35: Home Sweet Home?
Liam took in a deep breath and let it out in a long and slow sigh as he peered through the trees and out towards a familiar sight.
There were well-lit grasslands that led all the way up to his cottage off in the near distance. And then beyond that, he could see Baron Riven's estate peeking over the gentle hill that hid his cottage from that estate.
"Definitely a country estate," Ana said dismissively. "Not very large, as that sort of thing is measured, but I suppose I can see where somebody would think it was comfortable enough."
Liam turned and stared at her.
"What?" she said, pulling back a little under the force of his gaze.
"You think the baron's manor is small?"
"Well, I mean… It’s definitely not the largest I've seen. It would match a country estate for somebody who wanted a place to go when they want to get away from one of the cities, but I..."
She stared at him. She seemed to have realized something was wrong.
"You consider that large?" she said. And now it was her turn to sound incredulous.
"It's the largest building in this region," Liam said. "I think it's the largest building in all of the baron's holdings."
"I see," she said, glancing at it again. She seemed suddenly nervous for some reason he couldn't fathom. "Well, in that case, it's quite impressive. I'm glad you enjoy it."
"I don't know that I enjoy it," Liam said. "I have my own cottage over there."
She turned to look at his cottage, and she frowned.
"That's where you live."
Okay, there was no missing the surprise, and a touch of disdain, that came to her voice as she said that.
"Look," Liam said, figuring it was time he explained a bit about how the world worked to her. "Not everybody lives in a vast palace, or whatever it is you get to enjoy as a high princess of the demon realms. There are people who live honest lives out there. That cottage is a very nice place."
"I'm sure it is," she said, suddenly hitting him with an odd look. "And is it just you in that cottage?"
"Of course it's just me," he said.
"And this trollop the baron sired doesn't ever come out to visit you there?"
"Why would she come out to visit me in my cottage?" Liam asked, suddenly blushing.
Because he'd had the thought that it would be nice if Andrea came to visit him in his cottage from time to time. Maybe that was a place his thoughts had gone once in a while. Not that he had any intention of admitting any of that to Ana.
And his reasons for not wanting to admit it to Ana were complicated as well. A part of him didn't want to admit it to her because that was none of her godsdamned business, but another part of him didn't want to admit it to her because, for some reason, he didn't want her thinking of him with other women.
She seemed to be prickly on that subject for some reason he couldn't understand. Yeah, that was it. That was the only reason why he was reluctant to talk to her about it.
"It looks wonderful," Ana said in a tone that said it was anything but. She looked around. "And the coast is clear. I want to see this cottage."
"Excuse me?" he said.
She turned and stared at him. Maybe it was his imagination, but he almost thought he saw her cheeks getting a darker shade of pink.
"You say this cottage is comfortable. That there are people who live like this all over the world. Well, I want to see what it's like, Liam human."
"You can just call me Liam."
"Not when you're irritating, I can't," she said.
"I don't think it would..."
Liam turned and looked at the grassy hills in between the Felwood and his cottage. There was the one hill that hid his cottage mostly from view of the manor house, but there was still a voice at the back of his head telling him it would be a terrible idea for him to invite a demon back to his cottage.
Even as there was a louder voice that was screaming at him over and over that it would be a very wonderful idea to invite her back to his cottage. Who cared about the consequences?
"I don't think it's a good idea," he finally said, letting out a sigh.
"Why not?" she asked, and she hit him with a look that was...
Well, it wasn't exactly dangerous, but it had the promise of danger. Like she wasn't used to somebody telling her no, and she was going to be upset if she didn't get her way.
"We're in human territory," he said. "And I've been gone for far longer than usual. It's entirely possible the baron decided to call in the Inquisition."
She hissed. It was a surprising noise coming from her. It was the most rage he'd seen her showing since... Well, since they got into that battle with the scourgelings.
"I don't care about your Inquisition," she said, suddenly all composure again. "They're no more of a worry than the hunters who would come for me to bring me back to the Demon Court."
"Why would they want to bring you back to the Demon Court?" Liam asked, sensing something odd in her tone.
"Because I'm a high princess of the Demon Court, and I'm out in the world without their escort," she said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. "Why else would they come for me?"
"If you say so," he said, though he wasn't quite so sure that he believed that answer.
"So I don't care for this Inquisition. They aren’t a threat.”
"Yes, but if they were to come along, assuming they're even out here, then it could make life very difficult for me," he said.
