Page 123 of Something Handsome This Way Comes

“Why not an earring?”

Milo’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your ears aren’t pierced.”

“I’ve debated the idea of permanent body jewelry. This is a perfect opportunity to start.”

“You know I’m going to have to poke a hole in your ear, right?”

Grievance closed the earring in Milo’s hand and brought it to his lips, placing a long, reverent kiss across his knuckles.

“As long as it’s you, my love, you can put as many holes in my body as you like.”

A voice somewhere behind them whispered⁠—

“Aww, they’re so cute together.”

Milo beamed. Actually beamed. He couldn’t help it.

“What?” Grievance asked.

“Nothing.”

“You’re smiling.”

“Someone thinks we’re cute,” Milo whispered shyly.

“We are cute.”

The matter-of-fact way he said it was so… Grievance. He said it the way one might say the sky was blue or the sun was warm. Like it was so obvious, it hardly needed saying at all.

Somehow, Milo’s smile grew even wider. A year ago, a stranger noticing him at all would have made him want to crawl inside his own hat.

Now?

Now Milo stood in the middle of a crowded street, holding hands with his enormous monster and practically basking in it.

Yeah.

They were fucking adorable.

They eventually tore themselves away from the festivities. Milo couldn’t stay gone long anyway.

Flu season had arrived in force, and the Hollow Antler Apothecary had been seeing a steady stream of customers needing fever reducers, cough tonics, throat syrups, and something Milo had begun selling under the highly professional name of:

Please Make My Nose Stop Running.

Besides—

They still had a job to do.

Their first trap was empty. Completely empty. Including the bait.

“Where’s the rabbit?”

Grievance crouched beside the cage.

Milo had enchanted the meat to remain warm, hoping the scent would attract whatever young creature was wandering through town. Apparently, it had worked—a little too well.

“The trigger wasn’t activated,” Grievance said.