Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

After a bit of sleep, I stumbled out of my bedroom and knuckled the sleep from my eyes. The apartment was oddly quiet—no maniacal imp dashing around, chasing a hissing cat, and no grumpy vampire clattering in my kitchen. All was silent. It was just me and the sound of my footsteps dragging across the cool floor.

Yawning, I glanced toward the living room and stopped short, blinking. Rathiel lay sprawled out on the couch, his figure too large to rest comfortably. His long legs hung over the edge and an arm dangled over the side. But that wasn’t the sight that stopped me. No, that honour belonged to Purrgatory and Vol. My cat had claimed a spot on Rathiel’s chest and was purring so loudly, I could hear him across the room. As for Vol, he’d curled up like a smug little gremlin in the crook of Rathiel’s arm, his hands and feet twitching every so often. The domestic image made me smile—a fallen angel, an imp, and a cat, all snuggled together. Awake, they loathed each other, but while slumbering, they almost looked friendly.

I watched the three of them, imprinting the image into my mind. My gaze lingered on Rathiel’s devastatingly handsome face. His usual tension and guarded expression had smoothed out in his sleep. He looked younger, softer—human, almost. For once, he didn’t carry the weight of centuries on his shoulders.

Sadly, this peace wouldn’t last. Not if Lucifer had his way.

And with that thought, I’d ruined my mood.

I tore my attention away from the couch and shuffled over to the small kitchen table. I dropped into the nearest chair and sighed. I was due to work in two hours, but a part of me didn’t want to move from this chair.

Going to work meant pretending my life was normal. And right now, my life was anything but.

I had a fallen angel possibly fiddling around inside my head, a vampire living on my couch and professing his love for me, and the literal devil hunting me down. Most people would crack under that kind of pressure. Thank goodness I wasn’t most people.

I did, however, need to make some changes.

And one of the first changes I needed to make, unfortunately, was quitting my jobs. I didn’t technically need the money anymore. My bank account balance was more than enough to support Rathiel, Purrgatory, Vol, and myself for a few years at least. If we were frugal. And seeing as how I was the Queen of Frugal, I was confident we would manage.

I loved my jobs. But with hellspawn and fallen angels strolling around Edmonton like they owned the place and Lucifer plotting my demise, slinging shots and pouring coffee seemed like the least of my concerns. I’d already decided hiding wasn’t an option, nor could I keep pretending like none of this was happening. Ignorance put innocent people in danger—people like Jazz, who didn’t know the first thing about the existence of the paranormal—and they didn’t deserve that.

I’d spent years trying to carve out a normal life for myself. Sure, it involved a chubby ginger cat obsessed with cuddles and a demonic imp with the temperament of a feral raccoon. But it was my life. My chaotic, deceptively normal life. And now it was all crumbling down around me, thanks to Lucifer and his merry band of psychopaths.

I drummed my fingers against the table and glanced at the three snoozing doofuses on the couch. Vol and Purrgatory were my family—maybe even Rathiel—and it was up to me to make smart choices. Choices that wouldn’t endanger their lives. Me working these jobs slapped a target on my back. It made me vulnerable. And it put a lot of normal, human-like people in danger.

So, no more coffee shop, and no more bartending. I’d need to call my bosses and tell them. Family emergency would have to suffice as an explanation. It wasn’t a lie, per se, but it would work.

I’d have to say goodbye to Jazz too. After five years of working together, she deserved more than me just disappearing from her life. The regulars at the bar would understand, and maybe a day would come where I could pop in and visit. Have a drink or two as a paying customer.

A gentle chime echoed from my room, one that I recognized as a phone notification.

I glanced at the clock, noting the early hour, then frowned. Who would be texting me at this time of the morning?

Quietly pushing back my chair, I tiptoed to my room and grabbed my phone before returning to the kitchen. Tapping the screen, Jack’s name popped up.

Jack: Good morning! I assume you’re working today. Maybe I could drop by for a coffee later? What time is your break?

I stared at the message a little longer, a dull ache forming in my chest. Jack, with his sweet texts and well-meaning gestures, was such a stark contrast to the utter madness consuming my life right now. The truth was, I liked him. A lot. But…he wasn’t Rathiel.