"Nonsense," she said. "I don't think they're going to come out to your cottage, are they?"
Liam held his tongue on that. He didn't think they would have any reason to come out to his cottage, but then again, it was always said of the Inquisition that they did a lot of things that nobody expected. One of their chief weapons was surprise, after all. Surprise and a fanatical devotion to the king.
Either way, he didn't want to be surprised by anything they decided to do to him.
"Then it's settled," she said. "I will see your cottage and then I'll be on my way. I'm sure there is far more for me to see before I come to my journey's end."
Again, he stared at her. There was something odd about her tone as she said that last bit.
"Well?” she said, staring at him.
"I'm sorry, but it just can't happen," Liam said.
"Liam," she said, putting her hand on his coat and pulling him in a little closer. "Perhaps I haven't made myself entirely clear about this. I am a High Princess of the Demon Court. You do not tell me that I'm not going to do what I damn well please. I'm going to tell you what I want to do and then I'm going to do it. Am I understood?"
"You're understood," Liam said, "But I still don't think it's a good idea, and I'm not going along with it."
Her hand shot out, a claw ready to go. He moved his own hand up to grab her by the wrist and catch her well before she was able to actually land a blow against him. He also instinctively poured mana from his newly awakened cores to strengthen the front of his body, even as he wondered what would happen if someone landed a blow before he could instinctively do that.
There was so much he didn’t know about the strange new turns his life had taken.
She stared at his hand in surprise as he looked at her and cocked his head to the side with a smile.
"Are you forgetting what happened back at Isai?" he asked.
He felt a weight settle on his shoulder. He looked over to see Albert there, staring at the demon. It wasn't a pleasant look the cat was giving the demoness. His tail swished this way and that in a clear sign of irritation.
"Yes, are you forgetting what happened back at Isai?" he said.
The cat lightly moved a paw out and showed off his claws. The demoness merely glanced at him as though he was no concern, then back to Liam, and she arched an eyebrow.
"Yes, I suppose I do keep forgetting what happened back at Isai," she said. "Or maybe I just delight in testing you."
"Testing me?" he said. "You would’ve clawed me to death."
“And yet here you are, alive and well despite all the things that have been trying to kill you recently.”
"Anyway," he said, "I would like it if you would stop trying to claw me," he said.
"Or what?" she asked, an obvious challenge in her voice.
He increased the pressure on her wrist just a bit. She didn't so much as flinch under that increased pressure. Which was admirable, but also frustrating.
"Or else I'm going to press a little harder and snap your wrist, at the very least," he said. "You are trying to attack me, after all."
She didn't bother to say that he wouldn't do anything like that. No, she merely smiled as though him threatening to snap her wrist was the most natural thing in the world. That had him wondering exactly what in the hells was going on in the demon lands.
Then again, what in the hells was going on in the demon lands was exactly what in the hells was going on in the demon lands when he really sat down and thought about it.
"Fine," she said, pulling away from him. He released her hand, but he also kept himself at the ready. He didn't want to give her another opening to potentially attack him.
"I just wanted to test you," she said. "See how serious you were about keeping me from doing this."
"Doing what?" he asked.
She turned and walked out of the Lesser Felwood and into the grassy field that ran up to his cottage. He held up a hand to try and stop her, but she lightly stepped to the side and out of his reach before he could grab her and hold her back.
He stared as she moved out across that field, open to the whole world. If somebody happened to look out from the manor at the right moment, they would see her. Maybe they would be able to see her pink skin, though he wasn't sure about that.
"Damn it," he said, turning to Alistair who merely shrugged.
"You're going to have to figure this one out on your own," he said.
"Please tell me that you're at least going to have the sense to stay put," Liam said.
"I think I'm always going to have a little more sense than our mutual friend," he said. "But you should probably get a move on. Before she manages to do something stupid that gets both of you in trouble."
"Something stupid that gets both of us tortured or killed,” he muttered, looking out across the field where she was strolling as though it was no big thing to have a demoness moving across land that was supposed to be settled and free of demons. For all that they were close enough to the border that there were still issues from time to time.
"Damnation," Liam growled, and then he started chasing after her across the field, not sure how he was going to handle this since she seemed determined to be a walking, breathing, achingly beautiful headache in his life.
Though he did have to admit it was quite the breathtaking view watching that walking, breathing, achingly beautiful headache in his life walking away from him.