Daisy immediately adored Jinx, as I knew she would. The girl had great taste. He in turn was fantastic with her. I wondered if he had little siblings in Hell. Or his own kids. It was startling to realize that I had no idea how old he was.
I knew demon young were very rare, so it was unlikely he had his own children, no matter how old he was. But nobody got that good with kids without practice. It must be siblings, I told myself. Ignoring the fact that it was what I wanted to believe. I didn’t like the idea of him having a family of his own. People he might choose to go back to. People he would choose over me.
Mid-morning, I brought out the dress-up box I kept at my house. Daisy had methodically tried every outfit on Jinx. The demon had grinned like an idiot and placidly been her doll.
Then it was back to coloring. It was her favorite. The little girl was obsessed. I watched Jinx concentrating on his coloring. He was biting his bottom lip and had a little furrow between his brows. The tiara Daisy had crowned him with was a little lopsided and the pink tutu was a great addition to the leotard.
I smiled fondly. He was perfect. A little rattled by my thoughts I shook my head to clear it. I should start thinking about lunch. Daisy loved pasta. I wondered if Jinx would like it? I knew he would be happy to try it.
Suddenly, Jinx sat bolt upright, the green pen falling from his fingers. Alarmed, I cast out with my magic. I couldn’t sense anything amiss. Couldn’t see anything or hear anything wrong. What had caught his attention?
“Jinx?” I tried.
He didn’t respond. His eyes were unfocused, whatever had his attention, wasn’t in the here and now. It was something I couldn’t sense. It was incredibly spooky. I shivered. Then yelped in fright as he jumped up, turned on his heels and ran full pelt towards the living room wall. There was a shadow on it caused by the window blind and Jinx disappeared into it.
Reflexively, I flinched. The part of my brain that only understood mundane physics fully expected to see Jinx out cold on the floor, having run into a solid object. The fact that he wasn’t, as well as the fact he had completely vanished, raised goosebumps all over me. My mind was flummoxed, as well as disoriented.
Daisy stared at me. “Jinx gone bye-bye?”
I nodded. “Yes, Jinx gone bye-bye. You want some pasta?”
She grinned at me and nodded. I wished everyone was so easily distracted or unphased by the laws of physics being broken. I gave her a reassuring smile and headed for the kitchen. Worry gnawing at my gut. I hoped Jinx was okay and that it was merely some important incubus business. He was entitled to his privacy and his own life, of course he was. I just hope he understood I was here if he needed any help.
It was a ridiculous thought. Jinx had been dealing with his own problems his entire life before he met me. It was crazy of me to now feel responsible for them. I yearned to protect him, keep him safe. It seemed my possessiveness knew no bounds and couldn’t accept that he was competent and capable of looking after himself. I had solved his problem with the mundane friends of his summoners. The Grimoire that had caught him was in my possession. There wasn’t much else in this realm that could harm him. He was going to be fine. He didn’t need me. I didn’t need him.
Sighing, I glanced at the clock and tried to tell myself that I wasn’t going to count the hours until he came back. Hopefully Daisy would keep me distracted. Jinx was going to come back. He was. I just knew it.
Chapter eleven
Ezmecameandpickedup Daisy in the early evening. I waved them off, feeling the oppressive quiet of my house like a weight on my shoulders. My home was far too still, far too empty. I shivered as I shut the front door.
I turned the TV on just to attempt to fill the void with some background noise. I cooked myself some chicken and rice whilst wondering why I was bothering. Cooking for one sucked. Even getting the portion sizes right was annoying.
Settling on the sofa with my plate on my lap, I tried to find something to watch. Nothing looked interesting, so I clicked on ‘surprise me’ on Netflix and let the images and sound wash over me. The clock on the wall called to me. It was a challenge to resist its pull. Knowing how long Jinx had been gone was no help in knowing when he would be back. He could be busy for hours or days or forever. There was no way of telling.
I finished my dinner and dumped the plate in the sink before returning to slump on the sofa. The hours dragged until my eyes were drooping. It was stupid to stay up waiting. A sudden yawn overtook me and I realized that sleep would be nice. The hours would pass quickly and perhaps Jinx would be back in the morning.
I looked around me for the remote but couldn’t see it anywhere. Scowling in annoyance I turned the TV off with a flick of magic. I didn’t bother turning on the lights as I made my way down the hallway to my bedroom.
A shadowy figure by my bedroom door startled me. A fraction of a second later I realized it was Jinx. He bounded down the hallway and jumped up into my arms. I staggered back a step as I caught him.
His legs were around my waist and his arms around my neck. He grinned at me. He was still wearing the tiara, pink tutu and leotard. He looked unharmed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded keenly, then he kissed me. Thoroughly, deeply, hungrily. It ignited my own need and I returned the kiss enthusiastically. I wanted to taste him, consume him. Drink in the feel of him in my arms and the feel of his lips on my own. I needed to reassure my soul that he was here, back in my arms where he belonged. He had come back to me and it was wonderful. The sheer joy that rushed through me nearly brought me to tears.
I moaned as my hands drifted down to cup his ass. I staggered forward, suddenly desperate to make it to my room and the bed. I needed him on it, and naked, and I needed it now.
Somehow I made it. He wasn’t exactly heavy but I wasn’t a big guy. I lay him down on my bed as he looked up at me with his bright eyes. I swallowed, how on earth had I gotten this lucky? My thoughts swiftly turned to trying to figure out how to get him out of the leotard.
Suddenly he growled and the sound rumbled through me. Deep, ominous, full of threat. His eyes narrowed, a dark promise in their depths. My heart started thumping like crazy. Then I realized we were not alone. Three mages stood around the bed. My shattered wards pulsed weakly at me.
I stared at the invaders in alarm. One of them spoke.
“I am Elthion Methuen, Enforcer of the Council. Septimus Ravenson, you and your demon are under arrest.”
The only thought in my head was ‘shit’. Jinx’s growl intensified. I reached out and took his hand to give him a reassuring squeeze.
