by Emma Scott
“Yes, where on this earth did you get those eyes?” Abby asked with less subtlety.
“Sumer,” Cas answered.
I coughed. “Iraq. Sumer was in southern Mesopotamia, which is now present-day Iraq.”
“Thanks for the geography lesson, Luce,” Abby muttered, then turned her full attention to Cas. “How interesting! I’ve never met anyone from Iraq before. You’ll have to tell me all about it. I have, like, a million questions.”
I hid a smirk behind my hair. Take a number.
Guy and Kimberly had migrated toward us, both staring. Guy thrust his hand out. “Guy Baker. Cas, was it? Good to meet you.”
Cas smiled thinly, leaving Guy’s hand suspended in midair. “Ah, the infamous Guy Baker. Lucy has told me so much about you.”
“Has she?” Guy withdrew his hand. “Only good things—”
“About all of you,” Cas added dismissively. “Nothing but praise for her coworkers, striving to make a difference in the world. A commendable endeavor.”
I shot him a look not to overdo it, but the team seemed enraptured. None could peel their eyes from him, as if they weren’t quite sure he was real.
Take a thousand numbers.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Cas,” Kimberly said, starting for her office. “Lucy, perhaps you’d like to show him around?” She shot a look at everyone else: Stop staring and get back to work.
Abby swatted my arm. “Lucy, you’re such a tease, to keep your friend all to yourself. Cas, you must stay for lunch and tell us all about yourself.”
“I cannot stay,” he said. “I was merely in the neighborhood.”
“Dinner, then,” Abby said. “Let’s all go to dinner tonight!”
Jana waved her hands. “Not I. I have to pace myself with social endeavors these days.”
“Then the four of us,” Abby said. “Guy, you’re down, right?”
He shrugged with a grin. “I could eat.”
I looked to Casziel. I’d never been out with Guy socially. For the purposes of our plan, this was a good thing. Monumental. “Do you want to?”
“How could I say no?” he muttered with all the enthusiasm of someone about to undergo dental surgery.
Abby beamed. “Then it’s settled. The four of us will go out. Get to know each other better. And of course, Cas, you’re coming to Buzz Night tomorrow too.”
She was gazing at him with the kind of brazenness I’d never have, but Abby may as well have been a potted plant for all the attention the demon gave her.
“Of course,” he said. From behind his back, he presented me with the single red rose. “I saw this and thought of you.”
“Oh.” I’d read about fluttery stomach butterflies a hundred times in my romance novels, but I’d never felt them until that moment. I took the rose. “Thank you, Cas. It’s beautiful.”
“It almost does your beauty justice,” he said. “Almost.”
I could feel glances being exchanged all around me, but I was falling into the honeyed depths of Casziel’s eyes and not doing a thing to stop myself. If he were putting on an act, it was a flawless performance.
He pressed the back of my hand to his lips. “Goodbye, Lucy.”
“Bye,” I said faintly.
“What a strange guy,” Guy said, watching him go. “Old school manners.”
“He’s a gentleman,” Jana said. “There’s a shortage.”
“Hmm.” Guy gave his head a shake. “Anyway, I’m behind on some phone calls. Ladies… See you tonight, Lucy.”
“Yep. See you.”
A seed of curiosity had been planted; Guy had never singled me out like that when saying goodbye. I couldn’t even remember the last time he’d said my name. And we were going to have dinner? The “fake relationship” plan was off to a good start and yet…
I could still feel where Cas’s lips had been on the back of my hand.
“Old school is right,” Abby was saying as we went back to our desks. “Cas smells like the inside of a pyramid. Like frankincense and myrrh or something.” She pulled her chair in front of me like a detective grilling a suspect. “Okay, spill it. What’s the story?”
“There isn’t much of one,” I said. “We met on Friday, and we had drinks on Saturday. That’s all.”
“That is not all. I refuse to let it be all.”
“Did you know he was going to show up here?” Jana asked and nodded at the rose still clutched in my hand.
