Page 48 of Witch's Exile
"There's one thing I don't get," I mused out loud.
"Only one?" Seth jabbed with a curl of his lip.
I brushed off his playful jab but my face still grew hot. With him around, it would be like having two Raums teasing me all the time. Fuck, better not think of that.
"Just... why?" I spread my palms. "How does doing this to you benefit Beelzebub in any way?"
Seth's eyes jerked away from mine and his whole body stiffened. I could almost swear I saw him shiver too.
"He took control of my body," he answered, looking out the kitchen window. "And my mind."
Fear gripped my lungs and squeezed. "What?"
"You know how demons supposedly possess people? You can thank him for that." Seth swallowed and I just realized how hard it was for him to talk about this. "He... made me do things. Sick bastard got a kick out of that."
"Fuck." I regretted asking. It felt wrong of me to pry, but I couldn't help but notice his use of past tense. "But he doesn't anymore?"
"No. I learned how he was using me and shut him out years ago." He looked back at me, expressionless. "That was how I got into the hunter's guild, actually. I told them a demon possessed me for years and I learned all kinds of hellish secrets to use against them. I wasn't technically lying."
"Jesus," I breathed.
"Yeah, some help he was," Seth smirked.
"I just can't imagine what that would be like." My hand reached out to rest on his forearm as if of its own will. "I mean, I thought Diana being in my head was as invasive as it got. I couldn't live with someone controlling me, forcing me to do and think certain things."
Seth looked down at my hand on his arm but made no move to pull away. "Trust me," he murmured. "If I could control my own body during that time, I'd probably not be here today."
Blinking, I pulled my hand away, suddenly aware of the heat of his skin beneath my hand.
"I'm sorry," I stammered. "I really shouldn't have pried."
"It is what it is," he shrugged. Then his lips twitched with a grin. "Eight out of ten apology, by the way."
"Oh, fuck off." I punched him lightly on the arm to his soft, musical laughter.
"It wasn't all bad, I guess." He visibly relaxed, turning around to lean against the counter. "It made my shadow magic even stronger. I'm pretty sure that's how I became able to read your shadows without touching you."
"You really believe that, don't you?" I said after a few pulses of tense silence passed between us. "That pain makes you stronger."
"It reveals what you really are," he answered. "It either shows you're strong enough to push through and grow, or it reveals how weak you are and breaks you for good."
I crossed my arms. "And what if I broke while you were letting Diana have her fun in there?"
"That's what she was hoping for," he admitted. "But I knew you wouldn't."
"How?"
He grinned. "Because you lived through having your soul ripped out by a vengeful angel and shattered like glass. It took you a while to come back, but you did."
I didn't know how to respond. Did Seth just actually give me a compliment?
A sudden flash of movement drew our attention to the kitchen window. Something temporarily blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the front porch.
"Holy shit!" Seth took a few steps back. "That's a gigantic fucking bird."
A majestic golden eagle descended from the sky, its wings outstretched and deadly talons open. The bird of prey gracefully grabbed the porch railing with those talons as it landed and fixated its dark amber eyes on me through the window.
"That's Chase," I said, moving to the front door. "Come on, I'll introduce you."
