Page 20 of Hate Mates

Ignore me again, and I’ll show you how fucking unhinged the Devil can be.

Did he make good on his threat?

Maeve stares at me a moment, then tosses her half-eaten chip back onto the plate. “Okay, what the hell is up with you?”

“I don’t know what you?—”

“Don’t hand me that shit. You’ve been acting weird for days. You’ve been jumpy and secretive, and glued to your laptop like it’s a new…” She trails off as a knowing smile replaces her tight scowl. “You dirty bitch…”

I groan and bury my face in my hands. “I’m begging you not to?—”

“You’ve been flicking your light switch to late-night nasty grams from Lucifer, haven’t you?”

“For the love of God, stop,” I mumble into my palms.

“I bet he’s a freak. Probably has a monster?—”

“Enough!” I smack my palms on the table so hard I think I rattle her as much as the silverware. “I’m sorry,” I say letting out a rough breath. “It’s just that he’s this intense, pervasive weight hanging over me. If I’m not bowing to his whims online, I’mthinking about him. I’ve even started seeing his hooded, painted face everywhere…in the shadows, outside my window, in my dreams.” The confession causes my shoulders to sag. “It’s just all overwhelming and confusing and…”

“Hot?”

A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Hot isn’t the word for it.”

Her eyebrow slashes into a sharp arch, and she motions to our server. “Two more margaritas, please.” At my nervous snort, she turns back and grins. “Something tells me we’re going to need them.”

Fifteen minutes later,Maeve’s eyes are wide, her neck is flushed, and her mouth is hanging wide open. If I wasn’t so embarrassed, I’d find the whole thing incredibly amusing. Maeve is always the one with the wild sex stories, and I’m the one listening in envy and awe, wondering why I couldn’t be more like her.

Now, the tables haven’t just turned; they’ve flipped over and disintegrated.

“You lucky bitch…” she says, dragging out the words in one stretched breath. “Sounds delicious, so what’s got you running scared from Tall, Dark, and Demonic?”

I shrug, avoiding her stare by being way too invested in the distribution of salt around the rim of my glass. “It was just a fun, short-lived thing. It’s not like I have a crush. You wanted me to try it out so you could promote it, and I did. End of story.”

“Bullshit.” Her sharp tone has me looking up to find no trace of amusement on her face. “You’re scared to fall under anotherman’s control. Your ex led you around on a leash, and you’re afraid to give anyone that kind of power over you again.”

“Can you blame me?”

“No. But there’s a difference in giving control and having it taken from you. Role play is all an illusion, babe. Think about that long enough and you’ll realize you’re the one with all the power, not him.” She plucks her lime from the side of her glass and sucks it thoughtfully before pinning me with a sharp stare. “Answer me this… Does this Lucifer scare you or make you feel unsafe?”

I nod. “Sometimes.”

She tosses the lime back into her glass with a shrug. “Then that’s it. Game over. Don’t log on again. We’ll get you signed up on an actual dating app with men whose dicks aren’t powered by a PS5 controller.”

“You’re severely disturbed, you know that?”

“Talk your shit, sister. I’m not the one rubbing my knob to Satan.”

I scrunch my face. “How much do we have to drink for both of us to forget I told you that?”

“Good question. Let’s find out.” She swings her arm back in the air and twirls her finger in a circle at the server. “Two more margaritas…better make ’em doubles.”

My shoe gets caughtin the edge of the heavy door as Maeve and I stumble our way into the mansion. Grabbing hold of the door frame, I toss my chin over my shoulder. “Excuse me.”

Maeve looks back at me. “Did you just apologize to the door?”

“No?”

She blinks twice, then erupts in a fit of laughter that has her doubled over and wheezing. “Oh my God, I love drunk Izzy.”

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