That last part should have been enough to knock some sense into Nate, and yet…When he thought back to Kaz’s reaction in the car, everything came together with more clarity.
Kazimir Ambrose, the big bad Brumal mafia underboss, was nothing more than a giant kid, right down to the temper tantrums whenever he didn’t get his way. That’s what the sex in the car had really been about, and that’s why he’d made off with Nate’s clothing after waking alone.
When she’d been younger, Neve had done similar things. If she was mad at him, she’d hide the holo-vision remote, or leave the microwave counter on so it would go off at random intervals in the middle of the night. Once, she’d even soaked his shoes in water and covered them with glitter.
A Devil of Vitality might be too much for Nate to handle. But a full-grown adult acting like a pre-teen? Been there, done that.
“Hey!” Neve spotted him the second he entered the theater, standing over by the concession stand next to a tall man with lilac hair and chunky gold glasses. She beamed at Nate as he headed over and handed the popcorn tub she was holding to the guy at her side. “You made it!”
“Sorry, I’m late.” Nate engulfed her in a hug, taking momentary refuge in the familiarity of it. Ever since she’d moved out, it felt like his life had taken a nose dive, and he hadn’t realized just how bad things had gotten until now.
Still, he couldn’t hug her forever, so forced himself to pull back, patting the top of her head the way he knew annoyed her. Sure enough, she scowled and he laughed, stepping over to the guy with lilac hair.
“Hi, Verga.” They didn’t hug or shake hands or anything, but things had always been comfortable between them.
Verga Faw was the perfect partner. He had a steady job, a good reputation, and was close with his immediate and extended family. The latter was especially important to both Nate and Neve because that was something they’d lacked and something Neve had always longed for. The Faw family hadaccepted her with open arms, and the two had moved into a nice apartment together and were already looking at a more permanent residence. He treated Nate’s sister like an equal and the two made decisions as a team.
Basically, he was everything Kazimir Ambrose was not.
Nate inwardly cursed himself.
Why the hell was he thinking about the Devil right now?
“It’s good to see you,” Verga replied back in a calm and steady voice. He smiled and there was nothing intense or dangerous in the look.
No spark.
He really was losing his mind, wasn’t he?
“The movie doesn’t start for another ten minutes,” Neve linked her arm through his and motioned toward the concessions behind her. “Do you want anything?”
It occurred to him he hadn’t eaten since that morning, but a glance at the long line had him shaking his head. He’d already made them wait for him, he wasn’t about to also leave them standing around while the clock ticked down to the start. What if they missed something?
“I’m fine. Let me just buy a ticket and—” A hand settled over the nape of his neck, possessive and hot to the touch. Nate didn’t have to turn to know who it was, stilling a second before the newcomer at his back spoke.
“I got you.” Kaz stepped forward to his side but didn’t drop the hand. Instead, he eyed down Verga and Neve, not bothering to hide the fact he was clearly assessing them.
“What are you doing here?” Snapping out of it, Nate brushed his arm away. He hadn’t mentioned his plans for the day… “Did you follow me?”
“Not exactly,” he replied cryptically.
“Kazimir Ambrose?” A look of worry and doubt came over Neve as she glanced between the two of them before her gazesettled on Nate questioningly. “You two know each other? Since when?”
“Wow,” Kaz drawled lightly, the sarcasm the only thing saving him from Nate’s wrath for talking back to his sister, “Girl graduates and forgets all about us underclassmen, huh? I see how it is.” He quirked a brow at Verga, a little less friendly when he added, “You forget who I am, too?”
“Not at all,” Verga shook his head and forced an uncomfortable smile, blindly reaching for Neve’s hand. “I think we’re just surprised to see the two of you together. It’s definitely…an unexpected pairing.”
“Oh? You know a lot about the type of people Nate likes to get with?”
“No, I—”
“He’s messing with you,” Nate put this little dance to an end and sent Kaz a warning glare. “He’s done now.”
Kaz lifted a single shoulder. “Whatever you say, boyfriend.”
Neve let out a startled sound. “You two are dating? Like, each other?”
“Seriously though,” Kazimir leaned into Nate and practically growled, “Why does everyone keep saying that?”
