She laughed again and then purred like a kitten as she snuggled closer. “You know I meant what I said, right? I promise I won’t stop searching until I find a way to get rid of the brands.”
“I don’t care.”
“It’s still a symbol of the past. You must want to be rid of it.”
He considered this, remembering his former aversion to his human form, not only because of its inferiority but because the brands were more visible.
“I think it would have bothered me at one time,” he admitted. “But I feel differently now.”
“How so?”
“I like that you are marked with something that ties you to me.” The thought did indeed fill him with satisfaction.
“Well, we could go get matching tattoos then! We don’t need horrible, cursed brands.”
He smiled briefly. “If you one day discover a way to remove them, we’ll get matching tattoos. Until then, I like knowing you are marked by me. Maybe it will make it easier not to bite you.”
She snorted. “Okay, well, I guess if you can accept it, then I can too. But I’m not going to stop looking.”
He shrugged. He really didn’t care if she forgot about it tomorrow. He liked the idea of her being able to summon him if she was ever in trouble.
They held each other in comfortable silence for a time, and then it struck him anew that he was free. Paimon was rotting inside a gorath, and when it finally eliminated her, another would eat her soon after. His days of dragging screaming creatures back to Hell to be punished were done.
The Hunter was retired. Mishetsumephtai had gone rogue. To hell with the rules. He would obey no one but himself from this day forward. No one could hunt as he could, so he would make sure he was never found.
He frowned suddenly as a familiar memory surfaced.
He perched atop a wind-beaten tree and peered through a window into the house below. A demon entered the kitchen and wrapped his arms around a small human female. A radiant smile adorned her face while the demon rested his chin atop her head and smiled with perfect contentment.
He had once resented Eligos and Asmodeus for the love they’d found because he wanted it for himself, though he’d refused to admit it in so many words.
Now, he had it, and he couldn’t help but feel regret at the thought of Eligos spending untold years trapped behind wards. He’d asked Belial to communicate with the former Duke of Hell on his behalf, but now that he was free—truly free—he could do it himself. He wanted to do it himself.
“Would you like to take a trip with me?” he asked Lily.
She lifted her head, and he finally loosened his grip enough that she could meet his gaze. “Where?”
“We would go to the Gaspé region.”
“Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there! Percé Rock is supposed to be beautiful. But why do you want to travel all of a sudden?”
“I need to visit someone who lives there and tell him that the Hunter is retired.”
“Okay,Mist-erious.” She poked him in the chest with a grin. “You can explain what that’s about on the way.”
“You will come with me?”
She smiled. “Of course I will. You know I’ll follow you anywhere. Even to the pits of Hell.”
26
Flower Power
Though he’d never admit it, Lily knew Mist needed more time to rest after his ordeal. He certainly had a lot of healing to do, and while he did it remarkably fast, it still took its toll.
Shortly after their post-coital cuddling, he drifted off. She dozed with him for a while but soon found she was too hungry to sleep.
And she wanted to talk to her sister.
