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.”
Chapter
