She broke off. The problem was, she feared shedidknow what was up with Iris, but she didn’t want to believe it. But she knew she needed to hear it, and that started with having that talk. It was the whole reason she’d told her to come here after all, though she was certainly regretting it now.
“Why didn’t the others stop her?” Lily mumbled. “They obviously knew what we were doing.” Her palms covered her cheeks again. “Oh my god, they knew what we were doing. I might die of embarrassment.”
Mist’s head tilted slightly. “Because you were with me?”
“What? No, of course not.” She slid her hands around his neck and petted his skin. “I’m proud to be with you. Just because it’s so embarrassing to think that everyone knew we were having sex.”
“Why?”
“Because…” She breathed a laugh. “I honestly don’t know. It’s a human thing, I guess.”
He nodded as if this, at least, he could understand.
Now that she had noticed he was in pain, she couldn’t stop seeing it. “I need to go deal with my sister, but… are you okay?”
A claw gently traced her collarbone and then drew a circle around her nipple. “When I’m with you, the rest of the world fades away.”
His words were sweet and warmed her heart, but she still recognized the deflection. But there wasn’t time to discuss it now, damn it. Not with Iris raging around in a house full of demons. Lily needed to get to her before she did something really bad, like piss off Belial.
“Can we talk later? After I calm my sister down and get the truth out of her?”
He nodded but didn’t meet her gaze.
She kissed him and then climbed reluctantly off the bed. Even in the summer heat, her skin pebbled with coolness the moment she separated from Mist’s heated body. She dressed quickly, sneaking glances at him as she did, noting the pain in all his movements now.
When he stood, he did it slower than usual and wavered slightly as he straightened to his full height. His wings and tail twitched with constant agitation when they were normally mostly still.
At the door, she stopped and turned back, unable to quash her worry. Her instincts were screaming at her not to go, but she couldn’t leave Iris out there, and she needed answers.
“I’ll come right back,” she promised.
Yet she couldn’t help thinking it would be too late.
* * *
After a quick tripto the bathroom to wash up, Lily hurried into the kitchen to face the music. Bracing herself for drama, she was surprised to find Eva and the demons sipping their cocktails in silence. There was no sign of Iris.
“Hey.” She shifted uncomfortably when everyone looked up. “Um, where’s my sister?”
“She went onto the balcony.” Eva’s lips twisted with a sympathetic smile.
“I don’t think she likes us much,” Meph added with a smirk.
“Okay, thanks.” She started to leave and then stopped. “And sorry. She can be a bit… intense.”
Ash snorted, and Eva elbowed him. “Don’t worry about it.” She seemed to be making an extra effort to be nice, and Lily appreciated it. To call the demons intimidating was an understatement, even if they were in human form.
“And sorry about before.” Eva cleared her throat. “We tried to stop her, but—”
“Oh, it’s fine.” Lily was right back to wanting to melt through the floorboards. “Like I said, she can be intense. Um, I’ll be back in a bit, then.”
As she approached the patio, she could see Iris’s blue head through the glass, but she didn’t turn around when Lily slid the door shut behind her. Outside, the air was thick with humidity, and leaving the air-con felt like getting hit with a wet heat blanket.
“Can we talk?” Lily asked.
Iris finally turned. “Why did you ask me to come here?”
“Because Mist believes we’re in danger, and while I have my doubts, I trust him enough to take him seriously. This apartment is heavily warded, and he says we’ll be safe here until he makes a better plan. Actually, I don’t think it’s warded out here, so it would be better if we—”
