“Meg, people die all the time. Would it have been your fault if gentle Gerald’s problems had overwhelmed him and he’d killed himself? If he got hit by a car crossing the street because he was thinking of something you said and forgot to look both ways?”
“A demon possessed him and led him there to die, I think that’s a bit dif—”
“No, it isn’t different, it’s exactly the same. It’s too bad the guy’s dead if it bothers you, but all of your clients could die and I wouldn’t give a damn. The only life I’m interested in saving is yours. And mine, of course.”
“Of course.” She didn’t know if she believed him, didn’t know if she really felt less responsible, but the black cloud over her head seemed to lift a little just the same.
“Which is why I want you to take Malleus with you today.”
She pulled away. “No, I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. Tera will just have to deal with it. And don’t tell her why.”
“She’s going to know something’s up if she sees him.”
“She can think what she wants to think. What did I just say? I want you to stay safe. Malleus can make sure you do.”
“I thought the witches were just after you.”
“Call me paranoid.”
He looked, sitting on the bed framed by the black satin pillows and sheets, like a medieval king granting favors, but his eyes were tired and serious.
“If I didn’t know better I’d think you really cared,” she said. It wasn’t an unusual joke or one they’d never made before as they edged carefully around the issue of their feelings, but this time it fell flat. Her face flooded with heat.
He blinked. “Yes, well, I’ve got you rather a nice Christmas present, I’d hate to see it go to waste.” The covers whispered as he shoved them off and got out of bed. “Malleus will be waiting for you when you are ready to leave. He brought your car over last night.”
“Greyson…” But there was nothing to say.
He fastened his pants and came over to her, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll try and come by tomorrow night. I have to leave early Monday, though, so don’t wait up.”
Without meaning to she reached for him, curling her fingers around his arms, stroking up and down the hard, smooth muscles. Just the feel of him under her palms made her warm.
He kissed her again, on the lips this time, lingering just a moment longer. “Unless you want to cancel on Tera after all…” His hands traveled down her ribs to her waist, where they paused.
She shook her head. Much as she wanted to stay, she was looking forward to going out into the normal world again. As normal as it could be when you were shopping with a witch and had a demon bodyguard following you. “She’ll be hurt if I cancel.”
“Just make sure you have your phone on. And be careful.”
He started to move away, but she grabbed him. “What did—what did you do with him?”
“Gerald?”
She nodded.
“Took him back to his place, put him on the bed. Someone will find him.”
The cold feeling started creeping back. He sounded so nonchalant, like he moved dead bodies around—or ordered them moved—every day. Which she supposed he might. “Who did this to him? Was it someone from a different Meegra, or—”
His knuckles under her chin forced her to look up at him. “We’ll figure it out. Meanwhile—”
“I know. Be careful, don’t tell Tera anything, and keep Malleus with me.”
“See? It’s so much better when you just obey me.”
He ducked away before she could swat him.
Chapter 4
The minute Megan saw Tera she looked down to see if she’d spilled something on her shirt. She hadn’t, of course. The only blot on her image was the dark shape of Malleus behind her, his gold pinkie ring flashing in the bright winter sun coming through the skylight.
Tera looked, as she always did, perfect; cool and immaculate in jeans and a black sweater, with her trapeze coat swinging behind her and her platinum hair falling in a shining curtain down her back. She was designed to make other women feel inadequate. Megan would have wondered why they were friends if the answer wasn’t so obvious—neither of them had any other friends.
Besides, she genuinely liked Tera, despite the fact that the witch had the social skills of a gnat.
They hugged and started walking through the pre-Christmas Saturday crowds. Maybe shopping wasn’t the greatest idea. Megan had expected to relax, surrounded by people to make her feel normal again. Instead she found herself itching to read them all, to open up and read the entire building, to make sure no one who shouldn’t be lurked in the corners.
Here and there little demons winked at her or waved from human shoulders and she tried to acknowledge them without looking like she was greeting everyone she passed. Where was Rocturnus? She hadn’t expected to see him when she woke up this morning—one embarrassing incident had been enough for her to forbid him from ever appearing in bedrooms, and he couldn’t enter Greyson’s place alone anyway—but she’d thought he might at least put in a quick appearance here to let her know he was okay.
“So.” Tera looked back over her shoulder, her blue eyes scanning Malleus, who stared purposefully ahead. “I see you have a guard today. Grey thinks you might get busted again?”
Megan’s stomach sank. So Tera—and thus Vergadering—did know about her arrest. “You know me, always in trouble.”
“What were you doing? Trespassing in a regular family’s house?”
“I thought it was somebody I knew.”
“And some Good Samaritan called the police and said you were murdering people.”
“Geez, Tera, did my mug shot get sent over to Vergadering as well?”
Tera waved her hand. “They didn’t take a mug shot. And I keep my ear to the ground.”
“That must get uncomfortable after a while.”
Tera smiled. “More than you know. I’m glad you’re okay, though.” She looked at Malleus again. “Hi, Malleus.”
His head barely dipped. “Miss Tera.”
Megan bit her lip. After three months he and his brothers still refused to use her own first name, insisting it was disrespectful.
If Tera knew she’d just been insulted, she either didn’t care or didn’t show she cared. “Look at that blouse, what do you think?”
Megan dutifully looked. Pink and white stripes ran vertically up the tailored shirt. It suited Tera. “Sure, try it on.”
Tera tried. Tera bought. The process repeated itself several times, while Megan grew more and more uneasy. The mall, with its garish every-religion-in-the-world decorations and piped-in cheery music was never her favorite place anyway, and now she was feeling claustrophobic. Life among the crowds had never made her especially happy and the relentless pushing and shoving forced her to shield so hard she lost the train of her rambling conversation with Tera.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked again. Tera sighed.
“Come on. Let’s get a snack or something and sit down. There’s a new store by the food court. I want to check in there and then we’ll have dinner.”
“We’re getting a snack right before dinner?”
“Some of us like to eat.”
“I like to eat.”
“When you remember to.” Tera looked her up and down. “Your life of crime keeping you too busy to eat?”
Megan waited while Tera ordered a gooey cinnamon bun, then said, “It was just a misunderstanding and nobody pressed charges. As you know.”
“I still think it’s weird.”
“You know me, weird Megan the crazy demon woman.”
“You’re not a demon.” Tera shoved a piece of bun in her mouth. “Despite being hip deep in them all the time. Or the other way around, so to speak.”
Megan blushed. “I can’t just magically disconnect myself from them.”
“But your demons aren’t the same. They just do their thing and stay out of the way. You can do whatever it is you do with them and stay yourself. You can keep your practice. You can keep your life.”