“I thought I was going somewhere safe,” she haltingly began.
“Where are you?” I demanded.
She gave me the address.
“I’m coming for you.”
“Wait, there’s more you should know first.”
“What else do I need to know? You’re with Lucifer, the one man we swore to protect you from. We know him. You have to get away as fast as you can.”
Her soft, warm palm rested on top of my hand. “He’s done something to the house. I can’t leave. I’ve been trying for hours. Every exit is spelled. I tried to step off the porch and ended up back at the front door. Same with the windows. I think it might be a ward or, I dunno... I’ve never seen anything like it. But I have no way out on my own. I... You broke me, and I’m so angry with you all, but I need your help.”
I tucked the information away to share with the others. The need to get to her was an insistent itch beneath my skin.
“We'll be there as soon as we can. Whatever’s waiting for us, we’ll handle it.”
“And if you can’t?”
I hated the little wobble in her voice, that she had any reason to doubt us or our ability to protect her.
“We will.”
“Mal . . .”
Threading our fingers, I squeezed her hand. “I won’t rest until you’re back with us. None of us will. But you need to feed, hellcat. You’re starved.”
She released a heavy sigh, her eyes dropping to her knees. “I know.”
“Have you fed at all since you left us?” That question tasted like ashes in my mouth. The last thing I wanted was for her to be feeding off anyone other than the four of us. We were meant to be her providers and protectors.
“I tried. That’s how I found out the truth of who he was, but after that...”
“Take from me,” I insisted, pushing away the jealousy that rose like a tidal wave at the thought of Lucifer getting everything he didn’t deserve.
She opened her mouth like she was going to deny me, but I stepped closer and placed a finger against her lips.
“You need this. If, for some reason, we can’t get to you, keeping your power topped up is the only hope you have to fight him. I know things are a mess between us at the moment, and I’m not going to deny the role I played in that, but this is bigger than either of us. This is literal life or death. So I mean it, Merri. Take from me. Take as much as you need.”
Uncertainty flickered across her face, but she nodded. “Okay.”
I sat down, sliding the chair across the floor just enough so I was directly in front of where she was perched. The need to touch her had me trembling as I reached out to run my fingers along her ankle and then up the side of her calf.
Merri flinched, and regret ate away at any possible excitement I might have been feeling.
“Merri—”
“It doesn’t have to mean anything, Malice.”
“But it does mean something. Every time with you means something.”
Her expression shuttered, her lips no longer soft but drawn into a tight line. “That was before. Now you’re basically a taco.”
“A taco?”
“Would you prefer if I called you a hamburger?” she asked with an arched brow. “You’re a way for me to eat, Malice. That’s all this is. You made it clear.”
Anger got the better of me. “I did no such thing.”
