I slid out from under him. “Stay in bed until Ezme is gone,” I instructed as I tucked the covers around him. Grabbing a pair of boxers from my chest of drawers, I hopped into them before answering the front door just as Ezme was sliding the key into the lock.
“You need to stop doing this,” I snapped.
Ezme raised one eyebrow. “It’s Thursday, you always have Daisy on Thursdays.”
I blinked at her stupidly for a long moment. How had I lost track of the days? Was I really so obsessed with Jinx that everything else was being forgotten?
I gave Daisy a warm smile before pulling a silly face. She beamed up at me. Her blue eyes sparkling. The kid was always in a good mood. It was a miracle and a blessing. If only I could always be so cheery.
Ezme shoved a takeout cup of iced coffee into my hand. The chill against my palm was startling.
“Good thing I got you this,” she said. “Looks like you need it.”
Dazedly I took a sip, she was probably right. Coffee was the answer to most problems. Cold sweetness flowed over my tongue. This one was delicious.
“Extra vanilla, just like you,” smirked Ezme.
“Fuck you!” I grumbled. “I’m not vanilla.”
“Don’t swear in front of my daughter!” gasped Ezme in mock indignation.
I turned to Daisy. “Sorry, Uncle Seb said a bad word.” I really was a terrible uncle. Swearing in front of a toddler was awful, even if her mother merely thought it was amusing.
Daisy just giggled and skipped inside. Her sparkly pink rucksack bouncing on her back. I wondered what fun things she had in her bag today. It was going to be wonderful to watch Jinx explore them. He took such delight in everything.
“Bye, Sweetie!” called Ezme to Daisy, but the little girl was already out of sight.
“Have a nice day at work,” I said to Ezme.
She gave me a bemused look before muttering, “Thanks,” and leaving.
Belatedly I realized that I wasn’t usually so nice to her. I needed to do better. She was my sister. Family was important. Being good to people was essential to making the world go round.
I shut the door and shook my head at myself. Where the hell had all these sappy thoughts come from? What on earth had come over me?
As I walked into the living room, I saw Jinx was already on the rug with Daisy, helping her empty her backpack of goodies. He had stolen a pair of my black sweatpants to wear and I found myself wishing he had gone for a gray pair. Though, looking at his naked chest, I realized that was going to be distracting enough. He was too slender to be ripped but his abs were clearly contoured. A very athletic look, all definition without the bulk. His stomach was extremely taunt with not a hint of pouch. His nipples were dusky and extremely inviting.
I swallowed dryly. Then I went to the bedroom to find him a tee shirt. I returned with a plain white one and handed it to him wordlessly. He took it whilst flashing me an anxious look, like he was worried he had made a mistake. My stomach flipped over. He hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t his fault I was a massive horny pervert who couldn’t keep my eyes off of him.
“It’s fine, you are right. Most of the time guys can go topless. It’s just because I can’t stop looking at you,” I explained.
He grinned at me, with pride and delight shining in his eyes. Then he popped the tee shirt on. I smiled softly. It felt so strange to be so open and honest with someone. But it was probably something I could get used to. Especially with Jinx. Telling him the truth didn’t make me feel vulnerable. He wasn’t going to twist it and use it against me. Jinx didn’t play games.
I was smiling so much that my face hurt, but I couldn’t stop. I left Daisy with Jinx while I went to the kitchen to add more sweetener to the iced coffee Ezme had brought me.
I yawned as I stood in the kitchen, stirring the coffee. Happiness was lovely, but it certainly didn’t help me to wake up in the morning. My phone pinged faintly from where it was charging on the bedside table. Taking my coffee with me, I wandered down the hall to check if it was anything important.
It was a message from an informant I was using to track down the mob members. Great news. Another location where I could find them. As soon as Ezme picked up Daisy, I’d head off to see to business. Though, the Grand Master hadn’t seemed that bothered. He’d merely seemed interested in making sure there were no further incidents.
Maybe I didn’t need to be so thorough in my cover up? The thought appealed to me. I quickly looked up the contact details for the Council and fired off a brief email with my enquiry, chuckling to myself at how bemused mundanes would be that paranormals could email their Council. But, hey, if mundanes were going to invent convenient technology, we were certainly going to use it.
I pulled on some pajama pants and slipped my phone into the pocket. I was just about to pick up my coffee and head back to the living room when I heard it. Screaming. Thumping. Snarling.
Daisy was screaming. I sprinted down the hall, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind balked at the sight that I saw. The living room was destroyed, furniture all up ended, and scattered everywhere. Daisy was huddled in the far corner, a large cut on her cheek. Jinx was standing over her, his claws out and bloodied and his eyes blazing.
I threw a blast of magic at him, all sizzling rage and horror. It hit him forcefully in the gut, sending him sprawling over the upended sofa to land unseen behind it with a satisfying thud.
I ran over to Daisy and scooped her up in my arms. Sitting her gently on the kitchen counter, I operated my phone one handed whilst running a cloth under the tap.
