Strong arms surrounded me and I jumped. I hadn’t heard the demon come in.

“Your shower is oversized. Is it because of the wings?”

Samael ignored my rambling, picking me up and placing me on the bench. He was still wearing his clothes, expensive Italian shoes included. He crouched in front of me.

“Tell me what I can say to make it better,” he said.

Tears filled my eyes again, and his face twisted. “There’s nothing you can say,” I said. “I’m a m-monster,” I wailed.

To his credit, Samael didn’t laugh at my dramatics. Instead, he pushed my hair off my face and nuzzled at my neck.

“You’re my little monster,” he purred. “And while you may be having some… issues with your power, it won’t always be this way.”

My lower lip trembled and I bit down on it as he pulled me to my feet. “Promise?”

“Promise.” He reached for a towel and wrapped me in it, keeping his gaze on my face. There was a ginormous bulge in his wet pants, but he cared for me tenderly. I didn’t know what to do with that. I picked up the robe and darted out of the bathroom, leaving him to strip off alone.

By the time he reappeared, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, I’d managed to pull myself together. Mostly. Samael’s robe swallowed me, and his lips twitched as he took me in, standing in his bedroom.

“You look very young,” he said. “Almost innocent.” I shot him a look and he laughed. “And there you are.”

I reached into my robe pocket. “I have something for you.”

Nerves danced through my stomach. Losing his family the way he had… I couldn’t think of anything more traumatic. I hoped he liked it. Hoped it carried good memories for him.

Samael’s eyes lit with a curiosity I hadn’t seen before. I stepped closer, pulled the bracelet from my pocket, and handed it over.

He went still. Then he lifted his head, gazing between me and the bracelet.

“Where did you get this?” His voice was hoarse.

“From the piece of shit in your cell. I saw it come up at the auction. Vas said it belonged to your mother…”

“So you decided to get it back for me.”

I nodded. He returned his attention to the bracelet, stroking one finger slowly along the stones, linked together by a metal that gleamed with a dull fire.

“What are they?” I asked him.

“Underworld gems.”

They were stunning. They put diamonds to shame, glinting with a rainbow of colors which danced in the light. Samael held the bracelet gently in his hand and pure, exposed grief settled deep into his face. I didn’t know if it was from the bond between us, or my own memory of him losing his entire family, but I could feel his grief.