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LAUDON'S POV

Laudon busies himself with work after he returns to Hell from visiting Maggie, not having stopped long enough to even change his clothes simply because they continue to carry her scent.

Every minute that he spends with her is a minute that he fully cherishes, and when finished, he locks it away deep inside his heart where it will go on to live forever. For his mother and for Maggie, Laudon is ready and willing to do anything to keep them safe. A universe for which neither of them exists is a universe that Laudon cannot see himself living in, especially regarding Maggie.

Why? Because he is a thousand percent sure that Maggie Brumfield is his soulmate. A fact he cannot deny given the events that have transpired between them in the last twenty-four hours.

There should be no reason for Laudon having heard Maggie's cries all the way from Edreial, no reason at all unless they shared a connection that was strong enough to cross the gateway between their worlds. Neira, his mother, told him to trust his feelings and to listen to his heart. Doing so led him to believe that he is worthy of a soulmate, and a demon she is not.

Laudon hopes Lila will take the news well. 

"I hate when you interrupt me while I'm breaking in the newbies." Lila enters Laudon's bedroom dressed in full battle gear. She holds a flail in one hand and a shield in the other, her face decorated with flecks of dirt. "What did you call me down here for?"

"To tell you to your face that we can no longer have a sexual relationship."

Laudon closes the book that he had been reading and then he stands from his chair, happiness and confidence oozing from his pores as he walks slowly towards Lila. 

"This will come as a surprise to you, but I have reason to believe that Maggie Brumfield is my soulmate. She is far more extraordinary than I originally assumed, and while I wait for her to accept her feelings for me, I wish to remain faithful to her in all ways."

Laudon stops before Lila, allowing a moment of silence to pass so that his words have time to sink in, and then he neatly wraps up his declaration.

"I wish for us to remain friends, so do tell me now if this will be a problem for you."

"This would be a problem and hurt me more had the girl been a basic human," Lila eventually answers. She drops her weapons and places a hand on her hip, the other running through her hair as she exhales a deep breath. "But she isn't basic, is she? Something tells me you finally know exactly what she is, and it must be something unbelievably fascinating since you want to keep her all to yourself because why else would you claim her as your true mate?"

"Is this jealousy that I'm sensing?" Laudon smirks.

"You fucking wish." Lila scoffs, then laughs. "I am not jealous. What I am is confused and... and..."

"Be that as it may, I said what I said, Lila. There is no other way for me to explain any of this to you."

"I am no simpleton, Laudon. I do not need it spelled out for me. I truly am not jealous, more so concerned. I have noticed a change in you ever since you met her, and while I am happy that you were able to find your other half, it also worries me deeply because your father will definitely not accept this. God will not accept this. If you perform the blood oath and actually bond with this girl... your life could be in grave danger."

Laudon shrugs. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"And what about Maggie? She cannot live here, and you cannot live on Edreial without it being an issue with God, so how will you be able to protect her while also maintaining your duties as prince?"

Lila is asking the hard-hitting questions, ones that Laudon has been too afraid to ask himself. He scowls at her in response, unable to produce an answer.

"I want nothing but the best for you, darling. However, for your sake and for Maggie's, I suggest you hold off on making things permanent until you sort all your other shit out." Lila sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "Although I do not wish to go there anytime soon, I will take all your secrets to my grave, Laudon. In exchange, I beg that you are cautious with the choices that you make going forward. Your life is not the only one that will be on the line if your father ever finds any of this out."  

Laudon nods. "I hear you."

"May I return to the training grounds, or do you wish to unload another truth that I probably will not want to hear?" Lila asks. Laudon's frown deepens. "That was a joke. No need to look so disconsolate."

"You may leave, Lila. And though I didn't ask for it, I greatly appreciate your honesty."

"I am honest if nothing else."

After Lila departs, Laudon turns to the large oval mirror attached to the nearby wall. Staring at himself, he envisions Maggie standing by his side.

She truly is a vision with her curvaceous frame, deep brown eyes, and honey-colored skin. Laudon has, on more than one occasion, fantasized of kissing her full lips while sinking his hands into her beautiful mess of curls and tugging. From the few times that he had been lucky enough to hold her, he can remember how perfectly she fit against him. He can only imagine how perfectly he would fit inside of her.

Fuck. Laudon grumbles in frustration, turning away from the mirror and walking towards the bedroom door. Why does everything have to be so fucking complicated?

A few minutes later, he is standing in the corner of Room 216 at Rosewood University Hospital. He reveals himself to Maggie when she becomes the only person left in the room, apart from the bruised and bandaged boy sleeping in the hospital bed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Laudon is incapable of stopping the smile that spreads across his face when he sees Maggie perk up from the sound of his voice. "Took his parents forever to leave. How much time do you think we have until they return?" 

