“Well, we can safely say that there will be no little Satan Junior Juniors popping out of me in nine months’ time.”

“I … I did not even consider the implications of …” I could just imagine the worried frown on his face, which only made me melt more for him.

I sidled up to him, nuzzling my nose in the warmth of his chest. “Well, it’s lucky that I track my cycle very studiously, and that you assured me weeks ago that there were no demonic illnesses … I hope that includes STIs?”

“It does.”

“No wonder your kind loves their orgies then!” I remarked. “Now, carry me back to bed, SJ, because I can’t see a thing without my glasses.”

38. An Unnecessary Attachment

Chapter 38

An Unnecessary Attachment

SJ

When she was tucked safely into bed with me, I let myself breathe again. Seeing her leap out of bed and dart from the room, only to tell me she was bleeding, had made my chest spasm painfully. But it was normal. Human fertility cycles were mostly a mystery to me, but if I wanted to be with her, I would have to learn hers.

And oh, after this night, and her confession that she, too, had … feelings … for me, I wanted it. I had no idea how I could make it happen, but I desired it desperately.

I began to plot. I was good at that.

Step one … find a way to return that piece of her soul to her body without endangering her.

Step two … and this was where I came up short. Because what could I do? Defect from Hell? Abdicate my role as Crown Prince? Hellen would hunt me down, slice my testicles out of their sack and feed them to me if I tried while telling me she’d always known I would never have been a worthy king.

And if she even got the slightest inkling that I’d done it for Jemma … I had to ensure her safety from my family, too …

But if I couldn’t get past step one, there would be no step two. I had to find a way to release Jemma from her contract to me.

“What’s ticking away in that blond head of yours?” she asked, nestling closer to me. “You get all stiff when you’re thinking.”

I tried to chuckle. “I get all stiff when I think about you.” It was nothing more than the truth, although a clunky deflection on my part.

But she accepted it. Perhaps tonight was not the night to be worrying about these enormous problems between us. Perhaps tonight would be better spent just enjoying having her in my arms. The problems would still be there in the morning, nothing I could do about them tonight would change that.

“Why Beezle and Bub?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”