I exhale heavily, then scoop her up. The last thing I want is to lose herinthe darkness. Especially while she’s drunk. With a whispered prayer to whichever deity’s turn it is to watch over the void, I step into the shadows.
My muscles sag when we’re dropped into her living room. Mari mumbles, cuddling closer to my chest. I make my way toward her bedroom in the dark. Tonight didn’t go the way I’d expected. I got what I wanted, though.
For a moment, I captured joy in my hands. I don’t know what true happiness feels like, but dancing with Mari came pretty fucking close. Ending the night tucking her into bed feels appropriate. At least I didn’t get called to some random corner of Hell.
I spend a bit too long staring at her while she sleeps. When I turn to go, her hand catches mine and I glance back.
“Are you leaving?” she mumbles. I’d planned on it. Omen needs help, and Clara probably isn’t doing much better. Triton’s been missing for a minute, and Ludovic is acting weird. Add in the issues I need to sort out with my sister and my plate is full.
She huffs when I don’t answer and peeks at me from beneath heavy lids. “Stay. I don’t want to be alone.”
I lean over her and whisper, “I’ll take the couch.”
When I try to leave, though, she tugs once more. “With me.”
I can’t deny her, especially when she slowly blinks at me, anticipation and vulnerability resting in her eyes. She expects me to tell her no. She’s probably used to not getting what she wants. Pretty sure she said she never goes clubbing and she missed going out. The words were slurred, though, so I can’t be sure.
“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
I swallow hard as I glance around for a place to sit. She tugs, her nails digging into my palm, and my resolve crumbles. When I crawl in next to her, she whines, yanking on the comforter under me.
“You’re going to be my downfall, spitfire,” I mutter, and she snorts.
“Just get under the covers. We’ll pretend this never happened tomorrow.”
She curls up next to me, pressing her ass into my hip. This is going to be a very long night. After another ten minutes of her wiggling and me staring at the ceiling, I let out a low growl. She freezes, then glances over her shoulder.
“Did you just growl at me?”
“If you keep moving, neither of us will get any sleep,” I snap.
Her lips curve into a sly grin, and I brace myself. “Maybe I don’twantsleep.”
“You’re drunk. Not just drunk—witch drunk. Which is arguably worse than regular drunk. Good decisions are never made while fueled by alcohol.”
She pouts, whether to guilt me or because she’s genuinely hurt, I don’t know. The way she’s acting doesn’t seem like her. She’s sassy and fights me at every turn. She doesn’t pout when she doesn’t get her way.
“Fine. But if I wake up in the morning and you’re gone, don’t bother coming back.”
“No, Percy, I didn’t puke. Yes, I have taken pain meds. No, I haven’t made the tonic yet because it smells like feet and tastes like an old man’s jockstrap after sixteen rounds of sports,” I mumble toward the phone sitting on the counter. I dig my thumbs into my temples.
My head’s been pounding since I woke up twenty minutes ago. Hopefully, the meds kick in soon or I’m going to bash my head into the wall. Percy’s call didn’t help either. Apparently, I had the bright idea to put my volume all the way up, and the shrill, tinny music blasting from the device sent a shockwave through my body I might never recover from.
“So, did you sleep with him?” she asks quietly. She must be feeling the effects of last night, too.
“With who?” My memories are blurry, but I know who she’s talking about. I was hoping she would have forgotten.
“Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome who looked like he wanted to devour you.” She snorts, then groans.
“He did not,” I mutter as I make a cup of coffee, my mind wandering to the demon currently sleeping in my bed. “I ran into Dusty at the bar, by the way.”
Something clatters on her end. “What the fuck was he doing there? I thought he moved to…Nantucket? San Antonio? I can’t remember, but Idoremember lighting a candle for the residents to protect them.”
“No, he never moved. I think he said he was, but then Lark disappeared and he stuck around. He said some weird shit I can’t really remember. I still think he had something to do with?—”
“We’ve been over this, Mare. He didn’t even know she was a witch. How would he have done anything? And you’d know if she was dead. Like, not just visiting a foreign dimension, but actually truly, soul in Hell, dead.”
“I know, but still. He’s hiding something, and I hate that I can’t figure it out. It might not have anything to do with Lark.”
