I roll over, and he stirs. I kiss him on the nose, and he opens one eye first and then the other.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he says, his voice husky with sleep. “You okay?” I briefly close my eyes so they don’t betray me and give a quick nod. “You remember why I call you Hell?” he asks, moving a strand of hair away from my face.
I allow my eyes to flutter open, trying to avoid his.
“Remember?” he repeats when I don’t answer.
“Of course,” I reply, my voice broken from tears and lack of sleep.
“You are my fire,” he continues firmly. “You burn brighter than the gates of hell. You’re my warrior. You will fight the greatest demons ever put in your path.” A smile tugs at his lips. “You’d give Lucifer himself a run for his money.”
I laugh. “You and him.”
“Don’t I fucking know it.” He grabs my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back.
“We gotta fight this too. Together, okay?”
I offer a watery smile. “Okay.”
There’s a knock at the bedroom door before Red and Bella burst through it. Red has a Costa Coffee cup in hand which she holds towards me.
“We come bearing gifts,” she says, smiling wide.
I take the cup from her, lifting the lid to inhale the roasted beans and caramel. “Oh man, you ladies know me so well.”
I sit on the bed, crossing my legs underneath me. Red sits in front of me and grabs my spare hand.
“Drifter told us,” she says, her voice breaking slightly.
I inhale sharply, releasing it slowly. My eyes fill with more tears. “I promised myself no more tears,” I say, straightening my shoulders.
Drifter’s words play over in my mind. And maybe he’s right. I need to approach this the same way I’ve targeted everything in my life—with strength.
Red smiles, but the concern is clear on her face.
And then her words penetrate my brain, and I frown. “Wait, Drifter told you?” It’s not like him to share anything personal.
“Well, she did have him cornered,” Bella interrupts, throwing herself into the chair in the corner of the room. “You know what she’s like when she gets a bee in her bonnet.”
I laugh. “Do you have a death wish, woman?”
“No, but that fucker does,” Red states, throwing daggers in Bella’s direction.
A look passes between them, and I follow it back and forth with my eyes before asking, “Why, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” Red says, but her expression says it’s something.
“Nuh-uh, you can’t make a statement like that and then go silent on me,” I push.
Red stares at Bella like she’s looking for an answer.
“He was in the bar with Siren,” Bella rushes out. “But there was nothing in it,” she adds just as quickly. “He was literally just talking to her, and Red pounced on him.”
“In my defence, I didn’t realise the situation at the time,” Red protests. “I was looking out for you, and then he told me about the test.”
I sit quietly, letting her words soak in. He keeps telling me it’s nothing, yet he always seems to have her nearby. I give my head a shake, pushing down the anxiety that thinking about them together causes me. I have too much going on in my head, and this just adds to it. “Fuck it,” I say, placing my coffee down and pushing to my feet. “Let’s go out.”
Red claps her hands gleefully. “Really? Girls’ night?”
