Lazarus was looking out the window, so he saw when Sal and Harrison arrived. He waited until they were almost at the door, then flung it open, grinning at his best friend. Sal grinned back and threw himself into Lazarus’s arms.
“I’d be jealous if I didn’t know you two are best friends and nothing more,” Harrison drawled.
Lazarus stepped away from Sal to hug him. “We both know he wouldn’t look at me twice if you were present, too.”
Harrison patted Lazarus’s back. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe it.”
Lazarus waved the two of them in and closed the door behind them. Cyarea and Esau were sitting on Cyarea’s bed, quietly playing. She stopped when she saw Sal and Harrison and stared at them.
“So this is the little girl you told me about?” Sal asked.
Cyarea squeaked and scrambled to hide behind Esau’s back. Sal’s eyes widened, but Lazarus wasn’t surprised. So far, apart from Lazarus and Esau, almost everyone Cyarea had met had tried to either kidnap her or hurt her. No matter how many times Lazarus and Esau told her that Sal and Harrison were friends, it would take her a while to believe it.
“It’s okay,” Esau said, twisting so he could hug her. “That’s my brother.”
Cyarea buried her face against his neck. Lazarus heard her say something, but he couldn’t tell what.
“What’s going on?” Sal asked.
It was probably better for Lazarus to explain before they left. That way, Sal and Harrison could be careful, just in case the demons after Cyarea had followed them to the human realm.
“I already told you when I called you. Cyarea was kidnapped, and we don’t know who her parents are. She managed to escape from the kidnappers and ran into Esau’s cave. He protected her, and since we couldn’t leave her alone, we decided to come here in the hope that you’d be able to find her parents somehow. Even if you can’t, this was the safest place for her considering how many times we were attacked on our way here.”
“And you have no idea who her parents are?”
Lazarus shook his head. “We tried asking her, but she doesn’t know anything that can help us. The only thing we managed to find out is that her parents, probably her father, are powerful and rich. We think she was kidnapped to ransom her.” That was what one of the demons had said before Esau had killed him, anyway. It made sense, but it didn’t help.
Sal slowly nodded. He was still staring at Esau, who was rubbing Cyarea’s back and softly talking to her. “How did that happen?” he asked.
“Esau is quite good with her. It would have been easy for him to abandon her or dump her the first time we stopped, but he didn’t. He’s been taking care of her since she ran into his cave, and he won’t stop until we find her parents.”
“I never thought I’d see my brother with a child.”
Lazarus understood. He’d gone through the same emotions in the beginning but now, he couldn’t imagine Esau without a child by his side. He was glad Sal could see who Esau really was. The brothers weren’t close and hadn’t been in a long time. Maybe it was time for them to talk and make their peace with each other. Esau had resented Sal for leaving for a long time, while Sal had stayed away because his brother had tried to kill him. It wasn’t something either of them could forget or forgive easily, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t fix things.
Harrison cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go? Considering what you just told us, I think the sooner we’re back at our apartment, the better it will be. It’ll certainly be safer than this room.”
“Let me take the key back to the office, and we can go.” Lazarus looked at Esau and Cyarea. “In the meantime, you should get them in your car.” As far as Lazarus knew, neither of them had ever been in one, which could either be a good thing or a disaster.
They didn’t have time to waste, so Lazarus grabbed his backpack and rushed out. When he came back, Esau and Cyarea were in the backseat of Harrison’s car, both of them looking grumpy. Lazarus was more than happy to slide on the back seat next to them.
“I don’t like this,” Esau grumbled.
“I don’t like it either,” Cyarea added.
Lazarus had to press his lips together so he wouldn’t smile. “I promise this car isn’t dangerous. Harrison is a good driver.” Those two resembled each other more every day that passed.
“It’s strange,” Esau answered.
“It’s the best way to get to Sal and Harrison’s place quickly. Besides, it means we won’t have to deal with too many humans, which is a good thing.” Especially considering that Esau had almost beaten one up yesterday.
Esau and Cyarea stayed quiet on their way to Sal and Harrison’s place. Both of them were looking out the window with wide eyes, and Lazarus pointed out things to them, explaining what they were. A few times, he noticed Sal staring at them through the rearview mirror, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid a conversation with his best friend.
Lazarus didn’t know what Sal would think about him and Esau being together. Not that he cared. He didn’t want to lose his best friend, but he’d lived long enough to know that the kind of feelings he had for Esau wasn’t something he felt often. He couldn’t give that up, not even for his best friend.
