Robert licked his lips like he was thinking about tasting more than Maggie’s cookies. Oh no, no, no, no. He was like, what? Ten years her senior? Was that legal?
“I’m partial to the white chocolate and raspberry ones myself.”
“Noted. Berries and cocoa beans.” I moved to the left, blocking his line of sight. “I’ll get Dave or Hudson to drop them around.”
“Or I can pick them up.”
I parked my hands on my hips just as the air shifted, and a god stepped out of the shadows. Robert glanced over his shoulder and then back at me with an arched brow. He definitely had the calm disposition that Maggie would need from a partner, but I was clueless where this little connection even began. Did I miss speed dating night? On account of all the supernatural drama, I could be forgiven for forgetting it.
“Who are you?” Robert asked as he scanned Donn up and down.
The god of death was clothed in what I think passed for casual wear. He seemed to have discovered the joy of denim and the roll-neck sweater, in his on-brand all black.
Donn frowned at Robert. “The god of death. You?”
“Sheriff.”
“I see. Cora, are you ready for our date?”
“Wait, you and Hudson broke up? I’m sure I got an invitation to your wedding just this week.”
The invitations were out? Well, he knew more than me, like the date of my impending nuptials. Before the panic of a coordinated and highly attended event where I was the center of attention took hold, I opted for the less terrifying event of a date with death.
“No, we didn’t break up,” I said as I moved past Robert. “This is a work thing.”
Dark tendrils kissed the air around Robert, who didn’t flinch.
“Is this another of your suitors?” Donn asked. He made me sound like a complete hussy. I didn’t have many suitors. I had a growly, slightly psychotic mate and a pushy god who thought dates in cemeteries were the pinnacle of a romantic encounter.
“Nope, no more suitors for me,” I said, pressing my hand to Donn’s chest and guiding him away from my home.
“So he’s a colleague?” Robert said. He wasn’t letting this go. “Does Hudson know?”
I turned on my heel and glared at the sheriff, who was in danger of being added to my shit list. “He is the literal god of death who is leaking power into my grandmother, who, as you know, is starting a war that you and your little band of troopers have absolutely no hope of surviving. So he’s blackmailing me into dating him in exchange for weakening her.”
“You’re offering your body in payment for power?” Robert snapped.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. What was it with the men around here? “No, I am sacrificing my time and a little of my soul to save the damn world. I don’t see you doing anything to help.”
Robert folded his arms and lifted a brow. “Nobody told you to do this.”
Why was he challenging me about something he had no clue about? Oh.Oh.“Naughty, naughty, Sheriff. Sorry, you’ll have to inform your new shifter bestie and my mate that you couldn’t delay me long enough.” I held my hand out to Donn. “Ready when you are.”
Donn smirked at the sheriff. “As my lady demands.”
Not helping, Donn.He took my hand, and the air folded. One moment I was stepping onto the porch; the next, sound assaulted my ears and cold air slammed into me like a wall. A swell of voices rose and fell in a single, thunderous rhythm, the noise vibrating through my bones. And there was yellow. So much yellow.
An arena stretched out before me, ice gleaming under brutal white lights, and burly padded players skated in tight, aggressive lines.
“What are we doing here?” I whispered.
Donn puffed out his chest. “I was advised that this was an optimal courting environment,” he said. “Shared tension. Ritualized violence. Communal screaming.”
I stared at him. “You brought me on a date to an ice hockey game?”
“Yes.”
“The Nashville Predators,” I read off the massive screen as the crowd erupted. The world was ending, and people were stillattending sporting events. Why? Who knows? To feel connected, maybe.
