The problem was, no matter how long they stayed in Montreal, they couldn’t put down roots. Living as fugitives meant there was always a chance they’d have to drop everything and run at a moment’s notice. Raum couldn’t make commitments that he might not be able to keep.
If they could have settled more, Meph probably would’ve pursued his art more seriously, and Ash would’ve played more gigs with Eva—he was stressed about keeping on the down-low now that his curse was broken and he was recognizable. Bel definitely would’ve preferred to cook for someone other than his ungrateful brothers, and Mist would probably have left the city more. The Hunter sometimes got a wild look in his eyes when he’d been cooped up inside for too long. Raum could see him and Lily going off on an adventure—
He stopped his thoughts with a shake of his head. There was no point imagining a life where they weren’t hunted anymore, because it was never gonna happen. For the rest of time—or until they got caught—they were rogue. That meant living in secret, hiding in plain sight.
Honestly, they’d lasted longer than Raum had thought they would. Maybe he was a pessimist, but the whole escape plan had seemed like a suicide mission to him. He’d been willing to give it a go because he was reckless, but he hadn’t really believed it would work.
Hell, they’d already been found. If it wasn’t for Sunshine’s compassionate heart, their run would have ended the night she’d spotted them in the bar.
Thoughts of Sunshine made his stomach clench, and he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see if she’d called him though he knew she hadn’t. He’d put the ringer on, and with the way he was obsessing over it, there was no way he’d miss a call.
Shaking his head at himself, he pocketed the phone and led Luna up the ramp to the shelter front door. Poor Luna immediately started trembling as soon as they got inside, and it made him feel like shit for bringing her back here.
You can’t keep her, so don’t even think about it.His apartment was too small for a traumatized dog to live with a deranged demon prone to rage attacks. Bel was already pissed about Faust, and he was only there part time. And it wouldn’t be fair to Luna, who was already scared of everything, to have to get used to Bel.
When he opened Luna’s cage and led her inside, she looked at him like he’d just told her they couldn’t be friends anymore. She looked like he was leaving her on a deserted island while he rowed off in a lifeboat. She looked like he’d just revealed Santa Claus wasn’t real, and neither was the Easter Bunny, and unicorns were just horses with fake horns strapped to their heads.
“Don’t give me those sad eyes,” he groaned, dropping his forehead against the cage.
She continued looking at him.
“You’re killing me, Luna.”
Fuck, I can’t do it.Shaking his head, he went into the cage and sat on the ground. Just like she had when they first started hanging out, Luna lay down beside him and put her head on his thigh, blowing out a relieved sigh like she’d just escaped a terrible fate.
How the hell was he supposed to leave her here?
His phone rang and he scrambled to answer it, dislodging Luna’s head. She watched him curiously as he fumbled with the stupid thing, feeling like an idiot, but he was desperate for this call, damn it.
Except the display said ‘Meph.’ He groaned again but answered anyway. “What.”
“Nice to hear your voice too, darling brother.”
“I’m expecting a call. Can’t talk.”
“From Sunshine?”
“Yeah, from her.”
“I just talked to her.”
“What?” Raum sat up straighter. “She’s there? Let me talk to her. What’d she say?”
“Damn, I’ve never heard you talk so fast. You’ve got it bad.”
Raum glowered. “Look who’s talking. You and Iris are so gross together, no one can stand to be around you.”
“That’s called jealousy, my friend.”
“It’s called being disgusted.”
“Deny it all you want, but we both know—”
“I don’t give a fuck about this right now!” he snapped. “Is Sunshine there? Did you tell her where I was? What did she say?”
“Calm down, calm down, I was getting to that.” Meph took a long breath during which Raum envisioned reaching through the phone connection to punch him. “She was here, but she left.”
“Where’d she go?”
