Then he disappears.
“Fuck me,” I groan, rubbing the bump on the top of my head.
“Dimitri?” Triton’s voice floats from the dark, and I grit my teeth. I may have been avoiding Mari as best I could in that small-ass kitchen, but that didn’t mean I wanted to leave. I’d rather see her than Triton anytime.
“What the fuck, Triton.” It’s not a question.
“Uh, I was trying to do something else.”
I glance around the dark landscape. He steps in front of me, blocking my view of what I’m pretty sure is a ring of candles. Why the fuck would Triton need a summoning circle? He’s a demon, not a witch. As far as I know, they’re the only ones who use them. Other humans have tried, and a few even got them right. They fell out of fashion a long time ago, though. Then there were the stakes and the burning and most of it stopped.
“Well, can you send me back?” I snarl.
With time being wonky between the worlds, I can’t guarantee I haven’t abandoned Mari for months. At least time never gets the chance to run on either plane. Otherwise one of us would be hundreds of years in the future while the other lagged behind. It’d be a constant race to see who could get to the end of the world first.
“Oh, yeah. Sure.”
He trips over his feet and mutters a curse. The flame from one of the candles wicks out, and I’m shoved into the void once more. Did he summon me? Or was this Providence fucking with me? That’s not exactly her style. More my sister’s. Karma’s a bitch, but I love her. Even if she is being ridiculous right now.
My stomach flips when I drop back in my seat in Mari’s kitchen. She’s nowhere to be seen, but I can sure hear her. I lean to the left and spy her in the living room. The space looks like it did when she unpacked the closet—destroyed, decimated, tornado-like. In the middle of the mess is Mari. She throws things around, bellowing and cursing. Whether she’s pissed off at me or someone else, I don’t know. I’m slightly terrified to find out.
I clear my throat, and she whips around to glare at me. I press my lips together when she narrows her gaze. Guess that answers my question.
She stabs her finger in my direction and growls, “You.”
“Good to see you’re feeling better,” I say, fighting a grin. I can’t help myself. From the blush on her cheeks to the wisps of hair flying about her head, I’m entranced. I much prefer this version of her to the one last night.
“Oh, I’m feelingmuchbetter. And you forgot this.” She chucks something round and hard at my face.
Either she has a lot of faith in my abilities or didn’t care whether it whacked me in the face. I am a demon, though. My hand snaps up and I clutch the dragon egg. I wonder how longit’s been gone from Hell. If the horde notices this little one is gone, they’ll come after Omen. And he’ll deserve it. He never did pay attention when we learned about the dragons residing in the adjacent dimension.
“Are you…upset about the egg?” It has to be more than that.
She straightens, her face clear of the rage. “Egg? That’s what—no. You’re not going to distract me. That’s all that happens with you. I have plans, and you’re constantly muddling them up.”
I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. “What exactly have I muddled up for you? Truthfully, I don’t think I’m why you’re upset.”
Am I goading her? Yes. Is it just so I can watch her keep being a spitfire? Maybe. Either way, I might finally get some answers. My curse hasn’t flared up the last couple trips here. I could choose to believe it’s well and truly gone. Walking away from her would be easier. I’m in this now, though. I’ll spend the next century wondering what she was hiding and how I could have helped.
“Upset? You thinkthisis upset?” She stomps closer, then plants her fists on her hips. “Oh, buddy, I can besomuch more upset if I want to be.”
“I’d love to see it.” I smirk, counting down from three.
“Fuck you,” she seethes. “Fuck demons. Fuck being a witch. I wanthumanproblems. I want to worry about the weather and what I’m going to make for dinner and whether I should have another cup of coffee. Instead, I’m stuck in this fucking house with a demon who can’t figure out how tobea demon or at least stay in one goddamn place for longer than a couple hours. I just need the book. A spell. A sign.Somethingto tell me I’m on the right path.”
She’s panting by the time she’s done. Tears drip down her face as she stares over my head. This wasn’t the spitfire I wantedto goad. When she’s ranting about me, that’s one thing. This…this is something more. I imagined her secrets to be something mundane I could fix. Not being a witch? I can’t do anything for her there. I don’t have the ability to strip them of their power. Few do in Hell.
“Which book?” I murmur, and she blinks slowly at me as if she’s forgotten I’m here.
“Doesn’t matter,” she whispers.
She swipes at her face and makes a noise in the back of her throat before turning around. When she starts cleaning, I know I’ve lost her. Or at least, sharing time is over.
I push to my feet, and the lightheadedness is back. Catching the edge of the table, I close my eyes and wait for it to pass. Sleeping most of the night helped, but not for long apparently. When the dizziness passes, I make my way into the living room and watch her for a bit.
“It’s a dragon egg,” I murmur, and she tenses.
“I can’t hear you when you mumble. If you’ve got something to say, have the balls to say it with your full chest.”
