“Don’t do that,” Zeke begs. “Don’t pull away from me. Don’t punish me for the sins of others.”
And that’s just it. I am punishing him for something he has nothing to do with.
I am broken.
He leans into to my ear and whispers. “I remember a time not long ago when you begged me to touch you, Tori.”
I shiver at the reminder of those early days. Days when I was more broken than I am now. More confused and lonely. Those days were my darkest, and I gave into every temptation imaginable, because I felt hopeless. I told myself I was damned to Earth without a chance of redemption. Little did I know I was correct.
“I had you in my arms once, and I know how good that felt. Let go.” Zeke lowers his mouth to mine, and I stiffen. “Give in to me, Tori. Let me take care of you.”
Some things never change, and in this moment all of my weaknesses are on full display. Without another word, I seal my lips to his. Temptation in the form of man has always been my downfall, and here again I prove that in fact, nothing has changed. I’m already damned. Might as well enjoy the perks.
PLAY WITH FIRE
I woke this morning, wrapped in Zeke’s warm embrace, with a new outlook. Earth will be what I make of it, and certainly, having him by my side, it won’t be all bad. After our talk, he held me. It was everything I didn’t know I needed.
With my new outlook, I managed to drum up a storm. Energy is stored and ready to go, so I can get back to hunting demons. That is normal, and some sense of normalcy is what I need right now.
“What are you smiling about?” Zeke asks from across the table at a small café in the Garden District. We’re seated on the patio, enjoying the fresh air.
“I’m excited to hunt.”
His eyebrow quirks. “Hunting? That’s all?”
“It’s been a while.” I wink.
“It’s been a few days.” He chuckles, leaning across the table and taking my hands in his.
“Is there nothing else that excites you?”
“I think you could give me some reasons.”
Lifting my hand to his mouth, he places a kiss on my knuckles that’s a promise of more to come.
“Would you look at that. Our man Zeke’s been keeping secrets,” a gruff man jests as he walks by the café with a group of people.
Zeke’s eyes close. “Shit,” he says under his breath.
They beeline to the door, and I know it’s a matter of time before they join us on the patio.
I remove my hand from his, putting some distance between us. “Who are they?” I ask, not turning to see if they’re already behind me.
“People you’ve made it clear you have no interest in knowing.”
Human hunters.
I turn to find four sets of eyes staring me down with varying degrees of interest—and hostility. Three men and one woman. A woman who is definitely plotting my murder in her head, if her deep scowl is any indication. Interesting.
“Guys, this is Tori. She’s a… friend.”
The short, stocky blond man raises an eyebrow. “Friend, eh? Is that what you call it these days?”
The other two guys laugh, while the lone woman continues to throw eye daggers my way.
“What are you up to?” Zeke asks, trying to steer the conversation into different territory, and I’m grateful for it. I don’t need these humans, who are already attuned to too much of the celestial world, working out what Zeke and I are.
The blond shifts on his feet, looking to the tall, muscular, brown-haired man to his right, as if to defer to him. This must be the leader of their rat pack.
