That shadow flickered across Samael’s face. Pain.
Pain, and pride.
“Maybe.”
You throw away your sword and hang out with humans for millions of years, you walk around Hel as a Low, but you won’t visit the one brother who suffered the most at your absence? I scolded him. Fucking hypocrite. Pride indeed.
He shot me a narrowed glance, then looked down into the bag of cookies. “Yeah, I’ll visit him. I’m not in Hel very often. I prefer to live among the humans. I like to convince their women to demand that they be on top during sex and talk them into eating forbidden apples. Shit like that. I’ll be around. I might see you sometime.”
That was as close as we probably were going to get to forgiveness, at least for now. Wounds had festered for two-and-a-half-million years, and although Samael claimed his had been covered over like the layers of a pearl, Angels of Chaos lied. It would take time. It might take an eternity. And for an imp with very little patience, I found myself unusually willing to wait.
Gregory seemed to feel the same way. He cast another longing glance down at his brother, and turned to leave.
“Hey.”
Gregory froze at the word and turned back around.
“Want a cookie? They’re oatmeal raisin.”
There was an intense silence, as if the moment were so fragile that even the most careful breath would fracture it into a million pieces.
“Yes. I would like a cookie.”
Samael dug in the bag and pulled one out, extending it to his brother. Gregory reached for it and hesitated as their fingers touched. Their eyes met and I saw something warm, something tentative pass between them.
“Thank you,” Gregory said softly, and I knew he wasn’t talking about the cookie.
“You’re welcome,” the youngest archangel replied.
And in those few words, I knew all would be right with the world. Maybe not today, maybe not this week, but very soon, all would be right with the world.
Author’s Note
Seven years ago I was reading Marie Louise VonFranz’s Jungian interpretation of various fairy tales and contemplating whether morality was a learned concept as opposed to an innate one. Infants and toddlers learn empathy through interactions with others, why couldn’t demons do the same? Could a demon from hell, surrounded by humans and forced to follow their social rules for fear of being found and killed by an angel, eventually become good by human standards?
I kid you not, that is how Sam began. Makes me almost seem like an academic, doesn’t it?
It’s been six years since I published A Demon Bound (entitled A Cockroach Bound in draft, but I figured no one would buy a book titled that). And here we are at book ten, writing The End on this series. I’ll definitely be continuing with additional spin-off series in this world, and look for Sam to have the occasional cameo in those novels as well as possibly a short story or novella of her own in the future. So I guess it’s not really The End. And there are other exciting series coming your way—White Lightning, and the continuation of the Templar Series, plus some fun, laugh-out-loud paranormal romance in the Love Spells brand. I hope you love those books just as much as you’ve loved reading Sam’s stories.
Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I love sharing my imagination with you all, and hope you’ll continue to follow me through these new series and worlds. Much love, roast beaks, and chicken wands for every one of you!
XOXO,
Debra
Acknowledgments
A huge thanks to my copyeditors Kimberly Cannon and Jennifer Cosham whose eagle eyes catch all my typos and keep my comma problem in line, and to Damonza, for cover design.
Most of all, thanks to my children, who have suffered many nights of microwaved chicken nuggets and take-out pizza so that Mommy can follow her dream.
About the Author
Debra lives in a little house in the woods of Maryland with her sons and two slobbery bloodhounds. On a good day, she jogs and horseback rides, hopefully managing to keep the horse between herself and the ground. Her only known super power is 'Identify Roadkill'.
www.debradunbar.com
Also by Debra Dunbar
White Lightning Series
Wooden Nickels
Bum’s Rush
***
The Templar Series
Dead Rising
Last Breath
Famine’s Feast
Dark Crossroads (2019)
IMP WORLD NOVELS
The Imp Series
A Demon Bound
Satan’s Sword
Elven Blood
Devil’s Paw
Imp Forsaken
Angel of Chaos
Kingdom of Lies
Exodus
Queen of the Damned
The Morning Star
Half-breed Series
Demons of Desire
Sins of the Flesh
Cornucopia
Unholy Pleasures
City of Lust
Imp World Novels
No Man’s Land
Stolen Souls
Three Wishes
Northern Lights
Far From Center
Penance
Northern Wolves
Juneau to Kenai
Rogue
Winter Fae
Bad Seed