Page 54 of The Devil and His Sparrow

But also apprehensive.

Zagan’s drawing on my leg and his words about having to fight for my mom’s time had gotten into my head, which I was pretty sure was his goal. Just like at the club, I questioned my mother and the control she had over every facet of my life. I was back to thinking that I needed to at least talk to her and see if I could gain a bit more freedom.

I pulled up Zagan’s contact on my phone. He’d noticed at one point when I’d been over in the past week for one of our many sex meet-ups that I still hadn’t saved his number. He’d immediately changed it to, “Demon Daddy,” which I then swiftly changed to, “Mr. Ego.”

He was in New York at the moment for some dance classes he was helping with and some shows he was doing with his band. I wasn’t sure if he was busy right now, but he’d wanted me to call him when I got my grades. Apparently, he was invested in them since he’d declared himself my study buddy.

The phone rang three times before his voice filled the other end. “Sparrow.”

“Mr. Ego,” I greeted. “What are you doing? Were you busy?”

It sounded loud on the other end, but he said, “Nah. Just trying to record a new song with everyone.”

“Oh, crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, you’re good.” It sounded like a door shut and the other end got quieter as if he’d stepped out of the room. “I’m honestly glad to get away from it for a minute. It’s not … I don’t know.” He sighed. “It’s a mess, but whatever. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you called, and I’m assuming it’s not because you missed me and just needed to hear my voice.”

I smiled at the teasing lilt in his tone. “Aww. You disappointed that’s not why I called?”

“Heartbroken,” he answered. “So how’d you do? What were your final grades?”

I let the silence hang, leaving him to stew in the uncertainty.

“Iyla,” he warned.

“I got A’s on all of them.”

“Hell yeah!” Zagan cheered, and it sounded like he was smiling. “I knew you would.”

Excitement bubbled up inside me like a soda can about to pop. The reaction to his praise was unexpected but not unpleasant. “I appreciate you helping me study. It helped a lot.”

“Of course. What are friends for?”

I pressed my lips together to keep my smile contained. Ever since we declared the status of our friendship, he’d been referring to us as that every chance he got, like he was still getting a feel for the word and what it meant. Even though he’d said he didn’t know what it meant to be friends, I actually found him to be a good one. He instilled a certain confidence in me that I’d just never had before. And he let me forget my worries and just have fun, which was priceless in my rigid, strict life.

“Did you tell your mom?” he asked.

I plucked at nonexistent lint on my pants. “Yeah. She said she’ll pick me up for dinner at six this Friday.”

He made a sound like he was acknowledging something he didn’t like. “Are you going to try talking to her during the dinner?”

A heavy weight settled in my gut, suppressing the glee. The two of us had come up with a plan for me to talk to Mom during this meal since I didn’t have many opportunities to do it any other time.

“Yeah,” I answered reluctantly. “I’m gonna try.”

“Good.” There was a sudden burst of commotion on the other end of the line, and Zagan cursed under his breath. “Sorry, Iyla. I’ve gotta go. They need me back in there.”

“No worries. I hope the new song comes out good.”

“Doubtful,” he grumbled before hanging up.

With the loss of his voice, my silent apartment became my sole company. Nahla was in class right now, and Gemma had appointments all day. I slumped in my chair with a lonely sigh.

I wish Zagan was here.

My eyes widened, and I sat up straighter as soon as the thought entered my mind. What was I thinking? Had I really come to crave and miss the demon’s presence?

With a small smile, I realized, yeah. I did. I missed my friend.

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