He sucks his teeth. “Was she the woman trying to make us leave?”
“Yes, and if you would have actually listened to me last night, you would already know this.”
“Well, that’s not good. I didn’t realize that was your sister. I showed her my eyes.”
“What does that mean?” I demand.
“Uh, well, I’ll show you. Come to your little porthole.”
I throw the covers off of myself and trudge to my window. “Okay,” I say when I see myself gazing back at me in my bathroom mirror.
“I’ll see if I can do it with one eye.” He closes his right eye, and when he reopens it, it’s as empty and dark as my void. On the right side of my head, a sharp horn now protrudes to match the eye, misty and blurred. I flinch backward before pressing my face to the glass. I already didn’t think my eyes looked like mine with him in here, but…but this is another level. Pure evil.
“Shit, Kit. You showed my sister that? That’s terrifying.”
He blinks again, returning my iris to its normal brown, the horn blinking away as well. “It’s worse with both eyes, but I don’t think you can see out your window when I set both eyes black.”
“I’d rather not see that again.” I chew my lip. “What did Meggie say?”
Kit picks up my phone and begins to read the texts aloud in my voice. “‘Are you on drugs? Lace, seriously, are you on drugs? You were such a bitch. I know you’re always sort of a bitch, but this was another level. You were drunk, but that’s not an excuse. You were scary. I think you need to go to therapy. You have not been right since everything with August. And that’s okay, but it’s also okay to admit you need help. If you’re on drugs I’m seriously going to kill you. How reckless are you? Call me. Right now. Seriously. Call me.’”
Well, that tracks. My feelings are hurt, but she’s the one who’s pissed. I shake my head. Anger is how Meggie shows her love. And I know she was scared. No wonder she left.
He clears his throat then says in the void, “Speaking of August, you texted her, too. Told her you were possessed. That wasn’t cool.”
“She won’t respond,” I say quietly.
“Why not?”
“Because she won’t. My sister is the issue here.” August is none of his business.
“And how are we going to fix the issue?”
I suggest sharply, “By you un-possessing me.”
“I told you, not an option. I could ignore her.”
“Ha, if you ignore her, she’ll show up here.”
Even though all I want is for her to come rescue me, she can’t. If she shows up here, Kit might hurt her. It’s not like I have any concept of what he is capable of. I can’t have her hurt. I groan and drag my hands down my face. I have to protect her.
“All right. We’re going to call her, and you are going to repeat after me, understand? No adlibbing. Word for word. Got it?”
Kit snorts in his voice. “Sure, babe. But how are you going to explain the eyes?”
“I’ll say it was a trick of the light and that Iwason drugs, and my pupils were extremely dilated.”
“Pupils don’t getthatdilated. What about the horns?”
“Another trick of the light. Call her,” I order. “Now. And do not speak unless I speak.”
I watch his eyes roll in the mirror as he hits call.
Meggie answers on the second ring. “What the fuck, Lace?”
My heart lurches at the sound of her voice. “Sorry,” I say, and Kit repeats me word for word as I go on. “I was so drunk last night. It was a bad night. And I have to be honest, I did do drugs.” I pray she doesn’t ask for specifics because my narcotics knowledge is limited.
She scoffs sharply. “Jesus. You were so fucked up. How often are you on drugs, huh?”
