Oh, Sage was going to flip out when she heard what Maia had planned.
The sugary pop music filled the car, and Sage bopped her head, lip syncing along.
So adorable.
There were a few reporters camped outside the hotel, far from the entrance. The media had learned to not be too bold when it came to the crime families of Ignareth. Many investigative journalists had tried to break some kind of scoop on our inner workings and illicit activities over the years, only to have mysteriously gone missing once their covers were blown.
But the death of a Premier was worth sending out a few of the more seasoned reporters, the ones who knew how to get close enough without putting themselves in danger.
Still too many and too close for my comfort, though.
Sage looked out the window, turning away from me, leaving me to guess at the expression on her face. Was she worried? Scared?
“Runic for your thoughts?” I asked.
She released a heavy sigh. “I was just thinking about Ember.”
My muscles tensed. “Ember?” Was that a guy? Kaleb was her ex, but he was dead…
“Yeah, my cat.”
My muscles relaxed. I was so fucking stupid, getting jealous over a cat. “You said you left him with Selene, right? At the bar? Did you want to get him back?”
“No,” she replied, her voice quiet. “He got me through some of the worst of it, but he seemed so happy and settled out at the house with Selene, going outside and catching mice all night long. And she loved having him around.”
I gave her hand a squeeze, the unspoken loss loud and clear.
Sage was missing the cat who’d taken the place of the familiar she’d never even met.
“We’ll go to Cindralis soon,” I said.
She sniffed, her shoulders falling.
“Sage?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just—”
“Shh,” I soothed, starting up a comforting purr as I pulled her over into a hug. “I’m sure other witches have been held up on their twenty-sixth birthdays before. We’ll go to the temple, consult with the priestesses, and—”
“No, it’s…” She sniffed again, wiping the tears. “It’s just that… it’s so nice to be with someone I don’t have to explain this stuff to.”
Sage had purposefully not mentioned Victor this whole week, and I wondered if it was for my perceived benefit or hers. Because as much as every new thing I learned about him and how he’d treated Sage made me want to animate his ashes just so I could kill him all over again, bottling up all these feelings wasn’t good for her, either.
“You can tell me what happened. If you want. Or we’ll find someone else to listen. Just… don’t feel like you can’t talk about it. I’m here. Always.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I just want to process this on my own for a bit. Once everything settles down, I’ll reach out.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Whenever you’re ready.”
It was a smooth ride through the rest of the city-state, the streets calm. Like Noctis, Ignareth truly came alive at night. But unlike vampires, demons didn’t burn to a crisp in the sun. Schools and other legitimate, non-entertainment businesses still ran during normal hours, all trying to do their best to avoid crossing paths with demons like me.
The buzz of the helicopter became louder the closer we got to my house, and a few vans were parked on the public street outside the gate. But there was no way I was letting them get a good look at Sage. The SUV rolled right past them and into the garage, the door closing before we left the vehicle and entered the house.
As soon as we stepped inside, the grunts milling about stopped everything they were doing, standing and bowing low.
“Oh!” Sage’s eyes darted nervously around the room. “Am I supposed to say something?” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
I put my hand on the small of her back as Kurai skirted around us with a couple more grunts, taking our bags upstairs.
