Page 73 of Soul Redeemed

Slipping on one of the tanks she’d picked out with Anna, and a pair of cut-off shorts, she nabbed the blanket she’d pulled from the closet and a pair of sunglasses, making her way out of the dark bedroom. As a teenager, her favorite pastime had been lying in the sun and reading. Unlike most of the supes, who preferred the cover of night, Ava enjoyed daylight, loved the warmth and the outdoor activities Ryke had rarely allowed her to partake in. Some Nephilim chose the nocturnal life and ridiculed the ones who didn’t.

She’d once tried waterskiing with a friend and spent a night at the lake, and she’d paid the price when she’d snuck back home. Ryke had made a point to torment her, by slapping and scratching her already-painful sunburn, while calling her a whore for the bikini she’d worn.

Calix would never say, or do, something so cruel.

The thought of him brought a smile to her face as she descended the marble staircase. She’d never been a stranger to opulence, as her brother had always sought to impress, but the demons had genuine class. The art and furnishings of the mansion expressed the exquisite taste each of the brothers possessed, whereas her brother had always gone for flashy and gaudy as hell.

Anna rounded the corner, as Ava passed through the foyer toward the back entrance, and the smile on the plump female’s face quickly faded to a tight pinch of concern. “Ava, dear, are you getting enough blood? You’re looking slightly pale, love.”

“Yes, I’ve increased my blood intake in the last few days. Calix brought fresh bags of it and urged me to snack during meals. I think I just need some fresh air and sunlight.”

“Well, you’re sure to get plenty of it out there today! Gorgeous outside. Might take the laundry out to dry on the lines.”

“I’m looking forward the warmth. Can I help you with the laundry?”

“Oh, you are a sweet dear, but no.” Anna shooed her away with a chuckle. “Get out there and enjoy it.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, I’m pretty decent at folding fitted sheets.”

“I shall keep that in mind.” Anna tottered off down the hall, with a quiet hum and a skip in her step.

Through the long hallway, Ava finally reached the back door, and the moment she opened it, the invited blast of air scarcely cooled her face with the pounding rays of heat quickly stamping it out.

Too hot. Too damn hot!

As if something had peeled back her skin and exposed her insides, the sun she loved so much had quickly become the enemy and bore down on her from the cloudless sky.

She shuffled across the patio, finding shade beneath a gazebo, where Calla sat nursing the baby on a luxurious couch with plush pillows and a thin blanket.

“I’m sorry,” Ava whispered, trying not stare at the half of her breast she could see over the baby’s head.

“It’s okay.” Calla smiled and waved her over. “Come sit with me.”

“It won’t … disturb the baby?”

“Not at all.”

Disappointed that she couldn’t sit in the sun, Ava sulked over, taking a seat on an equally plush chair across from Calla, who discreetly tucked her breast back into her shirt and stroked the baby’s head.

“She looks so content.” Ava kept her voice low, smiling at the tiny bundle curled into her mama’s chest.

“I’ve always heard horror stories about newborns and parents never getting to sleep.” The adoration in her eyes as she caressed the baby’s crown spurred an ache in Ava’s heart. That she would never have the opportunity to cradle one of her own someday needled the hollow there. “She sleeps all the time, rarely cries, and loves to cuddle. She’s like, the perfect baby.”

“She really is,” Ava agreed, studying the absolute roundness of the baby’s head and the healthy glow of her skin.

“Thank you.”

A menacing growl tingled down Ava’s spine, and she turned to find Gavin’s hellhound, Magnus, baring its teeth from where the dog stood just a few feet from her. At Ava? Surely not. On the few occasions she’d come with Calix to the mansion, the hounds had always seemed to adore her.

“Magnus? What’s up, buddy? Come here.” At the patting of her hand, the dog barked, and Ava turned to see the baby startle against Calla. His growls intensified, turning to snarls.

Her instincts told her to get up and move away. Before she had the chance, Calla stood, cradling the baby in her arms and waved them off.

“Shoo! Back off!”

The hound’s snarls turned to a whimper, and it paced in its spot, as if reluctant to follow her command. Hellhounds didn’t tend to have the same body structure as domestic dogs. Their long bodies and predatory behaviors almost gave them the appearance of a large cat.

“Magnus! Go on! Go away!” Calla edged closer to the dog, and it finally tucked in its head and bounded off toward the woods.