Page 31 of Raising Hell: MMF Edition

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

“Down!” she shouts, the command forcing my hands to my lap. She twists over her shoulder and stares at the hole in the fabric. Another long, drawn-out sigh leaves her nose until she shakes her head. She mutters under her breath, “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 Ruby is displayed on her face, her eyes shifting between us, and I pinpoint the exact moment she 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 her confidence, but I smile and inch forward again.

“Rules, you say?” I prompt, and she blinks at me again, likeI’mthe troublemaker here. She 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, Ruby.”

“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!” she shouts.

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

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

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

“Casimir,” she 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, her 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 Ruby’s expression makes me blurt out, “How will you see?”

“What?” Her face wrinkles up adorably as she tilts her 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…” Her 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.”

“That would be scratchy and irritating,” I say.

“And gross,” Amon adds, and she sighs again. She watches the building where humans walk in and out, like she’s having doubts.

Not for the first time, fear of disappointing her churns in my belly. It’s an unfamiliar sensation that I’m unsure how to handle.

My hand lands on her shoulder and her attention returns to me. “I’m sorry I have disappointed you,” I say, voice quiet as Ilower my gaze to my lap. “It was not intentional, Ruby, but I will try harder to adapt to your human world. I won’t ask so many questions.”

As our eyes meet again, hers have softened, and she gently covers my hand with hers. “No, it’s me who should apologize. Everything is new to you, and I should be more patient. You’re here because of me, and it’s unfair for me to get short with you.”

“But you already are short,” I whisper, and her lips curl into a beautiful smile, although I’m not sure why.

“Don’t stop asking questions, Cas, okay? You’re curious, and I love that about you.”

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