I set it in the half-drunk bottle of water on my desk. “No idea.”
“But you like him?” Abby persisted.
“I…I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, yes, I like him. But it’s not like—”
“How you like Guy,” Abby finished. “Good on you, babe.”
“Good on me—?”
“I’ve never seen Mr. Baker look anything but cool and collected. He had no idea what to make of Cas.”
“He was very intrigued,” Jana agreed as she and Abby pushed their chairs back to their desks.
Abby shook her head. “That is not how I expected this morning to go.”
I glanced at the single red rose. “Me neither.”
Twelve
On my way home from work that afternoon, I found Casziel waiting for me at my subway station. He looked darkly handsome, leaning against a cement pillar. My stupid heart fluttered—the eyes of many women were on him; his eyes were only on me.
“You went rogue on me,” I said as I joined him, and we took the stairs up to the street. “I had no idea you were going to show up at work.”
“The element of surprise was necessary or else we’d have appeared rehearsed. And time is of the essence. I have eight days left.”
“And if we forget, we can just look at your arm to count the days you’ve been here,” I said quietly.
He looked away, as if my concern wounded and touched him at the same time.
We stepped out of the station onto the sidewalk. The sun was setting, and the sidewalks were bustling with people on their way home after the workday. Again, Cas parted the crowds like Moses parted the Red Sea. Without realizing they were doing it, the New Yorkers stayed out of his way, a few shivering as if they’d walked through a cold front.
“How was our performance?” he asked as we headed to my place. “Was Guy sufficiently curious?”
“Definitely. Even Jana and Abby noticed.” I glanced up at him. “No one’s given me a single rose before. It’s almost more romantic than a whole bouquet. More…intimate.”
That conflicted expression came over his face again, then he shrugged. “It’s just a flower, Lucy Dennings. A prop in our plan.”
“Right,” I said. We’d arrived at my studio, and I unlocked my front door. “Of course.”
It was all a performance. The rose was a prop and the kiss on my hand didn’t mean anything. Seemed like my heart was having a hard time remembering that.
We stepped inside. Cas stretched out on the couch and flipped on the TV, as if to avoid conversation. A strange tension permeated the air, like how two strangers in a small space run out of things to say to each other. Except that wasn’t right. More like when two people who are most definitely not strangers have a lot to say to each other but don’t.
Or can’t.
I sat in the chair beside the couch. “I did something kind of big today. I volunteered to share my shoe idea with the team on Monday.”
His eyes widened and he looked to be on the verge of smiling. “You did?”
I nodded. “Deb tried to talk me out of it, but I did what you told me. Instead of listening to her, I spoke up louder. It felt good. Scary but good.”
“I’m not surprised. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever known.”
I stared. “I am?”
He looked away. “I just meant, all humans are far more powerful than they believe.”
“I don’t feel powerful. I feel scared shitless, like I made a terrible mistake.”
“That’s K. Between now and Monday, she a
nd Deb are going to try to stop you by any means necessary.”
“God, demons make it so hard for humans to accomplish anything. It’s amazing that your side hasn’t won and turned this world into hell.”
He arched a brow. “You think it’s not? With the murders and rapes and torture and war and sex trafficking and child pornography and mass shootings and—”
“Yes, there is all that, and it’s all horrible. But there is more that is beautiful than there is ugly. Sometimes it’s just harder to see.” I frowned at him. “I guess that’s your job. To make it hard to see.”
“I couldn’t have explained it better myself.”
“Even so. I still believe in the goodness of people.”
“That, Lucy Dennings, is why I picked you.”
Is that the only reason?
I decided to see how powerful—and brave—I really was. “How, exactly, did you find me, Cas?”
I told you. Seen through the Veil; your light shines bright.”
“But lots of humans shine just as brightly, if not brighter. Jana, for instance. She’s one of the best people I know—”
“I needed someone solitary. I can’t very well go about revealing my true self to just anyone.”
