Meph signaled to Raum over the heads of the crowd, and the three of them made their way toward the exit. “But I heard you already found one you liked.”
“Yes, but she isn’t here.”
They stepped onto the street, leaving Eva and Ash behind, lost in their bubble of musical bliss on stage. The pair probably wouldn’t notice they were gone for another hour, but Meph shot a quick text to Ash anyway, just in case. His stick-in-the-mud brother was likely to worry if they didn’t let him know where they were.
Damn, when had they become so bloody domesticated?
“Shall we return to the lair?” Mist asked. “I’m weary of my human form. My shoulders ache without my wings. I don’t know how you maintain it constantly.”
Meph wasn’t about to explain why he never fully shifted. He also wondered how Mist was going to find himself a woman if he couldn’t handle ditching the wings for more than an hour. Guess it would have to be a casual relationship.
Meh. Those are the best kind anyway.
“I’ve got a better idea. Tell me where your human lives, and let’s go there.”
Mist shot him a narrow-eyed look. “No.”
“Why not?”
“I will not reveal her location. She’s mine.”
“She’s not yours if you didn’t even get her number.”
The Hunter growled.
Meph held his hands up. “Not trying to steal your girl, dude. Only trying to help you out. Here’s my plan. You write her a note with your new number on it and put it in her mailbox. When she checks the mail, she’ll find it, and if she wants to see you again, she’ll call. Easy as pie.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Raum sounded surprised, the jackass.
“It’s a fucking fantastic idea.”
Mist scrutinized him for so long, a lesser demon might have lost his nerve. But Meph lacked the ability to feel insecure, so he just stared back at him, customary grin plastered across his face.
He knew he looked like an idiot most of the time, smiling like that, but he didn’t care. Raum wore a scowl like a mask, and Meph did the same with a smile. His grin was his armor.
Finally, the Hunter nodded. “I agree to this plan. But she is mine.” The word ‘mine’ came out like a growl. “We’ll go now.” He strode off into the darkness, newfound purpose in his step.
4
Glow Up
“Lily, you have to help us,” her mother whispered from the darkness.
Lily spun around, seeking the source of the voice.
“We need you,” her father pleaded from somewhere else. She spun that direction, finding only blackness.
“It was your fault,” Iris whispered. “Our fault.”
“Where are you?” Lily asked the dark, spinning around and around.
“It’s our fault they’re gone.”
“Why? What did we do?”
“They’re dead because of us.”
“No, that can’t be!”
