Page 30

Ugh, what was it with these people and lavender? This time, it was my nose that twitched, and Lucien and I shared an equally distressed glance.

Without waiting for my response, Selene continued into the loft and assessed the closed bathroom door.

She knelt and laid out her supplies with exacting care, whispering to herself in a language I didn’t recognize.

There was something hypnotic about the motion, and I found it challenging to look away.

I lingered in the doorway as she uncorked a vial of shimmering powder and sprinkled it in a slow arc. Then she lit a brass tapered candle with a whispered incantation. The flame flickered a strange blue.

“I’ve never seen an exorcism before,” I said. “What should I expect?”

“It really depends,” Selene said. “Every banishing is different.”

Before I could inquire further, Selene settled herself in front of the door, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.

Then she reached into her satchel and retrieved a piece of chalk that shimmered faintly in the candlelight.

Kneeling, she drew a half-circle around the door in slow and deliberate strokes.

“This bathroom has seen and done things,” she muttered, sniffing once. “Malevolent, ancient…definitely infernal.”

The moment she completed the circle, the door ripped open and wind burst outward. The enflamed candle in Selene’s hand flared, then nearly snuffed out.

“Oh, it’s feisty,” she said with a wicked gleam. “Excellent.”

Lucien and I backed up instinctively as Selene stood, thrust her hands toward the door, and chanted something sharp and rhythmic. Her bangles jingled with every motion, like magical percussion.

The temperature in the loft dropped. And the toilet growled, deeper than any werewolf. The door swung violently on its hinges and the lights flickered.

I gripped Lucien’s hand, my heart thundering in my chest.

But Selene didn’t flinch. She snapped her fingers again, and a gust of white sage-scented wind swirled through the loft, billowing her dress.

She hurled the vial of shimmering powder directly at the toilet.

The moment it made contact, a demonic scream ripped through the air.

Lucien guided me behind him, as though to protect me from whatever evil resided in there.

The door slammed shut, the force shaking the walls.

Then, slowly, it creaked open. For one brief, glorious second, I thought we’d won.

Until the toilet suddenly spewed a torrent of black pungent water right at us.

It nearly hit Selene, who spun away in a swirl of mist, but splashed Lucien’s shoes.

He stared down at the mess with quite an unimpressed expression.

Selene reappeared a moment later and drew a sigil in the air. Then she snapped her fingers and uttered a single word—one I didn’t recognize.

The toilet howled.

The lights flickered.

The candle in her hand flared one final time—and went out.

Then silence. Utter, blessed silence.

We waited. One second. Two. Five.

When I reached thirty, Selene rolled out her shoulders and turned to face us with the expression of someone who had just won a battle.

“All done. Your toilet is now simply that. No more demonic infestation.”

I stared at her, then at the toilet, then the mess on the floor. I’d have to clean my loft again . But at least I wouldn’t have to spend my nights listening to an evil entity hissing, whispering, and growling at me.

“I’ll take my payment now please. Double my usual fee.”

Without a word, Lucien reached into his pocket and withdrew what I assumed was his checkbook. A pen came next, and I watched as he scribbled out an unfathomable number that had my eyes widening.

Yeah, I’d definitely need to create a spreadsheet for everyone I owed.

Lucien ripped the check free and handed it over.

Selene took it with a prim nod, then gave me a conspiratorial smile. “You’re lucky I like you. Otherwise, I would have charged triple, just for forced proximity to that one.” She jabbed a thumb at Lucien.

He didn’t respond. Not with words, at least. But I caught the subtle tick in his jaw and the way his hand fisted at his side.

Yeah, that was enough of that. Feud or not, I was getting tired of hearing people speak disparagingly about Lucien.

I moved closer to him, wrapped my arm around his waist, and rested my head against his shoulder. It was a quiet gesture, but it spoke volumes. It told him—and everyone else here—that I’d chosen him.

Lucien stilled like he wasn’t used to affection being offered so freely. But after a beat, he relaxed and tucked me firmly against his side. He draped his arm around my waist, his hand settling against my hip.

Selene analyzed us, and if I wasn’t mistaken, her lips curled into a satisfied grin. As though something about what I’d done pleased her. After a moment’s silence, she snapped her fingers, and the remaining supplies disappeared in a flash of bright light.

“If the toilet so much as burps, call me. But I don’t think you’ll hear from it again.”

With that, she turned on her heel and left. I listened to the rhythmic click of her bracelets as she descended and waited until she left the bar before I released a heavy breath.

“Well,” I said finally, “that was…”

“Expensive?” Lucien offered.

“I was going to say dramatic. But yes. Also that. I’ll pay you back once the bar starts turning a profit.”

Lucien pulled me closer. “I’m not worried about it. But if it makes you feel better?—”

“It does,” I immediately said, grateful that it seemed he was starting to understand me.

He pressed a kiss against the top of my head. “Very well.”

I took stock of the mess—burned herbs, wet footprints, demon ash dusted like angry glitter across the floor—and sighed. “I suppose I should clean this up. I definitely can’t sleep up here until I mop the floor.”

“Or…” he glanced down at me. “You can let me hire a cleaner, and you can sleep at my place tonight. No strings.”

Oh, that sounded lovely. It really did. I didn’t want to scrub the loft again . It would also give everyone a chance to relax for the night if I didn’t stay at the bar. But it also added to my debt. I absolutely would pay him back every cent owed.

I glanced at the soaked floor again, then back at Lucien. His rumpled suit and half untucked shirt looked so inviting, so delicious. And I desperately wanted to find out what lay beneath all those fancy layers of his.

“If I stay with you, does the guest suite come with a king-sized bed, Egyptian cotton sheets, and a very persuasive vampire lying next to me?”

He leaned close, his voice a whisper against my ear. “Only if the guest requests it.”

My breath caught—just for a second. Then I slipped my arm through his and smiled.

“Well then,” I said as we descended the stairs together, “consider this my official request.”