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“It’s for a good cause.”
“The furtherment of your ambitions.”
“Actually, I was thinking that the next time we’re attacked by a demon, maybe you won’t climb on my back and not grope me inappropriately because you’ll actually be helpful. I knew those bugs were already enchanted. You must have done so without realizing. Casting from three sides? The potential is incredible.” His eyes lit up, and he looked at me with interest he hadn’t shown me before. It wasn’t remotely sexual, more like you’d look at a cool new computer that just came in the mail.
“You can’t experiment on me.”
“I can’t help but experiment on you,” he corrected.
I hated it when he did that. “Your adorableness is showing,” I said.
His eyes widened. “What? I was being literal. If we are together, and I am required to teach someone with different magic from myself how to use that magic, I’ll have to experiment.”
“Correcting me. You always correct me, like you’re the only person in the world with an entire brain. Everyone else is just floating around with bits and pieces in goopy skull juice. It’s condescending.”
“Wow. Speaking of skull juice, when are you making me cupcakes? We should do it now, before the tea parties and demon fighting training begins. We’ll do it at your house.”
“I’m sorry, did someone elect you as president of my life?”
He frowned in deep thought. “You actually want me to treat you like a delicate precious princess who I am smitten with to my core soul? I don’t think you do. It will disturb you deeply, and maybe you’d fall for it, and become desperately in love with me.” He smiled sharply. “Actually, that does sound fun. Well, Gabriela, my dearest betrothed, can I go with you to your house and meet your mother while you prepare the cupcakes which I have been looking forward to these last few days with all of my soul?” He batted his lashes at me.
For a second I stared at him, those eyes above his soft mouth, then I shook my head. “You’re an idiot.”
“Be nice, or no cupcakes for you, Gabriela.” He batted his lashes again, and I burst out laughing. It was just so not him.
“Okay, this is getting scary. Only my friends call me Gabriela. You can call me Red. It sounds appropriately inane and cutesy, like the pet name a love-addled brain would give to the object that inspired such madness. Not that I’m actually going to be acting stupid around you. I don’t have time for that.” I checked my watch. “I have tonight scheduled off from the restaurant, but I’ll need to crash for a few hours before my night shift, so fine, we can do cupcakes now, if you’re serious about that.”
“Oh, I’m very serious about wasting your precious time. You’re still going to work, even though you’re Bellham’s daughter?”
I snorted and patted his head. I hated when he did that to me. “So cute, thinking that work is an option. However long my ‘dad’ is interested in me enough to pay for my college, I’ll let him do that, because I’d be an idiot not to, but I’m still aiming at a well-paying job that doesn’t take too much time so I can look after my mother. I found my dad, but that doesn’t really change anything. I’m still a janitor at Gray College, even if I’m lucky enough to be able to take classes.”
“Classes that you’re going to sleep through.”
I smiled cheerfully. “I do my best studying when I’m asleep. I know it’s hard to believe, but even on no sleep, I can outperform the majority of students academically.”
He nodded soberly. “Ah, you can do it in your sleep.”
“Exactly.”
The limo stopped with a gentle lurch outside of the healery. I put a hand on my heart as I looked out the window at the stone wall that enclosed the back courtyard where my mom had her garden. She’d probably be there this time of day, tending the plants, or digging in compost, or sitting with her feet buried past her ankles and talking to the animals. Was I actually taking Percy home with me? What if he decided she’d be even more fun to torture than me?
I turned to grab his arm. “If you stare at her rudely, or flinch, or act in any way disrespectful, I will kill you. Understood?”
He stared back at me, then nodded. “I would sooner play with your father.”
Like he wasn’t playing with my dad, you know, lying about the betrothal thing, but that was probably as good as I was going to get from him.
I dragged him out of the limo, not letting go of his arm as I marched to the gate. Poe swooped down, landing on my shoulder and croaking in my ear.
“Nevermore,” he said in a creepy voice.
“What the…” Percy flinched like he hadn’t dealt with demons yesterday. Maybe it was two days. Whatever.
“You know Poe, my bird. As my handsome and brilliant betrothed, you would definitely know my bird. Why are we still pretending to be betrothed again? Whatever. You aren’t my betrothed as far as my mom is concerned. Not a chance. What will you be? A school friend? I have to tell her that I have a scholarship to Gray College. She’ll be so happy, but it might make her ask questions. Don’t answer any of them, or that will confuse her more. Why didn’t we do this in your apartment? Because you have no oven. We could have gone to the lab, but the chemical residue would probably kill me. Maybe not. We should go to the lab.”
He put a hand on my shoulder. “Calm down. I’m your friend who helped you get a good scholarship, that’s all. I am so good at BS, it’s not funny. Let me do the lying, I mean, talking.”
“I can lie as good as you can.”
