He seemed to realize it too, because his arms moved—but not away from me. His hands drew closer to my face. Hesitantly, as though expecting me to cringe in disgust, he touched his fingertips to my cheeks.
Not daring to breathe, I stared up at him. My brain had gone blank, buzzing and useless.
His fingers brushed lightly across my cheeks, his eyes fixed on mine as they searched my soul. “Tori … can I have a hug?”
My heart jumped into my throat, choking off my voice. I started to lift my arms.
He pulled me into him before I could complete the motion, and I yipped in surprise as he crushed me against his chest. His warm breath stirred the curls above my ear, his face pressed into my hair.
“You must be crazy,” he muttered. “It’s the only explanation.”
“Are you complaining?” I asked, managing to inject a tart note despite my breathlessness.
“No. No, I’m not.”
My chest tightened at his quiet response, and I wiggled my arms free so I could slide them around his shoulders. Our hugs had always been friendly—familial, even—with only the occasional rogue thoughts on my part about hard muscles and mouthwatering scents, but that had changed too. Pressed against him like this, my awareness was consumed by every inch of his warm, sculpted body against mine, his strength easy and overwhelming.
As heat flushed through my center, his fingers brushed the back of my neck, tangling in my hair. I couldn’t help it—I shivered as a fresh wave of hot tingles whispered down my spine.
His head turned just slightly. Had he noticed me shiver? Embarrassed, I tried to pull back, but he tightened his arms.
“Oy!” Aaron’s shout cut through the quiet basement. “Tori, are you ready yet or—oh.”
A body filled the doorway. I looked around in time to see Aaron stop dead in his tracks, staring at Ezra and me entwined in a tight embrace. His eyes widened.
“Oh,” he said again. “Does this mean Ezra has stopped hiding from you?”
A soft footstep, then Kai appeared beside Aaron. “I’m guessing Tori ambushed him.”
“Uh.” I tried to step back, but Ezra hadn’t released me. Heat rose in my cheeks.
“Well, good.” Aaron waved. “Let’s go already. Darius is making a big announcement tonight and I don’t want to miss it.”
“Wait, we should check first.” Kai fixed his dark eyes on Ezra. “Are you finished sulking and avoiding us now?”
Ezra gave his friends a long, hard stare, his expression inscrutable. “You know, the fact that I’m the sanest one in this house is extremely alarming.”
Aaron, Kai, and I exchanged looks. Since we were perfectly happy to be friends with a demon mage, we couldn’t really argue, could we?
Silence hung for a moment more, than a grin flashed across Ezra’s face. I groaned that he’d gotten us again, and Aaron laughed. Chuckling, Ezra finally released me. He picked up my plumed hat, shook the confetti off it, and set it on my head.
“Looking good, D’Artagnan.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes, making sure he had no misconceptions about my feelings regarding the costume.
We rushed back into our preparations, and five minutes later, we were clustered by the back door in our identical Musketeer costumes—the guys nothing less than alluring in their blue tabards and snug breeches, their wide-brimmed hats placed at jaunty angles. Actual steel rapiers were sheathed at their hips, and they looked ready to whip the swords out with a haughty, “En garde!”
I had a rapier too, but I didn’t feel particularly charming, bold, or medieval. I just felt silly. Costumes were the worst.
We piled into the silver Mustang parked out back—Aaron’s rental. He had yet to shop for a new vehicle. His poor baby had been totaled, and I suspected he had a grieving process to complete before he could replace it.
He drove to the Crow and Hammer at a higher speed than strictly legal, but we were running late. This was our second visit to the guild today—the first had been at ten this morning so Aaron, Kai, and I could set things up for Halloween Party 2.0.
Yes, we were over a week into November. It had snowed last night—though the light dusting had already melted. Halloween was well over.
But our original party had been canceled under the worst circumstances. When I’d returned to work after having my broken wrist healed, Clara and I had put our heads together. Everyone was tired and stressed. They all needed a pick-me-up. And what better way to do it than revive the party they’d been looking forward to?
