Flyn’s smile falters, just a little. “You were making the walls glow, Jadey. I needed to get help.”
Oh. That’s not good. That’s not good at all.
My hand flies up to my amulet. Has it stopped working? I clutch the leather tightly and look at Gray.
“It was tangled in the bedclothes,” he says. “The cord must have snapped while you were fucking.”
My cheeks heat so fast it stings, but there is no time for embarrassment. “Is itworking now?”
Gray nods solemnly.
“Everything is fine,” says Pink. “We got here in time. You didn’t awaken any portals or cause any harm. You only drew some magic-gathering runes.”
A tiny flicker of relief begins to curl in my chest, but this still isn’t good. I can’t believe I didn’t notice the amulet falling off. How was I so careless, and how come I didn’t feel its absence? Either the physical weight of it, or the gentle thrum of its magic?
Even more worrying is the fact I blacked out so utterly. I don’t remember drawing on the walls. I don’t remember the fey coaxing me to do anything. The last thing I remember is snuggling Flyn in bed after giving him a shower and then rimming him.
My world has gone from heavenly to hellish in the blink of an eye. Oh goddess, I’m going to be sick. This is terrifying and deeply, deeply unsettling.
“You should lock me up!” I blurt.
My heart is racing now. What if next time I wake up, it’s to a bloody mess that was Flyn? Or a world conquered by the fey?
It is a very real possibility. I nearly opened a portal before, and I killed a very powerful vampire while I was under the fey’s control. There is no telling what I am capable of.
I’m a danger to everybody and everything that I love.
“Do you think locking you up is necessary?” Red asks.
“Yes!” I all but shout. I look around my friends’ worried faces and I take a deep breath. “Clearly, all the evidence is pointing to the fact that I’m a dangerous liability.”
Red turns to Gray with a questioning look on his face. The demon shrugs, almost casually. “The amulet is working.”
I bite my bottom lip. Gray’s calm should be reassuring. He is a very powerful demon. However, I also know he is mostly bewildered by our horror at the thought of the fey invading. Gray doesn’t care if our world is overrun. He only helps prevent it because he understands that it matters to us.
He is confident the amulet he created is working, but clearly, it’s not infallible. It could fall off again. Or enough of the fey’s whispers could reach me to tell me to take it off. For all I know, that could be exactly what happened today.
“We should see what the Grand Master says,” says Carter.
I nearly bark out a hysterical laugh at that. It’s such a Carter thing to say. He is still a loyal Council Enforcer at heart. Some habits die hard and he can’t be blamed for that.
Ned straightens up. “Like fuck are we getting that necromancer involved in our business!”
“But he is super powerful and good at keeping everyone safe.” Lello’s blue eyes are wide and full of worry. My guts twist. Sweet little Lello should never look like that.
Ned huffs and rolls his eyes, and an agitated silence swirls around the room. The weight of everyone’s thoughts is thickening gravity.
“Wait!” Flyn suddenly exclaims. “Necromancers are real too? That’s so cool!”
I stare at his beaming face. His exuberance is so incongruous it has short-circuited my mind. My brain has stalled.
“Has someone given you the paranormal-is-real talk?” I say weakly.
Flyn puffs out his chest. “Yep! Pink filled me in!”
My gaze turns to Pink, who shrugs. “He took the news well.”
That’s it. I’m done. I’m out of thoughts, let alone words. I am completely incapable of responding.
