“It's Tuesday.” Hugo said, absentmindedly. He shot Hart a look. “You’re early.”
“You’re both acting very suspiciously.” I stroked my imaginary beard, squinting.
Hugo blushed, taking the steps two at a time as he greeted me with a quick kiss. Hugo wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me to his side. Dixie barked and pawed the ground, letting out a whine. Hart knelt down and pulled out a treat from his pocket.
“I was asking Mara if she knew what day it was.” Hart said pointedly.
Hugo's lips parted in an O. He glanced at me but said nothing.
“What’s going on?” I narrowed my eyes, still smiling.
“Jae is making Donkatsu, your favorite.” Callum informed me, straightening from his crouch.
I did a fist pump as Hugo slipped his hand in mine. “Come on.” He said as he tugged me into the cabin with excitement—which was weird because Hugo did not like spicy food. Before I could open the front door, Hugo slipped his hands over my eyes, causing me to jump.
“Don’t peek.” The incubus laughed through his command.
“Would I do that?”
Both me answered in unison. It was a resounding yes. They also voiced their chagrin when I jinxed them both.
Leading me into the cabin, Hugo kept close, and Hart followed on our heels as Dixie jumped around us excitedly. They led me through the foyer and into the living room, my body instinctively remembered the layout of our home. I did my best not to harness my magic and to reach out to feel for an unfair advantage.
Strange smells made my nose tickle. The expected scent of the Donkatsu pork cutlet and it's insanely hot sauce was just one of the many in the room. I could smell the pine needles and plastic that belonged to the Christmas tree, along with the smell of burning wax and chocolate. Hugo pulled his hands away from my eyes, but I kept them closed just in case. I could hear the breathing of each of my men, but they were being deliberately quiet.
“What’s going on?” I whispered, as a tendril of fear wrapped itself around my heart.
Hart put his hand on the small of my back. I felt his warmth. “Open your eyes, Mara.”
So, I did.
Hugo and Hart walked around my still and shocked form, to stand around the card table in the center of the room. Black balloons were tied with shiny ribbons, and a happy birthday banner spanned the wall behind the couch. Davenport, Jae, Hart, Hugo and Remi all stood around an obscenely large chocolate cake, the dessert buckled under the abundance of colored candles that someone (probably Jae) had tried to cram onto the cake’s surface.
Jae stepped forward, his hair was a mess and his jeans had a sauce stain, but I loved that he didn’t need to wear a mask in front of us. We got to see his true face. Jae took both of my hands and brought them to his lips.
“It’s been one year since you came back to us.” Jae whispered, his violet eyes burned into mine. “Happy birthday, Mara.”
Remi let out a whoop and nudged Warren forward, causing the man to stumble as he tried to rearrange his suit jacket. Davenport shot a stern look over his shoulder before turning to me. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single feather, his cheeks flushed red and he walked away before I could ask what was happening. The feather was crimson, tipped with canary yellow. A phoenix feather.
“Birthday presents!” Remi announced cheerfully, and I rushed into his waiting arms to plant a kiss on his lips.
Even with my divinity, my demon lineage, and five infuriating supernatural mates, I had never felt more human.
And that was just the way I liked it.
Bonus Chapter
Remi POV
I had turned the laptop monitor away from the door, as I took the Skype call away from the prying eyes of my team. My sister Suzette glared at the boring wall behind me.
“I don't want to look at Uma Thurman's pouting face. I wanted some eye candy.” She whined, gesturing with a limp hand towards the oversized pulp fiction poster amongst the rest of my classic film posters.
“That's my team,” I said sternly before breaking into a smile. “How have you been? How’s mum?”
“Missing you.” Suz rolled her eyes. “Dad can't keep harping on about the Weber Witch that broke his own curse.” She sounded exasperated, but at twenty-one, it was rare when she didn’t. Suzette, or Suz for short, was the youngest of my three sisters. Suz looked exactly like our mum, umber skin, and beautiful natural hair. The only difference were the vivid blue eyes that belonged to our father. While they looked watery gray in his face, they looked striking against her classic Haitian roots.
“Mara says hi, by the way.” I tacked on with a smile. Suz buried her head in her hands, no doubt reliving the first time they had met (via Skype) when Mara pranced into my lap completely nude and wanted to know if I was watching porn.
“How does that work, by the way?” Suz reached over and unwrapped a green lollipop, she popped it in her mouth and rolled the stick from side to side. “Do you all... Together? Or do you each get a day of the week?”
I didn’t want to go into the details of my polygamous relationship with my theatre studies student, candy-loving, baby sister. Besides, our Quintet changed from day to day. Sometimes Mara subconsciously drifted to one of us over the other, sensing that we needed her in some way. Other times, it was a free for all.
“Is that a cannabis lollypop?” I squinted my eyes and leaned forward to study the screen.
Suz smirked, showing a hint of lucid green candy from between her teeth.
I shook my head to clear it. “Why the sudden nosiness about my relationship?”
She shrugged. “It’s Valentine's day on Friday. I wanted to know what you were doing.”
I froze on the spot. Did Demons celebrate Valentine’s day? Unlikely. I was English as well as Haitian, born and raised in Kent. Valentine’s day wasn't such a big thing back home. Shops tried to sell the themed chocolate and cards, but most people stayed in to avoid being caught by the random price-hike in restaurants and bars.
“You forgot, didn’t you?” Suz pointed towards me through the screen with her lollypop.
“Where did you even get a cannabis lollypop from?”
“Camden.”
I exhaled in frustration. “Do you think Mara will want to celebrate valentine’s day?” I wondered.
“Everyone likes chocolate and sex.”
I quirked my brows. Suz held out her hands in a disarming fashion.
“Except me. Obviously.” She made the sign of the cross. “Praise Jesus.”
“Worried that mum can hear you from the other room?” I speculated in a dry voice.
“Of course.” Suz looked over her shoulder. “I’ve got to go.” We said our goodbyes and I love yous before signing out.
What would a Demon Death Goddess want for Valentine's day?
I hadn’t told Mara where we were going when I invited her to drive into the city with me. Driving into NYC was a pain in the arse. I felt uncomfortable leaving my SUV in Coney Island and getting the ferry, but it was easier than trying to find a parking space.
I had made a reservation at an expensive restaurant on fifth Avenue and just hoped that Mara liked it.
Trying to get Mara to sit still was like trying to contain a bag of ferrets. As she sat in the passenger seat, every breath was accompanied by a tiny human movement. Tapping her fingers on her thighs. Opening the glove compartment. Pulling her bottom lip.
Her human mask had completely slipped away as it often did when she was alone with us. I preferred her in her true form. Midnight skin with starlight that shimmered as she moved. Completely black eyes, somehow more expressive than when she had been hidden behind a human host. Mara seemed to move easier, with less weight on her shoulders than when I had first met her.