She shook her head at him. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Except she could believe it, and whatever had happened to her made it so she didn’t care. Worse, she found it hot. The way Meph had knocked him flat with one punch—no hesitation, no male-posturing bullshit, keeping his cool the whole time... Damn.
And he’d done it to defend her. Because Antoine had insulted her and he didn’t like it. The thought created a funny stirring in her chest that she was in no way ready to acknowledge.
“I think you’re corrupting me,” she told him, shaking her head.
“Probably,” he agreed, heading down the hall toward the kitchen. Grimalkin hissed at him from the sofa as he passed, and Meph shot him a middle finger. “You want a smoke? I’m going out back.”
Iris dropped her head back and groaned inwardly. “Sure. Why the hell not.”
She’d gone this far down. What was yet another cigarette to add to her failed attempts at bettering her life? She grabbed her coat from the hook and followed him, stopping in her bedroom to throw on leggings, one of his T-shirts, and a pair of warm socks. The feeling had finally returned to her feet, and she wasn’t keen to lose it again.
She left Faust to roam the house, figuring that he was probably going to fall asleep on his bed in the living room. He and Grim seemed to have made tentative peace, and he’d gotten more comfortable sleeping there since Meph had started coming over, which was probably for the better. When he grew to the size of a pony, there was no way he’d fit on her bed. Better to break that habit now.
Iris met Meph outside and folded herself into her usual deck chair, tucking her feet under her legs to keep warm. She’d learned that demons either ran hot or didn’t feel the cold the same as humans, because as usual, Meph wore nothing but a hoodie and sweats, and he didn’t bat an eye at the frigid wind whistling through the balcony.
“So what’d you do today?” he asked, lighting up.
She exhaled, feeling more of the tension in her muscles subside. This was always their routine—he’d come over, they’d smoke, maybe have a drink, and then they’d have vigorous sex until they passed out from exhaustion. Sometimes they’d order food and watch a movie first. Sometimes they’d talk for so long they’d only squeeze a quickie in before they fell asleep. Sometimes they’d skip everything else and jump straight to the sex.
This was their new normal, and she found the return to it comforting after the earlier theatrics. Meph was just easy to be around.
“I hung out with Lily. Helped her look for info on Mist’s brands at the coven library.”
“Find anything?”
“Nope.”
“It’s not surprising.” He leaned against the railing as if the metal wasn’t so cold it would freeze to his skin. “Mist said he’d been searching for a way out for thousands of years and never found anything. Even Bel and Dan didn’t know anything.”
“I know. But I guess she feels like she has to try.”
“Makes sense.”
Iris nodded as he passed her the cigarette. She took a drag, enjoying the rush as she inhaled. “You’re a terrible influence,” she grumbled, unable to banish her feelings of self-deprecation.
That was the conundrum of smoking. She couldn’t quit, but she couldn’t stop berating herself for not quitting either. It was goddamn exhausting.
His brow cocked. “Demons tend to have that effect on people.”
“I thought you stopped doing all that.”
“I stopped playing by the rules, but I’ll always be a demon, sweetness.”
She rolled her eyes. “The pet names will never not be gross.”
“You seem to like them when I’m balls deep inside of you.”
Her face burned, and she wanted to smack him. She also wanted to run her fingers through his silky hair and kiss him until they were both breathless. “Honestly, the shit that comes out of your mouth...”
He grinned at her. “You have no idea how fun it is making you squirm.”
She scoffed. “Things were so much easier when I just hated you.”
“And you don’t hate me now?” He frowned as he took the cigarette back and took a drag. “Do I need to worry about our arrangement?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. We’ve gone from ‘hate’ to ‘mild tolerance for short periods.’”
