It was a warning.
Not a don’t-fuck-with-my-brother kind of warning, but more along the lines ofAre you sure you want to open up this can of worms?
She wasn’t sure. Not at all.
She managed to drag her gaze away from Raum and said to the room, “I’m gonna head out.” Looked like Meph had, anyway. There was no sign of him anywhere.
The bastard had topped her every previous sexual experience with a little finger fucking and then disappeared without another word. He hadn’t even said goodbye. Who did that?
She gritted her teeth against the wave of anger that washed over her, reminding herself that emotions had no part in whatever was between them. It was purely physical, and that was where it ended.
Raum crossed the room without a word and handed her Faust. He was still giving her that intense look, but all he said was, “I like the name.”
She blinked. “What?”
“The hound. I like his name.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.”
“It’s funny.” He didn’t even crack a smile.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You tell Meph?”
“Um. No.” She had deliberately avoided mentioning to Meph that she’d indirectly named her dog after him. “Why?”
Raum just shrugged. Trying to read his facial expression was like trying to read a boulder, and she gave up.
A few minutes later, she was bundled up at the door with Faust tucked inside her coat. The guys and Eva had said goodbye and hung back at the kitchen, and only Lily stood with her now.
On a whim, Iris glanced up above the doorframe and caught sight of the glowing red ward, a warning that there was a demon on the premises. Or several. “Guess it’s not really telling you anything you don’t already know, huh?”
Lily laughed. “Yeah. It’s pretty much always red with how often Mist is here.”
Not long ago, Iris remembered nearly having a heart attack at the thought that a demon was in her sister’s apartment. Now she’d just let one finger bang her on the sofa. Times had certainly changed.
“Why don’t you guys move in together?” she asked Lily.
“We are moved in together. We just have two spaces. Mist likes hanging out with the guys, so we sleep there sometimes.” She shrugged. “It’s no hardship for me staying there. Bel’s food is amazing, and I love going downstairs to listen to Eva and Ash’s music.”
“How’s it going with the research on the brands?”
Lily made a face. “About as well as expected, considering Mist spent his entire life until now trying to find the same information I’m looking for. And it goes without saying he had a lot more resources in Hell too.”
“Still no word from the angel, then?”
“Actually, yes. Dan finally got back to me and said he’s planning a meeting with her again in a couple of weeks.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, right? She must have something to share.”
“Yeah.” But Lily didn’t sound hopeful. “Sometimes I feel like I’m crazy for trying to do this, you know? But then, how can I not do it? What kind of person would I be if I just accepted that the man I love has horrible brands enslaving him thatIam in control of? I feel like I owe it to Mist to keep searching. I feel like it would be a betrayal of him to stop.”
“I dunno, Lil.” Iris stroked the squirming puppy in her coat. “There’s no right answer. But I think you can take comfort in the fact that Mist doesn’t seem upset about it.”
She scoffed. “He thinks I’m wasting my time.”
“Well, think about it from his perspective. He spent thousands of years controlled by Paimon, being tortured by those brands, and every bit of information he ever found told him there was no way to remove them. And then, you found a way to bend the rules. That’s huge, Lil. You changed his life. Focus on that.”
