Ayawn forces its way out of me and I try not to let the water in my eyes mess up my mascara. He still hasn’t called me. It’s well past nine and I’m just…here. He was so confident that he could summon me, but what if he can’t?
I stand up and do a quick set to get my blood pumping. I do my best to be quiet so I don’t alert Grandma and Ace to the fact that I’m still here. Everyone knew I was supposed to have a date with Rhaz tonight—everyone who knows he exists.
And yet here I am.
Punching thin air.
In my room.
Alone.
Did he forget?
Indignant heat surges up my chest to my face.
It’s a plausible explanation. He has his own bar to run, and plenty of distractions.
What if an IBMA officer is there?
The heat cools into guilty dread. Maybe he’s stuck with an inspection team, and he’s trying his best to just pass their judgement, whatever it entails.
I turn to the little mirror beside the door and look at myself again. My short hair is styled with some of Ace’s gel, but I kept the pink strands free and flowy.
I flap my lips and turn away from the mirror. There’s only so many sets I can do before I get so sweaty my mascara runs, so I move to my laptop and start working on the website POS. Nai Nai insists that she’s going to sell both cookies and tea. So after dinner, Ace showed me how to set up an inventory, and now it’s a perfect distraction from the call I’m not getting from my demon boyfriend.
I set up a menu page that shows off our recent special, the Caramel Corona Crunch, with a nice picture I snapped from my phone. I had to make the dang drink six times before I felt it was picture-worthy. That was a lot of coffee to drink. Good thing that was hours ago…
I yawn again and look at the glowing tattoo on my wrist.
No sensation moves through me like when Rhaz touched my name on his forearm. No feeling at all stems from looking at it. Only frustration.
Maybe I should check on him. Maybe the skreet are back and he needs my help!
I jump to my feet at the thought, itching to fight. I’m ready for a rematch with those creepy cockroaches. I’ll astral projectinto the space behind the bar and just poke around. If there’s one of those interdimensional magic officers there, I can dip out quick without being noticed. Hopefully.
I blow all the breath out of my lungs and shake out my limbs. My eyes roll back and my body goes ramrod straight as my spirit pours out into the astral plane. The world becomes a neon utopia, everything bright and glistening against deep shadows of the space between.
I dive through the floor and find the door to the bar right where it should be. But the last time I did that, I manifested a body there. No…I don’t want to do that. I just want topeekinside, not go inside.
A window is what I need.
I go to the door to the street, but a shimmering red light rebuffs me. It’s warm, and I remember Rhazan can’t leave—and I’m using his power. If only I knew how to separate him from me. But that’s for another time.
There’stechnicallya window under the bar. The glass case where we’re going to display Nai Nai’s treats. Yeah, that could work!
I fly over the door that leads to his realm and move behind the bar. I float just above the ground and position myself behind the glass. It’s dark on the other side, the obsidian glass walls glowing from within. I lean closer and look to the left, then right.
I suck in a gasp as I take in all the details of the decorated bar. Candlelight flickers on a table set with a deep red cloth, and two chairs are placed side by side.
The sound of Rhaz’s voice vibrates through the glass. He’s animated. Excited.
Rhazan approaches the table with a covered bamboo steamer and my stomach swoops at the sight of him. His hair is pulled back with fancy gold pins, and his horns are decorated with golden rings. He’s wearing a collared black shirt with two buttons undone at the top, and there’s a little kerchief in his pocket with golden embroidery. He’s wearing gold bangles like me, and even his tail is dressed up in the shiny metal.
He’s so regal.
The blue demon—Apollo!—sets a dish of something that looks like noodles down beside the steamer.
“You think she’ll like all this?” Rhaz asks with a wince.
