So far, they’d survived one day and one night. As for Azrael, she’d woken in a foul enough mood to send Smellicious and Bumpkins scuttling off and hiding in another room. Good riddance too. A cup of coffee without those pests running around her, mewling to be fed, was exactly what she needed. Last night she’d slept in bed with a man who refused to touch her. Not only that, but he’d spent most of the night tossing and turning, mumbling “Sarah” under his breath.
After he’d found out from Garrin that Sarah had been watching them for quite some time, he’d become distant. Apparently, the protection on his house only worked for the living.
Okay, she had to admit it. Yeah, it was a little weird loving on someone when you knew a dead ex could be watching. Even worse if it was someone you loved. But dammit, that didn’t mean she had to handle it well.
“Whoa, you look like you slept in the devil’s den last night.”
Garrin came around the corner, hair perfectly styled, eyes clear as if he’d slept like an angel. She wanted to punch him. Instead of giving into the urge, she grabbed her cup of coffee and stepped out on the veranda. The sun was rising, casting its reddish glow over the courtyard. An audible growl escaped her lips when she’d heard the door open behind her. Leave it to Garrin to not take her very unsubtle hint she didn’t want company.
“Bad night?” he asked, sitting in the chair beside her, cradling his own cup of coffee.
“Personal boundaries, Garrin. Learn them.” She pulled the hood of her sweater over her head. At least that blocked the view of him.
“Want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
“What could be bothering me? Other than the fact that I’m hunted by one konsumo demon—not to mention I’m about to summon him—and dating another, absolutely nothing. Oh, and then, of course, I discover my ex set me up in this situation, bringing along with him my current boyfriend’s dead ex.”
“You know, I always liked your spunk. It was one of my favorite things about you.”
“Bug off, Garrin.”
“And go where? Inside surrounded by people who want me dead?”
“The one outside wants you dead too. I just have more tact.”
She expected a snappy comeback, but all she got was silence. Azrael peeked around the hoodie. Garrin sat, hands stuffed in his pockets, an expression of deep regret on his face.
“Garrin, I didn’t—”
“No.” He shook his head, eyes lifting to meet hers. “You didn’t mean it, but you should have. I don’t blame you for hating me. The only consolation I have is to tell you how much it hurt me to hide the truth from you, to get you involved.”
She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut again. A part of her wanted to scream at him, but what good would that do? It would change nothing. “I can’t forgive you, but I can try to be civil, for now at least.”
“I’ll take it,” he said, giving her a soft smile. “I actually followed you out here because I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“And that something is?”
“Us.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Azrael rolled her eyes and set the cup of coffee down.
“Just hear me out. I know you’re in love with Lance.”
“I—”
“I talk to the dead, remember? There’s no use lying to me.” Garrin touched the tip of his finger to his forehead. “I also know you can’t be with him in the conventional way. I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Let me get this straight—you’re trying to tell me you want to talk about us because things aren’t going to work out between me and Lance? Because you care so much, right?”
An appalockatu landed on the balcony, stretching its rainbow feathers. Azrael leaned down, hoping to pet it. It’d been years since she’d been close to one, but it flew off before she could. Darn it.
“No, it’s because I think we could be a comfort to each other.” He shifted in his seat and looked around before adding, “I also know what it’s like to love someone you can’t have.”
There was a moment, a hanging second, where her brain refused to process what Garrin said. Then it hit her. “Sarah. You’re in love with Sarah.”
“Shhh…,” he said, looking around. “But yes.”
“How…what?” She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. In fact, I’d rather you not. She doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. The only reason Sarah has not moved on is because she wants revenge. If we succeed, she will be free. If we don’t, there’s a good chance we will all be dead. Regardless, it won’t work out. I’m not asking you for a date, but it sure as hell would be nice to have a friend who understood, someone I didn’t have to keep secrets from.”
“I don’t even know the real you,” she whispered.
“Would it hurt to try?”
“At this point, we might be dead tomorrow, so why the hell not?”
Garrin grinned. “Why the hell not works for me.”
~*~
“So, let me get this straight—you spent half the morning talking to Garrin, and Lance is being all distant, right?”
“Yep, pretty much.” They were sitting on Caleb’s bed, a carton of caramel swirl ice cream between them and a bottle of two-hundred-year-old scotch beside it. Lance would give them an earful about the scotch, but hell, they might die soon, and the only scotch she’d had was cheap. Unlike the wine, there was a big difference between it and aged scotch. She might have a new addiction.
Azrael ran her tongue over the spoon and stuck it back in the carton. “I don’t know what to do. My only hope is that we live, ex-ghosty-girlfriend goes bye-bye, and we can move on.”
Speaking around a mouthful of ice cream, Caleb said, “To your no sex relationship?”
“You’re a real buzzkill, you know?”
“I do my best.”
A loud ringing noise came from downstairs. Azrael froze. “Was that the doorbell?”
