Page 99 of Deals and Daggers

TWO MONTHS LATER

Itossed back the first glass of whiskey, slapping the glass on the bar as the warm liquid burned my chest. These days, it didn’t matter how much I drank.

Her absence burned worse than any alcohol could ever hope to manage. A numbness I could never cure, could never fill.

“Do my eyes deceive me?” Salem asked, slipping into the open bar seat beside me. “Or is my brother actually showing his face around Night Raven tonight?”

She was hard to hear over the loud music. Night Raven was crowded tonight, the entire dance floor filled with sweaty bodies and drunken men.

I hated them. I hated everyone here for having fun, for smiling, for feeling whole.

A piece of me left when Lyra did, the night after we closed the veil.

“I wouldn’t call it fun,” I answered. “Numbing the pain, maybe. Drinking myself into my own grave, perhaps. But fun?” The bartender refilled my glass. I tossed that one back, too. “No, not that.”

Salem sighed and turned to face me. “I can’t watch this anymore, brother. You have to get a grip on yourself, okay? I mean, the girl went through a lot for you. She deserves a little freedom.”

Freedom? Hell, maybe. But freedom from me?

I understood it, but I didn’t fucking like it. Not one bit.

Lyra had things to take care of after we closed the veil, and frankly, so did I. The Night Ravens and I searched every inch of the city, making sure the rest of the demons Marcus pulled from beyond the veil were either living peacefully or, well, not living at all.

It wasn’t hard after the surrounding demon legions agreed to help us. Turns out, when the entire world nearly collapses, it’s easier to get people to work together.

For a while, I was relieved that Lyra was off with Natalie, creating her new life and accepting her role as the Goddess of Light.

But that didn’t help the lonely nights. The cold bed.

After a while, it all became numb.

Zac stepped up behind Salem. “She’s right, man,” he added. “It’s been two months. You should at least attempt having some fun. This can’t be healthy.”

I rolled my eyes. He didn’t understand. Neither did she. They hadn’t lost the one thing they would have risked everything for.

I did.

Even though my cravings for blood were gone, I had to live with that shame every fucking day. How many times did I imagine what it would be like to drain her dry? To drink every last drop of that warm liquid?

I drank another glass of whiskey before pushing myself up from the bar. “This was a waste of time. I’m going home.”

As soon as I turned toward the door, I caught a glimpse of bright red hair from the crowded dance floor. But it quickly disappeared.

I really was losing my mind. I had gone from sad, to fucking depressed, to downright delusional.

I rubbed my eyes, ignoring whatever shit Salem and Zac were saying behind me, and took another step toward the door. I bumped and weaved through the crowded room, trying my best to avoid the sweaty, dancing bodies as I tried my best to get out of here.

But a sudden, familiar presence washed over me.

I froze.

I would have recognized that cherry red hair from anywhere.

“This isn’t real,” I breathed as she approached. The smell of her coconut shampoo washed over me. Her skin had a tanned glow to it, one I had never seen on her before. She even had freckles scattering her nose and cheeks.

“Hi,” she replied.

I raked my eyes over her body, still not totally believing the sight before me.

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