Celine grabs Luca’s hand and leads him to the bedroom. She carefully places the feather in the drawer of her bedside table, then glances at her leather jacket. It’s dangling off the end of the bed where she tossed it when she came in.
Her brown eyes narrow, then she growls. “Fuck me, I can’t do it.” Grabbing the jacket, she stomps into the closet, and I hear hangers rattling. When she comes back out, her face is more annoyed than it was when she went in.
“It’s okay to want an orderly space, angel,” I say.
“I know that.” Celine shrugs. “Some demon told me to embrace the chaos, though, and I’m exploring what that’s like for me.”
“It’s not terrible advice, but I think you’ll be able to embrace uncontrollable chaos more if you keep your home the way you like it.” Luca takes his shirt off, folds it neatly, then puts it on the bedside table.
He crawls into the bed, his eyes drifting closed as soon as his head hits the pillow. With his chest bare and the blanket slung low over his hips... I want to follow him under those covers.Smirking, I tug the comforter down to expose his lower abs. Celine grins at me and fans her neck.
Luca cracks one eye open. “Stop eye fucking me. Both of you. I’m too tired.”
“Have a good nap,” I say, backing away from the bed reluctantly. “I have to touch base with some of my contacts, then check on Harry. I’ll see you both at the club tonight.”
Celine frowns at me. “Take the demon with you.”
“You mean, your best friend, Ciprian?”
“He surprises me.” Celine looks thoughtful as she snuggles into Luca’s side. “Constantly.”
“And that’s a good thing?” I pause with my hand on the door.
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Think about it while you sleep,” I suggest.
Celine perks up. “Do you know a way to make dreams productive?”
“Why do you sound excited about that?” Luca groans. “Go to sleep. Dream like a normal person.”
“What do normal people even dream about?” I ask, shaking my head, curious to hear what a mythical shifter such as Luca could think is normal.
“You know, sex, getting eaten by a shark... shit like that.” He yawns, his mouth stretching wide.
“So wet dreams and nightmares? Got it.” Celine stretches and her left wing smacks Luca in the face.
He sputters, his eyes snapping open as he removes feathers from his mouth. “Those things should come with a warning label.”
I chuckle, strangely reluctant to leave them. But I’m not someone who naps, and I’m falling behind with my business. I need to make calls, work through my latest encryption system, and vet the additional supernatural foster homes I’ve uncovered.
Despite all of that, I’m almost tempted to throw off decades of precedent and crawl back into bed with Celine and Luca.
“Be safe, Ali.” Luca’s voice is raspy, and when I look, I find his hazel eyes locked on me.
“Of course.” I smile. Then—unable to resist—I go back to the bed and pull the covers over Celine, kissing her surprised mouth. “Have a good nap.”
Leaving the room quickly before I can do anything else to embarrass myself, I find Ciprian sitting on the couch. He’s scrolling on his phone as a mindless sitcom plays on the TV.
“You’re clearly busy.” I smirk around my fangs. “But are you up for a field trip?”
“Yes,” he responds without looking.
“It could be dangerous.”
“Even better; I need to charge.”
I tilt my head, considering him. Most supernaturals guard their magical secrets viciously. His comment, while vague, was oddly lax. There’s no way Ciprian grew up in a fringe community—I’m starting to think he’s just good at blending in.
