“Oh my god, you got officially engaged?” DJ said, detaching from Shaun. “How heteronormative of you. Congrats.”
“You would all marry each other if you could get away with it,” Kit grumbled.
“Obviously,” Shaun said. “But there’s a minor issue in that I’m legally dead.”
“And that there’s three of you,” Kit replied.
“That too.”
Xavier eyed them as they approached, an unreadable look on his face.
Quin wiggled his pinky finger in the air. “Sorry, but your ring was destroyed.”
“And yet you chose to buy one for Kit and not a replacement for mine,” Xavier said with a sigh. “Whatever. Congratulations, I suppose.”
“Unlike most of you,” Roxy said, “I’m normally asleep at this hour. Shall we get this over and done with?”
“Please,” Quin said, opening his front door and ushering Kit inside. Even though Mabel was at Louie’s, he longed for the familiar sound of her nails on the flooring as she ran to greet him. He’d get her first thing in the morning.
It was a bit of a squeeze, but they congregated in the living room. Kit pulled the necklace out and handed it over to Roxy. “Here. It should work for trapping him.”
Roxy inspected the necklace and nodded to Xavier.
“Let’s do this,” Xavier said, undoing the cuffs on his shirt and folding his sleeves up. His tanned arms were dotted with small tattoos, some written in what Quin recognised as Cyrillic script.
DJ yanked his T-shirt off, flinging it onto the sofa behind him.
Roxy cocked her head. “What are you doing?”
DJ stilled, one hand at his fly. “Getting ready for the ritual?” he ventured.
“What my sister means, vampire, is why are you undressing yourself?” Xavier said.
“Because,” DJ said slowly, “this is a sex ritual.”
“When and where did you get that impression?” Roxy asked.
“Iswearsomeone said this was a sex ritual.”
Quin pressed his mouth shut to stop his grin. Shaun’s eyes were bright, his body shaking with silent laughter.
“Sweetheart, put the goods away,” Rake said.
DJ covered his nipples. “All right.”
Rake threw DJ’s shirt at him. “Get. Dressed. And please be quiet and let them get on with it.”
“But—” DJ started before snapping his mouth shut when Rake held up a hand.
“One more word and I’ll be forced to get the emergency ball gag,” Rake said.
“‘Emergency ball gag’?” Kit repeated. “You kinksters are deeply weird.”
DJ pressed his lips together even as his shoulders shook with laughter, and Shaun smooshed his face into DJ’s arm to muffle his own giggles. The witches were both doing a good job of remaining stoic, unlike Quin himself, who let out a hearty laugh. He might have been terrified of what might occur during the exorcism, but the stupid jokes were helping the tension he was holding abate, just a little.
“I wouldn’t pack it if I didn’t think we’d need it,” Rake said, as if that explained everything.
“Well, god forbid you travel without the necessary whips and chains. Whatever would you do?” Kit said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
