"All water under the bridge!" Zeth's cheery voice snapped Jade out of her spiral.
"That's right, Love." Luke added smoothly, like he was sealing a deal with a smile. "Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours, alright?"
Bell shrugged, returning to his indifference. His eyes drifted somewhere past Jade's shoulder, like he was watching a thought float by. "I can see why you thought I was trying to kidnap you."
Jade's throat tightened. Shame made her voice small. "Yeah, okay. It was my mistake. Things have gotten a little confusing around here. I shouldn't have snapped like that."
"It's fine, Jade." Zeth leaned forward, elbows on the table, bright as ever. "And since you asked for clarity, here. Bell is the Prince of Sloth. You really don't have to worry about him. He's too lazy to put effort into anything, including terrifying you on purpose." He flicked a glance at Bell, who didn't even bother to look offended.
"And Tanner," Zeth continued, "likes to fight and he looks scary because he is scary. That's the Wrath part. Bealz is Gluttony." He tipped his head toward the mountain of snacks. "And Monty is Greed. Which, honestly, you probably clocked the second he sat down."
"And you already know the rest of us." Zeth finished with a reassuring smile.
Bealz stretched, rose from his chair with the lazy grace of something that didn't have bones so much as suggestions of them, and floated upward like stairs were a personal insult. "Now that introductions are over, I'm going back to my room. I need a nap after all that commotion." He didn't wait for permission. He simply drifted away, crumbs trailing like breadcrumbs for a lost child.
Bell pushed up next, moving like time owed him an apology. He shuffled toward the staircase, muttering complaints under his breath about having to move at all.
"I'm pumped up from all the excitement!" Tanner stood and cracked his knuckles loud enough to make the kitchen feel smaller. "Anyone up for a challenge? First to one hundred wins?"
Monty rose slowly, adjusting his suit like the room had offended it. "How about a few hundred rounds of cards?" His voice was smooth, old-school, and edged with a twang that made everything sound like a threat wrapped in silk. "I'll humor you with an arm wrestle or two if you can beat me."
Tanner's grin went feral in the best possible way. "I'll take that challenge and raise you by a few hundred!"
Their banter carried them out of the kitchen and up the stairs, like a storm choosing a new room to rattle.
Luke lingered a moment longer, watching them go with dramatic resignation. "It would seem things won't be as bad as I initially feared." He sighed, then pouted. "However, my museum… I can't bear to be apart from it any longer. I really should collect my things tonight."
He patted Jade's hand once, gentle and familiar, then turned his attention to Levi with a look that belonged on a stage. "Be a good boy and help, won't you? It'd be such a terribly difficult task to move everything without my beloved car."
Levi opened his mouth, clearly ready to refuse on principle alone, but Zeth cut in quickly.
"We'll all go." His tone was bright, but his eyes flicked toward Aamon with meaning. "Right, Levi?"
Levi's gaze followed the hint. Understanding passed between them like a silent agreement.
Luke clasped his hands together, delighted. "Fantastic. It's settled then. Come along." Luke rose, speaking in a sing song voice as they depart.
Jade's instinct was to offer help, if only to avoid being left alone with Aamon. The words rose in her throat. Then a warm hand settled on her shoulder. She went rigid and slowly, she looked up.
Aamon stood beside her, calmly looking down at her. Jade swallowed hard. She'd expected anger. Disappointment. Instead, he simply waited. Her breath came out thin.
Aamon slid a cup of coffee in front of her and took the seat beside her, close enough that she could feel the faint warmth radiating off him. He'd spent all day thinking. It showed in the careful set of his shoulders, in the way he didn't fidget, didn't tease.
"As you now know," he said calmly, "there is a choice you must make."
Jade stared down into the coffee like it might offer a simpler universe. How long had it been since they'd spoken without someone interrupting? Without chaos knocking down the door?
Aamon watched her in silence, then his mouth curved slightly. Jade lifted her head, a hesitant smile creeping in like it didn't trust itself.
"Can I be curious, one last time?" she asked quietly.
His eyes softened. "Curiosity is your natural state, Magpie."
The nickname landed in her chest, warm and heavy. It made her smile.
For a moment, the tension loosened, like a knot finally giving up.
"Come," Aamon said, standing. "Walk with me."
Jade rose slowly. Her legs still felt faintly unfamiliar, like she'd borrowed them from someone else. Aamon didn't yank her forward. He offered his hand. When she took it, his fingers closed around hers with gentle certainty.
They stepped out into the night. The air was cool. The world beyond the house was quiet, the kind of quiet that made thoughts louder. They walked for a while before Aamon spoke again.
"You are still uncertain," he said, more observation than accusation.
Jade's fingers tightened in his grasp. After a moment of hesitation, Jade drew in a breath. "A Queen is a ruler. That part makes sense. What I don't understand is…" Her courage faltered, then steadied. "Do I rule by your side? Like a literal Queen or… do I get trapped somewhere until you need me?"
Aamon didn't answer immediately. That silence was worse than any scolding.
Jade pushed on, voice quieter, unable to tolerate the silence between them. "And if I rule by your side… does that mean we'd be…" She couldn't say the word.
