. Love was treated as an inconvenience, a conflict to our sinful impulses. We fucked, we killed, we caused mayhem, and that was about the extent of it. Our ‘relationships’ were toxic and messy. There was never a shortage of enemy heads on pikes or rival bedmates poisoned for sheer sport—acts that humans didn’t often appreciate in a partner.
Isaac had shown me that the evolution of one’s repertoire wasn’t so terrible. That embracing something gentler, andnew—and more mortal—didn’t mean denying my true nature. I could still provide protection, rid the universe of anyone who dared to cause him harm, while also showering him with affection.
The best of both worlds.
Returning those three words would only endorse that. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t already been attempting to treat him as such, proving in my deeds that I did, in fact, love him, so verbal confirmation wouldn’t be a leap. It may feel a little strange on my tongue, granted, but it was nothing I couldn’t overcome.
Plus, if the term of endearment was as important to him as I believed it to be, I wouldn’t dream of withholding, no matter my inexperience with it.
I’d already challenged my instincts just by being here, at his side. I could do it again.
Gladly.
I withdrew from the kiss, chuckling softly at the dazed look in Isaac’s eyes, the events of the last thirty seconds certainly forgotten.
Luckily, I was there to remind him.
“I love you, too, my darling,” I said simply, cupping his cheeks and holding his gaze to emphasise my sincerity. “And even if the words don’t pass my lips often, never doubt it.”
An array of expressions flitted over the pretty creature’s face, his complexion all but sampling every colour the rainbow had to offer. First, there was confusion, followed closely by shock and mortification, before finally settling on realisation. It was unmistakable, the moment his mind latched onto exactly what I’d said.
He beamed widely, and it was the sunshine that broke through a storm. “You do?”
Typically, I would tease him, cut through the syrupy sweetness with a witty remark, but under the weight of his unwavering attention, I couldn’t summon much more than a fond smile. “How could I not?”
With a chuckle that sounded equal parts elated and relieved, Isaac hooked his arm around my back and lifted me into his lap. I wasn’t given the opportunity to marvel at the glorious show of strength before he was capturing my lips with his, silencing any gasp of surprise that may have escaped. I had no complaints. It wasn’t often that he acted so brazen, and what sort of depraved being would I be if I resisted the possessive way he pinned me close?
It was a charming moment, beautiful even, and I would have been content to savour it until every breath withered from my lungs.
Alas, not everyone seemed inclined to entertain my fancies.
The height of ignorance, really.
I sensed movement from the floor—sneaky and deliberate—and refusing to be interrupted for the umpteenth time, I aimed a side-eyed glare at the meddling culprit, letting my pupils blaze fiercely in warning.
I swore I saw the beast smirk.
