“Enough!” Asmodeus shouted. “I forbid it!”
Valva stepped forward with an irritated flick of her tail. “That is enough, Dad. I have been a good daughter. Well, mostly good,” she amended when Asmodeus raised a brow.
“Where will you live?” Lilith asked.
“Not under my roof,” Asmodeus grumbled.
Giguhl glanced at me. “Red, can we live with you guys?”
I paused, knowing I had to be careful with my words. “Are you asking because you want to or because you don’t have another choice? You need to really be sure because if you come back to the mortal realm, you’ll still be bound to me but Valva won’t. But if you stay here, you’ll both be free.”
Giguhl watched me with narrowed eyes for a moment. In truth, I was praying he’d still want to be my unofficial minion for a long time to come. But I couldn’t not give him an out clause. He deserved to be his own demon for a change. To build his own life. I’d miss him like hell, but it was the right thing to do.
“I grew up in Irkalla. I have some friends here. Some good memories.” The Mischief crossed his arms. “But you guys are my family. If it’s okay with Valva, we’ll live on earth.”
The Vanity clapped her hands. “Please, I’ve been dying to live in the mortal realm. Irkalla is sooo boring. There’s not one decent shopping mall.”
“I won’t have it!” Asmodeus roared.
Valva stuck out her bottom lip and glared at her father. “Daddy, I’m four thousand years old. It’s time you cut the cord and let me make my own decisions.”
Lilith sighed. “She has a point, dear. Besides, you know how rebellious adolescent demons are. If we say no, she’ll just run off anyway.”
Asmodeus pursed his lips. His fire wings twitched. We all held our breaths. I’m not sure what everyone else was thinking, but I was terrified he was about to turn Giguhl into Mischief flambé. “All right, fine,” he said finally. “But I’ll expect you to come home for a visit every now and then. Your mother worries.”
Valva ran forward to hug her parents. Giguhl hung back, grinning like a loon, until his love called him forward to formally meet his future in-laws, the Great Mother and the King of Irkalla.
“All righty, then,” Adam said, clapping his hands together. His tone was high-pitched and a thin sheen of sweat coated his brow. “Now that that’s settled, I really want to get the f**k out of here.”
I heartily agreed, but the thought of leaving Maisie left me torn. I walked up to my twin. “Are you okay?”
She smiled a wobbly smile and nodded. “I think so.”
“So, I guess this means you were wrong.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You said I was the Chosen. But it’s both of us, together.”
She chuckled a little, but her eyes were shadowed. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong in my life. It feels… right this way.”
“I’m just sorry you’re going to be stuck down here.”
She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have Orpheus and Ameritat with me. Plus, now after Tristan ordered the vamp spirits to rebel against the Domina, I’m pretty sure I won’t be bored.”
I cringed. “Sorry about that.”
“He was right to do it. There’s no reason there can’t be peace in the dark race realms of Irkalla, too. Besides, we can visit each other, right?”
I nodded. “I guess so.”
“Hey,” she said, leaning over to catch my gaze. “I regret nothing. You shouldn’t either.”
I chewed my lip to keep in the tears. “I know. It’s just—”
“Sabina, it all worked out as it should. I actually kind of like it down here.”
My head jerked up. “Really?”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Does that make me weird?”
I laughed. “Maisie, we’re mixed-blood demigoddesses who just consumed the most evil human alive. I’d say we zoomed right past weird a long time ago.”
At that point, Phoebe approached us. I’d met my mother before in the Liminal, the night Maisie had died, but this was the first time we’d faced each other like this.
“Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling unsure of myself.
She smiled at me. “Hello, daughter.” She winked at Maisie. “I am so proud of both of you.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in an awkward, self-conscious smile. How weird was it that her pride meant so much? “So what will you do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Tristan’s down here now. You two can finally be together.”
A shadow passed over her face. “I’m afraid it’s too late.”
“Too late because of what Cain did?” Maisie asked. “With the spell?”
My mother nodded. “You saw Tristan’s reaction when he saw me. I’m afraid he’s convinced that what we had wasn’t real.”
I certainly had seen his reaction. She might be remembering when he withdrew, but I saw the joy on his face the instant he saw her. I had a feeling it wouldn’t take much for her to convince him he was an idiot if he didn’t believe their love had been real. “Look, I know we just met and all, but I have a feeling I got a lot of my stubbornness from you.” Her lips turned up into a rueful smile, but I wasn’t done. “If I were you, I’d march over to Hekatian Fields and make him stop being a blind fool.”
She barked out a shocked laugh. “That would be great if I could enter Hekatian Fields.”
Maisie cleared her throat. “Well since I sort of run the dark races in Irkalla now and you’re my mom and all, I could probably be convinced to give you permission.”
Phoebe’s eyes widened. “I… I don’t know. What if he rejects me?”
“Oh, I have a pretty good feeling he won’t,” I said. “He might put up a token resistance at first, but don’t kid yourself. That man is head over heels for you still.”
“Sabina,” Lilith called. “It’s time for you and your friends to go now.”
I nodded at the goddess and turned to Phoebe. “We have to go. But next time I see you, I expect progress with Dad, okay?”
My mother laughed. “Deal. Please come back soon. I want a chance to get to know you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t bother fighting them. “I’d like that.”