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Wait. Was I misreading the moment?
I opened my mouth to speak, but he was faster.
“Maybe we should call it a night,” he said flatly. His eyes pleaded with me to read between the lines:I need you to go. Now.
Oh, fuck. I didn’t even know where to start to do damage control right now, and I sure as shit couldn’t do it with Andras and Raziel literally looking over my shoulders. I’d already been mentally reeling from everything we’d done tonight. Already trying to process how we’d made it into his bed and where the hell we went from here.
Now the only place he wanted me to go wasout.
Okay. Okay, we could step away and catch our breath. Somehow, I could figure out how to do some goddamned damage control, but not until Cory could handle being in the same room with me.
Neither of us said a word as I found what clothes had made it into his bedroom. I dressed, murmured that we’d talk soon, and headed out, intending to pick up my remaining clothing and then get the hell up to my own apartment.
I almost had my hand on the bedroom doorknob when his voice halted me in my tracks.
“Matt.”
Though I wasn’t sure I could face him again tonight, I turned. And goddammit, the hurt in his eyes was too damn much.
So was the shakiness in his voice as he said, “I want to help you get rid of them. I do. But I can’t…”
I lowered my gaze as shame knotted in my stomach. “I know. I’m sorry. I—”
“If anyone can break the spell, it’s the Trickster King.” Cory’s voice sounded close to cracking. “And he owes me a favor.”
I locked eyes with him again. “You’d… let me use…”
He was the one to look away this time, but not fast enough to hide the shimmer above his lower lashes. “Yeah. Just, um… Just let me know.”
That shame wound even tighter. Galen didn’t give out favors to just anyone, and no one in their right mind would piss away one he had on reserve. But I didn’t think this was just Cory being the most amazing friend I could ask for—he was doing this for himself, too. Because he wouldn’t abandon me to the consequences of this stupid spell—that wasn’t who he was—but he also couldn’t stand another minute of helping me. Not after everything we’d done. Everything I’d asked of him. Everything I’d taken from him.
Escaping the heartache I was bringing him was worth letting go of a favor from the Trickster King.
I swallowed hard, my own voice shaky. “I can’t take—”
“I can’t take another minute of this,” he shot back, facing me with the full force of his pain in those tear-filled eyes. “I’d rather lose that favor than lose my friend, and after tonight…” He closed his eyes and wiped at them.
I didn’t push him to elaborate. It was clear enough—after tonight, we’d strained our friendship to its breaking point, and despite no doubt being angry and hurt and wishing I’d justleavealready, he was willing to give up whatever he could to keep us from pushing past that point.
I suddenly couldn’t stay here a second longer. The post-sex awkwardness had nothing on this, and I couldn’t take it. I suspected he wanted me gone, too, so I cleared my throat. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
Then I left.
By some miracle, I didn’t forget to grab my remaining clothes. Somehow, I found my keys, too, and I remembered which one would let me into my apartment.
Raziel started to say something on the way up the stairs, but I put up a hand. “No. I don’t want to hear another word tonight.”
He sputtered in protest. Andras sighed and told him, “Leave him be, Razi.”
“But—”
“Let the man sleep.”
As if sleep was going to happen any time soon, but at least the two of them were silent after that.
Mere minutes after I’d been wrapped up in Cory’s amazing arms in his rumpled bed…
I was home.
