“You got way more hurt because of me!”
“He could have killed you.”
“Demons don’t feel pain.”
“You’re not a demon!”
“I am in the bedsheets. Although… I cheated on you. I kissed that man to fool him… although he… I don’t know if he’s a part of you or what. Can I kiss you now to wash away the trauma of touching his lips?”
“It’s okay, I’ll just awkwardly stand here and like… kick a stone around,” Nolan says as he does just that.
Ellison quickly stands up. “I apologize. Let’s get back. I… feel like I have… to… explain some things.”
“He’s thinking about running away,” Nolan comments.
I glare at Ellison. “After all of that sappy shit I just did, you’re still going to run away?”
“It was just a fleeting thought.”
“He’s now thinking about how annoying it is that I can read minds,” Nolan says.
“Thank you for coming to help,” Ellison tells him. “I promise I don’t find you annoying.”
Nolan shrugs. “You’re welcome. I didn’t actually do much.”
Ellison shakes his head. “But you made me realize that what I was doing wasn’t helping. That I was putting the people Icare about in danger because of my own inability to face what’s happening. Let’s have a talk.”
“Deus is now hoping it’s going to be a short talk because he has the attention span of his ferret. Speaking of which, Deus, one of the illusions took the ferret back to headquarters,” Nolan says.
“If you make the meeting sound violent, I’ll pay more attention,” I assure Ellison.
I trail after Ellison a moment before one of his illusions flops onto my back.
“Since the cat’s out of the bag, I feel like you should share. It’s unfair you get him all to yourself when we want a bite,” the illusion says as it kisses my cheek.
Ellison glowers at the illusion. “Get off him.”
“He likes it,” the illusion insists while my brain slowly catches up.
“You… are… the asshat who threw me down the hill!”
“It was an accident! I didn’t know you’d be so fast!” the illusion says.
I try to understand this but kind of feel like Ellison could give me a helping hand. “Ellison.”
Ellison is silent as he walks.
“He’s thinking, ‘If I don’t speak, I might not have to explain what’s happening,’” Nolan helpfully supplies.
The illusion hanging on my back reaches down and takes my hand, interlocking our fingers.
“I’m more fun than him,” he whispers in my ear. “I’ll let you do anything you want. I really enjoyed sticking my finger in your?—”
All illusions disappear as Ellison hurries off, leaving me alone with Nolan.
“He was going to say ‘asshole,’ wasn’t he?” I ask Nolan.
“I wish you wouldn’t have asked me that.”