“Okay, but…sometimes I get the feeling that you and I…” I swallowed. “I get the feeling we’re not strangers.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to reply.
“It’s our bond—the one that formed when you spoke my name—creating a false sense of familiarity. That’s all.”
“But—”
He rose from the couch. “Are we not going to dinner with your coworkers shortly?”
“Well, yes. But Cas…”
His gaze swept over me, the longing in his eyes silencing my words and bringing back the dream of the woman and the warrior.
“We have a plan, Lucy Dennings.” His hand came up as if to touch my cheek, then he let it fall and turned away. “Guy is waiting for you.”
We met Abby and Guy at the White Horse Tavern in the West Village. Abby looked stunning in a tight black dress that was almost too fancy for the occasion. Guy hadn’t changed but looked as ruggedly handsome as ever. He pulled my chair out for me and shook Cas’s hand. I legit feared the demon was going to tear out Guy’s throat, the way he was glaring at him.
“I don’t think you and I have ever hung out,” Guy said to me with a warm smile. “Aside from work functions.”
“First time for everything,” Abby said, shooting me a knowing look.
A man at the next table rose to his feet. He’d paid the bill and stuffed his wallet into the back pocket of his slacks. He missed, and the wallet hit the ground without him noticing.
I bent and picked it up. “Sir? You dropped this.”
He took it with a friendly smile. “Thank you so much, young lady.”
Abby rolled her eyes with a laugh. “That’s our Lucy for you. Always the saint.”
I hunched my shoulders. “Most people would do the same.”
“Yeah…after taking a peek at how much cash was inside,” Abby said with a snicker.
“That reminds me of an article I read last week,” Guy said. “A psychologist did an experiment to see if people were inherently good or…not. They placed wallets filled with various amounts of money in fifteen different countries. Seventy-two percent returned the wallets with all the money intact. Isn’t that something?”
“Doesn’t surprise me in the least,” I said, shooting Casziel a look. “I absolutely believe people are naturally good. Some just give in to their inner demons more than others.”
“Guilty,” Abby said and nudged Cas. “That’s what makes life fun, am I right?”
He ignored her, his gaze fixed on Guy. “You believe a few returned wallets proves the inherent goodness in mankind?”
Guy smiled amicably. “I’m Buddhist. We try not to get too stuck on opposing concepts. Things aren’t quite so black and white.”
I could practically feel Cas’s eye roll, despite the fact he’d told me the same thing the night we met.
“You disagree?” Guy asked the demon.
“I believe there are mysteries on top of mysteries that most humans cannot begin to perceive,” Cas said imperiously.
“Probably true.” Guy gestured around the saloon’s warm interior. “For instance, they say this place is haunted.”
“By what entity?”
“The poet, Dylan Thomas.”
Cas snorted. “Dylan Thomas? I just saw him—”
I kicked him under the table and blurted, “I love Dylan Thomas. I love poetry in general, actually.”
“Do you?” Guy turned to me. “Me too. Keats, Dickinson…but Thomas is a favorite. Everyone’s always quoting his Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night but I find And Death Shall Have No Dominion to be more arresting.”
Cas’s derision was like a cold wind. “I’m partial to Our Eunuch Dreams.”
“I love No Dominion too,” I said, glaring at the demon. “That poem is beautiful. And hopeful. I love the line about how lovers might be lost but love never will be.”
I stopped, those words suddenly taking on a new meaning. The dream of the woman and her warrior swam up again, and I glanced at Cas over the candlelight on our table. He met my eyes, a strange, soft look on his face.
“Ugh, boring,” Abby groused, breaking the spell. She put her hand over Cas’s. “Is all this poetry talk putting you to sleep too?”
He didn’t reply but I noticed he didn’t move his hand from her touch, either.
“Speaking of ghosts,” Guy said, “I’m pretty sure my place is haunted too.”
“Why do you think so?” Cas asked, eyes narrowed.
