Page 79 of Half Dead

She sniffed. “It’s your house. What you do under your roof is your business. I only wish I didn’t have to listen to it at all hours.”

A crazed laugh escaped me. “All hours? Listen, I was fried until this morning. It’s incredible he got any action at all.”

Her nose scrunched. “You shouldn’t talk like that. It’s crude.”

Ray materialized on the other side of the island. “I think what Ingrid is trying to convey is that she’s uncomfortable with the obviousness of your sexual relations.”

I laughed again. “I’m an adult woman with adult needs, and I’m in a healthy, loving relationship. I fail to see the problem.”

“What can I say? I’m old-fashioned.” Nana Pratt used a spatula to slide the bacon onto the plates.

“No one’s forcing you to listen. You can roam far enough away so as not to hear anything.”

She whirled to face me. “I’m sure they could hear the two of you all the way in New York City! I didn’t die so that I could haunt a brothel.”

Ray sighed. “Ingrid, I think you might be overstating the situation slightly.”

The ghost swung her indignant gaze in his direction. “Are you accusing a woman of being dramatic? Why, you must be a man.”

I didn’t want the situation to escalate. I had enough on my plate at the moment, not to mention that I was hungry and the bacon on my actual plate was getting cold.

“I respect that you and I have different attitudes toward sex. That being said, I don’t need anyone to shame me, especially not in my own home. If you have an issue with how I conduct my personal life, you’re under no obligation to stay.”

Nana Pratt’s eyes started to water, or at least they gave the appearance of waterworks. Like big girls, the dead don’t cry.

“Uh-oh,” Ray said.

I put my arms around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

“Yes, you did,” she sniveled.

“Well, I meant part of it,” I admitted. “Thank you for breakfast. I appreciate everything you do.”

“Except shaming you,” Ray tacked on.

I glared at him. “Not helpful, Ray.” I released Nana Pratt. “Everyone’s feeling the heat this week, I think. Lucifer has turned up the fires of hell to burn us where we stand.”

“I don’t care for any of this,” she sniffed.

“I’m not a fan either, but we’ll get through this, just like we always do.”

“What if you die during one of these trials? It’s courageous that you want to save Kane, but what happens to us if you don’t succeed? You’re so focused on Kane’s survival, you’ve forgotten that we’re dependent on you for ours.”

A sigh eased out of me. “I haven’t forgotten. Not for one second.” I crunched a slice of bacon.

“Isn’t there a way out of this bargain?” Nana Pratt asked. “Lucifer isn’t honorable. Why trust him to make good on his word?”

“Because we have more than his word. We have an agreement signed in his blood.”

Kane appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “Let’s not speak of blood over breakfast.”

I carried our plates to the table. “But it’s Lucifer’s blood.”

“In that case, carry on. The more of that spilled, the better.”

We sat at the table, and I attacked my food with vigor. Even Kane seemed less genteel than usual; I caught him licking his fingers after finishing his bacon. No surprise that sex seemed to bring out his primal side.

My phone bounced on the table as it vibrated. Hailey’s name lit up the screen. “I need to answer this.”

---