Rook scrubs at his face. “That’s a myth.”
“Can I ask a question?” Ezra asks, raising his hand.
Crowlene hops across the kitchen island, her claws clicking against the marble.
“It looks worse than it is,” I say to Poppy, propping my leg on the bar chair next to me. “How about just some ice in a paper towel?”
I’ve been trying to tell them that even though bruises have bloomed across the left side of my body, my injuries are mostly healed. But it’s been nonstop chaos since Ezra and I returned to find the others pale and pacing.
Tolliver tugs at his hair, black strands slipping free of his bun. “I don’t think ice in a paper towel is going to fix falling off a building.”
“Really, Dr.Takao?” I snap. I hate the tender look of sympathy on his face. I’ve only seen it once before, and I never wanted to see it again. “Then what do you suggest? And I didn’t falloffa building, I fellinsidea building.”
“He’s trying to be helpful,” Poppy mutters, still digging in the freezer. “Girl, why do you always have to be so spicy?”
“I’m not spicy!”
“Can I ask a question?”
“No, she’s right. You’re spicy.”
“I’m allowed to be spicy. I fell off a building!”
“I found peas!”
“CAN I PLEASE ASK A QUESTION?”
The room falls silent. We all turn to find Ezra still raising his hand, face red.
“Chill, dude,” CJ says. They sit slumped over the counter, fingers rubbing their temples.
Poppy puts her hand on Ezra’s. “What’s your question, baby?”
Ezra takes a deep breath and, with all the calm of someone about to jump off a cliff, says, “I take it the guy with the horns was not in costume.”
I take the frozen peas from Poppy. “Technically, that’s not a question.”
Ezra scowls. “What is this?Jeopardy!?What is the guy with the horns that attacked us for five thousand?”
“That’s not howJeopardy!works, my dude,” Tolliver says, unzipping his bodysuit down to his navel.
I force my gaze away from his bare chest and place the peas on my thigh. Crowlene flies over and immediately tries to peck open the bag.
“It was a demon,” Poppy answers, pulling herself up onto a bar chair.
Ezra seems to have short-circuited.
“Quick rundown,” I say, counting off my fingers. “Demons: real. Magic: real. Codex: really a grimoire. Tolliver’s chemical compounds are actually magic potions, this zombie crow is my familiar”—Crowlene clicks a few times—“oh, and the world is secretly controlled by Mafia-like organizations run by possibly, maybe members of the Greek pantheon.”
I don’t mention stuff about the Afterlife because, you know, baby steps and all that.
Ezra nods, eyes glazed. “Okay…Okay…I’m going to go sit down, or vomit.”
Rook pulls a small trash can from under the sink and hands it to him. Ezra clutches it like a security blanket and stumbles into the living room.
I clear my throat. “So. Debrief?”
Poppy throws up her hands. “You fell a hundred feet—”
