Page 15 of Dead Serious Case 5 Madame Vivienne
“He’s gone radio silent.” Chan pauses and frowns. “I haven’t seen him in weeks and that’s not like him.”
Danny wanders into the kitchen and catches the tail end of our conversation. “He’s probably just busy. Like you said, he’s the king of the reapers.” He stops by the kettle and flicks it on, pulling down some mugs from the shelf. “Tea?”
I nod before turning my attention back to Chan. “Danny’s right, he’s probably just busy.”
“Chan, tea?” Danny jiggles an empty mug enticingly in his direction.
“Please. My cup’s already on the side, no need to use a clean one.” A small smile tugs at his lips and he drops daintily down onto the chair opposite me with a sigh. “Do you think he’s getting tired of me? I mean, do you think the novelty has worn off? I’m only a boring old human, after all. He’s… well… you said it yourself. He’s like the king of the reapers, an immortal death deity, and supernatural creature of immeasurable power. I’m nothing in comparison.”
“What the actual fuck?” Dusty exclaims loudly in disbelief, and I jolt at the sudden shrillness of her voice.
“Oh, there you are,” I say mildly. “I wondered where you’d got to.”
“I was checking in with Bruce.” Dusty waves her hand negligently in my direction, keeping her fiercely protective attention focused on Chan. “First of all, I don’t want to hear that shit again. Death is lucky you’re even giving him the time of day.There’s no way in hell anyone could get bored with you. You’re incredible.”
Chan gives her a soft smile filled with love. “You’re biased, darling.”
“Of course I am,” Dusty sniffs. “Doesn’t mean I’m not right. I may not get it, there’s that age difference and maybe a bit of a daddy kink, but he’s got like a great, great… a billion times great-grandfather age difference. He should be grateful that someone as young and hot as you wants to play with his dick.”
“Classy,” I mutter and look up to smile at Danny as he hands me a mug of tea. “But Dusty is kinda right.”
“Of course I am,” she says smugly.
“Not about his… um… never mind.” I shake my head; there are certain appendages of Death’s that I really don’t want to be thinking about. It’s too weird. “Seriously though, you don’t see the way he looks at you, but we do. Don’t get me wrong. If he looked at me that way, I’d be terrified. But you seem to like it.”
Chan chuckles. “That’s only because you don’t see the side of him that I do.”
“My point exactly. You may not have defined your relationship yet and that’s left you feeling a little vulnerable, but there’s no mistaking how fascinated he is with you.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” He sighs, offering Danny a small smile of thanks as Danny places a cup down on the table in front of him. “What happens when the fascination wears off and he’s no longer interested?”
“You’ve really got it bad, haven’t you?” Dusty’s eyes lock on Chan consideringly. “For Death?”
Chan shrugs. “I…” He hesitates and sighs. “It’s crazy, I know. It sounds completely insane. He’s a being that has been around since before my ancestors’ ancestors were even a thought. He’s awkward and takes things way too literally, but…”
“But?” Dusty leans in, genuinely curious.
“He makes me feel like…” He breaks off and shakes his head. “Ignore me, it’s been a weird day.”
“You should talk to him,” Danny interjects, ever the father figure of our odd little family, the calm voice of reason. “Even though he’s spent thousands of years collecting souls, this is the first time he’s really interacted with humanity on a more intimate level. It’s probably the first time he’s ever had humans that he’s, well, kinda friends with, let alone one he’s in a romantic relationship with. He doesn’t know what he’s doing any more than you do, which is why communication is key. He won’t notice what you’re feeling or understand why, so you’ll have to spell it out for him.”
“You’re right,” Chan murmurs a little dejectedly. “I know you are, and I am going to talk to him about it. It’s what we’ve done since the beginning because I know, probably better than anyone, he just doesn’t get it.”
“Then what is it, really?” Danny asks.
“I just miss him,” Chan admits.
“You miss Death?” Dusty huffs out a laugh and Chan grins at her. “Did you ever think when we stole our first pair of lacy knickers from Debenhams at sixteen that this is where we’d end up?”
“You couldn’t write this shit,” Chan chuckles.
“Why’s it so quiet in here, anyway?” I ask, changing the subject to give Chan a break. “Have Harrison and Sam murdered each other already? Because I’ve got to say, I don’t think I can deal with Detective Byrnes twice in one day.”
Chan scoffs at the mention of that dickwaffle’s name. “I seriously don’t know what his problem is.” He rolls his eyes. “The way he looks at you, you’d think he suspected you of murdering Viv, even though you were a hundred miles away at the time.”
“I was thinking exactly the same thing earlier.”
“Harrison’s not here,” Sam says as he wanders into the kitchen to join us.