“Come on, would you really be happy living there right now, even with me gone? You really want to share a house with my dad? Just you and him?”
He groaned. “Well, when you put it like that, no, that sounds like torture.”
I angled my head so I could stare at him as he drove. I took in his profile, his nose, the way the corner of his mouth was tugged in a smirk—and then I tried to picture him with that mask on, and I just couldn’t do it.
I knew Kieran was my Devil. My Devil was Kieran. The two were different sides of the same coin. Still, for whatever reason, it was difficult for my mind to merge them together. A strange part of me wanted them to be separate, like they were two different people.
It might’ve been weird, but I couldn’t help it. I spent two whole years thinking my Devil was this untouchable person. Someday I might be able to reckon with the fact my Devil and Kieran were the same—maybe I’d even ask Kieran to don that mask for me. For some reason, that mask made him even hotter.
“I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you,” I said softly, and as I said it I wished it wasn’t true. “And when I do see you, you’re only driving me back to school.” It was late Sundayevening now; only reason I had to go back tonight was because I had an early morning class.
Yeah. Kelly told me waking up for high school was way different than waking up for college classes, and she was right. Being in a classroom at eight in the morning Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays was awful.
“It’s been a week,” he said.
“No, it’s been two. Mike took me back to school last week.”
“Shit, you’re right.” We were at a red light, so he was able to look at me. His black eyes were colorless, the same dark eyes I used to see beneath that mask. “It has been forever. Sylvester keeps me so damn busy I haven’t had time to go through withdrawals.”
I couldn’t help it; I chuckled at that. “You make me sound like a drug.”
“That’s because you are. You’ve always been a drug to me, Laina.” His voice lowered, and he leaned over the center console somewhat as he added in a hushed whisper, “And even though you have two other boyfriends, you’re still mine.”
Parts of me warmed up hearing that. Kieran’s possessive side always got me worked up. It might’ve been a red flag to some girls, but not to me. I loved his delicious possessiveness that always seemed to drip off him when I was in the picture. How he’d bicker with the others and try to one-up them.
“And you’re mine,” I told him, meaning it. Cars behind us honked, telling us the light had turned green. Kieran was so wrapped up in me and my response that he didn’t see the light change.
As he put his foot on the gas pedal, he muttered, “It’s just cruel when you say that and we aren’t close to somewhere private. When you say things like that, every part of me goes crazy. You make me lose my mind.”
I grinned at him. I loved making him crazy, it was a nice turn of events after everything. My Devil had me in such a chokehold for so long, and after Kieran got shot… he was all I could think about.
“You know,” he said, “we could swing by my place before I take you back. You’ve still never seen it.” His hands tightened on the wheel. “You’re always so busy with the others when you’re around—”
“You act like it’s only because of me. Didn’t you just say Sylvester keeps you busy?”
The sigh that left Kieran after that was legendary. “Yeah. It’s like the man doesn’t want me to have any free time, which is fine during the week when you’re at school, but on weekends when you’re home, it’s very annoying.”
Bringing up Sylvester again must’ve made him realize something, because he abruptly changed the subject: “You went out with Lola, didn’t you? How did that go? You went to a concert?”
Kieran was, for once, in agreement with Mike when it came to my friendship with Lola. He was supportive of me, of course, but ultimately he didn’t think Lola was a, let’s just call her, good influence—to which I’d say, I didn’t need any good influences in my life. I was only here now, still alive, because of bad influences like Kieran. Shouldn’t it take one to know one and all that? Him and Lola should get along, kidnapping of me aside.
“Yeah, we saw Black Sacrament. They were pretty good—they have masks when they’re on stage and in public. They kind of remind me of you.” As I said it, I pictured him wearing that old devil’s mask. “Maybe one night, when you’re not doing anything for Sylvester and I’m around, you could wear your mask for me again. Maybe chase me through the woods and try to catch me?”
The thought, honestly, was enough to get me going. What made it worse was that we hadn’t spent too much alone timetogether in the past five months. So much had changed, so much had happened, new routines had started… I wanted to say we were all over each other when we were together, but I was pretty sure Kieran was letting me take the lead after everything.
You know, after I found out he was my Devil, that his sister was the one who tried to have him killed, that she wanted me dead, too.
I’d thought a lot about it. Of course I had. I wanted Kieran like I wanted the others, but for some reason, when it was just him and I… we could never go all the way. It was like something was missing, and I could only assume that something was the mask. I needed my Devil back to help me overcome this weirdness. It’s too bad he didn’t keep his mask on him at all times, otherwise things would be way different right now.
He smirked at me. “Is that what you want? Me wearing the mask? You never brought it up before.”
I shrugged and told him, “Maybe hanging out with Lola made me realize it’s okay for me to want what I want.”
“And you want me in my mask. All right. Let’s do it. One weekend when you’re not too busy partying it up with Lola, you and I will go for a little road trip out of town, to somewhere secluded, where I’ll put on my mask and give you a head start.” The grin he flashed me right then told me he found the idea just as thrilling as I did. “I wish you would’ve told me sooner.”
“Life’s been crazy.” He nodded along with me. “You know, when we get there, you could come inside for a while. Kelly knows we’re seeing each other, so she won’t try flirting with you or anything.”
“Worried that I’ll leave you for your best friend?”
