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“Don’t be. I don’t need sleep; I do it out of habit.”
He started to move away, but I clung onto him, afraid that without the extra strength he lent me, I’d be unable to fight off any intruding souls. Hadn’t Sybil mentioned that demons could detect stray souls? Perhaps the warning would be enough.
I’d been having trouble sleeping since I found out Dean’s secret. It had taken a couple weeks to set up my escape, and that was a long time without decent sleep. When I did manage to fall asleep, nightmares often visited. I was terrified that Mother would come to me when I was asleep or in a dream and I’d accidentally give her control, not realizing it.
I had Nugget to alert me. I was sure she could detect her, but my cutie needed sleep too. But if Eamon didn’t need sleep—
“Don’t go.” My hands tightened on his forearm. “Stay with me and warn me if anything comes.” I was afraid to refer to Mother or Amrita out loud, as if just mentioning her name would summon her.
It was only then that I realized Eamon was naked. I gawked at his form—his perfectly muscled and very nude form. This must be his natural appearance. His tan skin looked a little more red than usual, and his hair was disheveled like he hadn’t had time to fix it. He also had horns on his head, horns he’d been hiding since we met. His features were sharper, more angular, and there was a dusky smokiness around him, giving away his demon nature.
“I—” I tried to form words, but I was too distracted, the terrifying dream pushed to the back of my mind.
And was that a tail? Holy crap. It was.
He didn’t seem to notice, though; he was still focused on me. I must look wretched right now. I didn’t have a lick of makeup on, and I was braless and in my cotton nightie. I was sweaty from my nightmare, and my hair was plastered to my head and neck.
“You are still afraid. I will stay here.” He reached over to the lamp and turned it off, plunging the room into darkness.
I didn’t know if I was glad or disappointed the darkness hid his form. I moved over, making room on the bed for him, and he climbed on beside me.
I lay there awkwardly for a moment, trying not to focus on the very hard body next to me. Would he take advantage of my vulnerable state? He was a demon, after all. But then, he’d been nothing but honorable in the short time I’d known him, throwing everything I thought I knew about demons out the window.
The excitement of the day had worn me down, and I hadn’t had a good night of rest since who knew when. As big, strong arms pulled me back protectively into a big, burly chest, I yawned, my eyes closing.
Then with my demon protector surrounding me, I slept.
Eamon was gone when I woke up the next morning. I’d slept through the whole night, though, and was well-rested for the first time in weeks.
I stretched in the oversized bed, then got up to start my day. Nugget sat on my shoulder as she usually did while I refilled her water silo and switched out her food. I left the room’s door open as I headed to the facilities to freshen up, so she could come out and fly around the penthouse for some exercise after she was done with breakfast.
When I came out, Nugget was hanging out with Shelby on the nearest couch. Unlike yesterday, there was no coffee. I made a beeline toward the kitchen.
“Don’t make coffee,” Shelby said. “We’re stopping by my old haunt, The Witch’s Brew, on our way out of town later. Griselda makes the best coffee, and her pastries are amazing too.”
“Coffee and pastries sound great.” I plopped down on the couch next to her.
“You look well-rested.”
“I am. I finally got a decent night’s rest. Perhaps if I was at my best yesterday at the library, I’d have found more than I did.”
“You did better than I would have. I’m sure Grams will be able to figure some of it out for you. She’s excited to help and is spending the morning digging up and repotting those plants for you.”
Iris had explained on the phone yesterday after dinner that the plants would need to be fresh for the spell to work at full potential. “Dried herbs are okay in a pinch, but nothing beats fresh.”
I didn’t know how long I could keep them alive with my brown thumb. Eamon, on the other hand, had been excited to have some new plants coming for the rooftop patio. Apparently, all the houseplants in the penthouse were his, including the two giant birds of paradise that Nugget loved so much.
Mention of the patio had Eamon hinting we should take a rest day to recharge and hang out at the pool, but I didn’t have a swimsuit, and I doubted sweatpants and t-shirts were that great in the water. Maybe once I solved my evil spirit problem, paid off my debt, and found a paying job, I’d be able to afford one. For now, every bit of money I had was put into the Nugget fund. She was my best friend, after all.
“Are you bringing Nugget along? I think Grams would love to meet her.”
We were heading out of town to visit Shelby’s grandmother later. It was going to be a long car ride, but I’d already left Nugget alone for much of the day yesterday. It wouldn’t hurt to bring her along. Eamon had bought her a small travel cage.
I held my hand out to my best friend. “Ready for a road trip, Nugget?”
Chapter 11
Eamon