Aamon stopped. Jade stopped too, startled. A sweet, dark scent drifted through the air. Jade turned her head, searching for it. Aamon's hand emerged from the shadows of his coat, holding a flower that didn't belong to this world.
A black magnolia, petals like night, shadows swirling faintly through its velvet curves as if the darkness inside it was alive.
Jade blinked. "Where did you…"
Aamon held it out to her. "Take it."
Her hands moved before her brain caught up. The stem was cool. The scent hit her like memory. She tranced a finger over the petals gently admiring the way it glittered in the moonlight.
Jade's fingers trembled slightly around the stem. "A black magnolia?" Jade mused to herself before looking up at Aamon with wide eyes.
Aamon nodded once. "Do you like it?"
"Magnolias are my favorite." The confession escaped without permission.
Aamon's mouth tilted. "Coincidence," he said, but his eyes said otherwise.
Jade's breath caught. The shadows in the petals reminded her of him. Like the night he'd turned into smoke and fire and something that had made her heart pound instead of run.
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Is this what I think it is?" She swallowed. "It's your… calling card. Right?"
Aamon's gaze held hers. "Yes." He stepped closer. "This magnolia is not merely a mark," he said quietly. "It is mine."
Jade's pulse tripped.
"What you hold," Aamon continued, "is the heart of a demon king."
The night seemed to hush around them. Even the insects felt like they stopped.
Jade stared at the magnolia as if it might suddenly decide to bite. Levi's words from before flashed through her mind. Hearts. Bonds. Love being a trap. A punishment. A door that didn't always open both ways.
Her mouth went dry. "Why would you…" She didn't even know how to finish.
Aamon watched her carefully. "Because I will not ask you to step into darkness alone."
Jade's mind tried to sprint in six directions at once. If he gives me his heart, he hears my thoughts. If he hears my thoughts, he'll know everything. He'll know how much I've wanted…
She forced herself to breathe.
"Things like this mean something different to humans than they do to demons," she said, voice unsteady but honest.
Aamon tilted his head. "Explain."
"A man gives a woman a flower, and it implies… feelings." Jade's cheeks warmed. "Not always love. But more than friendship."
Aamon's eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful. "And when a heart is given?"
Jade lifted the magnolia between them. "A heart isn't a token. It's not something you hand over casually. In human terms, giving someone your heart means you're given them the power to destroy you, and trusting them not to."
Aamon's mouth twitched, almost amused. "Humans are dramatic."
Jade huffed. "Says the demon king handing me his literal heart in the form of a flower."
That earned her a real smile. Then his expression sobered again.
"The meaning is not the same," Aamon said, stepping closer until the scent of the magnolia and the warmth of him mingled. "If a demon gives away their heart, they can no longer exist without the holder."
She stared at him, stunned. "That's… a huge responsibility."
Aamon's eyes didn't leave hers. "Is it one you are willing to accept?"
Jade's heart hammered so hard it felt like it might crack her ribs. She should have said she needed time. She should have said she was afraid. She should have said a thousand sensible things. Instead, she nodded.
Aamon's breath left him slowly, like he'd been holding it for centuries. Relief softened his posture, made him look suddenly, terrifyingly human. They started walking again, slower this time, like the world was fragile.
"I can tell you still have questions," Aamon said after a while.
Jade stared at the magnolia, then up at him. "I don't know what to say."
Aamon's voice was quiet. "Then say what you fear."
Jade studied his face for a beat before she spoke again. "I've never been in a normal relationship," she admitted, eyes fixed forward now because looking at him felt like stepping off a cliff. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."
"Neither have I." Aamon let out a low, surprised laugh. "Demons don't do relationships."
"Which means… you will be my first." Aamon looked up watching the stars now, feeling unnerved by his own uncomfortably.
Jade's steps faltered. She looked up sharply. "Your first?"
Aamon kept his gaze at the night sky like the stars had answers. "I have had my fill of sexual pleasures." he said, blunt and maddeningly honest. "Opportunities come to me in waves, in desperation. But I have never… chosen someone to be mine."
Jade's chest went tight. "So… you actually… like me?"
Aamon's eyes returned to her, fixing on her with a steady gaze. "No."
The word hit like a slap. Jade's face fell before she could stop it. Tears building behind her eyes as she realizes after all, she is truly nothing but a tool to him.
Aamon stepped closer, close enough that she could feel his warmth again. He lifted his hands to her face, forcing her to face him.
"It means," he corrected, voice softer, "that I love you." His thumbs brushed away the tears with a gentleness that didn't match what he was.
"All you have to do," he murmured, "is trust me, Magpie. Trust me… and say yes."
Jade nodded through tears, helplessly, honestly.
Aamon's arms wrapped around her, firm and careful. For a second, she just breathed him in, the warmth, the steadiness, the impossible safety of him.
Then he eased her back by the shoulders, looking at her like he was trying to memorize every detail. And before Jade could think, Aamon kissed her. Long and deep, the kind of kiss that left no room for questions or fear.
And Jade, still holding the black magnolia like it was the last solid thing in the universe, finally let herself fall into it.