I slowly turned and glanced at the couch. Rathiel had shifted his weight, and Vol had slid between him and the couch. The poor imp looked to be struggling for his life, his hands and feet kicking about in the air.

I bit my lip to quiet my laughter, then hurried over and rescued him before he suffocated to death. I freed him from Rathiel’s side, and Vol sucked in a sputtering breath the second he popped free.

He stared up at me with utterly wide eyes, his fangs on full display.

I held a finger to my lips, shushing him so he didn’t wake Rathiel, then placed him on top of one of the couch cushions. Vol glared at Rathiel, then tucked into a little ball and drifted back to sleep.

My phone chimed again, and I returned to the kitchen to read the new message, noting that Jack had sent a little coffee and heart emoji. I released a long, slow breath. If I were human, I could have easily fallen for a guy like him. He was perfect. He just wasn’t perfect for me. And like Jazz, he was another innocent I couldn’t afford to drag any deeper into my shit-show of a life.

I tapped our message and waited for the keyboard to pop up.

Me: Hey, good morning to you too. Hope you slept well. I’m actually off work today.

I did actually have a shift today, provided I didn’t quit. I hit send before I could overthink the message, then turned my phone onto vibrate mode so as not to disturb the rest of the household. A second later, my phone buzzed.

Jack: Oh? Want to do something together then?

I ran a hand through my mussed hair and considered my options. None were pleasant.

“You need to break things off with him,” Rathiel’s sleep-laden voice rumbled behind me.

I jumped, having not heard him stir or rise from the couch. I clutched my phone to my chest and whirled around. “You scared me!”

Rathiel stood in the kitchen, his piercing eyes studying me intently. Even though he’d just woken up, he was still unfairly beautiful, even with his sleep-tousled hair and rumpled clothes.

“I didn’t mean to,” he commented. Then he gestured to my phone. “But you know I’m right.”

I raked my teeth over my bottom lip and lowered my phone, staring at the screen. Rathiel wasn’t wrong. He’d merely said what I’d already been considering. But hearing it aloud made it seem more painful. I liked Jack. He was easy, fun, normal—everything I wanted, but couldn’t have. My life was too dangerous for him. How would I even begin to explain everything to him, let alone tell him who I was?

Then, of course, there was Rathiel. He complicated things in ways I hadn’t even begun to understand. We’d both glossed over the fact that he’d openly admitted he still loved me. I’d denied that I loved him, but heck, I wasn’t even sure I believed myself at this point. Especially after that damn kiss.

What I did know was I didn’t want to hurt either of them. Though, heartbreak seemed inevitable at this point. I had to choose whose heart I was more willing to break.

“I know,” I finally said.

“If you keep him in your life, you’ll get him killed,” Rathiel said, stepping closer. He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair from my face.

I winced, knowing I couldn’t deny Rathiel’s words. Of course he was right. My father would never allow me to care for a human. Or anyone, really, for that matter. But Jack didn’t stand a chance against Lucifer. And if my father’s people learned about him, they’d kill him just for fun.

“He doesn’t belong in our world,” Rathiel said. “I know that hurts to hear. But for his own good, you need to end things.”

“Yeah,” I whispered.

I stared at my phone, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. Breaking things off with Jack was the right thing to do, but it still hurt.

With a heavy heart, I typed out my response.

Me: How about coffee this afternoon? Brew Haven at three?

I stared at the words, knowing they didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what I really needed to say, but they’d have to do. I refused to break up with him over text. I hit send, and regret instantly settled in my gut. There was no turning back now.

Jack: Sure. See you then.

Rubbing my face, I slipped my phone into my pajama pants pocket, then headed to the bathroom. “I need a shower.” And some space . But first, I needed to call my soon-to-be-ex-bosses, so they knew not to expect me today—or ever again. “Can the three of you manage on your own for about an hour or so?”

Rathiel nodded, his gaze tracking me. “You made the right decision.”

Then why did I feel so shitty?

