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“There’s got to be another way.”
“Gabriella and Donnelly and Cassidy have been looking for one. I have too. This seems to be our best shot.” He met Vic’s gaze. “If the landvaettir gets stronger, we won’t be able to contain it. It will go back to causing random fires to feed. More people will get hurt and die, like before the witches trapped it. We don’t have a choice.”
“This fucking sucks,” Vic muttered.
“You’ve been a decoy for undercover operations,” Simon noted. “More than once.”
“That’s different,” Vic countered.
“Dead is dead, whether it’s a monster or a mobster.” Simon could feel Vic’s conflicting emotions: fear, pride, anger, and protectiveness. He didn’t intrude on Vic’s thoughts or try to plant any suggestions, but he desperately hoped that Vic would try to understand.
“I don’t like it.”
“I didn’t like all those times you went on all-night surveillance jobs or did an undercover sting.” Simon did his best to keep his tone neutral. “But sometimes it’s part of the job.”
He could see when Vic conceded. His partner’s shoulders slumped, and he looked down. “You know I’ll support you. And I intend to be there for backup.” His head came up, and there was fire in his eyes. “Don’t even try to talk me out of it.”
Simon raised his hands palms out in surrender. “I won’t. Even though I don’t want you in danger, I’ll still feel better if you’re nearby.”
Vic held his arms wide, and Simon walked into the embrace. They hugged desperately tight. “I love you too much to lose you,” Vic confessed. “It’s not very heroic of me, but I’d trade the world to save you.”
“I’d do the same for you,” Simon whispered. “I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.”
They opted for a simple comfort meal of ground beef and boxed macaroni and cheese. Neither ate much, pushing the food around on their plates and taking some half-hearted bites.
“The books and movies always talk about last-night-on-earth sex, but I have to admit that getting laid is the last thing on my mind,” Vic confessed when they cleaned up the dinner dishes.
“Same here.”
Vic turned to him. “What do you want? What would make you feel better?”
“Let’s watch some old favorites, ones where we know the good guys win and how it ends, that we don’t have to pay close attention to. And hold me,” Simon suggested. “Just hold me.”
“You’ve got it,” Vic assured him.
The movies were a distraction, but nothing could keep Simon from thinking about the next day for very long. His mind raced, ricocheting between the confrontation to come and the possibility of leaving the man in his arms.
He couldn’t help noticing that in the movies, any fears or second thoughts the heroes had were downplayed, overcome by their sense of duty and the urgency of the situation.
Simon had known enough former soldiers and talked to enough military ghosts to know that wasn’t really true. They did their job, faced the danger, and if they survived, often dealt with a lifetime of trauma. Those who didn’t come back looked for a medium like Simon to convey their apologies and declarations of love to those they left behind.
Even after they turned off the movies and got into bed, Simon held Vic close. He could read Vic’s fears and wanted to promise him that nothing bad would happen, but he owed his husband the truth. They lay tangled up together, unwilling to move apart. Simon could tell when Vic finally fell into a fitful sleep, but rest eluded him until almost daybreak.
“What in the hell is that?” Simon asked the next day when Vic came into the kitchen looking like he was ready for either war or paintball.
“It’s a fire suppression gun with extra cartridges,” Vic told him proudly. “And a ballistic extinguisher—a grenade filled with extinguisher foam. Like they use against those big forest fires.”
“It’s impressive.” Simon was surprised that he had never heard of the gear.
“I got a friend to do me a favor. I don’t have magic, and I can’t do spells, but I can drown this damn entity’s sizzle if it gives you a hard time.”
Simon felt a rush of love for his impulsive and brave partner. “Thank you. It sounds perfect.”
“Is everything else still set?” Vic asked, and Simon could hear a note of nervousness beneath his bravado.
He nodded. “Yep. Pete is going to be at the store even though we’re technically closed for inventory. That way there’s a central point of contact, since we’ll all be too busy to answer the phone.”
“Ross is covering for me. Hargrove knows what’s going on and approved being out of the office.”
