I shrugged and stole his beer, taking a sip. “That’s terrible.”
He laughed. “I like it.”
“Speaking of beer, I have it on good authority that you have a thing for Meredith.”
His face went blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I nudged him. “I was only teasing. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
Vas cursed and got to his feet. There went his good mood. I was the worst.
“I might’ve had a thing for her.”
“Past tense?”
He scowled. “When you and I first met, you knew who I was when I introduced myself.”
“It took me a while to get it, but yeah, the name Vassago rang a bell.”
“Known for discovering a woman’s deepest secret, finding lost things, and foretelling the past, present, and future,” he said, bitterness clear in his voice.
I wasn’t surprised that he’d remembered my exact words. Demons were like that.
His eyes met mine. “Did you tell Meredith who I was?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been so busy over the past few months, I’ve barely had a chance to talk to Mere. What happened, Vas?”
The demon looked miserable, and I gave into the urge to give him a hug. He heaved a sigh and wrapped his arms around me.
“My power doesn’t work all the time. I lose things constantly, and I sure as shit haven’t ever been able to foretell the future. That’s Bael’s territory.”
I opened my mouth to ask exactly why his power was so spotty and he drew back, dropping his arms. “I’ll go into the reasons one day. My power didn’t work on you, remember?”
I nodded and drew back. “But it worked on Meredith?”
“Not at first. But one day I was sitting in the bar and it came to me. Her darkest secret. It didn’t matter to me,” he said. “I didn’t care. But we got to talking, and a few weeks later, someone must have figured out who I was and told her. She asked if I knew her secret.”
Vas wouldn’t have lied.
“I’m so sorry.”
“She never specifically said anything, but she stopped talking to me. Had her fae bartender serving me instead. It’s pretty clear that she no longer wants anything to do with me.”
I swallowed. “Her secret… is it something that could get her in a lot of trouble?”
He nodded. “But I wouldn’t let that happen. I’d protect her.”
“She doesn’t know you, Vas. From what I’ve seen, Meredith is fiercely independent. She works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. The idea of a guy she barely knows having access to her darkest secret… I can’t imagine how vulnerable she feels. In her mind, you’re an axe hanging over her neck, and that axe could drop at any time.”
Vas flinched. Then he got to his feet and turned, stalking over to the window. “So you’re saying I don’t have a hope. I should just forget about it.”
“No, I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that expecting Mere to be okay with you knowing her deepest, darkest secret, it’s a lot.”
His eyes were wounded when he glanced over his shoulder at me. “I’d never do anything to fuck up her life.”
“I know. Maybe you need to let Meredith know that too. And give her time.”
Evie appeared, her hair wrapped in a towel. She was wearing a pair of my old sweats.
