Page 82 of Higher Demon

There’s a little silence, and then Gabe says, “Con, do you have emergency liquor, or do I need to go get mine?”

“No drinking,” Tom insists before Connor can answer. “Not until we know everything’s okay.”

“I got some, but we’ll probably need more,” Con tells Gabe before turning to Tom. “Ian said the demon’s alive. More’s the pity.”

Kieran elbows him. Hard.

“Oof! But I guess we should wait to drink until we know for sure that Earth is safe.”

“Fuck you,” I tell him cheerfully. With Marc’s presence steady and stable in my head, I’m feeling a lot better. “I’m gonna call Matt.”

“Now?” Kieran looks at the clock. “He’ll be asleep.”

“Dude, trust me. If I don’t wake him and tell him what’s happening, he’ll kill me. He’ll already be mad I waited this long.” Plus, I need a distraction while I wait for Marc to come back—and to get away from Connor before he says anything else we’ll both regret.

* * *

Marc doesn’t come backfor three days, but he does reach out to me telepathically to let me know he’s fine, Earth is safe, but he needs to stay on Crmærdinesgh until he can find a new leader that suits him. It’s sexy, hearing him say stuff like that. My man is a kingmaker.

It’s even sexier that I have him with me all the time, the sense of him a constant presence in my mind. When he first told me about it, I worried it would be invasive, but it’s not. I can tell what parts of me he’s got access to and which parts are private still. I can keep secrets from him. And he can keep them from me, which is why it means so much that one of the things he lets me see is his true name. With that one thing, he’s given me the ultimate power over him. I could use it to summon him to a containment circle—and sure, it’s unlikely the circle would hold him for long, but if I had twenty hunters waiting, he’d be at enough of a disadvantage that they could kill him.

Except I’d never do that, and he knows it. We’re endgame.

Now that I’ve felt how telepathy works, I can do it myself, and that’s a huge comfort. I updated my brothers, then fell asleep on Connor and Kieran’s couch for a few hours.

When I woke up, it was to the news that Con and Gabe had postponed the rest of the education events and moved my stuff and Marc’s from the barracks to Connor and Kieran’s guest room. I was touched that they got Marc’s stuff too, even though I’m pretty sure it’s only because Kieran made them.

Matt turned up later in the day. He was in San Francisco when I called him—though he didn’t say why, and he’d never mentioned a job there. I think he might have a secret boyfriend, because I’m sure I heard someone else talking in the background when he was on the phone with me. It might have been a hookup, though. He’d tell me if he was in a relationship.

Er. Wouldn’t he?

Whatever. It’s not like I can get mad if he doesn’t—not after how cool he was about me and Marc.

Yesterday, we went out to the estate with Kieran. He was working, but we spent the day wandering around, catching up with everyone and dodging questions about me and Marc. I’m not sure who blabbed, but Josh, Ewan, and the ghosts all knew everything. Uncle Norval told me he’s reserving judgment until he’s had a better chance to observe how Marc treats me. It’s kinda sweet… or creepy.

This morning, though, when I reached out to Marc, still half-asleep, to say hello and remind him I love him—because it fucking hurts to know he was in that much pain and I haven’t been able to evenseehim yet, much less hold him—he said he was tying up a few loose ends but would be back this afternoon.

That woke me all the way up. I didn’t even need coffee.

“I swear to fucking god, Ian, if you don’t stop poking around everything, I’m going to drug you,” Connor threatens the fourth time I wander into his office.

“I can’t help it,” I whine. “He’s coming home. I can’t sit still; the wait is killing me.”

“I’mgoing to kill you.”

Marc’s presence sharpens somehow, and even before he says, “I will never understand human family dynamics,” I know he’s behind me.

Spinning, I throw myself at him, planting a hard kiss on his mouth. “Let me see your stomach. Ugh, why are you wearing a fucking suit?”

“Are youstripping him?” Con demands incredulously. “Could you not do that in my office? Or anywhere?”

“I’m fine.” Marc catches my hands as I tug his shirt free from his pants. “I’m fine, Ian.” His dark gaze searches mine. “How are you?” In my head, his touch warms.“I’ve missed you.”

“Not as much as I missed you. You’re sure there’s no damage?”

“Absolutely none. I’m fit, and I’ll prove it to you.”

“Oh, gross. Please don’t tell me you’re mind-talking in front of me,” Connor exclaims.

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