Page 26 of Two Who Live On

Milo’s stomach sank. Something few people called out, but something commonly acknowledged was that The Inevitable Future worked to make the world brighter one life at a time, so if you didn’t make the cut, you didn’t matter. Milo worried too many others saw it that way too. In truth, every lost life represented a failure, one he’d never found a way to prevent.

“Ask around, Cassidy.” Milo’s smile vanished, and his face soured into something stern. “Unless you’ve finally reached the end of your usefulness.”

“I’ll find out where she was.” Cassidy tugged Milo’s tie, adjusting and tightening it too much. “Here’s some free advice for you, though—don’t fuck with demons. They don’t stay in big cities long. Let them enjoy their visit and move on.”

“They don’t stay long because enchanters like me banish them back to the Hell plains they crawled out of.”Milo leaned in close to Cassidy’s ear. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a late-night date.”

“You could do better.”

“So could he.” Milo strolled out of the club, dwelling on how he hadn’t contacted me because he prioritized the case, which didn’t get him far.

Taking in a deep breath of cold air, Milo contemplated going home instead of surprising me, worried I’d be more annoyed than entertained. Part of him wanted to put off stopping by until the weekend. No. I clawed my way up from the couch and grabbed my phone, texting him.

Short. Simple. Eager. Something to say I had to see him. Now. Somehow, I needed to explain how my telepathy swelled, explain how I’d tracked his case alongside him, invaded his thoughts from halfway across the city.

Milo’s blood rushed, and his face heated, giddy and already compartmentalizing his career and his desires because he believed tonight would be blissful. Unfortunately, I’d have to burst that bubble when he showed.

Explaining my damn telepathy problems was going to ruin everything betweenus.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Milo arrived at my place, and I opened the door before he knocked, ready to discuss what I’d unintentionally overheard from the office all the way to the burlesque club. With a smirk on his face, a bottle of wine in one hand, and a basket of goodies in the other, he stepped inside, maintaining deceptively aloof surface thoughts. Dammit. He’d come prepared to dodge any conversation.

“Sorry I haven’t been around, despite our coupling being the talk of the town. Well, city. State really. There are a few international sites that adore me. You too, now. It’ll pass.” Milo grinned. “It’s the honeymoon curiosity phase. Who are they as a couple? Where are they as a couple? What are they, a couple?”He playfully raised his eyebrows. “Yet, I’ve been so busy with work and endless paperwork, we haven’t really coupled. Hopefully, tonight can change that.”

He was already playing defense with his words and thoughts, avoiding the giant demonic elephant in the room.

“Paperwork?” I asked.

“Ugh. Blegh. Yuck.” Milo’s mind glossed over infinite fine prints, countless signatures, and necessary notaries seared into his memories, which wasn’t an avoidance tactic. He really despised all the legal paperwork and contracts involved in guild work. “It’s endless forms. I swear the most dangerous thing an enchanter suffers from dying of these days is carpal tunnel syndrome.”

“Your poor wrists.” I snatched the basket from his hands, glaring.

“Don’t worry. They’re still able to handle any late-night tasks you may desire.” Milo winked, clicking his tongue at the same time.

Insufferable.

This was the basket he’d safely secured before his trip to Gwendolyn’s Guns & Gals. And it wasn’t some random gift basket he’d picked up, but one he’d specifically filled with my favorite things. From soft cheeses at Lee’s Deli on the North Side, to the toast points at Paula’s on the South Side, all the way to the pork buns in Chinatown, along with a half dozen other goodies I loved but never made the time to go out of my way and grab. Even the cheap wine easily stocked at any store was a favorite. It wasn’t too sweet, not bitter at all, and certainly didn’t try too hard. I aspired to be that wine most days.

My breath hitched at the idea he’d flown across the city putting this together. Was this his best attempt at a distraction from a conversation he wanted to avoid? A conversation he may or may not be aware of considering his clairvoyance? What an ass.

“Thanks.” I eyed him, then walked the basket into the kitchen, setting it on the countertop. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know, but I wanted to surprise you.”

Speaking of surprises, I accidentally found out you’re tracking demons. Care to explain? I shook my head. Probably not the best way to start the conversation. This wasn’t an attack. It was concern. Whathe was doing was dangerous. Deadly. And whether I had a role in the industry or not, I didn’t want Milo shutting me out of these conversations especially depending on the tier of demons involved. They were all hellishly horrendous after ascending past the fiend state, but some…some were abysmal.

“So”—I reached for a wine opener, struggling for the right words—“demons attacking the South Side?”

“You can’t believe anything they print these days. It’s all so sensationalized.”

He wasn’t wrong; however, I’d looked up every article during classes, and not one mentioned the South Side. That was a thought I’d gleaned from his conversation with Enchanter Campbell.

Milo stepped behind me, twirling his finger. The cork wriggled. I’d fallen so far behind him when I walked away from life as a professional enchanter. Even my daily regime to catch up, and avoid ever being put in a situation where my life or my students’ lives were at risk again, paled in comparison to his talents. The lightest touch of telekinesis sifted between the tight space of glass and cork. The bottle trembled in my hand, but that came from my tension, not his. Milo’s breath tickled my ear, and his carefree thoughts shifted to far more provocative ideas he had in store for later. After a glass or two, Milo planned to pin—

POP.

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