It’s as close to an apology as I’m going to get. She hops so seamlessly between worlds, she probably didn’t understand how draining and disorienting it is for the rest of us. It’s a small consolation in the grand scheme of things.
As the edges of my vision darken, I send a silent prayer up to whatever god is on duty tonight to take me back to Mari. I need to get back to her.
I need to make things right.
Islam my fists onto the counter. “I’m getting the fucking food, would you shut the fuck up?”
I glare at the unexpected visitor sitting at my feet. He cocks his head and lets out an innocent meow. I roll my eyes and go back to opening the can of cat food Percy sent to me. She laughed her ass off when I told her a random cat almost killed me. Then she sent me a hundred dollars’ worth of toys, food, and a fluffy bed for the thing.
“How are you even able to breathe? Your face is so squished I’m surprised you’re not wheezing,” I mutter. He doesn’t answer, because he’s a cat. As soon as I peel the top off, he jumps onto the counter. “How the hell did you get those stubby legs to work like that?”
I’ve never had a cat. Not because I didn’t like them. I was always pretty neutral about them. As annoyed as I am, I doubt it has much to do with the feline currently trying to eat food off myhand and everything to do with a demon who’s too good-looking for his own good.
“Should I forgive him, Kitty? Or should I make him suffer?”
I sigh, scooping up the cat and the bowl before placing them both on the floor. He’s only been gone a few hours, yet it feels like a lifetime. Disappointment crashes into me yet again. The last twenty-four hours were the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I was finally letting him in, and he had to go and ruin it.
My silence probably didn’t help things. Trusting him didn’t come easily. Hell, trusting anyone doesn’t come easy to me. I’ve spent my life pushing people away in the hopes I wouldn’t get hurt. Then the one time I take a chance—betrayal. Except I can see how he came to the conclusions he did, which makes it all the harder to decide whether or not I should care if he comes back.
“I’d be lying if I pretended like I didn’t,” I whisper, and the cat gives me a look. The one only those of the feline variety seem to be able to give. “Yeah, yeah. I know that didn’t make sense. Still, I need him to come back. At the very least, so I can ask him how to find my sister. He owes me that much, right?”
He winds his way around and through my legs, then trots off toward the spell room. I’d slammed the door earlier before the blackness could swallow me whole. I have no idea where it would take me. Probably some random dimension filled with elephant-sized wasps. Or sharks with legs that can breathe on land. Or spiders the size of dinner plates that can fly.
My imagination has conjured up a whole host of horrors. The cat distracted me for a bit, but not long enough to stop the thoughts. Should I be questioning a random animal showing up? Probably. I’ve gotten pretty used to the strange things that happen around here. Now that I think about it, there’s been a lot of things I brushed off as merely peculiar. From objects randomly moving to windows being open when I was sure I closed them, the list in my head is getting quite long.
“You realize I’m not going in there, right?” I mutter as he plops in front of the door and glances over his shoulder. He paws at the wood as if it’ll just pop open. “Uh, no. I mean, I’ll let you in, but I’m not following.”
I reach over and spin the knob and open it just an inch, then stumble back. He doesn’t move, doesn’t take his laser gaze off me.
“Nope.” I pivot on my heel and march down the hall.
Someone’s at the front door, anyway. I’m sure it’s Percy. She mentioned something about coming over even though I told her not to. Normally, she’d listen, but I’m sure she heard something in my voice. She has a sixth sense about these things. Except I can’t open up to her about Dimitri. It’s not like she can do anything to help.
When I open the door, though, it’s not Percy. Providence stands there with tense shoulders and her back to me. She spins around, her eyes flashing from silver to black and back again.
“Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Dimitrius?” She tucks her hands behind her back and rocks on her heels.
“Um, he was here earlier, then he…left. I don’t know where he went. Probably Hell.”
She presses her lips together and narrows her gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
“Fine. Have you seen a cat?”
I glance over my shoulder, then back at her and jolt away. She’s considerably closer, crowding into my space. I’m about to smack her, or slam the door in her face, or piss myself. I haven’t quite decided which one when she sniffs me—long, deep, and incredibly awkwardly. I’m so surprised, I freeze.
“Oh,” she murmurs. “Oh, that’s interesting.”
“What’s interesting?” I whisper.
She shuffles back a step and shoots me a scheming look. At least her smile feels smug and intrusive, like she knows something I don’t. Obviously she’s smarter than me. She’s a demon…or something. She’s nothing like Dimitri, but I’m pretty sure he said Providence was Omen’s sister. And Omen’s a demon. Unless one of them is adopted. Do demons get adopted? If she is, then we have something in common, I suppose. I shake my head, derailing my thoughts.
“Nothing. I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner rather than later. And if you don’t, well, that’s not my department. Now, the cat?” She raises one perfectly manicured silver eyebrow.
I hold up a hand. “Wait, whose department is it?”
“Karma’s, of course. Dimitrius’s twin? Now, please don’t make me break into your house.”
