Page 31 of Raising Hell

“Hmm?” I put on my best innocent face as I smile back at him.

“Did you stab my car?”

“I, um, wouldn’t say ‘stabbed,’ really…”

He’s not amused, so I smile wider, hoping to distract him, but it doesn’t work. “Okay… did you impale my car with your horn?”

Slowly, I nod, careful not to get too close to the ceiling. “It would seem so.”

His lips tug into a straight line as he pulls them between his teeth. “And you thought you could… what? Hold your hand there permanently so I’d never notice?”

Again, I nod, and he sighs. “Put your hand down, Cas.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to just…”

“Down!” he shouts, the command forcing my hands to my lap. He twists over his shoulder and stares at the hole in the fabric. Another long, drawn-out sigh leaves his nose until he shakes his head. Under his breath, he mutters, “Demons…”

“You’ll notice I’m being a good boy,” Amon says from beside me, smug as can be, but I resist the urge to elbow him again.

Best behavior and all.

The internal conflict within Rory is displayed on his face, his eyes shifting between us, and I pinpoint the exact moment he caves. “There are rules.” Amon and I both lean forward, but the seatbelt catches and unexpectedly throws me backward into the seat, making me cough.

It doesn’t appear to help Rory’s confidence, but I smile and inch forward again.

“Rules, you say?” I prompt, and he blinks at me again, likeI’mthe troublemaker here. He clearly hasn’t seen Amon after an entire jug of demon brew. Those are mental images that you can’t even bleach away.

“First rule is keep your hands to yourself. Touch nothing,especiallyother people.”

“What if someone attempts to harm you in the line battle?” I butt in, and Amon nods in agreement. “You must be protected, Rory.”

“While that is… strangely sweet… it leads me to rule number two. There will under no circumstances be a line battle.”

Well, that’s extreme.

Amon shares my concern, if the deepening crease between his brows is any indication. “How will you pay for your items? Are we stealing them?”

“Ooooh!” I nod at his ingenuity. “That is a good idea—”

“No stealing!” Rory shouts.

“Is that… rule three?” I ask, hoping he notices how much attention I’m paying to the number of his rules.

He seems even more exasperated now, so I decide that maybe, just maybe, I should be quiet. “Cas…”

“Rory…” I drawl, before catching myself and resuming my vow of silence.

“Casimir,” he says, somehow enunciating every letter in my name. “We do not steal things. That doesn’t have to be a rule, because it’s a fact of life. Are we clear?” I nod, keeping my lips sealed. After a piercing stare, his eyes move to Amon. “We will pay for our items by waiting patiently in line with the rest of the shoppers. This is not up for debate!” Amon looks like he’s about to argue but deflates and nods instead.

“Last rule is to stay with me and not wander off. I need to keep my eye on you both at all times.”

A frown tugs at my mouth, and I squirm in my seat, still attempting silence, but the wry curiosity in Rory’s expression makes me blurt out, “How will you see?”

“What?” His face wrinkles up adorably as he tilts his head at me.

“If you have an eyeball touching us both, we will have to stand very close, and you won’t be able to see well. It also sounds quite uncomfortable…”

“Cas…” His sigh is exhausted, so I shut my mouth again. It’s possible that my strategy of staying silent was the right move. I can just figure this out as we go. “It’s a saying that means I’m going to watch you closely. Not… actually putting my eyeball on you.”

---