20. Talian

H ow the hell is this adorable little mortal so fast?

Better yet, why?

What has her running out of here as if her life depends on it?

I shouldn't care; she's just another human, just like the rest of them, yet here I am, following her regardless.

The sheer terror in her eyes caught me off guard. She lives in a house full of demons, works at a club full of some of the worst sinners on the planet, and I'd never once seen her afraid. Shy, and maybe a bit standoffish, but not afraid. She might not know of our world exactly, but most mortals have what I like to call an I want to live meter. It's the part of their brain that keeps them from the VIP section of the club or makes them avoid dark alleyways at night. It keeps people from looking into things they shouldn't, things that couldn't be easily explained.

It should have had Aeri turning me down at the bar, regardless of the face I wore. She'd only had one drink, and despite what Kai might think, she's not stupid. He's just salty because he fucked up and ate the last human; it's got nothing to do with her.

Or maybe it didn't before.

The same way I'm only following her for curiosity's sake and not because I care about her.

I watch her duck around Toji and run right into the long line of people awaiting entrance to the club. Some grumble and complain, but despite their clear annoyance, not one of them retaliates.

They won't dare, not when Asta's aura wafts off her. It's how Lea got her here in the first place.

Humans aren't permitted in the VIP section because, despite how it sounds, it's not separated by class but by species. Purgatory's main club is meant for mortals; it brings in money and does a fantastic job at hiding the scent of the rest of us. Just because heaven and hell are at war again doesn't mean some of us don't want to enjoy the mortal plane. It's not every day we get to go topside, after all.

Aeri living with us exposed her to not only Asta's aura but the rest of us as well. Add in some horns, fangs, and a little demonic magic, and Lea was able to fly her right under the radar. I'm just not sure if she did it to fuck with Asta or because she just genuinely likes Aeri. Maybe both.

"Aeri!" Speak of the devil.

Lea's voice bounces down the hall behind me, and I can hear her concern.

No matter the reason she brought Aeri here to begin with, I have no doubt she cares for her now.

Aeri doesn't appear to have heard her, though, the same way she didn't hear me. She stands for a moment, her chest heaving as she whips her head around, looking up and down the street with frantic eyes, as if waiting for a monster to pop out of the shadows at any moment.

If only you knew, Darling.

Her hesitation only lasts a moment before she's moving again, taking off down the street in what appears to be a random direction, and I have no choice but to continue to follow her.

Something's got her spooked, and the last thing we need is for us to lose another mortal. Asta would probably find a way to make it all my fault.

By the time I clear Toji, and the crowd of people, Aeri's gone.

Shit.

It's not like she could have gotten too far, right?

It doesn't help that this part of the city is usually pretty packed at night, between Purgatory and the few other clubs and bars. The nightlife is honestly all this area ever sees. One would think that would call for more street lights to help the mortals not only see but keep them from getting snatched, but hey, what do I know because that's definitely not how it is.

I'm surprised I haven't found Aeri on the ground yet after running into a wall, tripping on a crack in the pavement, or a homeless person. Thankfully, demons don't have the same problems with things like shitty eyesight. No, our problems could be said to be much stranger, like a hunger for humans or…

Shit, I'm getting distracted; I'm supposed to be finding the mortal.

"Aeri!"

Running down the main road, I glance in windows as I pass, down side streets, and even in alleys.

"Aeri!"

I'm worried someone might have grabbed her until I pass the last alley on the street. Still, I almost miss her. If not for my enhanced hearing, I probably would have looked right over her. She's down on her knees, deep in the shadows, but she's crying. The sound of her sniffles lets me know that even though her face is impossible for me to see, she's crying.

I stop, taking slow steps to the center of the alley so as not to startle her, but it doesn't seem to matter. One look at me, and I know it's not me she's seeing; no, there's no way I would make her this afraid. Aeri might not be my biggest fan, not that I can blame her, but this level of terror, it's not natural.

She hadn't even reacted this badly when Bast and I were fighting last night, and we both showed more of our true selves. Hell, I'd gone so far as to shift fully into one of the mortal forms I often take, one who she had willingly slept with, and still, she was fine, if not a little mad.

I don't move, but she scurries back away from me as if I might reach out and grab her at any moment.

" You can't run. You belong to me."

The voice is low but carries around the alleyway with ease, and suddenly her reaction makes a lot more sense.

I need to get her out of here, now.