After parking in the back, I followed the guys around the building to the front door, nervously adjusting my tabard and rapier. Flashing a grin over his shoulder, Aaron pushed the door open.
A wave of noise rolled out. Yeah, we were definitely late.
The pub was crammed with mythics, music was thumping, and conversation rang through the room. Everyone in sight was in costume, wild colors mixing in a collage of fantasy, horror, pop culture, and randomness. The people nearest to the entrance cheered and waved at us to come in.
Holding the door with one hand, Aaron extended the other to me. Laughing, I grabbed Ezra and Kai, and together, we swept inside.
* * *
Humming quietly, I mopped a puddle of pink punch off the bar top. The party had wound down an hour ago. Colorfully costumed mythics had made their way out the door in twos and threes, and only twenty or so people were left.
I sighed, tired but content. I’d never seen the pub so packed. Not only our members, but spouses, plus-ones, and even a few mythics from other guilds had packed the building. The noise level had been deafening, filled with chatter and laughter. The lingering notes of stress and worry from the demon alert had vanished in the revelry.
Yep. It had been worth all the work—and the musketeer costume.
Giving the counter a final wipe, I headed along the bar to the end, where a tiered tray marred by smeared icing and crumbs held the last cupcake. I considered it carefully, glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then picked it up and bit into the icing-coated top.
“Isn’t that your fourth cupcake?”
I jumped guiltily. Ezra had just walked out from the short hall behind the stairs. His mismatched eyes sparked with amusement.
“So what if it is?” I asked mutinously.
“I only had one.”
“Oh.” I looked down at the cupcake, my taste buds crying for more cream cheese icing, then held it out. “You can have it. I only had one bite.”
He chuckled. “It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“You sure?” When he nodded, I took another bite. Oh my god, so good. These were too delicious to be legal. “I’m so glad we got more. Losing the first batch was a crime against desserts everywhere.”
“Maybe I should’ve kept them for self-defense.” He studied me somberly. “Demons can’t resist cupcakes.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Demons can’t? Or you can’t?”
His poker face was infallible. “I’m admitting nothing.”
Snickering, I took one more bite of the cupcake, then held it out again. He gazed at it longingly, then caved and took the half-eaten dessert. He bit the icing-covered top off and his eyes rolled back in bliss.
“That’s not how you’re supposed to eat cupcakes,” I chastised.
“Don’t tell me how to achieve nirvana.” He slid onto the nearest stool and rubbed a hand through his messy curls. His wide-brimmed musketeer hat had vanished a while ago. “Kai and Aaron should be tired by now, shouldn’t they?”
Amused, I looked past him. Across the room, Aaron and Cameron were having a mock sword battle—rapier versus lightsaber—and a cluster of guys egged them on. While Aaron ducked a swing from the plastic weapon, I scanned the scattered tables. Sabrina, Sin, Kaveri, and Kier were sitting together, listening raptly to a story Kier was telling. Darius, Alistair, Girard, and Clara had claimed another table and were deep in a serious discussion.
In the farthest, quietest corner of the room, two people wer
e sitting together in the shadows, empty drinks on the table in front of them. I smirked.
An hour or two into the party, a group of Odin’s Eye mythics had joined us. And with them? Izzah, looking utterly ravishing in a Greek Goddess costume that featured a draping white dress, gold belt, and a golden laurel wreath on her head, nestled in her raven hair. Every single guy in the pub—and a few non-single guys—had stopped to stare.
Kai had made a beeline straight for her, and they’d been glued to each other’s sides since. Tucked in a corner by themselves, they’d been lost in conversation for hours.
“We need to do something about that,” I murmured thoughtfully, watching them.
“About what?” Ezra asked, casually licking the icing off the cupcake wrapper.
Ignoring his poor manners—if it were my wrapper, I’d be doing exactly the same thing—I gestured at the electramage. “We need to do something about Kai and his family not letting him be with anyone.”
Ezra peered into the corner. “What can we do, though?”
I tapped my lips. “I’ll think about it.”
