Page 31

31

Three Weeks Later

“ Y ou know what you needs, Thorny?”

Sitting on his throne, he looked up to find Simi in front of him, dressed in an adorable corset top with a short plaid skirt. “A doorbell?”

She laughed in that adorable way that never failed to make him smile. “Well, sure, if you wants them demons to announce themselves when they’re being all intrusive. Probably good for Shadow, too.”

But she didn’t include herself in that, he noticed. Not that she needed to. Her unexpected visits were usually the highlight of any given day. And even at times, the highlight of his year.

“So what brings you by tonight?”

“Actually, it’s day. I’d tell you to open the windows, but it don’t matter here. It always blah!”

She was right about that.

“You still haven’t told me what you think I need,” he reminded her.

Simi smiled and flounced over to the wall across from his fireplace. “A big, gigantus TV, right here. You needs that.”

“Why?”

“So when the Simi comes to visit I won’t miss seeing my QVC. We coulds even watch it together. Pop some corn. Eat some chips and barbecue …”

“We could. I could also let Paimon gouge out my eyes. Both are equally appealing.”

She made an adorable face at him. “What do you do here for fun? All these centuries the Simi comes to visit and you’re always in your chair, drinking. That can’t be all you do.”

He held up the book in his lap. “I read. It’s retro and fun. Best of all, you don’t have to charge it at night.”

Simi came over and looked at it. She wrinkled her nose over the fact it was nonfiction. “Okies. That’s fun. Simi likes to read, too. But it not the same as watching movies and shopping QVC.”

“I don’t like to shop.”

She scoffed at his words. “The Simi sees how you dress. You shop. A lot.”

And she’d done a lot of shopping with him over the years. Mostly because he loved the way she skirted about racks, looking adorable and trying to get him to wear ghastly things that should be set on fire.

“Your point?”

“You need a TV. Simple, silly.”

“I profane modern technology.”

“Again, we could watch movies and eat popcorn. Not have to go out to the theater all the time. I know how much you profane that, too.”

He rolled his eyes, even though her argument was a good one. He did spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about people and sticky floors, especially people who eyed Simi with an interest that made him want to rip out their spines and beat them. “I’ll think about it.”

Simi spread her hands wide. “I’m telling you, Thorny, big TV, right here. Beautimous!”

Maybe, but he doubted if anything could be more beautimous than Simi being herself.

One Month Later

Thorn was again reading when Simi appeared in his room. Looking up from his book, he arched a brow.

Hands on hips, she stared at him. “Don’t you be looking so surprised the Simi is here after you done texted me to come visit.” She held up her phone and twisted it playfully. “Simi thought you said you profaned tech.”

“I do. But not when it brings a beautiful demon to my home.”

She tsked. “What am I going to do with you?”

It was sad that she thought he was kidding. Or maybe drunk. The latter was a definite. It was his natural state of being.

Still, he’d summoned her for a reason.

“There’s something I want to show you.”

She arched her brow. “And that is?”

Getting up, he set his drink and book aside, then used his powers to manifest a blindfold. “You trust me?”

“Always.”

“Then turn around.”

Putting her fists up against her shoulders, she flounced about, giving him her back.

Gah, she was adorable. Smiling, Thorn placed the blindfold over her eyes, then teleported them into a new room. One Simi had never seen before because he’d never had any use for it.

Now …

“Remember, Thorny, akri is vicious.”

He smiled at the threat. “So are you, my lady.” Thorn stepped away, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Open your eyes.”

Giggling, Simi pulled off the blindfold. The moment she opened her eyes, she instantly sobered and gasped as she saw the room he’d made for her, alone.

“Oh, Thorny!”

Sheepish, he looked at the theater room he’d made, complete with a popcorn machine and a small fridge that held an assortment of hot and barbecue sauces he knew she loved. “You like it?”

She walked over to the dark brown wallpaper that was covered with Art Deco monkeys. “It’s amazing!”

Thorn went to the dark red Bombay chest where he had two sets of glasses charging. “It even has 3D.” Because he loved to watch her try to reach out and touch things whenever they saw 3D movies together.

Letting out an adorable squeal, she rushed to him and took a pair. “Can we watch something now?”

“Absolutely.” Thorn opened the cabinet in the wall. He’d stocked it full of Simi’s favorites. “What’s your pleasure, my lady demon?”

Eyes wide, she started picking through the DVDs. “Oooo! The Simi is so happy! We have our own theater now! No more people walking through my movie and making the Simi want to eat their heads!”

“I’m surprised Acheron hasn’t given you one.”

Simi shrugged. “We gots a gigantus screen. But not the comfy chairs. Akri likes his throne too much.” She handed him a DVD of the Sound of Music .”

Thorn groaned in pain over her choise. “Seriously? I do this for you and you torture me? Why?”

Lifting herself up on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “It not torture, Thorny. The hills are alive.”

He laughed as she flounced over to a recliner and put her feet up.

Why do I adore her?

No, he realized as he put the DVD in. He didn’t adore her …

He loved her.

Shock froze him to the spot as he realized a truth that burned him to his soul. He loved Simi.

Not as a friend.

Much, much more. Because he would never have altered his home for anyone else, nor been so happy to do so.

Ash will kill me. But as the movie started and Simi manifested a blanket and bucket of popcorn, he realized he didn’t care what Ash thought. Or what he did to Thorn.

All that mattered was Simi and her happiness.

His heart pounding, he sat down next to her.

She smiled and offered him her bucket.

Thorn took a handful of the popcorn and sat back.

“We need Cokes.”

Thorn manifested a big cup of fountain soda for her. It was her favorite for movies and the smile on her face made his heart pound even harder.

He’d done this as a lark and honestly had expected her to mock him for it and not really use it. But this …

She was giddy and he was thrilled that he’d made her so happy. Which was weird. He hadn’t cared this much about someone else’s happiness since Brigid.

For a time, he had lived and died for the goddess. And he’d never thought to feel this way about anyone ever again. Especially not Simi.

With Brigid, she’d enchanted him the moment they met. He’d known she owned him right away.

With Simi …

She’d snuck up on his feelings. Or had she?

Now that he thought about it, he’d adored her since the moment they first met and she’d laughed at him.

There was nothing else in this universe like her charm. Or her heart.

They’d been friends first. Best friends for centuries.

Now he wanted more. Much, much more. He wanted her here with him all the time.

And he couldn’t do anything about it. Ash would absolutely destroy him.

They would never be friends again if he told her or acted on his feelings.

You have an even bigger problem.

He didn’t know how Simi felt about him. Never once in all these centuries had she ever shown an interest in him as anything more than a friend.

She slept with the Malachai.

That still galled him.

No, it hurt him and that was the truth. He’d never been angry over it. He’d been gutted. Gutted to the core of his rotten soul. She had chosen someone he still wanted to slug over it.

Too bad Nick was such a decent guy. He made it hard to hate him.

Simi slurped her soda, then frowned. “You okay, Thorny? You seem distractable.”

“Sorry. Not my favorite movie, but I know you love it. So here I am.”

She handed him her cup. “Thank you for suffering. It is much appreciated.”

“All good.” And it was. As bad as he hated this movie, he loved her enough to sit through it for the thousandth time and listen to her sing off-key with Julie Andrews. Besides, it could be worse. She could have chosen Nosferatu . Her other favorite movie that made him crazy.

Yeah, this was love. Because there was no other reason he’d suffer through something he despised this much to make someone else happy.

And he would never be able to tell her how he really felt. Which made this so much worse than Brigid.

Because Simi was loyal. She would never denounce him, never turn on him, and he would have to spend the rest of eternity pretending to be just her friend.