"They're going home to bathe and grab a change of clothes, so maybe about forty minutes?" Maggie stands from her seat, one hand holding Johnny's and the other reaching for Laudon. He wastes no time accepting it. "But Krista texted not too long ago saying she'd be here soon, so we'll have to work fast. Tell me quickly about this idea of yours."

"It's more of a theory," Laudon says. "I remember when you told me about that cut on your finger, and how it healed on its own within minutes. That got me thinking that maybe your powers are strong enough to heal others as well."

"Laudon. No."

"Maggie. Yes."

"So you're basically saying you want me to practice using my powers on my debilitated best friend?!" Maggie frowns, her eyes widening in panic. "Have you lost your mind? I can't do that to Johnny!"

"My father is coming back, Maggie. Whether you like it or not, we all need to prepare for the worst," Laudon replies, speaking softly. "And, selfishly, it will give me peace of mind to know that you're able to defend yourself when I'm not around... so, please, can you at least try for me? I promise I'll keep your friend safe in the instance something goes wrong."

Maggie stares at Laudon for a long while.

He holds her gaze, desperate to lean down and press his lips against hers. The thought of what she might taste like is beginning to drive him mad, and he can no longer prevent the desire from building within him; the desire to move her incapacitated friend off the hospital bed so that he may use it for the one act that he previously only reserved for Lila.

"I hope this fucking works." Maggie exhales an unsteady breath before drawing her attention back to Johnny. "Hurry and tell me what I need to do."

With his wicked fantasy broken, Laudon swiftly snaps back to reality. He places one hand at the small of Maggie's back while telling her to place both of hers onto Johnny's chest.

"Relax and close your eyes, focus on bringing your powers forward," Laudon whispers. "Be confident in your thoughts as you envision healing his wounds and mending his broken bones."

"Don't let go of me."

"Never."

Maggie closes her eyes and follows Laudon's instructions. A faint blue light hovers around her hands for a few seconds before darkening in color and expanding rapidly, covering Johnny's body from head to toe. Ever so slowly, the scratches on his face fade away, and Laudon's trained ears can hear the boy being healed from the inside out. He glances at Maggie and smiles, warmth settling in his chest as he admires her... then Johnny begins to stir awake.

"Keep going. You're doing an amazing job," Laudon speaks while waving his free hand over Johnny's face to knock him back out. "The doctors will have their hands full trying to come up with an explanation to his parents regarding his overnight recovery."

Maggie giggles. "How do I know when to stop?"

"Do you feel that he's fully healed?"

"Hmm." Maggie shifts her position and moves her hands onto Johnny's right arm, touching him. "Could use just a little more over here..."

"Look at you go. You're practically a natural and it's barely been twenty minutes."

Maggie shushes Laudon before smiling. "Stop distracting me."

Ten minutes later, Maggie opens her eyes and steps away from the bed. Tears fall and hit her cheeks as she mentions how Johnny looks more like his old self. Laudon gives her a proud grin in response, to which she throws herself into his arms, thanking him for pushing her and believing in her. Laudon wipes her tears away before wrapping his arms around her and inhaling, falling deep into her sweet scent as they embrace like lovers.

"Nothing makes sense to me anymore," Maggie whispers. "I know I can't be with someone like you. I know I shouldn't want to be with someone like you, and yet this feeling of needing to be near you whenever you aren't here..."

Maggie tilts her head back to better look at Laudon, her face flushed and body warm to the touch. The fear that used to shine in her stunning brown eyes before the two of them had become close is now nowhere to be found. It has since been replaced by the longing that Laudon currently feels coursing through his veins; a longing that is loud enough to tell him that her feelings mirror his.

"This might be stupid of me to ask, but can you please kiss me?"

"Maggie, I..."

"I know you want it just as badly as I do." Maggie raises a hand to Laudon's face, her fingers snaking behind his neck. "I can feel how much you want it..." She presses herself flush against him, his erection hard at her stomach. "Answer me, Laudon. Do something. Say anything." 

Laudon can smell her arousal, and the voice inside his head is screaming at him to act on it.

He is hanging on by a thread, and when Maggie bites her bottom lip while staring up at him with a sultry look that is most suitable for the bedroom, he has half a mind to snap the thread and give in to her request. Fucking and marking her beautiful body until they both pass out from exhaustion.

"You have no clue how weak you make me." Laudon growls softly, trying to regain his self-control as he painfully disentangles from Maggie. "I want to give you what you're asking for, but I fear a kiss will not be enough for me... and I would prefer that when I make love to you for the first time, we are alone and not inside a dreadful hospital."   

Before Maggie can respond, a knock at the door startles them both.

. . .