“Marek—”
“Don’t.”
Jono’s shoulders sagged a little. “I won’t. I swear.”
“Okay.” Marek pressed a hand to his forehead, mouth twisting in pain. “Bye.”
Jono seemed to take that as the cue to leave. He headed for the door, waving his hand at Patrick. “Come on. We’ll have to stop by my flat first. I need clothes if I’m staying with you.”
The traitorous part of Patrick’s brain wanted to answer withyou really don’t. Instead, he focused on the logistics of their travel. “I’ll call an Uber.”
Jono snorted. “No one is going to stop for someone with my eyes.”
“I’ll drive you,” Sage offered. She grabbed her purse and paused just long enough to brush a gentle kiss against Marek’s cheek and drag her hand against the side of his throat to scent-mark him. “Do not wait up.”
“I don’t plan to,” Marek said weakly.
“Good. You need to rest.”
“We’ll keep an eye on him until you get back,” Leon promised.
Sage nodded before following Jono out of the apartment. Patrick gave Marek one last, lingering look before leaving. The three of them took the elevator down to the garage.
“Will he be safe?” Sage asked, not looking anywhere but straight ahead.
“I don’t know. If his patrons can keep him out of a demon’s reach, then maybe,” Patrick said, opting for the truth over a lie.
Sage nodded silently before squaring her shoulders and leaving the elevator when they reached the garage. She unlocked her car with the press of a button on the key fob. Patrick ceded the front seat of the BMW to Jono this time around and climbed into the back. He closed his eyes, still feeling as if the Fates could see him, despite leaving Marek behind.
Sometime later, the car braked to a stop and Patrick opened his eyes. Jono got out and hurried toward the front door of a four-story walkup. Patrick had no idea where they were. Sage hadn’t bothered looking for parking, merely turned on her hazard lights and pulled up the emergency brake.
Patrick stared out the window at the door Jono had disappeared through. “What did Marek mean about Jono coming here?”
“That’s not my story to tell,” Sage said.
“He’s god pack.”
“Yes, but he’s not ours.”
“Did you learn obfuscation from Marek or law school, because I have to tell you, it’s not helpful.”
Sage calmly pulled up the GPS map function on her phone. “I need your address.”
Patrick rolled his eyes and gave it to her. The sooner he got to his apartment, the sooner he could sleep. Luckily for him, Jono didn’t take forever.
Less than ten minutes later, Jono returned to the car, carrying an overnight bag in one hand. He climbed back into the passenger seat, and Sage took the car out of park. She followed the quiet instructions of the GPS app to Patrick’s apartment. Like at Jono’s place, she didn’t bother looking for parking when they arrived.
Putting the car into park and turning on the hazard lights again, Sage watched them get out. “Be safe.”
“Keep an eye on the pack, yeah?” Jono said.
“Always.”
Sage drove off. Patrick dug out his keys from his pocket and headed for the front door of the apartment building. Jono stayed right on his heels, the heat at his back something Patrick couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t have a spare bedroom,” Patrick said on the elevator ride up. “You can sleep on the couch.”
“Rather be sleeping in my own bed,” Jono said.
