As far as I was aware, he hadn’t been able to do the last two. Yet. But the first… Oh yeah, he knew my deepest secret.
And a tiny part of me hated him for it.
The corner of his mouth twitched, as if he was reading my mind. At some point, my gaze had strayed back to him without my awareness. Damn it.
“How are you doing, Mere?” He leaned against the bar, so close I could almost feel the heat of his body. I took a large step back, covering the movement by realigning the bottles of liquor so all their labels faced out.
“Ah, fine. Thanks. How are you doing?”
I glanced at him in time to catch the ironic twist of his lips. Those lips had inspired too many of my fantasies to count.
“Better,” was all he said.
This was awkward. We used to be able to chat about almost anything. Now? Every conversation was painful.
I took a deep breath and stepped closer. Vas had always watched me as if he was a predator. But usually, those incredible eyes also held a spark of humor. Now, there was only desolation.
“I’m sorry about Ag,” I murmured. “I meant to tell you, after the battle…”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
I wasn’t used to this weird formality. I got the feeling Vas had come here looking for something he needed, and I wasn’t giving it to him. I hadn’t seen Vas after the battle because he’d disappeared. No one had seen him for weeks, but I knew why he was in our realm.
So he could hunt Lucifer’s greatest assassin.
Before the battle, I would have said Vas didn’t stand a chance. But something had happened after Daimonion killed Ag. Vas came into powers he shouldn’t have received for centuries.
His demon fire had hurt the assassin. I’d seen it, right before Vas dropped to his knees, where Ag had been lying crumpled on the ground.
“You want a beer?”
Vas just looked at me. Then he slowly shook his head. We stared at each other for one long moment, and then he nodded, as if I’d spoken.
“Goodbye, Meredith.” He turned to leave.
I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from telling him not to go. From begging him to stay here, where he’d be safe. From screaming at him that he wasn’t supposed to give up on me.
I could count on one hand the number of times Vas had called me by my full name, and he’d never spoken so formally to me.
He no longer wanted me. Knew I couldn’t give him what he needed.
Something in my chest twisted. “Goodbye, Vassago.”
He walked out the door, and my eyes burned as I watched him go.
No. No, this was a good thing. The last time he’d stepped into this bar, he’d leaned close—right up in my personal space—and declared that I was no longer allowed to avoid him.
I’d punched him before I was aware I’d moved. Then I’d stared at my hand, horrified. All these years behind a bar, dealing with creatures from every faction, and I’d never hit someone who hadn’t first gotten physical with me.
I’d opened my mouth to apologize, and Vas had merely thrown his head back, roaring with laughter as he rubbed his jaw.
“See you soon, baby,” he’d purred, and I’d barely restrained myself from pouring a pitcher of water over his head.
That Vas was gone.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat.
Thiswasa good thing.