“Little things,” Guy said. “Lights flicker off and on at weird times. Or I’ll hear footsteps down the hall. Once, when I was in the kitchen, the TV turned itself on to a baseball game.” He chuckled. “I hate baseball.”
“Spooky,” Abby said.
“The building is old,” Guy continued, “but I feel a different energy in there.”
“I’d love to investigate,” Cas said, and I choked on my water. “I have a talent for feeling out different energies myself.”
“Oh yeah?” Guy’s smile was tight, like he couldn’t tell if Cas were messing with him or not. Which the demon most definitely was.
“Yeah,” Cas drawled. “I have something of an ability to communicate with those who are no longer with us.”
“Shut up!” Abby swatted his arm. “Like, you’re psychic?” She looked to Guy. “We have to go to your place.”
“No, we really don’t,” I put in, shooting Cas another helpless glance.
“I have a bottle of ’94 Terreno I’ve been waiting to try,” Guy said with a grin. “After dinner, we’ll go to my place and talk to some ghosts.”
“Yay!” Abby clapped her hands together.
“Yay,” Cas agreed.
An hour later, I pulled him aside while Guy stood with Abby on the sidewalk, calling an Uber. “What are you doing?”
“‘I find And Death Shall Have No Dominion to be more arresting,’” Cas mimicked and rolled his eyes. “Is he always that pretentious?”
I glanced down. “You sound jealous. But I guess that’s part of the plan, right?”
Cas hadn’t heard, still ranting. “And if that man’s house is haunted, I’m a swamp imp.”
“So you have to prove him wrong?”
“I’d rather prove him extremely right and deprive him of sleep for a week.”
“Cas,” I warned.
He blinked, the picture of innocence. “Are we not rivals for your hand?”
“If you make a fool of Guy, he’s not going to be super keen to hang out with me in the future. I’ll be guilty by association.”
Guy waved us over to the Uber.
“Just don’t do anything scary,” I muttered as we headed over.
The demon’s grin was unnervingly cheery. “Who, me?”
Guy had a cozy apart
ment in the meat-packing district with exposed brick walls and a view of the Hudson.
“Make yourselves at home,” he said, giving me a warm smile as we stepped inside. “I’ll see to the vino.”
Abby nudged me. “Why don’t you see if he could use some help?”
Before I could answer, she plopped herself on the couch next to Cas, leaving no room for anyone in between. I headed to the kitchen, listening to his low voice and her answering peal of laughter.
Guy’s kitchen was all wood and glass with a half-dozen houseplants for added warmth. For a bachelor pad, it was homey and welcoming, like Guy himself.
“Hey,” I said, fighting to not let my hair fall over my face. “Need help?”
“Hey, Luce.” Guy popped the cork on a bottle of chianti. “You can grab some glasses, thanks. First cabinet, over the dishwasher.”
I went as directed and took down four red wine glasses.
“Your friend Cas is an interesting guy. Not sure what to make of him, honestly.”
He said it with no trace of malice, just honest curiosity. I managed a smile.
“He’s…eccentric.”
“That’s the word.” Guy leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. He had nice forearms, tanned and with a silver watch on his left wrist. “Where did you say you two met?”
“Oh, umm…we sort of bumped into each other outside my apartment.” I heard how random that sounded and coughed. “But he’s a friend of a friend. From art school. I mean, my friend is in art school and Cas is his friend, and we sort of met…that way.”
Real smooth, Luce. Gold medal in rambling at the Awkward Olympics.
“Cool. He in town long?”
For a split second, I entertained the notion that Guy hoped the answer would be no.
“Not long,” I said. “A few days.”
Guy’s mega-watt beam returned, showing perfect white teeth. “Great. Well, the wine has breathed long enough, I think. After you, my lady.”
I smiled and went out, proud that I’d survived without making a total ass of myself.
Are you sure about that?
“Shut up, Deb.”
Guy took a chair at the head of the coffee table. Since Abby had claimed Cas on the couch, my only seating option was a chair opposite them.