He hoped he wouldn’t have to give up Sal or Esau, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to choose if he had to, but if he did, he’d find a way. If things came to it, he’d go back to his cave—alone.
* * * *
Esau was relieved when they finally reached Sal’s home. He wasn’t sure he liked the way it looked as though his brother shared the building with a lot of people, but this wasn’t his home. Knowing that people were on both sides of them and under and above them made him nervous.
“Harrison and I are thinking of moving soon,” Sal said as he unlocked the door.
They were in a hallway, and Esau kept looking right and left, just in case someone came out and tried to attack them. They weren’t in Hell, and no one was supposed to know where they were, but he didn’t want anything to happen to Lazarus and Cyarea.
“Really?” Lazarus asked.
He looked at ease in this world and with Harrison and Sal, which could be because he’d visited them before. It had been a long time since Esau had seen his brother, though, and he wasn’t quite sure how to behave.
“There’s not enough space for all of Sal’s things as well as mine in this apartment,” Harrison said. “Besides, Sal enjoys being in nature more than being in the city and sharing the building with so many people. We can’t go back to his house because it’s too far away, but we’re trying to find a compromise.”
“Will you sell the lake house, then?” Lazarus asked.
Sal grimaced and pushed the door open, stepping inside. “I don’t want to. But Harrison is right when he says it’s too far away. He has his work, and we have friends here.”
“We can keep it as a vacation home,” Harrison said.
It sounded like a conversation he and Sal had had several times already. They probably had. Esau could understand why Sal was wary of giving away his home. He’d feel the same way if he had to leave his cave permanently. No matter how rough it was, it was still his home, and it always had been.
Harrison closed the door behind them, while Sal stood in the middle of the room and waved around. “Lazarus, you already know where everything is. Esau, Cyarea, welcome. As you can see, this is the living room.”
“Your TV is huge,” Cyarea breathed out.
Sal laughed. “You can thank Harrison for that. Would you like to watch something?”
Cyarea bounced on the balls of her feet. “Please.”
Harrison decided to take the lead, waving her toward the TV area and pointing at a seat. When she was sitting, he turned the TV on and sat next to her, quietly talking about what she might want to watch.
“We’ll get her something to eat as soon as she’s decided,” Sal said. “She’ll be fine here on the couch. That way, we can talk better.”
Esau nodded. This was why they were here, but now that they were, he was nervous. It wasn’t just that he didn’t want to lose Cyarea. He wasn’t sure how to offer half of his powers to his brother. Sal would refuse, but both of them were stubborn, which could make things difficult. Esau wasn’t leaving with all his powers. He’d pin Sal down and force his powers into him if he had to.
“I’ll show you to the guest room,” Sal said. He looked from Esau to Lazarus. “Unfortunately, there’s only one. Cyarea can sleep on the couch, but the two of you will have to share.”
“Or Esau can share the bedroom with Cyarea,” Lazarus intervened. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.”
Now that he’d slept with Lazarus for one night, Esau didn’t want to lose that closeness, but it would be easier. He could only imagine what would happen if Cyarea woke up in the middle of the night and got scared because she didn’t recognize where she was.
He cleared his throat. “We can figure that out later. For now, I think we need to sit down and talk.”
Thankfully, both Lazarus and Sal agreed. The three of them sat at a small table, close enough to Cyarea that she could see them if she looked up. Esau wasn’t surprised she didn’t, too focused on the TV and on the food Harrison had given her. Once Harrison joined them, the conversation started.
“I honestly don’t know where to start,” Harrison said. “If you were human, it would be easy enough, but as it is, I don’t know how to help you find her parents.” He looked at Sal. “Do you think you can help?”
He didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to. They were all wondering if Sal would be able to help without his powers.
Sal didn’t look offended. Instead, he tapped his fingertips on the table as he thought. “I might be. To begin with, I’ll have to find a spell that can do that. I don’t think I’ve ever used one, so it could take me a bit. Once I find the spell, I’ll have to gather all the ingredients. If we’re lucky, they’ll be things easy to find, but I can’t guarantee that.”
“So there’s no way to know if you can help,” Esau said.
Sal frowned. “There isn’t, but then that’s often the case with spells.” He paused. “Especially lately. But if I find the spell, you might be able to do it.”
Esau shook his head. “I don’t use my magic.”
“You did when those demons were following us,” Lazarus said.
Esau glared at him and considered kicking him under the table, but he could feel his brother’s gaze on him. “I used my powers then because I had to.”
“And you have to in this situation, too. You promised Cyarea you’d do everything you could to find her parents. You can’t go back on that promise.”
