Page 109 of A House of Gold
"Attempted breach. Something demon-blooded is at my threshold. Trying to force its way in." His voice is clipped, controlled. Dangerous.
My heart stops. "Demon-blooded?"
"Weak. Demon. Blood." He tilts his head, listening to something I can't hear. "And apparently very determined to reach you."
Oh no. Oh fuck.
"Ash," I breathe.
Croesus's gold eyes snap to me. "The one you called."
It's not a question. He knows. Of course he knows, he probably felt it through the binding when I broke his rules.
"He's just worried about me."
"He's trying to break into my house." Croesus moves toward the doors with predatory grace. "That makes him a problem."
"Please don't hurt him. He doesn't understand the rules. Doesn’t live in this world except through me. And I already ended that."
"Then perhaps he needs to be educated." Croesus reaches for the door handle. "Step back, Raven."
"Croesus, please just don’t hurt him,” I plead, hating the whine in my voice.
"Step. Back."
It's not compulsion,. He promised me autonomy, but the command in his voice makes my feet move anyway. I retreat several steps.
He pulls open the doors.
Beyond them is a shimmering threshold, like looking through heat waves, and on the other side, barely visible through the distortion, is Ash.
He's standing at the boundary between worlds, one hand pressed against an invisible barrier. His dark hair is disheveled, leather jacket hanging open over a faded t-shirt. There are darkcircles under his eyes, and his jaw is tight with frustration. The red flecks in his eyes are brighter than usual, his demon blood reacting to the angelic wards.
When he sees the doors open, his expression shifts from frustration to relief to fear in the span of a heartbeat.
"Raven." His voice is hoarse. "Thank God. I've been trying to reach you for days."
"You're not welcome here," Croesus says, his voice cutting through Ash's words like a blade through silk. "Leave. Now."
Ash's eyes flick to Croesus, and I see him process what he's looking at. Not just an angel, one of the seven. His hand drops from the barrier and some of the color drains from his face.
"I just want to talk to Raven," he says, trying to sound reasonable despite the fear I can see in his eyes. "Five minutes. That's all."
"No."
"Croesus, please..." I start.
"You have three seconds to leave," Croesus continues, ignoring me. "Or I will remove you myself. And you won't enjoy that experience."
Ash's jaw clenches. His eyes find mine through the threshold. "Raven, are you okay? Are you actually serving him?"
"I'm fine," I say quickly. "I'm safe."
"Safe?" He laughs, bitter and sharp. "You disappeared. You’ve called once in all this time. Just talk to me. Please. Five minutes."
"She doesn't need your permission to be here," Croesus says coldly. "And she doesn't owe you explanations about her choices."
"Maybe not, but she owes me more than radio silence." Ash takes a step closer to the barrier, and I see his hand twitch like he wants to reach for me. "Raven, whatever he's told you, whateverdeal you made, there are other ways. We can figure this out. You don’t deserve this."
