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“Of course, we do,” I say, taking his hand and throwing Theo a glare, but Ben waits for him to answer. After nearly thirty seconds of tension, Theo’s shoulders sag.

“Yes,” he sighs. “Of course, I do. I’m sorry. I just…” Ben drops his bag and goes around the end of the counter, then puts an arm around Theo’s waist and a hand on his cheek.

“Look at me, Theo,” he says firmly. “I’m coming back, alright? That anxiety in your head, telling you that I got what I wanted and now I’m running out, it’slying. You gave me the chance to leave and I couldn’t, because…because I’m in it now. Whatever the fuckthisis, I was in it before we got into that backseat, and I’m still in it now. Come Hell or high water.”

The corners of Theo’s mouth twitch in a frown. “I’m in it too,” he says, “but…you couldn’t pick a different reassuring phrase?” Ben’s signature, dimpled grin lights up the entire room and he goes to where his jacket is hanging on the wall.

“Look. I’m getting picked up, so…you two can keep these.” He takes his car keys and flask from the pockets and sets them on the counter, then drapes the jacket over my shoulders. I pull it tight and lean against his chest as he wraps his arms around me from behind.

“You’re gonna leave your car?” Theo asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Collateral,” Ben tells him, then kisses the side of my head. “Don’t make her watch too muchStar Wars, alright?”

“There is no such thing,” I say, looking back at Ben with a smile that feels forced. He might be leaving his car, but something feels off. I wonder if I am afraid, like Theo is, that he will not return. Once Ben has reassured Theo one more time, and even allowed tracking of his location on Theo’s phone, he comes back to me.

“Please do not go,” I say quietly, twisting my fingers through his. He kisses my forehead and leans his cheek against it.

“I have to, Annie girl,” he murmurs. “I promise it’ll only be a couple days, and I’ll explain everything when I get back. I owe you two that, at least.”

“Very well,” I reply, tilting my face back so he can kiss me. It is warm and slow and deep, only making me ache for more, but then he steps away.

Without him, I am left cold and empty,even when I push Hellfire through my veins.

27

Theo

Annie and I don’ttalk for a long time after Ben leaves. I put onStar Wars, more for comfort and background noise than anything else. She sits at the counter and pushes leftovers around her plate while I eat on the couch. If Ben doesn’t come back, the chances of Annie and I being separated are virtually none. I also thought that something had changed between us, but now I’m just not sure. The anxiety pressing against the inside of my chest whispers insistently that I’m about to get my heart broken again.

“Do you feel angry?” says Annie quietly, looking over at me—her big, black eyes full of sadness.

“About Ben leaving?” I ask, and she nods. “Maybe a little. I think I’m more angry that he didn’t say why he had to go. Like it was a state secret or something.”

“Perhaps…he was embarrassed?” she suggests, and I can’t help but smile at her adorable attempt to guess human emotions. I put my plate down and walk over to where she’s sitting, with Ben’s jacket still draped around her shoulders. Something is definitely different between her and I now, but I’m not sure exactly what it is, or what she wants it to be. Our situation was weird enough before, and now it’s completely off the rails. Even just standing near her feels strangely comforting though, as if we’ve trauma bonded over being tied to each other involuntarily. I put my hands on her shoulders and she leans into me, closing her eyes.

“Would you lie down with me?” she asks quietly.

“Just…lie down?” I say, and she opens her depthless eyes, then grins.

“You are blushing, my dear.”

“Am I?” I laugh, tracing my thumb along her cheek and down the side of her neck.

“Yes, I would like to just lie down with you.” She almost sounds tired and closes her eyes again, so I move to the side and lift her out of the chair, letting Ben’s leather jacket fall, then carry her to the couch and fall with her on top of me. We nestle down so I’m on my back and she’s next to me, the same way she was with Ben just that morning. It’s extremely strange to think that so much has changed in just one day, but once we’re settled in, I don’t want to move. I find some horrific true crime show for her to watch, then run my hand over her long hair, smoothing it down.

“Is this really going to make you feel better?” I ask when the creepy theme music starts up and the narrator begins detailing a brutal dismemberment.

Annie lets out a quiet laugh. “If you knew anything about my world, you might understand.”

“Tell me, then. I know you said my mind can’t comprehend the horrors, but…is there anything youcantell me? What do you do when you aren’t…torturing? Do demons have bars or clubs or something for their days off?”

“Hmmm.” She props her chin on her hand so she can look at me. “We do not have ‘days off’. We simply…work on a soul until it is so worn down that it can no longer be tormented, then it is cast into the lake. We may have a brief respite before being assigned another soul.”

I swallow, trying to ignore how not normalthis conversation is. “What does the ‘respite’ entail? Like a vacation?”

“No,” Annie chuckles. “I would occasionally be tasked with moving souls to another tower, and then I might assist with those punishments for a short time.”

“Right…everyone needs a change of pace sometimes.”