“What? Paimon, as in the King of Hell?”
“Queen.”
That was news to her. She was pretty sure every book she’d ever seen listed Paimon as a male. “Is that your…” She couldn’t say the word. The idea of him being someone’s possession made her feel sick. “What would she want with me?”
“Your parents weren’t killed by a human, Lily. It was a demon.”
Her head jerked back. “What? That’s crazy. Iris—”
“Either your sibling doesn’t know or she lied to you.”
“How do you know this?”
“Paimon visited me in a dream. She told me about the prophecy and how Valefor has been hunting you your entire lives. It was he who started the fire that killed them.”
“Valef—? Why would he be after me? And what prophecy?”
“There’s a prophecy about immortal blood-borns with great power. There are demons who want it for themselves. Valefor is one. And now, because of me, Paimon is too. She threatened to hand you to Lucifer if she finds you.”
Okay, that sounded scary.No reason to panic yet.“There’s no way she could find me. And there’s no way I’m some prophesied immortal or whatever. You don’t have to worry.”
“Lily…” Mist sat up, pushing his hair off his face. His mouth was pressed into a hard line, and his breathing was shallow as if he was in pain. “That’s why you were able to summon me out of the cuffs and why your skin glows. It’s a manifestation of your abilities.”
She scoffed. “Trust me, I’m not a powerful witch. I haven’t practiced in nearly a decade, and I can’t even remember how to draw basic wards. When I did your seal, it took me all day, and I still nearly got myself killed.”
He flinched, probably at the reminder of how close he’d come to tearing out her throat. It wasn’t a memory she wanted to relive either.
“But youdidsucceed. Don’t you see? Summoning a demon is not so simple. Most would not dare attempt it. In all my life, no one has ever successfully summoned me.”
“That’s because you’re not very well known—”
“Others have tried. Not many, you are correct. But there have been others. I put in a fraction of the effort I did with you to escape them and killed them all within seconds.”
It was her turn to flinch. She knew that was what demons did to witches. She knew Mist was a demon. It didn’t make it any easier to hear about him killing people, however.
“You have more power than you believe,” he said. “But it’s irrelevant whether the prophecy is true. Paimon thinks it is, and she is hunting you. And she believes Belial is hunting you too because he wants to use your power to usurp Lucifer. She is convinced all of us are plotting against him.”
Lily stared at him with her mouth hanging open. This was too much. Belial and Paimon were after her? It was ludicrous. It was insane. It was horrifying—
Need to keep a cool head.Demons lied, and while she trusted Mist, she didn’t put it past Paimon to lie to manipulate him. What Paimon said had obviously upset him, which was probably exactly her plan.
The first thing Lily needed was to get information. “I should call my sister and ask about the fire.”
Mist climbed to his feet, and she was momentarily struck by his size. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the way he towered over her. “You can do it from within the safety of the wards over Belial’s apartment. We will go now. It’s not safe here.”
“Belial? But I thought he was— Wait. I’m not going to hide behind wards, Mist. I’m sure everything is perfectly fine—”
“Nothing is fine!” he suddenly shouted, and she flinched. It was the first time she’d ever heard him raise his voice. “Nothing is fine, and it is my fault!”
“Mist! It’s not your fault.” She approached with her palms up. “None of this is your fault.”
He looked away. “You are in danger because of me. This is what happens when the rules are broken. This is the consequences—”
“That’s bullshit. Those are stupid rules, and stupid rules are meant to be broken.”
“No.” He pinned her with a furious look. “The rules exist for a reason. The rules are safe, and they protect—”
“They protect the people that made the rules. The people that have the most to gain by you following them. Think, Mist. Who made the rule that said you can’t come here to Earth and spend time with me?”
