My eyes burn, and I dart a look at the television. Some terrible reality show with housewives behaving badly plays in the background, but I know that won’t keep me entertained.
My stomach growls, and a hunger pang momentarily takes my mind off the self-pity. Ever since Zephyr made his way into town, I’ve been too afraid to siphon away to find a meal. The risk feels too high that he or his sentinel friends will sense me feeding and follow me back to Black Cove.
I have no proof that’s what occurred in Haven, but it’s the best guess I have of how they found my hometown. That, or they’re searching every sanctuary city in North America.
“Mmm, you look cozy,” Annex says, siphoning into the room and landing just behind me. He leans over the back of the couch, and I tilt my head until I’m staring at him upside down.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“I went in and dosed Rut with lust,” he says, shrugging. “As long as I pop back in every hour or two, I imagine they won’t even know I’m gone.”
Rut is the sex club portion of the club that Greer’s mates own. The nightclub is called Chaos, while Rage is where the fights are held. I’ve been in the latter two, but never the first, and no matter how hard I try, my brain can’t conjure what Rut might look like.
Sometimes I feel like my family did my sister and me a disservice by keeping us so well insulated. I’m legally an adult, and I’ve never even been on an actual date, let alone ventured into a sex club.
“Won’t you get in troubleifsomeone does notice you’re missing?” I ask, licking my lips. He smells even more delicious than normal, and I have no idea why.
“I’m not obligated to stand around watching the debauchery. There are limits to how much lust I can safely dose the crowd with. We don’t want them fucking until they pass out from dehydration.” He chuckles darkly, and my eyes widen as he boops my nose. “It’s a delicate balance, and I’ll be back to replenish the room when they need it.”
His wings stretch wide, and he uses them to propel himself over the couch.
He ends up on the opposite end of the sofa, and I pull my legs back as he settles across from me.
“Oh no, baby doll. There’s plenty of room for both of us.” He holds the blanket up with one hand and grabs my ankles with his tail, redirecting my legs between his. My feet end up between his thighs, and he drops the blanket over both of us. “What are we watching? I can probably get in an episode or two before I have to pop back over to Rut.”
I flick my hand at the television, using a bit of magic to turn up the volume as Annex’s tail slithers around my right ankle.
“I’ve seen this before,” he says, staring at the television. “I believe the lesson is that money can’t buy happiness.” He pulls off my left sock and runs the backs of his fingers over the bottom of my foot. “You’re more familiar with the human world than I am. How did I do?”
“Lesson?” I ask, blinking repeatedly.
Annex’s gaze moves from the TV to me. “Isn’t there a moral to be learned from every human work of fiction?”
More blinking. “I believe you’re thinking of a fable. This is reality TV. It’s meant to be mindless entertainment. It doesn’t convey a life lesson.”
“Hmm,” he purrs, digging his thumb into the arch of my foot. “Well, in that case, I spent entirely too many weeks trying to decode the moral of that show with the brothers who hunt demons. That’s too bad. I was sure I finally caught on.”
I snort. “You’re joking.”
He flutters his long lashes. “Sadly, I am not.”
My head tilts, and my chest fills with his sadness. It makes me ache to search his memories to track down whoever or whatever caused such a stark change in his mood.
“That one actually does have a moral,” I say, lying my ass off. Hell, maybe it does. I don’t know. I don’t watch much human television. I only put this show on because my sister loves it, and hearing it play in the background gives me comfort. “What did you come up with?”
“The lesson?”
I nod.
“Never giving up, and the importance of putting family first.” He snaps with his free hand. “Loyalty too, but I’m big on thinking loyalty is earned, not owed.”
“Agreed.”
“My previous owner had a fondness for mind games, though, so I probably should have seen that coming.” He shrugs.
“Owner?” I choke out as my blood heats, and my monster reminds me just how hungry we are.
“Don’t fret. That was ages ago,” he says, focusing back on the TV. “It’s the luck of the draw when being summoned. I spent two hundred years with a spiteful troll, but as soon as our binding contract was complete, I killed him myself.” His lips tip up. “And I got out of Hell, so really, it’s a win-win.”
