And for the first time since I’d escaped the Flame, I felt truly homeless again.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
I SAT ATthe long table with a bottle in front of methat was already past half gone, the amber inside sloshin’ when my hand shook. I didn’t remember pourin’ the last drink or liftin’ it to my mouth. Just remembered the burn. Strong. Welcome. The only thing still willin’ to cut through the noise in my head.
Devil sat across from me, elbows on the table, eyes unflinching and watchful. Mystic leaned against the wall a few feet away, arms crossed, quiet in that way that meant he was clockin’ every damn move I made.
Neither of them said a word. Didn’t need to. They were keepin’ me here.
“Pour me another,” I muttered, slidin’ the bottle toward Devil.
He didn’t move. “You’ve had enough.”
I laughed, rough and ugly. “Ain’t even close.”
Mystic pushed off the wall and stepped in, takin’ the bottle before I could reach it. “You’re drinkin’ like a man who wants to forget somethin’ permanent.”
“Good,” I said, the slur in my voice makin’ my jaw tighten. “’Cause I already did.”
“Chain,” Devil said.
I looked at him, eyes burnin’. “She played me. Don’t dress it up. Don’t defend her. She went behind my back. Lied straight to my face. Met another man in a motel like I was some kinda fuckin’ joke.”
Mystic cursed under his breath.
Devil didn’t. He watched me harder. “You sure about that?”
I slammed my palm on the table, the crack echoing through the room. “I saw it. I was there. His hands were on her. She didn’t stop him fast enough to matter.”
“That don’t always mean what you think it means,” Mystic said carefully.
I turned on him slow. “You callin’ me blind?”
“I’m callin’ you hurt,” he said. “And pissed. That’s a dangerous mix.”
I dragged a hand down my face and stared at the empty glass like it might explain somethin’. “I let her in,” I said quieter. “Broke every rule I ever lived by. Imagined a life with her. Took her to meet my family. Let her walk around this place like she belonged to me.”
Devil leaned back just enough to breathe. “And that scared the hell outta you.”
I barked a laugh with no humor in it. “What scares me is realizin’ it was all bullshit.”
“That bastard,” I went on, words heavier now, sinkin’ deep, “he was her first. Thought dead. Turns out he’s real damn alive. You don’t sneak around like that unless there’s somethin’ still there.”
Devil’s gaze flickered. “Or unless you’re scared of blowin’ up your whole life.”
I shook my head hard. “Don’t do that. Don’t make this about sympathy. I’m not the fuckin’ bad guy here.”
“No,” Devil said quietly. “You’re not.”
That stopped me.
Mystic uncrossed his arms. “But you’re not thinkin’ straight either.”
I shoved back from the table, the chair screechin’ across concrete. The room tilted just enough to piss me off. “If I see him again,” I said, voice low and deadly, “I won’t stop until he’s dead.”
Devil was on his feet instantly. Not aggressive. Just there. Solid. “That’s why we’re here.”
Mystic stepped closer, blocking the door without makin’ a show of it. “You’re not leavin’ tonight, brother.”
