Page 27

Chapter

Twenty-Five

MERRI

“ M otherfucker!” I whisper-shouted into my dimly lit bedroom as I slammed my fists down onto the bedding. “Not again.”

I’d dreamwalked without even meaning to. There was no way to deny that was what happened. Not once I’d realized I was feeding from him. My talk with Grim must have planted the idea in my mind, and then my slutty subconscious sought out the first available target. Even in my sleep, I was dangerous to them.

The gray light of early morning crept through the crack between my curtains, confirming my decision to toss back the blankets and get my day started. No use attempting to go back to sleep—though it wasn’t like I could after the way I’d woken up. The way I was feeling right now, I’d never sleep again.

I shuffled over to the closet and grabbed a fluffy blue robe and some seriously ridiculous bunny slippers I’d found. I had no idea how they’d gotten there or who their original owner was, but they were comfy AF, and that’s really all I cared about right now.

Once I was bundled, I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen. Coffee was next on my must-haves list. Who was I kidding? Coffee was always at the top of my morning list. The promise of a hot cup of liquid caffeine had my mouth watering before I walked into the empty kitchen.

“Annnd go,” I muttered, pressing the button to percolate. A few seconds of drumming my fingers and staring at the rich brown liquid dripping into the pot was all it took before I pulled my phone out. I scrolled mindlessly for a minute or two before opening up my messaging app.

Me:

You up?

My time zone math wasn’t great, but I figured it was no later than midnight for her, so the odds were in my favor.

Andi:

What do you think I am? A Golden Girl? Of fucking course I’m up.

Me:

Excuse me, the Golden Girls would be so mad at you for your ageist comment. Those ladies were always up eating cheesecake and talking about sex in the middle of the night, thankyouverymuch.

Andi:

I stand corrected. I’ve obviously missed my calling. Let me guilt purchase some kaftans and correct my mistake.

Me:

Thank you

I chuckled, already feeling better. Sometimes you just needed an early morning check-in with your bestie. It wasn’t like I could talk to her about my almost sex dreamwalk with Chaos, but I could remind myself there was more to my life than my out-of-control succubus power.

Andi:

Is the sun even up where you are? Tell me you spent the night partying and are just getting in.

Me:

Not quite. More like trouble sleeping.

Andi:

Borrring I’m revoking your Golden Girl card

Me:

Look who’s suddenly an expert

Andi:

as you pointed out, they love two of my most favorite things. I’m clearly an honorary member

Me:

Sex and cheesecake?

Andi:

Preach

The coffee pot beeped to indicate my precious was finished brewing. Did I scurry over like Gollum in the cave when he was searching for the lost ring? Yes. No shame here.

My phone chimed again as I brought the steaming mug to my lips.

Andi:

What time is it for you? You never text me this late.

Me:

It’s too early to mention in polite company. You’d be offended.

Andi:

So, why can’t you sleep? Something on your mind?

Andi:

Let me guess, boy trouble?

“More like horseman trouble,” I grumbled.

Me:

It’s complicated. Cole got really upset about my live with Sin. He was pretty hurt by it.

Was that really my current issue? No. But it was a partial truth. I was holding onto a lot of guilt over a multitude of things lately.

Andi:

That’s not surprising. It’s always a risk, but I’m sure you can soothe his ruffled feathers with some one-on-one time. That usually does the trick.

Me:

Yeah . . . maybe.

Andi:

Trust me, babes. I’ve been in the game a lot longer than you. If there’s one thing I know, it’s men. His ego is a little bruised, that’s all. Just make sure he knows he’s still your goodest boy and you’ll have him purring like a kitten again in no time.

Me:

He said he loves me. Maybe I need to put some space between us.

Andi:

Of course he loves you. Have you seen you?

Andi:

Besides, is there really anything so wrong with a man loving you?

Me:

If it blurs the line . . .

Andi:

You can move the line to wherever it best serves you, sweets.

The sound of someone whistling in the hallway pulled my attention from my messages with Andi. It had to be either Sin or Christian. None of the rest of them would whistle. My money was on the groundskeeper, though. Sin lived the rock star life, and that usually meant staying in bed until at least noon if he could.

Me:

GTG! Talk soon.

I was blowing on my steaming mug as Christian came around the corner. His attention was on his phone, so it took him a second to notice me.

“Merde! You startled me,” he gasped, one hand pressed to his chest, the other pocketing his phone. Then he spotted the coffee in my hand. “Apologies, mademoiselle. I would have started the coffee for you if I’d known you were getting up early.”

I held up my mug in a mock salute. “No worries. I’m perfectly capable. Do you want some?”

A smile spread across his face. “You know, I would like that very much. No one ever offers.”

“Really?” I blurted, but then I thought about my housemates and shook my head. “Actually, that tracks.” I poured him a cup and handed it to him before leaning my ass against the counter. “So, what’s new with you?”

Again with the shocked smile. “Do you really want to know? I am not used to guests here caring about my life.”

How often did he host guests here? Was Malice running this place like an Airbnb? That didn’t seem likely. “Of course I want to know.”

He mimicked my posture by leaning against the island. “Well, these are hard times, as you can imagine.”

Right. The world was ending. Funny how easy it was to forget that little tidbit when I had things like being a soul-binding hussy to worry about. Was this what perspective felt like? How big were my problems in the scheme of things?

Big.

