“Perfect. Night, Ris.” She went to hang up.
“Su?”
She lifted the phone back to her ear.
“I …” There was a pause. “Just glad you’re home. That’s all.”
“Me too,” Suyin replied. But as she hung up, she wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not.
BADBLOOD
SUYIN SHOWED UP HALF AN HOUR EARLY FOR HER MEETINGwith Iris. First, she checked in with Marie-Thérèse, who was working upstairs at the shop, letting her know she was back in town and asking how things had gone while she was away. After a short conversation, Suyin headed downstairs to the coven’s basement meeting space.
She took one look at their paltry library and sighed regretfully. She’d once been proud of the collection they’d amassed. It seemed laughable now.
While she awaited Iris, Suyin settled herself at one of the worktables with a few old grimoires, trying to see if they contained any useful notes on Sheolic magic, though her hopes weren’t high. She’d changed her opinion pretty drastically about it since meeting Murmur and learning she was half demon herself. Unfortunately, she wasn’t going to find much in books written by human witches on Earth.
Iris arrived only a few minutes late, her smile forced. “Hey.” She slid into a chair at the table opposite Suyin and ran a hand through her bright blue hair.
“How are things?” Suyin asked, taking a moment to look over her friend. Besides her obvious apprehension about being here, Iris looked good. Relaxed.
“They’re good.” This time, her smile seemed genuine. “Really good.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“Yeah. We’re thinking about moving actually.”
“Where?”
“I told you Meph’s brother bought a house, right? Well, my lease is expiring soon, and we were thinking of moving into his place. There’s a nice basement suite that’s empty. I mean, the house is huge, way more space than he needs for himself, and we’re honestly kinda worried about him being a total recluse living alone. Which sounds stupid, but—”
“What’s your boyfriend’s real name?” Suyin interrupted.
“Um.” Iris swallowed. “Meph.”
“Yeah, but that’s a nickname, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s it short for?”
“It’s more that he changed his name. He doesn’t like to be called—”
“What’s his real name?”
Iris narrowed her eyes. “Why are you asking?”
Suyin leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. If she was going to interrogate her best friend, she might as well play the part. “Answer the question, Iris.”
“He doesn’t like using his real name, so I don’t. Out of respect for him.”
“Hm.” A convenient answer. “And Lily’s boyfriend? What’s his real name? Because I seem to recall you telling me Mist was a nickname as well.” She remembered wondering if they were all gang members, and that was what Iris had been lying about.
Iris winced. The silence stretching between them was weighted with tension.
“Where were you?” Iris asked suddenly. “It’s not like you to just drop everything and leave on a whim. And you didn’t even tell me where you were going. I was this close to calling the cops, honestly, especially since you told me you thought you had a stalker. It was keeping me up at night, wondering if you were in danger and I was being a terrible friend. You can’t do that to people, Suyin.”
“Don’t try to turn this around on me. I know you’re avoiding my questions—”
