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“Sure thing,” I said. “What do you need?”
He took a deep breath. “You are wroth with me for failing to disclose information that you feel your friend and my lovemate deserves to know.”
I narrowed my eyes a touch, gave a cautious nod. I didn’t miss the fact that he was talking like a demon and not like Zack Garner. Jill merely looked baffled.
“Information?” Her eyes went from him to me and back again. “What are you talking about?”
Zack gave her hand a light squeeze but kept his eyes on me. “I do not deny her right and need for full disclosure. I dishonor her by failing to provide it. Yet I am bound by oaths that counter my ability to be fully truthful.”
The light bulb went off over my head. My anger at him evaporated. “Ohhhhhh. Wow. Gotcha.” He wanted to tell her and couldn’t. Apparently there were hierarchies of honor, where some oaths outweighed others. Poor guy. No wonder he looked so frazzled. “You, uh, want me to help explain things?”
Jill frowned. “You guys are weirding me out. What the hell is going on?”
I looked at her. “Zack has something that he wants and needs to tell you because you totally deserve to know it, especially now that you’re all pregnant and shit—”
“Even were that not the case,” Zack interrupted, expression painfully earnest, “I still dishonor her by—”
I waved him silent. “Yes, we know. You’re a good guy.” I gave Jill a reassuring smile. “He really is. But he’s not allowed to come right out and tell you this thing.”
“Kara,” Jill said. “I swear to god I’m about to throttle both of you. Just tell me.” Her mouth twisted in annoyance, but I could see a touch of fear in her eyes. Fucking hells, I hoped this wasn’t a dealbreaker for her.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I said. “Even Ryan.”
“Especially Ryan,” Zack added, face a mask of worry.
“Fine!” she said, bafflement and worry warring on her face.
“Zack’s a demon,” I announced.
I half expected her to yank her hand from his and storm out. But instead she pursed her lips, fell silent for a moment, then gave a short nod. She cocked her head and looked at Zack. “You’re like Eilahn?”
He shot me a pained look.
“He can’t confirm it directly,” I explained, more than a little surprised that she took it so well. Then again she’d also accepted pretty easily the presence of demons and my ability to summon them. And she and Votevha hit it off pretty damn easily, too. What’s up with that? But I didn’t have time to wonder about that right now. “Apparently he’s under some pretty serious oaths,” I said. “But as far as I’ve been able to determine, yes, he’s a syraza, and he’s protecting Ryan.”
She frowned and looked down at their intertwined hands. I watched as she absently ran her thumb over his. “Okay. So, hypothetically speaking, if a human woman and a demon were to have a kid together, what would the kid…be?”
Zack cleared his throat. “First off, I wish to state that if, hypothetically, I were a demon, I would never purposely get a child upon a human woman without her informed knowledge and consent.” The look he gave her was agonized and earnest. “And truly, if I were a demon, I would likely have had utter faith in contraceptive methods in place.” Then he winced. “Although, if I were a demon, I should have remembered that we are quite…virile.”
Jill’s lips twitched ever so slightly at that.
“But a child,” Zack hurried on, “would appear human in every way, though as the babe matured it might show an aptitude for handling arcane power.” He fell silent and looked at her miserably. “Jill, I care for you deeply, and I already love this babe beyond measure. But if you wish me to leave and cease to bother you, I will abide by your wishes. I do not wish to cause you to suffer.”
She let out a snort of laughter. “You ass,” she said and leaned in to kiss him. “Stop talking like that. You’re freaking me out. Don’t you fucking dare leave me.”
I excused myself as the two started shamelessly snogging, though I don’t think they noticed me leaving.
I headed out to the front porch, surprised to see Eilahn and Ryan sitting on the steps, the cat on the side of Eilahn away from Ryan, who glanced back and gave me an uncertain smile.
I gave him a reassuring one back, then crouched and tried to pet the cat. To my annoyance it hissed and swiped a claw at me, then ran off in a streak of calico fur.
I watched it go. “That cat is psychotic.”
“It hates me too,” Ryan offered, shrugging.
“Yeah, but…” I trailed off as a realization smacked into me. “She didn’t hate me when I was wearing the cuff.” I turned to Eilahn. “Can you go get her?” I asked.
Eilahn stood, nodded. “Interesting theory. You think she dislikes non-demons with arcane ability?”
