Page 127 of Finders Reapers

“We should share the bed,” I murmured, unable to meet his eyes. “That couch doesn’t look comfortable for either of us.”

Maddox glanced down at the couch and then back to me as if he was waiting for me to recant my statement.

I didn’t.

My inner Karen was halfway through a sermon that contained a heavy amount of slut-shaming.

I ignored my inner Karen.

She could suck a dick.

Prompted by my internal monologue, my eyes flicked down to Maddox’s pants. It was dark, and I didn’t see anything—though wishful thinking had me making a bulge out of the shadows on the crotch of his levis.

Maddox quirked a brow but didn’t say anything about me openly perving on him.

“It’s been a long day,” I stated blandly as if that was an excuse for my behavior.

Maddox nodded stiffly. “Can you get the extra blankets from the wardrobe next to the door? You’re closer.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Sometimes, I had to remind myself that other people can’t read my mind,” I stated, even though my words made no sense.

Maddox quirked a brow, biting back a smile. “If only the Grim bond had that function.”

I inhaled sharply, sucking both my top and bottom lip between my teeth. “Thank god for small favors,” I muttered.

“If it helps, I’ll forget that you ogled me like a piece of meat.”

I groaned and rubbed my hand down my face. “Shut up.”

Maddox’s smile grew until his eyes sparkled with amusement. He reached up and began to unbutton his shirt.

I put my hand up, blocking my eyes. “Hey!” I barked, “We’re sharing a bed, that’s it.”

Maddox threw his head back and laughed. “I need to put my pajamas on.”

“Oh yeah.” My cheeks flamed, and I turned on my heels to face the wall to give him privacy.

Maddox chuckled to himself, finding more humor in the situation. “Today was a long drive, but you handled yourself well.”

I glanced over my shoulder in time to watch as he pulled a Henley over his broad shoulders. My eyes were drawn to the prominent hip bones that formed two lines towards his crotch like a person in an orange vest flagging down an airplane on the runway. My mouth went dry, and I cleared my throat.

“I didn’t realize being a Reaper had so much travel time, especially when you can turn any doorway into a teleportation hub with just a few words,” I grumbled. When Maddox opened his mouth, I held up my hand. “Yes, I do know that we drove so that we wouldn’t be tracked, but I thought you were on this mission for Charon—surely he would be able to stop Mr. Bub from looking into this.”

Maddox brushed his hands down the front of his Thermal. “You’d think.” He replied. “None of this sits right with me.”

“I’ll say,” I walked to his side and sat on the bed, careful not to look Maddox in the eye as I spoke. “It’s all about the Purgers, but if it was about the Purgers, wouldn’t we have seen them? Wouldn’t there be more evidence?”

“Gorge is pretty damning evidence.” Maddox slanted me a look.

“Evidence of what?” I said, exasperated. “It’s just a demon drug, right?”

“Gorge is demon blood. Most importantly, it’s higher demon blood that comes directly from the court of the sixth circle. Gluttony.” Maddox explained with a heavy sign. “It makes a person insatiable. They want to fuck until they die. Eat until they pop. Take any sort of indulgence and then ramp it up to lethal proportions.”

“And the Purgers deal the gorge,” I surmised.

“A Purgers job is to feed the King of Gluttony. No more. No less. They collect food for the king.” Maddox stated plainly, brushing his hand across the scruff of his shorn head. “Feed a person demon blood, and link them to the sin. When they die, their soul belongs to gluttony. It's not against the cosmic order.”

“So, you don’t mean feed in the literal sense,” I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, unable to stop my frown as my thoughts raced and dots were connected.