“Sophie,” I croaked.
Her tone changed in an instant, from sweet best friend to overprotective mother hen. “What did he do? I’ll cut him!”
I huffed a laugh, but my head was under too much strain to mean it. “Are you back in Boston yet? Can you come get me? I’m sorry to ask—”
“Stop right there, Red,” she demanded. “I’m on my way. What’s the address?”
I gave her the directions for the house in Savin Hill and we hung up. By now, people were walking out of their houses to see what happened. I picked myself up off the sidewalk and leaned against the fence that bordered Lucifer's small yard, surveying the damage. Glass littered the street, and several of the lights were still throwing sporadic sparks. My power was resisting my attempts to pull it back, like a leashed dog excitedly dragging me along for the ride.
Maybe I could convince Sophie to knock me out when she got here. My powers were unpredictable at the best of times, but between my anger and my enormous headache, I couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t overwhelm me and do some serious damage. I slid down the fence, knees folded to my chest, and hid my face.
It’s just a migraine. This is what they say migraines feel like, right?
Faster than it was possible, or maybe I was too distracted to think straight, my red Jeep pulled up. Sophie’s dark eyes looked sad as she watched me hop in, and she laid a hand on mine as she pulled the Jeep away from the curb. She didn’t talk, and I was grateful. I was an emotional wreck with the added bonus of icicles stabbing my brain and I didn’t want to say or do anything that would hurt her after she’d dropped everything to come for me.
Sophie, of all people, didn’t deserve that. After all the break-ups she’d seen me through the past two years, I would need her more than ever for this one. I didn’t want to risk alienating the best person to ever come into my life.
After we parked, she quietly linked her arm in mine. The physical connection held me together, even easing my headache a bit, until we got up to our apartment, where I threw myself onto the couch. Instead of hunting for wherever the remote disappeared to, I flipped the TV on with a thought. Sophie bustled around the kitchen, but my eyes were glued to the screen.
Specifically, to the face of the movie version of my father.
I winced as the pain and pressure blasted to the forefront again, and my throat clamped down on a whimper. The screen cracked, shooting sparks across the room. I covered my head, fighting to take deep breaths, to get myself under control before I accidentally hurt Sophie with one of these power hiccups. The thought was instantly sobering and the pressure backed off enough for me to sit up. A small crack ran through the coffee table, too, but the TV had taken the brunt of it.
Sophie came into the living room and hugged me tight, the simple act almost bringing tears. But I wanted to vent more than I wanted to cry. It was after midnight on a Saturday, and I wanted to stay up the rest of the night and tell her everything. Listen to her say she had my back, because she and my mom were the only ones who ever did.
When she released me, I collapsed on the couch again. Sophie strolled back into the kitchen, where she grabbed two huge mugs and poured us some coffee. She set them on the coffee table, handed me pain pills for the headache, and sat down, pulling my legs across her lap.
“When you’re ready, honey, I’m here,” she said softly.
I nodded and took my coffee, downing the pills. The heat was a familiar comfort as it slid down my throat, fresh from the pot. It was also one of the strongest coffees, which meant Sophie had anticipated my need tonight.
We talked all night and I left absolutely nothing out. The more I talked, the better I felt. Obviously I wasn’t going to get over the betrayal in one night, but it helped. I even told her about my dad being Loki, and how he’d been the reason behind my past failed relationships.
“Lex, that is a serious violation of parental interference!” she declared indignantly. “Turn his ass into the snake he is. Or have your witchy momma do it. That man needs to learn boundaries!”
“She’d be more than happy to if I told her, I’m sure.” I grabbed the couch pillow behind me and hugged it to my chest. “But as mad as I am about that, I’m sort of afraid of what comes next.”
“What’s there to be afraid of? You just told me you’re a badass!”
A smile tugged at my mouth. I loved Sophie for her ability to get me out of my own head, even for a minute. “My dad said this whole time, I’ve had demons coming after me. He thinks I can handle them on my own now, but I’m not so sure. It was a stroke of luck I didn’t get ripped apart tonight.”
Sophie tapped her chin, and I could practically see the Psychology major coming out. “So, even though you’re mad at him, you still want him watching your back?”
Heat burned my cheeks, and I shook my head. “No, I don’t. I just… Maybe there’s a place I can go to practice this stuff so I know what I’m doing next time and not just guessing and hoping it works?” I groaned and buried my face in the pillow, muffling my voice. “But where the hell can I go that’ll shield my power from them?”
“The demons?”
I straightened suddenly. “Anyone! Just a nice, quiet place where I can let off some steam without turning into a fucking beacon for the immortal.”
Sophie snorted and I smacked her with the pillow. “I have faith your instincts will kick in if it ever happens again. It sounds like they were good enough to protect you the first time.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled. I lifted my hand, picturing the way Lucifer had so easily conjured the candle flame in his palm, but only got a couple sparks. “I can’t even make my own fire unless I’m loaded with adrenaline, apparently.”
She scooted closer and closed my hand. “Give your mind and body time to rest after what you went through tonight.”
I looked at the empty coffee mug on the table and smirked. “Yeah, after that coffee, I don’t think either of us will be getting any rest tonight. Wanna make us some popcorn?”
She eyed me, then glanced to where the TV sat, a giant crack through the center. “You got enough control over your magic to fix that?”