“I won’t.” He would never do that to her.
He couldn’t explain that he had a better solution without talking to Sal first. Once he gave half his powers to his brother, Sal would be able to do the spell on his own.
Sal nodded. “Good. I’ll start looking for the spell, then. It’s useless to focus on who will do it if we don’t know what it will involve. I might be able to do it on my own, even without powers. If I can’t, you’ll have to step in.”
“I already said I wouldn’t do it,” Esau snapped.
He sucked in a breath. He didn’t want to snap at anyone, not even his brother. Sal had no way to know what Esau was thinking or going through, and it wasn’t a surprise he was pushing for this. Esau had to find a moment to talk to him alone as soon as possible to tell him what he wanted to do. Once that was done, he’d be able to relax and stop obsessing over it. Sal would find Cyarea’s parents and contact them.
In the beginning, Esau had been looking forward to finding Cyarea’s parents so he wouldn’t have to take care of her anymore. Now that his goal was in reach, he found himself hoping Sal wouldn’t find a spell. It was selfish, but then, Esau was a demon. It was in his nature.
* * * *
Sal disappeared into his office, already looking for his spellbooks. That left Lazarus, Esau, and Harrison sitting at the table, which was awkward, to say the least.
Harrison was Esau’s brother’s boyfriend. He was human. He and Esau had nothing in common except for Sal, and considering the relationship Esau had with him, Lazarus wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
The three of them stared at each other awkwardly, and Lazarus was relieved that Harrison didn’t seem to know what to say, either. Usually they didn’t have a problem talking, but then, Esau had never been with them.
“Laz?” Sal called from deeper inside the apartment. “Can you come here for a moment?”
Lazarus glanced at Esau and Harrison. He couldn’t help but smile at their expressions. It was obvious Esau didn’t want Lazarus to go, but what was Lazarus supposed to do? He couldn’t stay and hold Esau’s hand through this. If Esau truly wanted to make peace with his brother, he’d have to get used to Harrison. Harrison might be human, but it didn’t make him a bad person. The sooner Esau realized that, the better it would be.
Esau probably wanted to ask Lazarus to stay and save him from the desperation in his gaze, but Lazarus ignored it and got to his feet. Surely having a short conversation with a human wasn’t harder than defending Lazarus and Cyarea from demons bent on hurting them?
“I’m going,” Lazarus said.
Harrison nodded. “Sure. Maybe that way, you’ll manage to drag him out eventually. He always gets lost in his books when he’s in his office.”
Lazarus chuckled. “Maybe, but I’m not making any promises.” He knew how Sal got when he buried his face in his books. Reminding him about Harrison and Esau being alone together might do the trick.
They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk yet, but Lazarus knew his best friend. He’d seen how curious and wary Sal had been at the motel, and he no doubt was afraid Esau would do something to his best friend. No matter how much Lazarus tried to reassure him, it would take Sal a while to wrap his mind around the fact that his brother wasn’t a bad guy.
Esau was a demon, as was Lazarus. The two of them still lived in Hell, while Sal had left a long time ago. He might remember what Hell was like, but that didn’t mean he truly knew it anymore. Lazarus and Esau, on the other hand, did. To live in Hell, you had to be ruthless and even cruel sometimes. That was what Esau did to survive, and Lazarus didn’t blame him. He just hoped Esau would realize he shouldn’t do that with a human, especially one who was dating his brother.
Lazarus glanced at Cyarea, but she was watching TV and munching on carrots. It was a relief not to have to keep an eye on her all the time for fear of kidnappers. She was a sweet and quiet child, and she seemed more than happy to watch TV. Lazarus felt a bit guilty that they’d parked her in front of the screen, but they had to find her parents as soon as possible, and besides, it wouldn’t be for long.
Since Lazarus had already visited, he knew Sal’s office was the last spare bedroom. He’d arranged it as well as he could, but it was still a mess and clearly too small for all his books and things. When Lazarus walked in, he could only see Sal’s ass poking out of a wooden chest. Sal’s chest was buried in it as he tried to reach something at the bottom.
“Haven’t you unpacked yet?” Lazarus asked.
He grabbed the back of Sal’s pants and pulled him out of the chest. Sal was hugging two books to his chest, and he barely paused to look at Lazarus before opening one of them.
“I don’t have space to put the books,” Sal said.
He flipped through the book, shook his head, closed it again, and put it away. Lazarus expected him to open the second book, but instead, Sal looked straight at him. “What’s going on between you and my brother?”
