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Dagon snorted as he entered, a tray of canapés in his hands. “And how much would that sentence have cost you if Matty was here? I imagine that swear jar is getting a bit full now…”
I glared at the demon, calculating the exact angle I’d need to throw Bessie at to strike his neck.
Then I took three deep breaths and reminded myself that they were here to help. That everyone was giving up their time to do something nice for Matty, something that would make him very happy.
I’d completed on the new house two weeks after we returned from France. After hiring an interior decorator, I’d had them consult with Matty on every decision, ensuring that his stamp firmly covered every inch of space.
Another month later, we’d both moved in. We didn’t even try and pretend we were taking it slow any more. We were mated—you couldn’t get more permanent than that.
Living with Matty…it was a dream come true. Sure, there were still times when I managed to put my foot in it, when my rough edges reminded me they weren’t completely sanded down. But we made it work.
Every damn day. Just as I’d promised.
“Dare I ask what happened in the kitchen?”
“It’s all sorted,” Oscar said, breezing into the room. “Leo accidentally dropped the tray of cupcakes, but Ferry has nipped out for more.”
I ground my teeth together. “What if he’s not back before Matty arrives?”
“He will be,” Oscar said, patting my arm like he was used to dealing with supernatural tantrums. “Lucky won’t bring him here until I’ve texted him.”
I sighed, trying to let go of my irritation before Matty felt it. Not that it would’ve made him suspicious—he knew I was hanging out with all the other supes today, and to be honest, irritation was a common emotion for me when spending time with this lot.
I was trying to be better. I really was.
But it wasn’t always easy. Especially when fuck-knuckles like Harlow found it hilarious to see how far they could push me before I staked them.
It’d only happened twice in the past three months. That practically made us best friends, right?
The aforementioned demon sauntered in, frowning at the banner I’d just finished putting up. “That’s crooked.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is,” Harlow said slowly, like he was speaking to a child. “See, the left end is higher. Honestly, you think this looks good? You’re so lucky I’m here to help.”
Murdering Harlow would upset Bailey, which would upset Matty.
Dimitri entered, several gift bags over his arms. I rushed forward to help him, not that he couldn’t manage, but because it felt like the polite thing to do.
“Thanks,” Dimitri said, giving me a nod. Thanks to Lucky and Matty’s friendship, he and Dagon were the demons I seemed to spend the most time with.
I wasn’t sure how Dimitri felt about that, but he’d stopped glaring at me so much. Plus, we both had one key thing in common.
We wanted our mates to be happy.
That made it easy enough to put our past differences aside. Not that I held any grudges against him, but he was still salty about Vienna.
For heaven’s sake, I’d staked him once, something, I’ll add, that he’d deserved.
Both Matty and my therapist had encouraged me to open up to the others about my past, but I hadn’t. Not yet, anyway.
It wasn’t because I was keeping my family in the dark, where I didn’t need to think about them. Matty and I had made two trips back to my former home, undertaking some much-needed repairs to the tomb. We’d even discussed maybe making a permanent move back there one day. Rebuilding some of what I’d lost and using it to start a brand-new future for our family.
The reason I continued to keep it from the others was simple. Matty believed they would accept me for me, and I wanted to prove him right. It was worth it to see his quiet gloating. If I told them about my trauma, they’d accept me out of pity. That wasn’t good enough. I’d never feel like I belonged if that was the case.
One day, I’d tell them all. But not today.
The one person who’d always known the truth entered with Blaise hot on his heels. My cousin gave me a massive grin. We’d become closer over the past few months. We still weren’t back to where we’d been before everything happened, but we were on the way.