* * *

It was just before three p.m., and I’d already survived two breakups today. First with the coffee shop, then with my bartending gig. Both bosses had handled it about as well as a toddler losing their favourite toy—lots of shouting, guilt trips, and a few threats about burning bridges. I couldn’t blame them; it wasn’t like I’d given them any notice, and they’d both expected me to work a shift today. I’d also left a message for Jazz to call me, but since she was working, I knew not to expect that call until later.

And now it was time for breakup number three. I had a feeling this would be the worst of the trifecta.

I stood outside the Brew Haven and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of freshly roasted coffee. Normally, the scent calmed me, but today it made my stomach hurt. I walked inside and spotted Jack sitting near a window, his face illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the glass, with two mugs of coffee sitting on the table. He hadn’t noticed me yet, too absorbed in whatever he was looking at on his phone.

For a second, I hesitated. He seemed so peaceful, so…uncomplicated. I wanted to pretend like this was a normal date, and I was a normal girl, meeting a normal guy for coffee.

But that wasn’t my life, and it never had been. I wasn’t even human, for crying out loud. Unlike Jack, who would age and eventually die. I wouldn’t. Eventually, he would start to notice, and no amount of beauty products would help me explain away my unageing face.

At least Rathiel had agreed to sit this one out. It’d taken a lot of begging, some yelling, and then a direct order from me that he stay behind. He’d snarled and growled and flashed some fang, but eventually relented. This was my mess to clean up, and I really didn’t need nor want my bodyguard watching over my shoulder.

As though sensing the weight of my stare, Jack glanced up, and a brilliant smile spread across his face. My heart broke at the sight of it. But I squared my shoulders and walked to the table.

“Hi,” he said, his smile still on full display as I took the seat across from him. His warm brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight and his cheeks dimpled. He was handsome, no doubt about that. And hopefully, he’d make some other woman happy.

“Hi,” I replied, tucking myself under the table. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I was just looking up what movies are playing nearby, if you’re interested? Since you’re no longer working today, I figured we could take advantage of that and spend the day together.”

Time to rip the Band-Aid off and put an end to this. My gaze dropped to his mouth, and I remembered our kiss. How I hadn’t felt anything. Not compared to Rathiel’s. He infuriated and frustrated me. And sometimes I wanted to punch him in the throat. But that heat was something Jack and I lacked. Even if my life wasn’t in danger, even if fallen angels and my father weren’t hunting me, that would be enough to end things between us. I just didn’t like that I was about to hurt him.

“Actually, Jack,” I started, already wincing when his brows knitted together.

“Everything okay?” he asked, leaning forward slightly and taking my hand.

I slowly drew my hand back. “Things have changed in my life recently. Things I can’t and don’t want to go into detail about. But I—I have to end things between us.”

Jack leaned back in his chair, his expression crestfallen. “What? Why? I thought things were going great.”

“They were.”

“Then what’s going on here, Lily? I’m confused. Is this why you asked me to come here?”

I blew out a breath and turned to stare out the window. “My life has gotten really complicated lately.”

“Don’t feed me that line.”

I faced him and sighed. “Look, Jack, you’re amazing. You really are. But me? I’m a mess. And my life is”—I paused before blurting out the words too dangerous —“a train wreck right now. There’s a lot you don’t know about me?—”

“There’s a lot everyone doesn’t know about everyone,” he countered. “The point is spending the time to get to know each other.”

He wasn’t making this easy.

When he continued talking, I held up a hand to stop him. “No, Jack. I’m sorry, but no. I can’t continue seeing you. And trust me, it’s for the best.”

“Can’t,” he said, latching onto that specific word. “And earlier, you said you have to end things. Lily, is someone forcing you to do this?” He sat up straight, his frown deepening. “That guy from our first date. Is it him? Are you in danger?”

“No, I’m not in danger,” I said. “This is just how it has to be.”

He stared at me a little longer—almost as though he didn’t believe me. I held his gaze until he eventually sighed and turned to glance out the window. “If this is what you want.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured.

We sat there for a bit, stewing in the uncomfortable silence, before he finally stood up. “I should probably go.”

“Okay,” I said, my chest tight.

Jack hesitated, his hand lingering on the back of the chair. “Take care of yourself, Lily.”

“You too.”

He cast me one last glance before he walked out of the Brew Haven.

I sat back and shook my head. Some days, my life just plain sucked.