He made a quiet sound of agreement, and my mind drifted to other impossible dilemmas … like the demon amulet hidden in my apartment. Ezra didn’t know I had it. Neither did Aaron or Kai. I’d told them what it did and that I’d given it to Burke’s demon, but I hadn’t mentioned how the demon had dropped it before escaping this world.
The words Ezra’s demon had whispered were carved into my brain. He is mine. His body and his soul.
Darius had told me that when Ezra died, so would his demon—but if the demon thought it would get Ezra’s soul, it clearly had a different opinion on the matter. I agreed that handing Ezra the amulet was all kinds of bad idea, but I had no intentions of ignoring his looming fate. I’d never thought much about souls, but if Ezra’s was in danger, then we needed to save him.
Kai’s family. Ezra’s demon. Both things I planned to think about.
“Tori?”
Jarred out of my thoughts, I realized I was staring intently into Ezra’s face.
He canted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I blurted, but he didn’t look convinced. Luckily, Kaveri and Kier called goodbye from the door, and I waved energetically. As they left, Sin and Sabrina wandered over.
I almost hadn’t recognized Sin at first. Her teal hair was now midnight black, and her eyes were done up in smoky makeup. Fitted black clothes covered her from head to toe, and an oversized postage stamp was pinned to her left shoulder.
Her costume had stumped me, Aaron, and Ezra, but Kai had guessed it immediately: blackmail.
“I’m exhausted,” Sabrina declared, sliding onto the stool beside Ezra. She’d gone for a classic gypsy fortuneteller costume and had spent half her night carrying around a crystal ball and pretending to see terrible portents of doom in its misty depths. “Tori, could I get a water?”
“Sure thing.” I hurried to my station, poured one, and returned as she was setting her crystal ball on the bar top.
“Bringing this was probably a mistake.” She rubbed her wrists. “My arms are aching.”
“Nah, it was perfect,” Ezra said, grinning. “Really made the whole costume. I loved your vision of ‘death by fire-breathing dragon’ for Aaron.”
She giggled. “I told Darius to beware of narrow bridges and whips.”
We laughed. Maybe hearing his name, Darius glanced at us from his table. A pointed gray hat was perched on his head, with matching wizard robes draped around him. Gandalf’s wooden staff was propped against the table, and whenever the mood had struck him, the luminamage had made the crystal on top glow dramatically.
I wondered what announcement Darius had been planning to make. Aaron had mentioned it several times, but the GM had made no attempts to speak at large to the partygoers.
Sin propped her chin on her hand, ignoring renewed shouts from the nearby battle reenactment. Aaron was now dueling Luke Skywalker and two Power Rangers, while complaining loudly that he needed musketeer backup. Neither Ezra nor I moved to aid him.
“Tori, when can we see the new menu?” Sin asked, squinting at the wall above my head where the chalkboard menu had been wiped clean and replaced with my terribly drawn pumpkins and bats.
“First of December,” I answered promptly. “Darius approved my proposal yesterday. He was busy before that. Though we’ll be lucky to have everything ready to go in three weeks.”
Darius had been in and out nonstop since rescuing me and the guys a week ago. I hadn’t had a chance to ask him how his hunt for the demon summoners had gone.
“I can’t wait,” Sabrina said brightly, absently tapping her crystal ball. “I hope there’ll be some less greasy options for—”
“Uh, Sabrina?” Sin interrupted. “Is it supposed to be doing that?”
The diviner looked at her crystal ball—and gasped. The white mist inside it was streaked with red. Eyes wide, she placed her hands on either side of the orb.
“That’s a real crystal ball?” I muttered nervously, watching as the scarlet streaks ebbed and flowed like ink in water.
“Mm,” Sabrina mumbled. “Why would I buy a fake one just for my costume?”
Fair point.
“There’s something …” She lowered her face and peered into the mist. “A vision …”
We all leaned in as the red streaks thickened, the color deepening. Just as I wondered if she was pranking us, the sphere darkened to pitch black—and a pair of glowing crimson eyes flashed within it.
