Jean droppedme off at the cabin on the lake. I told her I wanted to go to the station and write up a report, but she’d given me a hard look she never used to have. She told me I’d been attacked by a demon, which made me a victim of a crime. I needed to go home to relax with my man.
Since my man and I were maybe still fighting, I wasn’t sure how much relaxation was going to happen. But one thing was true: I had been attacked by a demon, had been under demon attack for quite some time now. I was tired, angry, and wanted to take a long hot shower then crawl into my pajamas and eat a carton of ice cream.
The lights were on when I got home. I knew Ryder was in there. He had told me he’d be there, waiting.
I took a deep breath, the air zinging with that explosion of smoke and green and salt I’d only found in little seaside towns.
Music. It was the first thing I noticed when I walked into the house. Something soft by the Neutral Milk Hotel. The lamps were on, but the overheads were off.
Spud trotted to me from the living room. I gave him a head rub.
“Good boy,” I said.
Spud wagged his tail.
“Dragon pig will be home soon. It’s doing a little guard dogging in the magic jail for the night.”
At the words “dragon pig,” his mouth dropped open into a happy smile. He dashed off to his stuffed toy pile and started rooting around for tonight’s offering.
“Hey,” Ryder said, soft, questioning. He stood on the other side of the kitchen island, a mug and plate in his hands. “Hungry?”
He looked so at ease right then, wearing the T-shirt, the one with holes across the shoulders he loved too much to get rid of, his hair mussed up like he’d been pulling at it.
I couldn’t have stopped myself from going to him if I’d tried.
His concerned frown lifted as I came near. He had just enough time to place the cup and plate on the counter before I was in his arms. He pulled me in tight, moving his bare feet so I could better fit against him.
I leaned my head on his shoulder and just breathed him in.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. We were together, hearts beating, bodies warm, until our breathing slowed, and fell into sync.
“I miss you,” I said.
He swallowed before saying, “I miss you too.”
He held on for a moment more, then rubbed my back. “I heated up the chicken. And the coffee is fresh.”
I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was to fall into bed. But my stomach growled. I leaned back so I could see him. I really didn’t want to fight. I just wanted to have a nice night at home with him. I just needed to smile and sit down for a nice reheated dinner.
“Not gonna run off all night again, are you?” I said. “I’m beginning to think you’re trying to hide something from me.”
Every muscle tensed. His easy expression went flat as a wall, hard as armor.
“Why don’t we eat?” he said. Another non-answer. He’d been giving me those a lot lately.
“Yeah. That’s fine.”
“You don’t want it?”
“I said it’s fine.”
His arms dropped, and I took one of the stools on other side of the island, leaving him standing in the kitchen.
He placed the plate in front of me and poured me a mug of coffee. “So how did it go? With the Feather and Heartwood?”
“No one wanted to press charges.”
“Good. What happened to your hands?”
