But it won’t matter. Lennie is high on him right now; nothing matters.
“Turn it off,” I say flatly. “Let them go.”
“Not yet,” Devon says. “I find that cutting the flow off abruptly makes them unpredictable, all that lovely oxytocin just gone.” He snaps his finger, and I catch myself flinching. “That’s a portion of the evening that I would prefer to miss.”
Instead Devon looks down at Lennie resting her head against his chest. He tucks a strand of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear with a genuine tenderness that seems out of character. “I need a moment to talk to your friend, love,” he says.
Lennie pouts. “No.”
“Yes,” Devon says. “Off you go.” He presses gently against her shoulders until she steps back, tossing a scowl at me as she goes.
“I’ll be here waiting,” Lennie says, beaming at him, while also managing to shoot me a significant amount of side-eye. It’s a talent.
Lennie drifts off, but she only makes it about ten feet before turning around to watch us.
Devon’s attention focuses on me then, and I can feel his power pulling at me, like invisible hands stroking my skin. “Knock it off.”
I expect him to press, to try harder, but instead the sensation vanishes. He tips his head sideways, regarding me with interest. “You can sense it, but you’re strong enough to resist.”
“Yes, I’m a very special girl,” I say dryly, and Devon chokes on a laugh.
“That you are, I suppose,” he agrees.
“If this isn’t about territory, what do you want?” I ask. My pulse is slowing slightly. He’s made no move to charge at me or started screaming about me taking over. Both good signs. Relatively.
Devon picks up his beer again, swirling the remains of it in the mug. “Just thought it might be an opportune moment to introduce myself. Allegiances are… a delicate matter, as always.” Some of the humor leaches from his expression, leaving a darker, more wary look. “I wanted to reach you first, see what kind of arrangement we might be able to come to, given the announcement.”
Allegiances? Arrangement?
I stare at him. His words were in English, I understood them individually, but I still have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. I shake my head. “What announcement?”
He laughs, but then stills abruptly, reading my face. He puts down his glass. “You don’t know.” It’s not a question, but his voice still holds a hint of uncertainty, as if he can’t believe it. He looks younger suddenly, more vulnerable.
“Don’t know what?” I ask, feeling my grip on my temper start to slip.
“Of course,” Devon mutters, more to himself than to me.“They didn’t tell you. Far more fun to keep you guessing. That sounds about right, doesn’t it?”
The bitterness in him flares outward, connecting with me like a slap in the face. A not-so-tiny emotional death with me in immediate proximity. I’m used to seeking out the smallest sips, and this is the equivalent of a full-body dunking.
I reel under the sensation, however brief, of warmth and fullness, drinking in the life sacrificed. It sends me stumbling back a step or two, the dizziness and looseness in my limbs reminiscent of a two-day bender, where the room is in constant motion around you.
The color drains from his face abruptly, and he twists sideways, his elbow connecting hard with the table as he clutches at it to keep from falling. His knuckles flash red and then white on the table’s edge. “I’ve… heard… but I never…” He stops talking, making visible efforts to catch his breath.
After a moment, he manages it, straightening up and regaining his footing. He still doesn’t look quite right, though. A little too gray under the eyes.
Guilt immediately swamps me. I should have had that locked down. I don’t have to take life, even when it’s offered. I’m just so used to pulling together scraps…
Control, always control.
“Sorry,” I say quickly, stepping toward him as soon as I recover myself. “I actually wasn’t trying to—”
Devon moves back and holds a hand up to stop me, careful to keep his distance this time. “I think I should go. For now, at least.” He glances around the room, uneasiness filling his expression.
My skin prickles, not with magic this time but fear. I know that look. “What is happening? What announcement?” I fight the urge to grab him and shake the information out of him.
Backing away from me, Devon shakes his head with a tight smile. “Sorry, love. As far as I know, keeping it a secret from you could be part of their game, and I have no interest in interfering. I like my hide a little too well to offer it up to them as a willing prize.”
Their game. Them.
