This was her acting, and I didn’t like the part she was playing. It only took a split second to see that this Roxy was calculated, not warm, not loving and sweet. She was who she needed to be in this pit of vipers.
The door opened and she smiled. “Grimmel! It’s been forever,” she said to the dour-faced male holding the door open a foot and peering out.
“Miss, Roxana.” He wasn’t happy. “My master wasn’t expecting you.”
“No, and that’s my bad. Luci has me traveling all over the place. A tour, if you will, visiting all our friends as a gesture of goodwill, to show them how much we appreciate them.” She slid the small red box from her pocket and held it up. “I have a gift for Drake, chosen especially for him by Lucifer.”
The lies rolled off her tongue with practiced ease.
Grimmel’s gaze slid from her to me, then back. “And your companion?”
“Oh! This is my paramour, Lothar.” She giggled. “I can’t bear to leave home without him, especially on such a long journey.” She slid her arm around mine. “Isn’t that right, Cookie Monster?”
Cookie Monster? What the fuck? “Yeah, that’s right…” I searched my mind for a name, and it popped up out of nowhere. “Kitten.”
Roxy’s head snapped back, the smile still plastered on her face, but she’d stiffened against me, and her eyes looked a little wild.
Grimmel didn’t seem to notice the change, but I did. I noticed every tiny thing about Roxy lately.
“I’ll check with the master, and see if he’s free.”
Roxy’s smile shifted, not nice, not sweet or friendly. “Of course, though I’m sure he can find time for me. Lucifer would be so disappointed if I wasn’t able to personally deliver his very thoughtful gift.”
The threat was veiled, but there was no missing it. If you want to keep Lucifer as an ally, then let us in or you won’t like the consequences.
And sure enough, three minutes after Grimmel left us waiting at the door, he was back, welcoming us into the house.
The tall male was spindly, like skin stretched over bone. I didn’t like the way he looked at Roxy, as if she were a snack he wanted to take a bite out of, and honestly, I didn’t fucking like the way he looked at me either.
“The master will see you at dinner. Until then, I’ll show you to your room.” He looked down his long nose. “And you can freshen up.”
We followed the walking corpse up stairs that were uneven in depth and height to the second floor, then down a hall that wasn’t even close to straight. The whole place was misshapen and uneven. Grimmel opened the door with a flourish. “Your room. I trust you’ll find your accommodations acceptable?”
Roxy patted his arm as we walked by. “This will do nicely.”
He bowed a little and stepped back. “Dinner will be in an hour. The master requires formal attire. If you don’t have anything appropriate, I’m sure you will find something suitable in one of the closets.” His beady gaze slid over me, before darting back to Roxy. “There are fresh towels in the bathroom.” Then he backed out completely, and shut us in.
I spun to Roxy. “What the fuck was that?”
She screwed up her face and strode to the window, shoving open the drapes. “Grimmel has been with Drake for so long I don’t remember one without the other.”
“I don’t trust him.” Roxy opened the window, no doubt for me. My gut tightened. I didn’t like that she knew how her scent affected me, my rogue beast hated that I’d said something and was pissed off that I’d caused her distress. I was starting to agree. I wished I could take it back.
“You shouldn’t,” she said, turning back to me. “You shouldn’t trust anything or anyone in this house.”
We held each other’s gaze. Was that another dig at me? Then she cleared her throat, breaking the weird vibe that had surrounded us and scanned the room.
“You think they’re watching us?”
“In here? I don’t think so. Pissing me off would mean pissing off Lucifer, and that’s not something Drake would risk. It’s the only reason we were granted admittance. But let’s stay cautious.”
I nodded and closed the space between us, dropping my hands to her waist, wanting her to know that her scent wasn’t bothering me, that she didn’t repel me, at least not right then, and that I did trust her. And yeah, I wanted to know if she’d let me touch her, or if she’d deny me and push me away.
She stilled, standing there like one of the statues outside, but she didn’t shove me back. Pushing my luck, I leaned in, and her eyes widened before I pressed my mouth to her ear. “Just in case they are listening, we should probably continue to play our roles.”
Rox released a shaky little breath that lifted the hair on my neck. “You’re probably right.”
“Yeah?”
