Page 37 of Demon's Beauty

There’s no way he’s not feeling it too.

“Is it…” I begin, trying to find the words. “Just because of the bond? Is that why you want to be here? Are you… I mean, if it wasn’t like this, I can’t imagine you would be—”

“Trying to find any excuse I could to talk to the beautiful witch Vayla brought along on this trip?”

Color climbs my cheeks.

“Because I assure you, I would absolutely be trying to do that.”

“Oh, is that so?” I arch a brow at him.

“Yes, it is so.” He grins, a little challenging this time. His shoulders straighten and his wings flare slightly behind him.

Confidence looks good on Finn.

Correction.Cockinesslooks good on Finn. And he wears it so easily I can’t imagine it’s a rare look for him.

“And you think I’d give you a chance?”

That roguish grin of his widens. “Yes, I think you would.”

“So sure of yourself,” I murmur, shaking my head as I go back to unpacking.

“I’d like to think I am,” he shoots right back. “And useful, too. If there’s anything I can do to make your chores go faster.”

He comes to stand beside me, hovering there like he’s waiting for an order. I hand him one of the scrolls and point to an open corner of table.

“You can pile these up there.”

Finn does so without question, and between the two of us, we make quick work of unpacking the pile of trunks.

When we’re finished, he leans back against the table and crosses his arms over his chest. He gives me a long, lazy look, still so goddessdamned cocky it should give me the ick immediately.

But it… doesn’t. And that’s a problem.

A big problem, feeling any kind of way about the demon in front of me.

The demon I’ll have to say goodbye to eventually when I go back to the human realm for my Ascension.

“What about you?” he asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Would you be interested in the very handsome member of the guard who wanted to talk to you? If it weren’t for the bond, I mean?”

“Very handsomemight be stretching it.”

He just shakes his head, like he’s more than aware of how incredibly hot he is and doesn’t see any point in denying it.

“I… might,” I say, and damn me for giving him an inch because I’m sure he’s about to take a mile.

Finn, though, only allows himself a couple seconds of silent gloating before a more serious, contemplative look comes over his face.

“Is there someone waiting for you back in your realm?”

“No.” The possibility seems so concerning to him that I don’t have the heart to tease him about it. “What about you? Anyone waiting back at court?”

This time, Finn is the one to blush. All the way over the high crests of his cheekbones to the tips of his ears.