Page 35 of Pike

“And you obviously had a lot of fun doing it.”

He tried to pry his eyelids open and catch his balance, orienting himself to the space and finding he couldn’t manage any of it. “Am I still in the bar drinking myself sick?”

“You betcha.” Ezollo whistled. “You really are in a bad place. Maybe you had more fun than I assumed. You wanna go easy on that brew.”

The daemon kept another tasteless remedy behind the bar for emergencies. No doubt this one had a bit of human soul added to give it an extra kick. Pike found he needed the boost. There was a curious pain below his ribs and the more he drank, the less it hurt.

“No. I need more.”

Ezollo’s favorite three words. “I’ll add them to your tab.” His lashes fluttered as he reached for the bottle, holding it in front of his face.

Pike squirmed closer and grabbed the entire thing.

“And I brought you a fresh mark. If you’re hungry.”

“Just because Lavinia found out about my other women doesn’t mean I’m starving. I had enough to eat to last me for the next month.”

Ezollo waited, the moment drawing out. “Do you want to talk about her?”

“No,” Pike answered with a morose chuckle. “I’m running on no sleep and half a bottle of whatever shite you mixed together. I’m not venturing into heart-spilling territory with you.”

With a shrug, Ezollo grabbed the bottle back from him and took a long, rich swig. “Right now, from where I’m standing, I’m the only one you’ve got. I don’t exactly see people lining up around the block to help make you feel better. But here I am. Now you’re going to sit here and talk to me, or I’ll have the hens over there come give you a talking to.”

“What do you want to know? I fucked Lavinia and she found out what I am. What I do. What I eat.” Pike grabbed the bottle back and held it aloft in a silent cheer. “All this right after I forced her down among the rat shifters unprepared.”

Ezollo’s frown took a sharp left turn into alarm. “Is she all right?”

“Like me, she’s surprisingly hard to kill.”

“You introduced her to the shifters and then took her home for sweet loving?”

“Pretty much,” Pike said, thinking back to that night a week ago. When Lavinia walked out of his life for good. The next day, when he’d slunk back to his Monday and Saturday bird with his tail between his legs—and sans the promised surprise—he was startled to find she wanted nothing to do with him. It went beyond his standing her up. Someone had spoken to her already. Same story with his Thursday gal. He ended up with two doors slammed in his face. The nearly broken nose wasn’t the worst part. He knew he deserved whatever they threw his way, and worse.

The worst part was the only person he wanted to speak to, his best friend in this world, wanted nothing to do with him, and it was all his fault.

“Do you think I’m going mental?” he asked, toying with the cork of the bottle. “For what I did?”

Ezollo blinked.

“Because at this point, I don’t know anymore. Was any of it worth it? Was getting close to her worth it? Maybe I should give up and slink off into the abyss.”

More blinking.

“I should let myself starve for what I did to her. She saw it, you know, before it happened. Told me so herself. The clearest goddamn vision she’s ever had and it was her in my rearview mirror. She foresaw me walking out on her. And I did it.”

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” Ezollo said. Out came the rag with the same circular swishing of condensation around the bar top.

“Tell me I’m stupid.”

“You are, but you’ve also survived this long by getting yourself out of a scrape or two. Do you want me to send the harpies to find her?”

Pike sighed. “No. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Please tell me you’re going to admit how you feel.”

“If I do, she’ll probably slice me where I stand. I taught her too much.”

“Do you want my advice?” Ezollo asked.

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