Nerezza slapped a letter on the counter, drawing Sethry's attention. She knew it wasn't his aura that caused waves of unease through her - he had mastered that years ago.

No, what did it was the address and her name written in coiling letters. And of course, the senders' name.

Ethan and Delilah Hemp.

She smoothed a hand over the envelope self-consciously, the nerve racking fear of what was in it crawling through her. However, she sighed and walked away from it, heading to her and Sethrys' bedroom. Nerezza changed out of her work clothes in favor of comfortable pajamas. Then and only then, within the menial task, did she wonder.

What could her parents want?

She shook her head. She and Sethry had made it their first business to leave the old neighborhood by foot, and once out, Nerezza had sold her shoes and jewelry for a small fortune. Her choosing to leave on the one night she would've been wearing it all was pure luck, in her mind. From there she had gotten some average clothes - selling her dress as well - and managed to use a few specific names to find a job. She bunked out with a coworker for a little while before getting enough money to live on her own. Well, as 'on her own' she could be while she lived with Sethry.

The entire time, he had stayed in her shadow to help her acclimate easier, and from there on had helped her research how to be independent. She didn't have a bank account. Didn't have a license. She didn't even have any of the records she needed to acquire those things.

Nerezza sighed as she remembered the incredibly bumpy start that had almost sent her packing back to her parents house. Sethry had made sure it didn't happen; even despite his earlier standing of just letting Nerezza choose.

Now, he came from behind her and wrapped arms around her waist, bumping his horns gently into her head. She'd found that it was one of his ways to show affection, along with the average kissing and hugging and touching and...other intimate things. Still, her heart warmed as he curled her into him.

"You're thinking about the letter?" he asked, if a little unnecessarily.

"What else would I be thinking of?"

He harrumphed. "Oh, I don't know, my amazing skills in -" She slapped his arm, cutting him off.

"I'm serious, Sethry."

He sighed and kissed her head, detaching himself. "I'll make coffee."

She nodded, already thinking about the hot liquid she had become so dependent on. Her parents had never drank coffee, so it had been completely new to her. A lot of things had been a learning experience when she'd initially made it into the new world - for that's what it had been to her.

A whole new world.

***

She cradled a mug of hot coffee, curling her legs up beneath a warm blanket on the couch. The apartment around her was dingy and worn, but it was the first big thing she had ever bought with her own money. She didn't have to pay with meals or showers or other necessities that had been easily made into coinage - but with real money she had earned.

Nerezza shook the thoughts away as Sethry settled next to her, also holding a mug. And a letter.

The letter.

She breathed a long sigh to ease the tightness in her chest. She didn't know what she was about to read.

Hesitantly, she grabbed the letter and threaded a finger through the flap, ripping it open. She stared at the gold embroidered card for a second before pulling it out and flipping the cardstock open.

She read aloud. "'Nerezza, I write this letter to inform that you have been officially disinherited from the Hemp bloodline,'" she said, her eyes widening. Being disinherited meant...she continued. "'Your step-brother, Adrian, has grown into a fine young man and is taking your place. He is everything you were not.

"'You put us in a tight situation with your departure, but suffice it to say that we have corrected ourselves. You will not be allowed anywhere near our lands, people, and friends in the future. Though you were both me and Delilah's blood daughter, we should hope that you hold no ties to us in any way shape or form anymore.

"'From, Ethan Mayor Hemp.'"

Nerezza stared at the paper for several seconds. Stared, studied, reread.

"Does that mean...you're free? Officially?" Ethan asked reading over her shoulder.

She took another long, shaky breath. Her eyes burned, something in her chest swelling unbearably. "I think it does."

Finally, like a dam breaking, she sobbed, turning and clutching onto Sethry. He held her, face tight as if holding off his own tears, but he still held her all the more fiercely.

"I'm free," she said again, in disbelief. She pulled away far enough so she could look into Sethry's dark eyes. "I never have to watch behind my back again. I never have to worry that I'll be found or snatched up or dragged back - I don't have to be a Hemp anymore."

Sethry laughed, kissing her. They stayed that way for several moments, simply soaking in each other's prescence and overwhelming joy.

Nerezza paused, tears still streaming down her face. "Sethry I think I love you."

"That's good."

She laughed, pulling back a bit. "That's it?"

"Well, I don't know if it's possible because I'm a Suaweuft demon but," he turned to her, dark eyes burning, "I think I love you too."

She couldn't find the right words, so she just sat flapping her lips like a fish on dry land. Her chest grew tight.

"Thank you so much, Sethry," she choked. She kissed him again, relying on the touch to explain the love swelling in her chest.

"For what? Helping you escape your parents?" he said jokingly, gently rubbing his horns into her neck like a cat.

"No," she said, "for helping me escape my own limitations. Myself."

***

They were never officially married. To any onlookers, she was a single woman living in an apartment and living her day to day averagely. Not with up and coming billionaires for parents and a step-brother who nearly owned the biggest transnational business in the world.

And obviously, onlookers would never believe she were tangled with a demon - one who had once only been known as the monster under her bed.

***

Short, sweet, and simple.