Page 23

EVE

Xander took me home later that evening. My chest still felt tight as I locked the door behind me. I wanted to ask Xander to come inside—I didn’t like the idea of him sitting out there guarding my house all night—but he’d disappeared before I’d even reached the front door.

I slept surprisingly well, though, even managing to wake up before my alarm. An achievement, considering the god-awful hour it was set for.

Work was the last place I wanted to be, but this time it was for a different reason.

An unusual, completely bonkers-insane reason, but I was just relieved that I finally had something to yearn for outside of bacon grease and rude customers.

How was I supposed to pretend nothing had changed when someone might literally be guarding my house from monsters?

Orion was waiting outside early the next morning and I nearly tripped over my feet at the sight of him—travel cup in hand, that knee-buckling smile plastered across his face—damn him.

“Good morning, my little ladybug.”

“You’re back,” I said, a little breathless, turning to lock the door.

“I am. Coffee?”

He held the mug forward and I took it with a smile, following him to the truck.

“I could get used to this,” I muttered, mostly to myself.

Orion’s expression was a thousand watts. “This is only step one of my make-Eve-fall-madly-in-love-with-me plan. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

I came to a full stop, my eyes widening as I stared after Orion. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, now get in the car.”

I bit my lip to fight the grin threatening to take over my face, but it was a losing battle.

“Eve!” Orion called through the open driver-side window, his tone teasing. “Don’t make me come out there and get you myself.”

The mental image sent a fresh wave of heat crawling up my neck, and I hurried forward.

The short drive to the diner was filled with easy conversation.

Orion recounted all of the supposed dull details of his road trip, which apparently consisted of Ragnar sulking the entire time.

I didn’t dare ask where he’d gone or what he’d been doing.

But did I really, truly , want to know the details?

No, like Xander said, I had to trust that Orion knew what he was doing, and I wasn’t about to become daema barbecue.

That didn’t make the knot in my stomach any smaller.

The diner was already lit up against the dim morning sky as we pulled into the lot, the sun barely cresting the horizon. I could just make out Louise’s shadow through the large windows as she moved about inside.

Orion jogged ahead of me toward the door, opening it with an exaggerated bow.

“After you, pumpkin.”

“My name’s Eve,” I reminded him with a roll of my eyes, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips.

“Whatever you say, buttercup.”

I brushed past him, giving him a light shove on the way in. His grin never wavered.

Inside, Louise was wiping down the counter, her ledger open beside her. She looked up as the bell chimed, her gaze flicking between me and Orion like she was piecing together a puzzle.

“Morning, Lou,” I said quickly, shrugging out of my coat.

“Morning you two. Sticking around today, Orion?” I didn’t miss the hope in Louise’s face and I doubted Orion did either.

“Just dropping her off. Gotta keep her out of trouble, you know.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

Orion chuckled, stepping back toward the door. “Behave yourself,” he teased, tipping an imaginary hat towards Louise. “See you later.”

“So,” she said, crossing her arms after Orion left. “How was your weekend off?”

“Please don’t start. I’m begging you.”

Her smirk was far too knowing. “I’m just saying, it’s nice to see you with a little color in your cheeks for once. You looked half-dead the last time you were here.”

I sighed, grabbing my apron and heading to the kitchen. “Nothing’s happened, okay?”

“Don’t tell me there’s nothing going on when he looks at you like you hung the damn moon. Nothing happened , my left ass cheek.”

“Lou!” I sputtered, my cheeks burning.

She laughed, grabbing her order book and heading for the register. “Alright, fine. I’ll leave you alone—for now. But for the record, that smile suits you.”

I ducked into the kitchen before she could say anything else, the blush still burning hot across my face.

The diner was a furnace by the time my shift ended. My hair stuck to my damp neck and I was seriously questioning why I ever thought working in a kitchen was a good idea. Twelve hours standing in front of a grill had my whole body aching.

The bell above the door jingled faintly as the last customers left, and we began cleaning.

“You’re a machine, you know that?” Sam grinned at me, leaning back against the grill. “Most people would’ve called it a day after a shift like that.”

All I could do was shrug, grimacing when the movement tugged my tight shoulders.

Sam chuckled, running a hand through his hair like he was nervous. “Listen, Eve, I was wondering—”

“Sam,” I didn’t know what else to say, but there were only so many times he could ask me out before I veered into snapping at him. I was running on fumes and I didn’t have any room to deal with whatever he was about to ask me.

“Honey, you know you’re not allowed back there—” Louise’s voice cut through the kitchen like a knife, sharp and impatient.

Before I could even turn around, the door to the kitchen slammed open, and Lila burst through like a whirlwind of perfume and chaos.

“You told Darcy you went on a date and then never called her back! Do you know how worried she was? Do you know how worried I was?” Lila’s voice rose with every word, her hands flying dramatically into the air.

“I tried to stop her,” Darcy said from behind her with a resigned expression.

“I had to drive up here just to make sure you weren’t dead, Eve!”

“Well, obviously I’m not dead,” I exclaimed, even if it did feel like my body was giving in.

“Good,” Lila said firmly, crossing her arms over her perfectly tailored suit. “Because we’re going out for drinks. Now. And you’re going to tell us everything about this so-called date.”

“I—what?” My voice cracked as I tried to process what was happening.

“We’re going,” she repeated, grabbing my arm and dragging me from the kitchen. “And no, you don’t get a say.”

“Actually,” a familiar voice interrupted from behind us, low and polite, “she does have plans tonight.”

I turned to see Xander standing in the doorway, and I swear my heart skipped a beat. His broad frame somehow made the tiny kitchen feel even smaller. I must’ve looked shocked, because a corner of his mouth quirked. But his face stayed neutral as he turned to my friends.

“And you are?” Lila asked, raising a perfectly sculpted brow.

“I’m Xander, I’m here to pick up Eve,” Xander said smoothly, as if that was all she needed to know. “You must be Lila, and this must be Darcy.”

Lila narrowed her eyes, clearly appraising him, but Darcy nudged my side with an exaggerated whisper. “Tall, hot, polite… Who are these men you’re hanging out with, Eve?”

“Oh my god,” I muttered under my breath, wishing I could disappear.

“Fine,” Lila flashed Xander a sinister smile. “You’re coming with us. I have questions.”

Xander looked at me with mild confusion. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

“Why don’t I drive her and leave you ladies to it?” He gestured toward the door. “Shall we?”

I followed my friends outside after a quick goodbye to Louise and the others. I glanced over at Xander as we approached his car, shaking my head in disbelief.

“I thought Orion was coming to get me?”

A muscle in Xander’s jaw ticked, so minutely I might have missed it if I wasn’t looking for it.

“He got a little caught up, but he sends his apologies.”

OK… Did I want to know?

I tugged his jacket tighter around my shoulders. “Oh, sure,” I said dryly. “Hey, if you could just kidnap me instead so I don’t have to go for drinks, that’d be even better.”

His lips twitched like he was trying not to smile. “Sorry. I think Orion might kill me if I let you miss this, that’s if I survived your friends first.”

“You’re supposed to be magical! You can’t seriously tell me Lila frightens you?”

The look he gave me was so deadpan and so not what I expected.

“Coward,” I muttered, but there was no heat behind it.

He laughed gently as he held the car door open for me. I didn’t have time to read into his reaction as I steeled myself for the interrogation I knew was coming. If Lila had driven up here just to ambush me, there was no way I was getting through the evening unscathed.