They were still pretty fucking big. Especially since the hordes of hell were after me to help seal the deal, which was the reason we were hiding out here to begin with.

I sighed. “Yeah. It’s... a lot.” Taking a sip of my coffee, I tried to think of something I could say that wouldn’t confuse the human in the room. “Damn, global warming is a real bitch.”

Christian gave me an odd look. “That’s one way to refer to the apocalypse.”

The sip of coffee I’d just taken threatened to come out of my nose. “You know about that?”

“But of course. My family has been protecting this chateau for centuries. We’re in service to Hecate, our goddess. She warned us about the signs long ago.”

My eyes widened as realization dawned. “Oh, so you’re like a warlock or mage or something? Not just a human.”

His answering smile was conspiratorial. “Not just a human.”

“Well, that makes things easier. Wait. Do you know what I am?”

“Not at first, I must admit. But I figured it out pretty quickly.” His smile widened, and a twinkle filled his eyes as he pulled a simple crystal pendant out from under his sweater. “It’s why I fashioned this.”

“What is that?” I leaned closer to inspect the small clear stone hanging from a thin leather cord.

“Quartz. It’s bespelled to ward off your power.”

“I didn’t think that was possible. Lilith said no one could resist me, even with magic.”

He let out a short bark of laughter. “She was wrong. Typical demon.”

I puzzled over that for a moment, confused how Lilith could be wrong about something like that. Unless she’d lied to me, but that didn’t feel right either.

“Hecate protects her own. She ensured we would remain safe so long as we are in her service,” he explained, likely sensing my confusion.

“Oh, that makes sense.”

And it sort of did. If anyone would know how to combat Lilith’s allure, it would be a goddess. Lilith might be the first demon, but she wasn’t omnipotent. It was possible there were creatures out there who were stronger and more powerful—and more knowledgeable—than her.

I internally flinched at the traitorous thought. If she had been in my head at that moment, she wouldn’t have been pleased.

“Mademoiselle? Are you all right?” Christian was staring at me as though I’d been obviously distracted.

“Yes, sorry. I just never knew such a thing existed. It would have come in handy.”

Goddammit, I probably could’ve been handing these things out like candy on Halloween and then just strolled through town like a normal human without worrying about killing people. There had to be a catch. If that was possible, Lilith would’ve done it for me.

“It takes a great deal of power to keep it active. Of course you wouldn’t know.”

Right. So no Halloween goodies for me.

Somehow that was comforting. Even though it was an option, it wasn’t one that could have actively changed the trajectory my life took.

I waved a hand, wanting to change the subject. “So your family is still out there? Dealing with all the crazy?”

He nodded. “It’s just my sisters and me now.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling my own lack of family.

“It was a long time ago.”

“Are your sisters also in France?”

“Non. They are scattered around. Free spirits that travel as the goddess pulls them.”

“So you don’t talk to them often?”

He walked to the sink and rinsed out his coffee mug before returning his gaze to me. “I have made contact a handful of times since the apocalypse began, but it is always short and difficult. They are safe. That is all I care about. One day we will be reunited.”

“Is it really that bad out there?” I shuddered, thinking about what London had looked like before we left.

“Oui. This island has created a—how do you say—bubble of safety. But outside is a great deal of chaos with a few pockets of untouched reality. The more isolated they were to start, the better they seem to be faring.”

“I can see that. Especially the places where they are already set up to be sort of self-sufficient.”

“Exactement. Which is probably why Monsieur Laurent has me working on expanding our gardens and other enhancements for the property.”

“A homestead?”

“Among other things. We are safest here for the time being. If we can grow our own food and sustain ourselves, we will be far better off when the power grid inevitably goes down and the resurgence of the death rattle spreads beyond the few places it has popped up. And with martial law being declared in many countries, it’s only a matter of time before the riots that have started in other big cities shift their focus to places like here.”

It was shocking to hear how bad things had gotten. Shocking, but not necessarily a surprise. They’d been making movies and video games about the end of the world for decades now. It was basically a road map for how humanity should behave in times like these.

“They declared martial law?”

He nodded. “The US did last night. The UK and Canada this morning.”

“What? Really?”

He nodded again.

Why the hell hadn’t Andi mentioned any of this? Was I wrong when I assumed she was still in the States? She could be hiding out on a tropical island for all I knew. After what Christian had just revealed, part of me hoped she was laying out on a beach in a bikini, blissfully untouched by the apocalypse.

“If you have people close to you, I would take a moment to reach out and ensure they are safe. It might be your last chance, and Monsieur Laurent won’t offer them refuge here, not that most would be able to travel this far anyway, but at least you’ll know they are all right.”

My thoughts went instantly to Cole. He and Lilith were all I had left. To the best of my knowledge, Andi was safe. And Lilith had forbidden me from contacting her for the time being, which only left him.

My skin crawled as fear took hold. If anything had happened to Cole, I would never forgive myself. I’d left our conversation with him promising not to abandon me, but me cold and distant.

Snatching my phone off the kitchen counter, I shot Christian an apologetic look. “Would you excuse me? I think I’m gonna take your advice.”

“Bonne chance, mademoiselle. I hope your loved ones are well.”

“Thank you, Christian,” I called over my shoulder, already moving out of the kitchen.

Had I realized the state of the world had gotten this bad, I never would have left things the way I did with Cole. I only hoped it wasn’t too late to fix it.