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Because I wasn’t afraid of her anymore, and she could keep me safe.

I hated I found comfort in that.

Ray was right about sticking together, and I hated that even more.

What the fuck had I gotten myself into? I simply wanted to protect this neighborhood, even those who didn’t necessarily deserve protection. Apparently, even that comes at a cost, no good deed and all that.

“What are you proposing?” I asked, grinding my teeth together against both the physical pain and embarrassment of this whole fucking situation.

“We’ll stay at your place. We’ll work together, and then when it’s over, if you don’t want to, you’ll never see me again.”

“Why my place?”

She bit her bottom lip, but there was a sparkle in her eye. “I don’t have a place. I just kind of move around. We’re instinctual beings. I need sleep, I lie down. I need food, I eat. I’m not fussy.”

“So you can sleep on the floor then,” I said.

“I don’t even qualify for the couch? That’s rough.”

“House rules. Humans on the bed, dogs on the couch, demons on the floor.”

It took all my remaining strength not to shudder at the way she looked at me, her bright teeth on display with the grin and a dangerous glint in her eye. “We’ll see.”

RAY

Knocking out a steady rhythm on the door, I could keep this up all night. Given the choice, I’d put my stamina to better use, but I was also very easily entertained, even knocking out a few tunes with both hands to break the monotony like the fucking genius maestro I am.

Tat tat tat, tat tat tat tat, tat tat, tat tat tat.

“I can do this allllll night,” I sang through the door. “In fact, I might add some singing to the mix since you’re enjoying my percussion so much. Here we go—”

As I sucked in a breath to belt out something I’m certain would’ve been, at the very least, as majestic as squawking can get, Ilsa opened the bathroom door.

Christ, if looks could kill, I’d fall dead where I stood.

Her expression was icy as she tightened the towel around her body. “What. Do. You. Want?” she pushed out through gritted teeth.

I couldn’t help it. I smiled. There was something so incredibly amusing about annoying her. I mean, I found it entertaining to bother most beings, humans and demons alike. But Ilsa, there was this delicious push and pull between us. A lingering attraction was right under the surface, and for her, the attraction was buried beneath a few layers of anger and denial.

Understandable.

I’ve never been around a human who knew what I was before, and there was something incredibly invigorating about it.

Besides, Ilsa had let me go more than once, then she hadnotturned me in when she could have, and actually helpedandlooked after me when I was injured. So whatever it was she was battling within herself, whatever lies she was telling herself to get through the days, she was fighting a losing battle. I wanted to keep pushing her buttons until she came apart, then maybe she’d talk to me properly.

“You need to let me clean your wounds,” I said.

“Ray, I’m not going to let you bathe me.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Please, just let me have a bath. Then I’ll come out, and you can annoy me all you want, okay?”

Pouting, I stepped back as she closed the door, thankful she at least didn’t slam it in my face but instead pushed it closed with a gentle, but all the same, final click. I’ll take it as a sign maybe she recognized there was care behind my offer to look after her, and it wasn’t fueled purely by my desire to have her naked.

It seemed only right with all she had done for me, considering she obviously wasn’t my biggest fan. I told her I knew the difference between right and wrong.

Perhaps I was a test ofhermorals, and it bothered her.