The light clicks on, and Jude’s at my side in a flash, glaring down at me. “Still sore at me about the other night, then?”
“Jude.” I press a hand to my chest as the last of the sleep delirium disappears. “What the hell are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“I heard you screaming, woman! You were having a nightmare!”
“And you thought looming over me like a B-movie monster and stroking me with those deadly claws would help calm my nerves?”
“They’re retractable!” He holds up a hand to show me, the claws vanishing, then sits on the edge of the bed, his wings slumping. “Perhaps I didn’t think it all the way through.”
“Jude.” I let out a breath and climb up next to him. “It’s fine. I’m sorry. You just startled me, is all.”
He turns to look at me, his gaze sweeping down to my mouth, then back to my eyes. “All better now, then?”
“I think so. How did you get here so fast, anyway?”
“Oh, I was already here,” he says matter-of-factly. “In the closet.”
“You… what?”
“I like watching you sleep, scarecrow. It calms me.”
A shiver runs down my spine, and I open my mouth to tell him to takeanotherhike. But the truth is, that damn shiver hasnothingto do with the creepy antics of a psychopathic gargoyle who doesn’t understand the concept of boundaries andeverythingto do with the fact that my pussy is a fucking traitor because suddenly, all I want to do is crawl into his lap, grab on to those sexy-as-hell horns, and—
“I see you’ve already unpacked,” he says.
“Ride hard!” I blurt out.
He arches an eyebrow and brushes the black hair from his eyes—a gesture that’s somehow even sexier on a gargoyle than it was the first time I saw it on his human glamour. “Ride hard?”
“What? Oh! No, I said right… right on! As in, you’re right. I unpacked. Right on!” I give him the double thumbs up, wondering if it’s possible to spontaneously combust from embarrassment. Hoping for it, actually, because then I could put myself out of my own misery and not have to face his teasing, all-knowing smirk.
Alas, no such luck. Guess I’ll just sit here, then. Blurting out stupid shit and being mortified.
“Thanks for getting my stuff,” I finally say.
His eyes twinkle and he shifts a bit closer, his biceps brushing my shoulder, a wing curling around my back. I wait for him to call me out on my filthy mind, but all he says is, “If there’s anything I missed or anything else you need, just make a list. We can order it.”
“No, you did great.” I stare at my hands, trying to dodge his heated gaze. “Thanks for grabbing all the Tarot cards.”
“Well, you’re a witch. I figured you didn’t want to be without them—you’ve got quite a collection.”
“Eloise says my Tarot skills suck.”
“Eloise is a fucking cunt, as we’ve already established. And anyway, she and Daddy Dearest hit the road—the place was a fucking mess. Looked like they packed up in a hurry. Car was gone. Rook’s tracking the plates.”
I nod, unsure how to feel about it all. You’d think I’d be worried about my father, or at least curious about his whereabouts—some latent pangs of loyalty and family honor—but when I dig deep, all I feel is… numb.
“Where were you, anyway?” I ask. “I haven’t seen you around the last couple of nights.”
“Youmissed me.”
“What? No. Just thought it was pretty telling that you ditched us as soon as the hard work started.”
He nudges my shoulder. “You missed me. Don’t even deny it, scarecrow.”
A stupid smile stretches across my stupid face, and I shrug, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “Maybe a little. Like, a teeny, tiny droplet of missing. Such a small amount, you’d need a microscope to see it. Anyway, don’t change the subject! Where’ve you been?”
“Nowhere. Just had some things to take care of.”
