Amun shoved the cooler away from her, even as Aeron shouted, "No! No trying beer." Then, more calmly, "Sweetheart. No. Please."
Too well did they recall the last time Olivia had indulged with alcohol. Without a doubt, she was the world's saddest drunk.
A huff escaped her. "Fine. I won't taste it."
Aeron relaxed. Maybe because he had no idea she planned to guzzle it instead of taste it.
Before she could reach for a bottle, Amun clapped for her attention. You look very pretty today. And she did. Her cheeks were rosy, and her sky-blue eyes bright. Love radiated from her.
"Thank you," she replied, beaming up at him.
"What'd he say?" Aeron demanded.
"He thinks I look very pretty."
The warrior's lips pursed. "I told you that a few minutes ago and you ran from me."
"But I was going to reward you when you caught me."
The warrior's narrowing violet eyes landed on Amun. Why'd you have to be here? he thought, knowing Amun heard. Now I have to wait for my reward. "So. Do you come here often?" he said aloud.
Trying to appear somber, Amun nodded.
That violet gaze shifted, perusing their surroundings. "I can see why. It's nice here. Peaceful."
Which was one of the reasons Olivia had chosen to lead him down this path. She'd wanted her man to forget his troubles, if only for a little while, and simply enjoy.
A paradise, certainly, Amun signed.
"But aren't you worried about Hunters sneaking up on you?" Olivia asked, and seemed to sink into herself. Hate was not part of her makeup, he knew, but she didn't like the pain those men had brought her man.
Were you?
She blushed, and Aeron choked on what seemed to be a bout of laughter. That, he'd apparently understood.
Actually, with the iron fence around the property and Torin having this place monitored 24/7, I'm not worried about anything but relaxation.
Torin, keeper of Disease. The poor man couldn't touch anyone skin-to-skin without infecting them with some sort of sickness. Of course, that sickness wouldn't kill immortals, but it would infect them and they in turn would infect everyone they touched. Therefore, Torin spent most of his time alone in his room.
Well, not so alone anymore.
Amun had picked up on his thoughts, as well as Cameo's. Cameo was keeper of Misery, and the two had been engaged in a passionate affair of You-can't-touch-me-but-you-can-watch-me-while-I-pretend-you-are for weeks. Both knew it wouldn't last, but they were enjoying the hell out of each other right now. So much so that Amun often wanted to cut off his own skull and dig out his brain, just for a few moments of peace.
"We really didn't mean to intrude on your relaxation time," Aeron said. "So we'll just be on our—"
What's mine is yours.
Aeron's shoulders slumped, and Amun fought another laugh.
"Yeah, but my darling is right. You deserve to relax in peace. So why don't you take half the forest, and we'll take the other half? No, that won't work," she rushed on. "We'll just stress about the dividing line."
Silly woman.
"Oh, I know. We can work out a schedule." Olivia grinned, proud of herself. "Something like, you get Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and we get Tuesdays and Thursdays."
Or I get every day, since I've already staked a claim. And you can visit me upon occasion.
"Or you thank us for allowing you even those three days," Aeron retorted when Olivia translated. "Otherwise, we might spill your secret and then every last person living in the fortress will start coming here."
Amun flipped him off, a sign that needed no interpreting.
The booming laugh that next escaped his friend was like soothing balm to his ears. Before Olivia, and the events that led to Aeron's death, Aeron had never exhibited such merriment. He'd been very much like Amun projected himself to be. And, truthfully, most often was. Somber. Sorrowful. Almost grief-stricken.
What's it like? Living without a demon? So many centuries had passed, Amun barely remembered how it had been, living in the heavens, carefree and without interference.
"Honestly?" Aeron leaned back until his shoulders were resting against a tree trunk. He pulled Olivia with him, and helped her curl herself around him. "Amazing. There's no voice in the back of my head, beseeching me to do terrible things. There's no urge to hurt or maim or kill. But it's also...odd. I hadn't realized how much I'd come to rely on the bastard, uh, fiend—sorry, sweetheart—for information about people. I'm having to relearn how to read people's intentions."
Amun knew that, because of Wrath, the warrior had sensed a person's sins the moment he'd neared them. He'd then become filled with a need to punish them, hurting them the way they'd hurt others.
You'll adapt.
"Soon, I hope."
"The good news is that he's not as moody," Olivia added.
Lips twitching, Aeron kissed the tip of her nose. "All thanks to you, sweetheart."
"You're welcome."
Amun's heart gave a little lurch. In happiness for what his friend had found. And yes, in jealousy. He wanted a female of his own. Desperately. He'd found one he could have enjoyed, too. Kaia, a Harpy. She was a liar and a thief, but she was open about it, her sins there for everyone to see. She kept no secrets.
But she'd also slept with Paris, keeper of Promiscuity and one of Amun's closest friends. Not that Paris wanted her again or could have her even if he did. Once Paris slept with a woman, he couldn't get hard for her again. That was part of his curse. But while Amun knew the little Harpy was intrigued by him, he also knew she would not be settling down anytime soon. And Amun wanted forever.
With other women, human women, well, it was too difficult. He knew what they were thinking every minute of every day. He knew when they found another man attractive. He knew when they said something nice to him but were thinking something cruel.
Aeron sighed, drawing his attention back to the present. I'm here. I might as well ask him, the warrior thought.
Amun straightened. He'd known Aeron would approach him sooner or later with the coming question, but hadn't known how to respond. He still didn't. Don't ask me, he signed. Not yet.
A muscle ticked beneath his friend's eye. "I hate when you read my mind."
Then conceal your thoughts. He didn't think there was a way to do so, though. No one had ever managed such a feat.
"I can't," Aeron confirmed. "Which means you already know that Olivia and I are leaving tomorrow."
Actually, no. That wasn't true. Aeron planned to leave Olivia behind, she just didn't know it yet. The warrior was desperate to keep her safe. Which, in his mind, meant leaving her here, even though she would be pissed.
Where are you going? he asked, though again, he already knew the answer.
"To hell," Aeron replied. It wasn't a metaphor, either. The man meant exactly what he said. "We want you to come with us."
Legion, the little demon Aeron viewed as a daughter, was currently trapped in the fiery realm, and Aeron had ever intention of rescuing her. Had the warrior asked Amun to go anywhere else, he would have said yes without hesitation. But hell...he shuddered. His demon had lived there, once upon a time. That same demon had fought to escape, had succeeded, and had been punished for that success.
But the memories of that place had never faded. The heat, the screams, the rank odors of sulfur and rotting flesh that permeated the air. Disgusting. Add in the vile thoughts of the demons still living there and the tormented thoughts of the souls suffering there, and it was a new kind of hell for Amun.
What about Baden? he asked. Another of Aeron's pressing burdens.
Aeron arched a black brow. "You know about that, too. Great."
Baden. Once their best friend. But thousands of years ago, Hunters had beheaded him. Unlike Aeron, he hadn't been given a second chance at life. He hadn't done anything to deserve one, apparently. But Aeron, who had recently spent a little time in the afterlife, had seen him. Talked to him.