Caleb shook his head. “I don’t know. Did Lance say anything about a visitor?”
“No. Not to me, at least.”
“Do you think it could be Blais?” he asked, eyes wide. “I know it’s silly to think he’d ring the doorbell, but he seems pretty cocky and confident the way you described him.”
“I—I don’t think so. Maybe we better go check it out.” She set the carton of ice cream on the nightstand and tugged down her shirt. Maybe Caleb had a point. Yeah, it was unlikely Blais could find them, even more unlikely he’d use the bell. But hell, she’d never thought to ask Lance how the protection on his home worked. Maybe it was one of those things where you had to invite them in, like a vampire or something.
They took the stairs slowly, her behind Caleb since he insisted on bringing his bat. From the sound, whoever was visiting probably wasn’t a threat. Voices drifted out of the den. She picked up Lance’s voice and Garrin’s, but the third one was female. Caleb pressed his ear against the door. After a moment, he straightened and said, “Sounds friendly enough. Guess I should leave this outside.”
He leaned the bat against the wall and stepped into the den. Azrael followed.
Standing in front of the fireplace were Lance and a beautiful blonde who looked familiar. It took Azrael a few seconds to remember where she’d seen the woman. At the bar. She was the one talking to Lance. Something about business….
The woman glanced at her and Caleb, then back to Lance. “I was surprised to find you have even one guest, more so that you have three. If you’re feeling a sudden urge to be social, my door is always open.”
It was clear by the way she said it, her door wasn’t the only open thing she was offering. Azrael gritted her teeth. Her irritation must have shown because Lance glanced at her, strolled over, and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Maridale, this is Caleb and my girlfriend, Azrael.”
He called me his girlfriend. Holy cripes.
Slightly mollified, Azrael gave the woman a small smile. “Hi.”
“Girlfriend?” Maridale eyed her up and down.
Before she could say anything, Lance cut in. “Maridale has been working for me for years. She’s a detective of sorts. Anytime she gets a lead on Blais, she reports back to me.”
“Oh, um, does that mean you have a lead?” Azrael asked.
“Not much of one. There’s just been rumors of someone fitting his description hunting a woman who fits your exact description. I guess I see why now.”
Maridale strolled over to Azrael and grasped the ends of her hair, sliding her nails through it. Azrael slapped her hand away.
Maridale grinned. “A redhead, huh? After all these years of trying to figure out what type you found irresistible, I would have never thought a redhead. Well, two is better than one, you know.”
For a second, the air around them seemed to warble, as though waves of steam rose from the ground. Azrael blinked, trying to clear her vision. When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at an exact replica of herself. “What the fu—?”
“Maridale is a siren. A particular one that can shapeshift into anyone you desire,” Lance answered, shaking his head. “That’s enough, Maridale.”
“Fine.” The air warbled again, and Maridale was back to her normal self. “But, keep in mind, two can be better than one. For the both of you.”
She winked at Azrael and stepped back.
Beside her, she heard Caleb whisper, “Whoa.”
“Wait a minute.” Garrin looked at Lance. “Does she know what you are?”
“Yes. I’ve told her everything important to the case.”
Garrin paced. “So, you’re telling me there are two women in the room with three men, and both of them want to sleep with the konsumo demon who takes powers? This is absurd.”
“Women love tortured men, and they love a challenge. Lance is both,” Maridale said, smiling at Garrin.
“And the part where he takes your powers doesn’t seem to bother you?”
“Oh, he takes hours to steal a woman’s powers. A quickie wouldn’t do a damn bit of harm.”
Hours? Azrael’s breath caught in her throat. “Is she telling the truth?”
He glanced at her and opened his mouth to speak, but Caleb interrupted before he could answer.
“Can you just shapeshift into humans?”
Maridale stepped closer to Caleb, taking in an eyeful, her lips twitching into a slight grin. “Well, aren’t you an interesting specimen? And open-minded, too. Let’s see what you might like.”
She shifted forms so fast, Azrael could barely focus on one before she changed to another, several of them ranging from tentacle demons to males of various sizes. When she was done, Caleb, his eyes wide, said, “I think I’m in love.”
Smiling, she turned to Lance. “Mind if I stay over for a bit? It appears I’ve found my match.”
Lance chuckled but then said, “No, but I should warn you, we plan on summoning Blais tomorrow. I’m sure Caleb here can tell you all about it.”
Caleb put a hand on Lance’s shoulder and squeezed. “Anything bad I’ve ever said about you, man, I take back. I’m officially joining the Lance fandom wagon.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Taking Maridale’s hand, Caleb tugged her upstairs.
Garrin watched them and sighed. “And with that, I am officially surrounded by the craziest group of people I’ve ever met. Considering what I do, that’s one hell of an accomplishment. I’m going for a walk or something.”
“I’d like to go with you,” Azrael said, ignoring the look of confusion on Lance’s face. “Let me grab my shoes, and we’ll meet at the door.”