Sabrina let out a tiny shriek, Sin jerked back so fast she fell off her stool, and I jumped about a foot but managed not to scream. Ezra alone didn’t react. As the crystal ball returned to swirling white, his grim expression smoothed back into his usual good humor.
“What’s wrong?” Aaron, breathless and clutching his rapier, hurried over. “What happened?”
“Just—just the crystal ball surprised us,” Sabrina stammered.
Aaron helped Sin to her feet. “That’s all? You sure?”
“We’re good,” I said, giving him a meaningful look. He took the hint and stopped asking. We all stood silently for a moment.
“Tori, I’ve been meaning to ask.” Sabrina shifted forward on her seat. “Did you make your decision?”
“Decision?”
“From your tarot reading,” she prompted.
“Right!” Sin exclaimed. “Sabrina predicted that someone would die and you had to make a big life-altering decision to save their life.” She playfully arched an eyebrow. “How did that work out?”
I didn’t answer, and it took her a moment to realize she was the only one who seemed entertained. Her amusement quickly faded.
“Sabrina,” Aaron said quietly, “did you really predict that?”
She nodded, watching me closely. “It wasn’t just anyone who was in danger, though. Someone Tori cared for was going to die …”
Against my will, my eyes slid to Ezra. He stared back at me, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Oh!” Sabrina gasped.
I jerked my attention away from Ezra. “Huh? What?”
“Nothing!” With scarcely concealed glee, she grabbed her crystal ball and dumped it unceremoniously into the largest pocket of her gypsy dress. “Nothing at all. Well, we should go! Sin, want to split a cab? I already called one.”
“Sure,” Sin muttered, looking as confused as I felt. “See you later, Tori. Great party!”
She was still calling her farewell when Sabrina dragged her off. Halfway across the pub, the diviner started whispering feverishly in Sin’s ear. Both girls stopped and looked back at me, Sabrina with a knowing expression and Sin with disbelief.
“Uh,” I said blankly, watching them hurry to the door. “What was that all about?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Aaron muttered.
As the two girls pushed through the door, Kai stepped inside. I blinked in surprise. When had he left?
&nb
sp; He strode to us, frowning over his shoulder. “What were those two giggling about?”
“No idea,” I answered. “Where were you?”
“I just saw Izzah off.”
I braced my elbows on the bar top and grinned. “Did you have a nice visit with her?”
“No, it was extremely unpleasant. Are we ready to go?”
“Almost. I’ve got a few more things to clean up first. I just need to fortify myself. One more drink?”
Aaron grinned. “Okay, one more. But Ezra will have to drive us home.”
“You sure you want to trust me with that?” Ezra asked, amused.
“It’s cool. The car’s a rental.”
I zipped to my station, considered my options, then started mixing drinks. Five minutes later, I set four martinis on the bar top and plopped an olive in each one.
“Finishing the night in style,” I said brightly.
“Perfect! But first, we need …” Aaron looked to the end of the bar. “Hey! Where’s the last cupcake?”
I flinched but recovered quickly. “It got eaten.”
“But that was Kai’s birthday cupcake. I even got a candle.” He pulled a small pink candle from his breeches’ pocket. “Who ate it?”
“You—you never said it was for Kai!”
Aaron’s expression shifted to incredulity. “You ate it? I saw you eat at least two cupcakes already.”
“Why is everyone counting how many cupcakes I eat?” I demanded furiously. “And Ezra ate some of it too!”
“Hey!” Ezra protested. “I only finished it because you—”
“It’s fine,” Kai interrupted with an exasperated roll of his eyes. “I don’t need a cupcake.”
“But it’s your birthday,” I said guiltily. “I didn’t even know.”
“That’s because it isn’t my birthday. It was a week ago, and we spent the entire day with the healers.” He picked up his martini. “This is fine. Better than a cupcake.”
“You didn’t try one, did you?” Ezra asked. “Nothing is better than those cupcakes.”
“Not helping, Ezra,” I muttered out of the corner of my mouth. “Let’s do a toast to Kai, then. How old are you?”
Demon Magic and a Martini: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Four Page 22
