There was a beat of total silence on the line. “Oh my God…oh my God, are you…？”
“I’m okay, I promise. I’m sorry I didn’t call you or anything, I was just —”
“Don’t apologize, oh God, I’m just glad you’re okay!” The relief in her voice made me feel even guiltier. I wasn’t exactly lying, but I couldn’t tell her the whole truth. “Do you need me to bring you anything?”
“That’s okay, I’m good. Can you just take care of Cheesecake for a few days? I’ll come pick him up soon, I promise.”
“Of course!” The sound of Cheesecake’s little meow in the background made my heart hurt. “He can stay with Auntie Inaya as long as he needs to.” Another pause. “Do you…do you know who drugged you? Did they try anything? I’ll kick their fucking ass, Rae.”
I took a deep breath. “The only person to hand me a drink was Jeremiah. It didn’t leave my hand all night.” I couldn’t tell her the whole truth, but I wasn’t about to pretend she could trust the Hadleighs.
More silence. Anxiety twisted my stomach. Please believe me, Inaya, please. It wasn’t a blatant accusation, but my point was clear. I knew they were her friends, but she didn’t know them. She didn’t know what they were capable of.
“Then he’s not coming near us again,” she said, and I wished I could reach through the phone and hug her. “Fuck him. Do you want me to tell Victoria?”
“No,” I said. “No, I…I don’t know if she’ll…if she’ll believe…”
“Fuck her too if she doesn’t!” She sighed heavily, her mama bear slowly calming. “But I get it. I get it. This will stay between us unless you’re ready to tell anyone else. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up. The relief of having Inaya know that Jeremiah couldn’t be trusted — even if she only knew a small part of why — lifted a massive weight off my back. I ate a little more enthusiastically once I was off the phone, shoveling forkfuls of crispy hash browns into my mouth.
Finally satiated, I hobbled back to the bed, crawled up onto the mattress, and pressed myself against Leon’s bare chest. With my face buried against him, I let myself melt into his heat for a moment before I said, “What are we going to do?”
We. I wouldn’t have even dared to think of it a few days ago. Even now, with him having snatched me away and hidden me…somewhere…I still felt a pang of anxiety to dare say we. What even were we in all this? Just a possessive protector and his pet? Friends or…or lovers?
A summoner and her demon?
“I can tell you what I’m going to do, and what you’re going to do,” he said, his arm around my shoulders so I was held against him. “I’m going to keep you safe. And you’re going to listen to me, so that I can protect you properly.”
I raised my head, grinning mischievously. “I’ll listen. Doesn’t mean I’ll obey.”
He snorted, squeezing my arm. “Henceforth, the consequences for endangering your life will be severe, Rae. Think twice before you decide to be a brat.”
“Henceforth?” I giggled. “Your 17th century came out there a bit.”
“Back in my day…” He put on a gravelly old man voice, and easily rolled me onto my back, following after me so that he straddled me as I lay there. “Humans had a much more proper fear of demons than to be teasing them, baby girl.” He snapped his teeth, all sharp and wicked, and said softly. “Still feel like teasing?”
The playfulness in his eyes made my heart skip. I traced my fingers along his chest, finding the smooth pale lines of his scars and following them. Torture scars, battle scars, stories of pain that lingered on this absurdly strong, immortal body. He watched my fingers move, suddenly still as stone, and I wondered if it was because he was trying not to flinch away, like he had the first time I’d touched him gently.
“Are we safe here?” I whispered. Strong as he was, I didn’t want to see him fight again. I didn’t want to see him have to turn into an animal to survive or to ensure I survived.
“For now. We’ll stay here for a while…then move on if the Hadleighs or any of the beasts get wind of where you are.”
“I can’t hide forever.”
“I know. And you won’t. Just until it’s safe.”
“I know there are other Gollums, besides the one last night.” I gulped. “I saw them.”