I wave my hand and go back to watching the patterns forming above me. “Tell him I'll find him later.”
“No. Now. You've been wallowing for weeks now. He wants you back at work.”
“Tell him to demote me, then.”
He prowls closer, his lip curling at the state of my room. “You'll lose your powers. Just like you lost her.”
“I didn't lose her. I let her go so she'd be free to live her life.” I scowl when he yanks the comforter off me. “You'd do well to let me live mine.”
He crosses his arms. “Get up or I'm calling Providence.”
“My sister won't come. We're not exactly a family of interventionists. She'll let me waste away as I see fit. I'm content where I am.”
“Well, I already talked to her, and she said if you don't do something about your issue, she'll be paying your little witch a visit.”
My body rockets upright and fire dances along my arms. “Leave Clara alone.”
He gives me a look of disgust. “When was the last time you showered? Your horns are molting and your hair is greasy as shit. I swear to fuck, you need to get your shit together before you actually do waste away.”
“I'm serious, Dimitri. No one goes topside. No one bothers her. She's living the life Fate laid out for her. She doesn't need more demons popping into her life. You saw how well that worked the last time.”
He holds his hands up in surrender. “I'm not the one you should be worried about.”
“Fuck,” I breathe and jump from my bed.
He steps in front of me, blocking my way. “You might want pants. Nothing like showing up to a witch's house with your cock hanging out.”
I glance down, then scowl as I stomp toward the bathroom. “Wouldn't be the first time.”
“What was that?” he calls after me.
“Fuck off,” I yell, slamming the door.
The last thing I need is him breathing down my neck, analyzing my every move. As much as I want to immediately jump through dimensions and intercept Prov, I also don't think she'd listen to me if I look like I'm falling apart at the seams. My sister will listen to me if I show her I'm fine.
“How long do I have?” I bellow.
“Don't know. Better hurry.”
I take the fastest shower ever, wishing I had enough magic to skip this part. I tug on a pair of jeans and grab a shirt. Skipping through dimensions might land me flat on my ass. I'm loath to admit I need Dimitri's help. When I open the door, he's busy cleaning up my room. Shame hits me square in the chest and I clear my throat.
“You don't have to?—”
“We're not talking about it. You ready? Providence is probably already on her way, if you're going to try to intercept her so you can avoid the inevitable.” He waves me toward him, then laces our fingers together.
“You know we don't have to hold hands, right?”
“A little moral support never hurt anyone.” He gives me a halfhearted smile, then whisks us away.
It takes longer than usual to muck our way through the void. I'm forced to relive my time with Clara. It's painful, yet cathartic. I see her every time I fall asleep, which is why I spend so much time in bed. If I can't be with her physically, then I'll be with her in my dreams.
The longer I'm away from her, the harder it is to stop myself from going topside. I'd gladly make a fool of myself, begging and pleading for her to give us a chance. All the reasons I had for not offering her to bind herself to me mean nothing. I should have told her we were soulbound.
As soon as we emerge on Clara's street, I've made my decision. If she's happy, content, and living her life, then I'll leave her be. If she's not, I'll convince her to come back to Hell with me. It's the only way I'll be able to move on.
“Listen, when we get in there, don't be weird,” Dimitri mutters as we make our way down the dusty lane.
“I don't know what that means.”
