“I’m not doing this, Gray,” Quen said firmly.
“Why not?”
“I’m not being a cheat. I’m with Matthew now, so all this needs to stop. Okay?”
There were so many words on the tip of my tongue. A myriad of questions. What made him so special that he was granted the duty of being her boyfriend? Why did he deserve her loyalty? How had he cracked into the circle of people she cared for so deeply?
None of them left my brain. Pride forced the words to lodge in my throat and get stuck to the roof of my mouth. If she wanted to lower her standards, then why should I try to convince her otherwise?
“Whatever you say,” I spat vitriolically.
She pushed past me, and I heard the door unlock before she left the room.
A strange pain pulsed through my chest, making me wince, but I ignored it, resuming my position back behind the bar.
Quentin sat with Holden again. He had an arm around her waist while they talked. She didn’t look relaxed or interested in what he said. Her eyes flicked up to me, but I looked away, disgusted.
What did I care? Our arrangement was only ever temporary.
Mortals, demi or otherwise, were pathetic.
When I arrived at Erik’s late on Friday night, I didn’t say much, just that I needed a place to stay. It wasn’t until the following morning, when Erik found me sitting in the garden in the early hours, slowly destroying my surroundings, that he watched me knowingly. Worry creased his brow, and the concern aggravated me.
As Erik sat down on the grass beside me, I said, “What do you want, Erik?”
“I’m wondering why you are currently taking up residence here?”
“Can’t I come visit my favourite brother and sister-in-law?”
“I’d be more inclined to believe that if you’d bothered to say more than two words to us since you got here.” Erik turned his head to look at me properly. “You can’t keep going like this.”
He gestured out to the garden. I’d destroyed nearly everything in it. It wouldn’t take us a second to repair, but Erik had never been fond of my destructive phases.
“What happened?” he asked.
I refused to answer him.
“I assume it has something to do with Scott,” Erik continued.
I obliterated the small birdhouse at the end of the garden into pieces, shards of wood flying across the space. There was a sick sense of joy that rose inside as I imagined Holden being impaled on one.
“Grayson.”
“She’s in a relationship with that oaf.”
“Holden?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I pulled up every plant from the roots while I sat next to him in silence.
“Why is that a problem?” Erik asked curiously.
“She refuses to sleep with me anymore,” I said, the words harsh as they tumbled from my lips. “She says she won’t be a cheat.”
“Your agreement was only temporary.”
“I know that, Erik, but —”
“But?”
