Page 79 of Darkness

“I’m not complaining or anything, but why?” Morrisey didn’t remember giving her a key. How had she gotten into his apartment?

“Because I stopped in to see you shortly after your lover left. I’m returning the favor because, yowza, what a meal. I rarely get to eat so well. Not just lust, but honest lust for someone you care about. Yummy.” She made her way over to the couch, tray in hand, wearing Mary’s body today. Or maybe Piper’s?

Wait a minute. “You fed off me and Farren?” You just crossed a line, sister!

“No, just your lust,” she remarked casually, like feeding from a human was no big deal. Of course, to her, it probably wasn’t. “All the lovely lust wafting around, free for the taking. Don’t blame me if I took advantage. It would have only gone to waste. Now, eat up. Mr. Hotness took a lot out of you.” She placed the tray on the cable reel and stared down at Morrisey with her hands on her hips. “Please tell me y’all are gonna do that often, because dayum! Oh. He left a note.” She handed over a slip of paper.

Morrisey,

I’ll cover for you at the compound. Get some sleep. I’ll see you later.

F

“He kissed you goodbye before he left and covered you with a blanket.” Jessa gave a dramatic sigh, placing her hand on her chest. “How adorable! It’s not lust, but it is cute. I think he really cares about you. You should keep him.”

Morrisey glared. “Jessa, how are you getting into my apartment?”

“One of my former hosts picked locks.”

“You retain information from all your former hosts?” Dangerous concept. Especially if bad guys did the same.

“How else would I learn?”

Her earlier words caught up to Morrisey. Your lover. He had a lover. His compulsion for Farren lay dormant for now, likely regrouping to make more demands. Bringing Farren home was probably a terrible decision. Right now, Morrisey couldn't find it in himself to care. Because having a lover and a steak might’ve been the best experience he’d had in years.

If only he hadn’t had to endure carnage to get here.

Chapter Twenty-six

The walls seemed to close in the longer Farren and Morrisey remained seated at the tiny table in Farren’s office, their laptops sharing space with empty M&M packs, two cups of cold coffee, and a bottle of water. They’d chased down leads all day, cross-referencing their cases and trying to home in on their mastermind.

Farren rubbed his tired eyes, checking the laptop clock. Five p.m. One incredibly long day. Morrisey reclined on his c, stretching his arms over his head, triggering thoughts of his naked body, muscles straining, his breathy little pants, deep moans, and…

Nope. Now wasn’t the time.

The fact that Morrisey was no longer avoiding Farren brightened his day, not to mention the memories they’d made last night. Memories that kept intruding on Farren’s thoughts, derailing his focus on their case.

Enough for now. “We’ve been at this all day.” Farren’s stomach rumbled. “What do you say to taking a break, then spending the evening with me eating dinner and watching old movies?” A repeat of last night wouldn’t be amiss. But should Farren dare to hope? After all, Morrisey had all day to regret their actions, though he’d not said anything yet.

It seemed like communication wouldn’t be the strong point of this relationship.

Morrisey gave a tired smile. “Sure, sounds good.”

Yes! Farren barely reined in a fist pump. Even though they’d spent the day together, he wasn’t ready to let go yet. He’d somehow formed an addiction to Morrisey’s company.

What did it say about Farren that he’d somehow latched on to the most irritable, grouchy human he’d ever met and couldn’t get enough? Even now, he felt the bond growing, stretching, testing bounds like a living thing in his brain.

They packed up their laptops and parted ways, Farren dashing to his apartment. Few people came here. Mostly Arianna. Agent Sykes came over occasionally, but as a fellow traveler, he limited contact with Farren to maintain secrecy and prevent the humans from growing suspicious.

Farren roamed his apartment to check he’d not left dirty dishes on the counter or a sock lying around. Not that he’d ever done so before, but just his luck when he finally invited a man home, he’d have left some tasks undone and given a poor impression.

Having seen few human dwellings, Farren didn’t know how his compared. Would Morrisey find the apartment comfortable? Off-putting? The original version of Farren would’ve called it spartan. Arianna always wanted to add more pillows.

No use fretting now.

Besides, Morrisey’s apartment had an eclectic mix of furniture and repurposed reels Farren supposed once held cable, and though the living room appeared relatively clean, everything had a worn and well-used feel. A place to live rather than a place to impress others.

So unlike Farren’s.

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