Harriet stared at me. “You have a goose egg on your head that’s already healing. How is your skull that thick?”
Vale stifled a smile.
“Just lucky I guess.”
Harriet’s arms whipped into a fold. “Please don’t bullshit me, Maya. I had no idea how to treat you. I thought for sure I would miss a major injury, and you’d die on my watch.”
I touched my head. “It’s the snakes,” I lied. “They add an invisible layer of protection.”
Harriet didn’t budge. “You mean the snakes that didn’t make an appearance, or your opponent would’ve been made of stone? Those snakes?”
“I saw no snakes,” Vale confirmed.
“The protection is for both of us,” I said. “They don’t need to be visible for the barrier to work.”
Harriet’s arms relaxed at her side. “You scared us, Maya. Don’t do that again.”
I wouldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep. “I need to get back to Evermore.”
“Your only job right now is to rest,” Harriet said.
If only. “I’ve been away from Evermore too long.”
“Stay until you’re fed and hydrated. That’s all I ask.” She checked her phone. “There was another oni sighting, Vale, right in Forsyth Park. A red one trying to scare people.”
“Trying to?” I repeated.
“People apparently took videos and selfies with it. The demon got confused by the positive attention and ran off.” She showed off her gap-toothed smile. “Welcome to Savannah.”
“No reported injuries?” I asked.
“One woman scraped her knee when she hurried up the stairs to her front door to get away.”
“I’ll send someone to check it out,” Vale said.
“I should be getting back to The Mad Harriet. Call me if you need anything else.”
“Thank you—for everything.”
“Thank Vale. He’s the one who rescued you.” She gave him a mischievous finger wave as she exited the room.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Vale said, once Harriet was gone. “I would’ve done the same for anybody.”
“I’m not special. Got it.”
“Do you want to be special?”
I recoiled against the pillow. “What? No. What do you mean?”
His smirk suggested he found my response amusing. “It’s okay to admit it, Maya. Many women would love to be in your position.”
“Recovering from a concussion?”
“In my bed.”
“You said this was a guest bedroom.”
“Yes, but it’s still mine. I have others you can try, should you find this one inadequate.”