Lazarus had expected this, but he’d thought he would have more time. He wasn’t quite sure what to tell his friend. He didn’t know himself what was going on with Esau, and he wouldn’t until they talked. Now wasn’t the best moment to do that. Everything was a mess.
“We’re friends,” he settled for.
Sal rolled his eyes. “Try again. You’re not friends. There’s something there, and I don’t know what it is.”
“Don’t you think it’s none of your business?”
“What I think is that my best friend and my brother are somehow involved, and I’m afraid for both their hearts.”
Lazarus sighed. “The problem is that I don’t know what to tell you. I like Esau much more than I ever expected I could. I got to know him well as we traveled together, and he’s not as bad as I always believed. We kissed, and he seems to like me, too. But the entire situation has been a mess. We don’t know what’s going to happen next, and we need to talk. That’s all I can tell you.”
Sal stared at him for long enough for Lazarus to get nervous. He didn’t want to lose either of the brothers, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to choose.
“I can’t say I saw this coming,” Sal eventually said.
Lazarus snorted. “Tell me about it. I never thought I’d look at Esau this way, but here we are.” Lazarus paused. He wanted Sal to understand what he saw in Esau, but he wasn’t sure he could explain. “He’s been protecting Cyarea even though he didn’t have to. It would have been so much easier for him to dump her somewhere and wash his hands of her. He didn’t, and I admire him for that.”
“You didn’t kiss him because you admire him.”
“I kissed him because I wanted to. I kissed him because I find him attractive and because now that I’ve spent time with him, I know what kind of person he is.”
Sal wrinkled his nose. “Talking about my brother and my best friend kissing is awkward.”
That made Lazarus laugh. “It is,” he confirmed. “But I understand why you’re asking. You’re worried about me.”
“I’m worried about both of you. I know Esau and I have never had the best relationship, but I realize I had a huge part in that. I abandoned him, and he resented me for a long time. He probably still does, and I don’t blame him.” Sal paused. “I’ve talked with Harrison a lot since we came back. I had to deal with the fact that I don’t have my powers anymore, but we also talked about Esau. Harrison didn’t even know I had a brother, so he was shocked when he found out about Esau. He wanted to know more about him, but I didn’t know much.”
“Because the two of you spent so much time apart.”
“We did, and I regret it. I want to be in my brother’s life, and I want him to be happy. The same goes for you. If you think you can find that happiness together, then I have nothing to say about it.” He paused and frowned. “It’s still weird, and I hope you won’t start kissing in front of me.”
Lazarus laughed. “It depends. Will you and Harrison stop kissing in front of me?”
Sal scowled. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Then I’m sorry, but no.”
But Lazarus didn’t know if he and Esau would continue kissing. Now that they’d reached the human realm and they were with Harrison and Sal, it was time for them to talk. That thought terrified Lazarus, but it would be better to know than to wonder. Once he did, he could start making plans for the future, and while he wanted Esau to be part of those plans, he might have to face the fact that he wouldn’t be.
* * * *
Harrison’s words about where Sal was spoke of his familiarity and routine that Esau had never had with anyone. He still didn’t, but he found himself wondering if he and Lazarus could have it. They hadn’t talked much about what would happen if they found Cyarea’s parents. Esau had every intention of going back to his cave, but what about Lazarus? And of course, there was the tiny detail of Esau planning on giving his brother half of his powers. There was no way to know how anyone would react to that.
“So,” Harrison said, looking straight at Esau.
Esau did not want to do this. “So,” he answered.
Harrison chuckled. “You’re going to make this hard, aren’t you?”
“I’m quite sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on. You know Sal is interrogating your boyfriend in that office right now. I want answers, too.”
“It’s none of your business.” Esau regretted being so harsh right away, but to his surprise, it didn’t seem to faze Harrison.
“It’s not, but wouldn’t you do the same if your brother appeared out of nowhere with a new boyfriend?”
Esau arched a brow. “Isn’t that precisely what he did?”
“You might have a point there. And I understand why you don’t want to answer. You barely know me, and the one time we met before this was, well, a mess.” He paused and frowned. “But I want you to know that you’re always welcome here. As long as you don’t do anything to hurt Sal, this is your home, too.”
“You do remember I tried to kill him twice, don’t you?” Maybe Esau was pushing too much, but he didn’t want to stay if Harrison didn’t want him.
“I do, but I was there when he lost his powers. I saw how you cared about him. I can’t say I understand you or the way you behave, but you love him, and that’s enough for me. Relationships are complicated, especially between brothers. I have no say and shouldn’t judge your relationship with Sal.”
