Page 83 of Infernal Hearts

“Are you planning to judge me for that, too?”

“Goddamn it, Jason. They don’t have hearts. Whatever you’re feeling? I guarantee you it’s one-sided.”

My chest rises, and I stand tall. “I don’t think that’s true. He’s different. He makes me feel special, in a way that Michael never did.”

She puts her hand on my arm. “It’s part of what they do, sweetheart. This isn’t going to end well. You have to know that.”

And something tells me she’s right. This isn’t going to end well. Even if the deal works out and he finds his brother, we’ll be separated eventually. All I have is right now. And maybe I should focus on enjoying this while I can.

I put my hand on hers. “Let me worry about that. In the meantime, we have a long day in front of us.”

She looks at me for a long time before relenting. “I’ll go double check the exam rooms.”

She leaves me alone in the lobby, and I go back to my thoughts. They seem darker than before. What if what Levi and I have was always doomed by an expiration date? What if he doesn’t have it in his magical DNA to ever be anything more serious? There’s a very real chance that we could never have anything real, and the thought of ever wanting it in the first place is almost too much to bear. I don’t know what to do. So I do what I’ve always done—I push the thoughts away the best I can.

…

Levi

The heat rises in the cold room around me. I slowly open my eyes and find myself alone in bed as usual. Memories from last night come flooding back—the way Jay felt against my skin. I smile and roll over, but he’s already gone. It does nothing to dampen my mood. He probably had to work early.

I’m already running plans in my head to get back with him. Another dinner date? A romantic walk through the woods, preferably without bears this time? Who would have ever thought an incubus would get lovesick. It’s an unknown feeling, but it makes everything seem lighter.

But then reality sets in, and I remember everything from last night. The crypt, the blood, Rani screaming… A shiver runs through my body. I need to go check on her right now.

A light scratching comes from the door followed by a whimper. I grin. Getting out of bed one leg at a time, I pull on some clothes and open the door. Grover immediately jumps all over me, licking my face.

“Good morning to you, too.” I nuzzle my nose against his. He lets out a single bark and goes back to slobbering all over me. Adorable.

Sneaking out of the office is going to be hard to do without being noticed. If I’m lucky, I can avoid most of the awkwardness. All I need to do is get outside, get the journal from the car, and settle in with Rani for some reading. Shouldn’t be that hard, right?

Tiptoeing down the stairs, I peek over the railing. Jay’s nowhere in sight, and neither is Valerie—thank God—but Andrew sits square at the desk. The only saving grace I have is that the waiting room is partially full, and he’s in the middle of some paperwork.

I can do this.

One step at a time, the eyes in the room cutting toward me as I descend the stairs, I try to make it look like I was supposed to be there. Quiet footfalls but head held high with a pleasant smile. I nod to a couple of them, and they look away, uninterested.

I get to the bottom of the stairs, steps away from the front door, when I pick up speed. So close. I’m almost home free. My hand grips the doorknob, and I open it, bells lightly jingling.

Andrew’s voice calls from behind me. “Levi, right?”

I freeze before closing the door and turning back to him. I give him a toothy grin. “Good morning, Andrew. How are you?”

“I’m doing okay. Busy as always.”

“Ah, gotcha. Well, have a good day at work. I need to go check on something—”

He furrows his brow. “Were you upstairs just now?”

Shit. Caught red-handed. “I—” I clear my throat. There’s no way out of this one. “I was.”

His eyes widen. “Oh my god.” He looks around and motions for me to follow him to the back.

I sigh, knowing there’s no real way to avoid this. I need to see Rani, but I can’t be a complete dick to him. Jason said he’d check on her, and he would have woken me if something were wrong, not be running a normal day of business.

I follow Andrew to the stock room. He closes the door behind us, and the third degree begins.

His volume drops to a whisper. “Did you spend the night?”

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