I don’t look. I don’t move. I wait until the steps stop and force myself to breathe.
“Lily, what are you doing up?” Drago asks.
I run my tongue along my bottom lip, finally finding the lighter. I close the drawer before turning to face him.
He looks exhausted. His eyes are bloodshot, glasses still on. Fuck. I squeeze my thighs together and grip the sage tighter.
“You better not laugh when I tell you,” I say.
He crosses his arms over his chest, studying me. “Try me.”
I hold up the wrapped sage.
“My house isn’t haunted,” he chuckles.
I roll my eyes. Everything is so easy between us, despite what has happened. His presence relaxes me. My mind stops swirling. All I can focus on is him and the side of me I thought died years ago that he brings out.
“There’s something in this place. I can’t sleep. The energy is off.”
He takes a step closer as I light the end of the sage, smoke curling into the air.
“Maybe I don’t want to get rid of my ghost friends. They keep me company,” he says with a grin.
“Well, I don’t want to live with evil.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “No. Not many people do.”
My breath hitches as the smoke laces around us. I take a step back from him, chanting my mantra in my head as I waft the smoke around the kitchen.
Evil out. Positive can stay.
I can feel his eyes on me the entire time as I move into the living room, then the hallway, careful not to miss a single corner.
When I return to the kitchen, I stop behind him and wave the smoke around his huge frame.
“Demons be gone,” I joke.
He spins to me, and the smoke blows straight into his face.
I can’t help laughing when he starts coughing.
“Jesus, Lily,” he splutters.
I bite back a smile. “I knew it. The evil entity in this house is you, Drago.”
His eyes darken as he leans over me. I freeze. Having him this close again has the opposite effect of something evil.
It feels like safety.
“Save me from the darkness then, baby,” he whispers.
“Do you think you can be?” I ask.
He nods, tipping my chin up. “The evil will never leave me. No matter how much sage you blow in my face. But, you can save me from my sins.”
I open my mouth, then close it again. His words echo in my head. Save me. “You don’t need saving from anything. That isn’t how sage works.”
He blows out a breath, and I inhale the sage, closing my eyes.
