“Gracious as always,” Samael glanced at the kids, who were listening intently to something Evie was saying. She was probably telling them a story. “We will go now.”

With that decree, Samael turned to Bael, murmured a few words, and placed his hand on my lower back as he led me toward Evie and the kids. I peered up at the demon. He really needed to stop with the possessive body language.

Vas wandered over to me and slipped the kids’ bag into my hands. I peeked inside and smiled. A cheap, beaded necklace, a collection of shiny marbles, a broken watch, an old, tarnished amulet, three brightly-colored plastic rings– obviously from a gumball machine– and a handful of coins from various realms. Evie and I had kept a similar collection as a kid, only ours had included various components for spells at Evie’s insistence.

Everyone fell silent as I approached. “Hey guys, so we have a new plan.”

I handed the bag of treasures to Zip and his eyes lit up as his hand darted out and grabbed it. My gaze got stuck on Evie, who was cursing as the healer jostled her arm. But within a few moments, the strain around her eyes had disappeared as the bone knit back together. Her face tightened once more when I told her where I was taking the kids.

“You don’t trust me anymore.”

I stepped closer. “I trust you more than anyone,” I admitted. “You did everything right. But I won’t have you targeted by these people. I couldn’t handle it if this shit got you hurt, or worse.”

She studied my face for a long moment and then finally nodded. “I’ll help you get them settled in.”

I smiled down at the kids, who were squabbling over something. “How would you guys like to see the tower?”

“Samael’s tower?” They gave me big eyes, their little gray faces lit up in awe. It was exceedingly cute.

“Yup.”

“With Samael?” Zip asked.

My lips trembled and I jerked my head toward the demon standing a few feet away, his mouth tight as he read something on his phone. “That’s him, right there.”

I’d blown their minds. They stared at Samael as if they expected him to burst into flames. He looked up from his phone, finding all eyes on him. He raised one dark eyebrow and slipped his phone into his pocket. “Are you ready to go?”

The boys jumped up, running at him. “Are you really Samael?” “Do you know Lucifer?” “How tall is your tower?” “Can you set things on fire?”

Evie nudged me with her elbow and grinned. “Turns out he’s good with kids.”