"What about him?" Deidre asked automatically in concern. "Will he be okay?"
Past-Death eyed her. "Do you really care?"
Deidre rested her chin on her arms. When she arrived to Hell, she would've given anything to escape Darkyn. But he'd changed that over the course of a week, shown her that even the devil had the smallest capacity to care. He terrified her - and was the first Immortal or deity in the sick world she'd entered that showed her how to survive.
How can I love the devil? She caught herself thinking the question once more. It was baffling - but she couldn't deny what she felt every time she saw him or how much she ached for him. She'd fallen as much for him as for the sake of humanity. She had what no one else did - the ability to influence the devil into giving some kind of mercy, however small.
She was also the one person in the universe that he couldn't kill.
She breathed in the scent on her skin. She still smelled of him from their last round of lovemaking, and the memory of how he tasted made her stomach cramp up again.
"Owww," she mumbled, gripping it.
"You need blood," Past-Death advised.
Deidre shook her head. "I'm not a monster."
"Not a monster, but you are a demon," Jared pointed out. "If not the blood of a former deity, how about a demon's?"
"You're volunteering?"
"Let's just say, when your mate finds out about this, he'll be less likely to kill me for fucking up and ending up in prison."
"No. I just … ugh! I can't do it!" Deidre said. "I'll be fine. He'll find us or Gabriel will and then we'll go home."
Past-Death and the demon exchanged a look.
"Actually-" Jared started.
"Yes!" Past-Death all but yelled above him. "You're right, Deidre. They'll find us."
The way she said it made Deidre wish she had her magic, so she could tell if the former goddess was lying or not. Darkyn had assessed her greatest weakness to be that she was too trusting of others who lied and manipulated her. He gave her the ability to know when someone was trying as a defense mechanism.
That, too, was gone. She never thought she'd miss demon magic or blood.
Nibbling on her lip, she got as comfortable as possible with her back to one wall. Her gaze strayed to the demon, who was restlessly jiggling his chains. She'd seen the damage a creature like him could inflict and how even teenage demons like Darkyn's daughter were addicted to blood.
As far as she'd come with Darkyn, as much as she wanted to be with him, it scared her to think of a lifetime surrounded by demons.