Page 23 of Death Deals

Finally, he released my wrist and rolled out his shoulders, like he was trying to regain control over himself. Slowly, he straightened his back. “You can have the couch.”

I blustered. “E-Excuse me? The couch?”

He shrugged. “If you’re insisting on your own space, you can sleep on the couch.”

“How about you have the couch, and I get the bed?”

“I don’t think so.”

“And here I thought you were a gentleman.”

“We could just sleep together,” he suggested as if it were nothing.

“What, no!”

He chuckled. “Couch.”

I sighed. He’d over a hundred years to perfect his stubbornness. It was clear I wasn’t going to win this argument. It’s not like I was planning on sleeping anyway. “Fine.”

“All your clothes should be in the dressers,” Andre said, pointing to the furniture about the room. “If you need me foranyreason, you know where I am.”

“Wait, my clothes?” I glanced down at my everyday tank and jeans. There was no need to change clothes when you’re dead. “I don’t have—”

“I took the liberty of having some things bought for you and the trip,” he said.

I clamped my mouth shut, not sure whether to be pissed or impressed. I settled for curious. My specialty. “How did you get it all up here before we came? And how do you know if it’ll fit?”

“Ah, that’s where having money comes in.” He smiled, his gaze roaming over my body. “I also have a pretty good idea of your body’s shape and size. Finding clothes that’ll fit isn’t too hard.”

That was crazy because I didn’t even know my own size.

I walked over to one of the chests and opened the top drawer. As he said, it was stocked with neatly folded clothes. From the look of it, I’d picked the underwear and nightie drawer because everything in there was made of lace and string. Heat climbing up my neck, I slammed it shut, breathing a little harder.

“Something wrong?” he asked from across the room.

“Nope,” I choked. “Not at all.”

“Good. Then if you’re comfortable, I’ll be turning in.” He strode toward the bedroom but stopped before stepping inside. “I don’t think I need to tell you not to leave here without me?”

I held up the okay sign. Any other instance, I may have said fuck it and not listened to that bit of advice, but we were in vamp territory now. And after almost being drained to the brink of death last time I’d wandered into clashing families, wandering wasn’t on my agenda. At least not today.

Andre disappeared into the bedroom but made sure not to fully close the door behind him. Through the thin crack, I could see his shadow moving about the room as he prepared for bed. The temptation to take him up on his offer was overwhelming, and I forced myself to sit on the couch.

One glance at the drawer I had opened with all the frilly panties and nightgowns, and I shook my head. No thanks. Not my thing.

Besides, since I’d slept on the plane, I had no desire to actually go to bed. So, to keep Andre out of my head, I found the remote and turned on the television.

Instantly, I was faced with a newscaster from a nationwide broadcast. Words likeTragedy,Dead, andInnocentflashed across the screen, along with images of a raging fire that was sweeping through California. Homes destroyed. People fleeing for their lives or taking refuge in emergency pop-up shelters as rescuers struggled to control the blaze.

Reminded of the terrible images I had seen in the oasis back in Heaven, I quickly changed the channel. Another news source, this one talking about a school shooting that’d happened two days ago, where a teen had brought an AR-15 to his high school and shot rounds blindly into his classmates. Seven dead there, and grieving parents, friends, and family calling on their government for gun control. The pain and deep sorrow in their eyes twisted a knife in my heart. Especially since I knew these awful things were happening because of the thinned veil, demon intervention, and the coming apocalypse.

And I was supposed to be the one to stop it.

It only solidified my failure.

I changed the channel again.

This one seemed to be about a couple redoing an old, ugly house together. I sighed in relief and settled deeper into the cushions. Mindless television. Perfect. I needed something that didn’t make me want to throw up with guilt.

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