He glanced at the single bed and then back at her, and his brow lifted. “No.”
And seeing as neither of them required food or water to survive, if he wasn’t tired, there really was no need to wait, was there?
“Okay,” she said, unsure why she was reluctant for him to go.
He opened the door.
She lifted her hand in a feeble wave.
He stepped outside without returning the gesture, but before disappearing completely, his head popped back through the door frame. “If I don’t come back in twelve hours, take a hellgate back to Earth.”
“But—”
“Remember, our agreement still holds if I’m dead or compromised.”
She managed a nod.
“And tell my brothers not to come for me.”
“But—”
“Just write a note and slip it in the mailbox or some shit. They won’t know who you are.”
“But—”
“Just say you’ll do it,” he snapped.
“Yes. I’ll do it.”
The door slammed.
Alone, Sunshine sat heavily on the edge of the bed, nerves churning her stomach. This was her first time in Hell since the incident, and the past she’d worked so hard to bury suddenly seemed too close. She definitely didn’t like Raum being out there alone either.
Think of the task.The task had to come first. Her goal, her restitution, had to be her primary objective.
Everything else was secondary.
10
As The Crow Flies
Raum shifted into crow form and took to the skies. Had he still been in human form, his face would have felt hot. There were several reasons for that reaction, but all of them narrowed down to one: Sunshine.
Perfect, smiling Sunshine and her sparkly skin.
Her reaction to seeing his treasure hoard was embarrassing. That careful smile, the tightness in her shoulders… It bothered him that she had the power to affect him that way, but he didn’t know how to change it.
Even more strange was his readiness to volunteer information about himself. She’d assumed this was his only stash, and he’d corrected her. Like he wanted her to know him.
He wanted to shock her with the ugly parts of himself and see how she reacted.
Why, he wasn’t sure. But he wished he could take it back.
Once high enough to see the Necromancer’s lair in the distance, he angled toward it and began his journey. The castle wasn’t his destination, however. He was seeking the perimeter wards on the edge of Murmur’s territory.
All powerful demons had different types of wards and magics they employed, best suited to their particular brand of evil. Murmur was said to be the most skilled at necromancy in the entire underworld.
There was more to the art than just the communication and raising of the dead, and Raum assumed Murmur would use it for his perimeter wards, though he didn’t know how it worked. That was the point of this little mission.
