Ollie gave me a knowing look. “Sasha, right?”
“It shouldn’t bother me,” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “I just met them all.”
Ollie continued to give me a look.
“I also slept with both Fletcher and Jamal last night,” I continued before hiding my face behind my hand. I parted my fingers to peek through. “At the same time.”
Ollie whistled, giving me a broad and resplendent grin. “Atta girl.”
“Why do I feel this way?”
“Aside from the close proximity and the metaphysical safeguards that encourage comradery between Reaper Grims?” Ollie quirked a perfectly arched brow.
“So, what I’m feeling is the result of being in their Grim?” I asked, fear infusing my voice as I realized that what I was feeling may not be real. “Jamal said it didn’t usually feel this way.”
Ollie shook his head, and his smile did not drip. “Did you know that the magic they use to link Reapers together is very similar to a demonic soul bond? The mark of soul mates. In fact, I believe that Charon modeled one after the other.”
“I didn’t know demons could have soulmates,” I replied.
A waiter came out, and we both ordered our drinks. Ollie chose vodka for Rome—exclaiming that the Russian would get the inside joke. Aside from being a stereotype, I didn’t think Rome would appreciate it. I got a Doctor Strangelove cocktail, as did Ollie.
“Okay. Okay.” Ollie said, gearing up as soon as the waiter left. “Demons have something called a Soul Bond. It’s rare. You can have a ceremony and force a bond that way, or, very rarely, the bond forms naturally. And when I say rarely, I mean rarely.”
“How rare?” I frowned.
“I can count all of the soul bonded couples that I know on my hand. Demons don’t tend to want to give that kind of power to just anyone.” Ollie explained.
“You share your magic with your soulmate?” I sat forward. “What would it feel like?”
Ollie shrugged, picking up the cocktail menu and placing it back in the holder. “How would I know?”
My lips pressed into a line. Rome strode across the bar and retook his seat. He said nothing.
“Productive phone call?” I asked, forcing a cheerful lilt into my voice.
Judging by the way Ollie rolled his eyes, I was unsuccessful.
Rome shook his head. “It was business.”
I cleared my throat. “What’s going on between you and Sasha anyway?”
Across the table, Ollie made a slicing motion across his throat. Rome was facing me, so he did not see the gesture.
Rome studied me slowly. His dark eyes roamed my face. “We have an arrangement.” He stated slowly. “We are friends.”
I nodded, though I was sure my facial expression indicated that I didn’t believe his ‘friends’ statement.
“Did you order drinks?” Rome asked.
Ollie bit back a smirk. “Da.”
We were about three drinks in when I realized that Ollie might have oversold me on his desire to have a girl's night and instead just didn’t want to drink and trawl for a conquest alone.
Rome and I watched as Ollie sat at the end of the bar, chatting to the bartender with rapt attention.
Rome drank his vodka as if it was water, and I held no judgments because I was out of my depth in a bar in NYC with a demon and a Reaper.
“Did you find anything interesting in all those files you stole?” Once the silence got too much, I leaned in and spoke in a whisper. I kept my eyes on Ollie at the bar, just in case he overheard, but it looked like he had other things to be interested in.