“Really?” I struggled to process what was happening. “Mitch wanted to go shopping? And he told you?”
I’ve entered into an alternate dimension.
Sadie played with her white hair and said, “Technically, Mitch said you would want to go shopping. But he asked me to bring it up to the group without saying it was his idea.”
“My name is not Mitch,” Mitch said as he slammed his cup down on the table.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at her,” Xerxes said as he walked over with Ascher. He withdrew his knives and death glared at the leader of the kings.
“Let’s go. We can talk shit about the kings and the patriarchy as we try on shoes.” Sadie grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of my seat.
Key word being “tried.”
I had at least fifty pounds of muscle on her, and it was frankly disturbing how weak she was. I made a mental note to make her do more push-ups again.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Luka offered, then broke into a coughing fit.
I startled as I realized he had dark circles under his eyes that rivaled Scorpius’s. He’d been talking to me through the sleepless nights, which meant he also was extremely sleep-deprived.
Guilt gnawed at my stomach.
“No, if I go shopping, you two need to sleep. I’ve been keeping you up for days. Use it as a chance to rest—please.” I pushed the unruly curls off Luka’s forehead and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Malum growled like a wild animal.
Luka stared at me like he was trying to read my mind, then nodded. “I’ll miss you,” he whispered.
I gave him a shy smile. “Same.”
Malum made a gagging noise and Orion hit him.
“I would argue, but frankly, I’m dead on my feet,” John said grudgingly as he continued to rub my back in soothing circles. He pulled my hair to the side and gave me a kiss on the back of my neck. “I want all the details when you get back.”
I melted into his embrace. “Of course,” I promised.
“Yay, let’s do this!” Sadie punched me in the side. I struggled to breathe.
Across the table, Jinx made the sign of the devil.
I blew her a kiss as we RJE’d away.
“Just so you know, sir—most men get a clear coat of gloss,” the nail technician said to Malum. She winked and leaned into his personal space.
“Don’t care,” he said gruffly as he looked over at me. “I want the one called ‘destined nights.’” He held up the navy bottle that he’d spent almost an hour searching for. “It’s the color of Arabella’s eyes.”
The woman made a breathy noise. “You’re so devoted. What a lucky woman.” She fluttered her eyelashes up at him.
“You’re embarrassing me,” I mouthed across the room at him.
He smirked wickedly, then settled back into the enchanted massage chair that the five of us were sitting in. We were all getting mani-pedis done at the same time.
Me, Sadie, Malum, Orion, and Scorpius.
Sadie’s mates had wandered off to look at weapons, and I’d encouraged the kings to go with them, since only one of them needed to stay with me, but they’d all refused to leave.
Which was why shifter nail technicians, both men and women, were currently twittering over the devils. For each devil, two people were massaging their legs, while another did their nails.
Meanwhile, Sadie and I each only had one worker.
Apparently, we were not impressive enough to be fawned over. Disappointing.
You’d think the shifters had never seen a seven-foot-tall flaming man before?
A male technician grabbed Scorpius’s bicep and squeezed like he was checking out his strength. The blind devil frowned and furrowed his brow like he was trying to figure out if that was a normal part of a mani-pedi.
I snorted and flopped back in my chair.
Closing my eyes, I grimaced as the woman attacked the thick calluses on my feet. She kept mumbling under her breath about disgusting blisters and smacking my foot with a brush like I was a wild animal.
I debated asking her to stop hitting me but couldn’t find the courage.
“What are you getting done?” I asked Sadie, as I tried to distract myself from the torture happening between my toes.
“Something understated and classy.”
“Smart choice,” I said.
An hour later, I admired my glossy-short black nails. They were perfect for battle.
“What do you think?” Sadie waved four-inch-long rhinestone-covered acrylic nails through the air.