Esau leaned back in his chair. Harrison was different from what he’d expected, and in a good way. He’d been ready to hate him just because he was human, but like Lazarus had promised, he wasn’t a bad person. He was ready to accept Esau because he was Sal’s brother. He’d been sure to tell Esau he wouldn’t be happy if Esau hurt Sal, but Esau had no intention of doing that.
Or maybe he did.
He already knew his twin would say no when he offered half of his powers. He was more than ready to pin Sal to the ground and force them into him, but that might hurt him. Harrison would be pissed if that happened.
That wouldn’t stop Esau. He didn’t care if he was never allowed back here, although it would hurt. The only important thing was making sure that Sal had powers again, and while it wouldn’t be the same, this was the closest Esau could get to making that happen. If he could, he’d give Sal everything he had, but while he barely used his powers, they were what made him immortal. With only half of them, he’d still live a long life. If he gave up everything, he’d have a normal human lifespan, and in Hell, that was dangerous. Besides, now that he and Lazarus had something going, he wanted to find out how their future could be. He couldn’t do that if he didn’t have one.
The sound of footsteps made him sit taller in his chair. He already knew his brother had called Lazarus to the office to talk about him, and he didn’t mind. The two of them had always been close, and that hadn’t changed when Sal moved to the human realm.
Lazarus and Sal stepped into the room. Sal was holding a few books and several ingredients, and he dumped everything on the table.
“What did we say about spell ingredients?” Harrison asked, staring at the pile.
Sal wrinkled his nose. “That I shouldn’t have them in the kitchen. Do you want me to take them back to the office?”
“No, as long as you’re sure they won’t end up in one of our meals.”
The teasing was new to Esau, but he could see it was affectionate and that Harrison and Sal loved each other. It was in the way they moved, in the way they looked at the other. It made Esau wonder if that was how he looked at Lazarus, and he couldn’t stop himself from doing just that. He peeked at the other demon, relieved to see Lazarus was smiling at Harrison and Sal rather than looking at him.
At least he and Lazarus were better suited to each other, since they were both demons. Esau couldn’t imagine being with a human, but since his brother was happy with that, he wasn’t about to say anything out loud.
“Okay, so I found the right spell. It was easier than I expected, but I’d forgotten I had this book,” he said, picking one from the pile and gazing at it as if it were made of gold. “I’ll have to remember about it and read it when I have time.”
Harrison patted Sal’s shoulder. “I don’t think they want to know about any of that. Can you do the spell to find Cyarea’s parents?”
“Oh, yes. The spell is in here, and it’s a simple one. I really should have remembered it. I used it several times in the past.”
“Do you have all the ingredients?” Esau asked. He might not know his brother anymore, but he could tell that like he had in the past, he’d start rambling and never stop if he got talking about magic and spells.
“I’m only missing one. I need one of the child’s hairs.”
Esau wasn’t surprised. The hair was no doubt the ingredient needed to trace her parents. “That’ll be easy,” he said.
“Will it?” Sal asked, sounding surprised. “I can’t imagine she’ll enjoy having hair torn out of her head.”
Esau shook his head and rose to get to his bag. “That won’t be necessary. I brush her hair every night if I can, and there’s plenty of it on the brush.” He rooted through the bag, grinning when he found the brush. He grabbed it and turned to find Harrison and Sal staring at him as if he’d grown a second head. It made him self-conscious. “What?” he asked.
Sal shook his head. “Nothing. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you brushed a little girl’s hair and that you do it regularly. I swear that if someone had told me about this, I wouldn’t have believed them. I still have a hard time believing it, even though I see it with my own eyes.”
Esau huffed. “Yes, I’m a softie, but can you stop looking at me as if I’m an interesting specimen you want to use for a spell?”
“I’ll try.”
Esau wouldn’t get anything better, so he handed the brush to his brother. “You do that and try to focus on finding her parents.”
Sal took the brush, but he didn’t look away from Esau. “You and I are going to talk before you leave, aren’t we?”
He was asking, but Esau knew better than to think it was a question. “We’ll talk,” he confirmed.
That seemed to be enough for Sal, who went to open a cupboard and grab a bowl. Harrison groaned, but he didn’t say anything. He seemed to be resigned to whatever Sal was doing, which Esau understood well. He might not have had to deal with his brother in a long time, but he remembered well how he was.
“Okay. Give me half an hour to get all the ingredients ready and mixed up, and we’ll do this,” Sal declared.
Esau sucked in a breath. This was it. They were going to find Cyarea’s parents, and then everything would change.