Chapter 188 Chapter 188
“Sounds terrifying,” Valerie shuddered.
“Given how naïve she was, it wouldn’t surprise me if she let him in without being suspicious,” Maxwell growled. “I don’t understand why Seth got bonded to someone like her.”
“He must have been very happy with her. It’s not her fault she was killed by a demon… she must have been so scared when it happened,” Valerie mumbled, feeling deep sadness for the couple. A bond wasn’t something that they would have chosen on a whim; they must have loved each other a lot. It wasn’t fair that their lives had ended in such a terrible way.
“He was happy with her, and he could have been alive today,” Liam said. Other than her, he didn’t show any sadness. His blue eyes brimmed with fiery rage and the desire for revenge. “We need to avenge him.”
\---
Another day passed, and Valerie’s life mostly returned to normal. She busied herself with work while she and Maxwell waited for news from the demons. Thorne had given her a few tasks she needed to take care of, and she was grateful for the distraction. Maxwell sat next to her on the sofa and peeked over her shoulder, watching as she typed the last lines of her article. Opening her email account, she quickly sent the finished article to Thorne. The deadline had been approaching, but she had managed to get it done in time.
And now, Maxwell craved her attention again. He curled his arm around her waist and put his chin on her shoulder, breathing a kiss on her neck. The sly demon knew exactly how to get her to notice him, and of course, he used it to his full advantage.
“Are you done, sugar?” he murmured right into her ear, brushing her ear with his lips.
“Yes,” she answered, closing her laptop and putting it on the coffee table. “What are you up to again, huh?”
“Nothing,” he answered cheekily, stealing a brief kiss from her when she turned her head his way. She smiled, returning his embrace and shifting on the sofa so it was more comfortable. Lying her head on his shoulder, stretched her legs out on the sofa.
“I’m not your pillow,” he commented amusedly.
“Yes, you are,” she mumbled, glancing up at his face. “It’s only morning, but I’m already tired. Writing this article was exhausting.”
“Well, you are done now, so you can finally spend time with me,” he said, sounding content with the situation. His hand caressed the outline of her waist, prompting her to close her eyes.
“Continue doing that, and I’ll fall asleep,” she mumbled.
“Okay, then I'd better stop,” he replied and did just that.
Valerie groaned and glared at him. “Why?”
“You sleep so much, Valerie, it’s boring. Last night you slept six hours,” he complained, making it sound like that was outrageous.
“That’s normal for a human, though… I think most of my friends sleep longer than that too, so you really have no reason to complain,” she said, raising her brow. “Shouldn’t you be used to it by now?”
“As I said, it gets boring. When you sleep, I can’t talk to you. I can’t do anything, actually,” he whined, and his sulky expression made her smile. He gnawed on his lower lip, gazing at her with reddish eyes that held a hint of annoyance.
“You’re such a big baby,” she whispered, giggling. “We can spend more time together now, okay? That should make up for it. I have an idea, actually. Give me a moment.”
She left his embrace and walked to the bathroom, his curious gaze following her. Valerie fetched a comb and returned to the sofa.
“Last time I did your hair, you were ecstatic,” she said, waving the comb so he could see it. “Let’s do it again. Your braids are a bit messy.”
He sat up, the gloomy expression fading instantly. “I see you finally chose to do something meaningful this morning.”
“Work is meaningful too, Maxwell,” she insisted, sitting behind him and undoing the braids one by one. Her fingers raked through the silky white strands, getting rid of a few small knots she found. He shot her an amused look over his shoulder, studying her concentrated expression as she worked on his hair.
“By the way, do you know what day comes up soon?” she asked while she braided the long white strands of hair.
“Hmm, what do you mean? It’s the end of November,” he muttered, tilting his head as he thought about it. “I don’t know.”
“Thought so. We never talked about this after all,” she said. “My birthday is on the 26th, that’s next Friday. I figured I should let you know since I wanted to have a little party.”
“Your birthday?” he repeated, surprised.
“Yeah,” she grinned. “You’re invited.”
He chuckled. “Thanks, I guess,” he said, lowering his head to stare at the floor in thought. He had no idea what exactly humans did on their birthdays, but he could have sworn he heard something about gifts…
“I’m looking forward to it this year,” she continued to explain. “I’ve made many new friends, and I’m considering inviting the other demons too. What do you think?”
He wasn’t sure what to answer since this topic was entirely foreign to him. Demons didn’t pay attention to their birthdays since most of them were quite old and didn’t care about their exact age. Not that he would tell her, of course.
“Sure,” Maxwell answered. “Don’t expect them to follow your human customs, though. It might get chaotic if you invite them.”
“I don’t mind that. They’re always fun to have around,” she smiled as she secured the end of the braid she had been working on. “I haven’t figured out the time or place yet, but when I do, can you contact them somehow?”
“Yeah, I can pay them a visit in hell. And Nicholas Clarke and Vaughn live here in New York anyway,” he said. “If you had brought it up when they were here yesterday, we could have just asked them then.”
“I know, but I forgot because I had other things on my mind,” she said sheepishly. “Great, then I can start planning the party soon.”
She beamed, radiating joy. He felt her happiness and wondered how important her birthday was to her. This was something he needed to get behind as soon as possible, and there was only one way to do it, even if he didn’t like it very much. He would have to ask Nicholas Clarke for advice. If anyone knew, it was him.
Not much later, Maxwell made up an excuse about having to take care of something and left the house. Valerie thankfully didn’t question him, but he could tell she was a bit confused about his sudden departure. When Maxwell arrived at Nicholas Clarke’s home, Nicholas Clarke opened the door, surprised to see him.
“What do you want?” Nicholas Clarke asked.
“I need to ask something,” Maxwell said and walked past him into his apartment without waiting for an invitation. Nicholas Clarke only sighed, closed the door, and followed him to the living room. It was no use getting irritated by Maxwell’s rudeness; it wasn’t like he would change his behavior. Nicholas Clarke sometimes wondered what Valerie saw in him—he certainly lacked manners.
“What is it?” Nicholas Clarke asked and leaned against the wall, gazing at the other demon with a raised eyebrow.