Page 133 of The Book Reader
“Yes. Gaelan and one of my past lives found it years ago. Now I have Lexus things are starting to add up,” I say. Mekhi nods slowly.
“Lexus is your inner daemon?” he asks, frowning.
“Yes. She looks like me, but her skin is pure white, and her markings cover more of her.”
“Can I see her?” he asks, offering me a hesitant smile. I never thought he would be up for something like that. He seems to be handling all this better than I expected. I was expecting him to freak out, to tell me that he doesn’t want to hear it, then start drinking.
Lots of drinking.
“You can, but I need Gaelan to be here. She’s new and still learning about our worlds. We don’t need me to go missing again,” I add.
Mekhi bites his lower lip. “Nah, wedefodon’t need that. No way am I chasingHitch Two-Point-Oh,” he groans. “My ass isn’t fast enough for that.” He laughs, then his face turns serious.
“Are you in even more danger? This Macy sounds like a right bitch Hitch; you need me to scratch her eyes out?” He grins, then makes a grabbing motion with his hand and hisses, making him sound like a cat.
“She is a bitch. I’ve not met her face to face yet, but I have to be ready when that does happen,” I say, hating that I’m about to tell him I’m leaving him and Lucy alone.
“Where is Luce?” I ask.
Mekhi shrugs his shoulders. “She hasn’t been home much. I only see her maybe at breakfast.” He sighs, then stands up and walks over to his wardrobe, pulling it open. “I think we need a night out. You’re back now, and we haven’t been out for ages,” he says, grinning at me. I see the hope in his eyes. I don’t want to do this. I want to go out dancing and drinking, take Gaelan with us, and show him how the people of Darkville party.
But I can’t.
Not yet.
I stand up, twisting my fingers together as the anxiety builds in my stomach. “I can’t, Mekhi,” I say, trying to not sound as sad as I feel, but it comes out anyway.
“Why not?” he asks, dropping the clothes on the floor and putting his hands on his hips.
“I’m moving out, Mekhi.” My voice shakes, and I hate the look in his eyes; the disbelief melding with shock as my words hit home. His eyes start filling with tears that he sniffs away.
“What do you mean by moving out? We made a pact, Hitch. Together till the end, this is no end.” His sadness turned to anger, and the force of it hits me in the chest.
“No, it’s not the end. But it’s not safe for you or Lucy if I stay.” I try to plead with him, but he crosses his arms over his chest.
“This is your house, Hitch. You can’t move out of it. I thought baby blues was moving in?”
I reach for his hand, but he pulls it away from me.
“We have to stay in the Underworld right now, Mekhi. If more daemons discover where I live, they will attempt to reach you and Lucy. If I leave now, you’ll both be safe.” I reach for his hand again, and this time he lets me take it.
He looks down at it and sighs sadly. “What am I going to do with you gone? Lucy is hardly home, and when she is, she spends all her time in her room. You’re my best friend. What am I going to do without you?” He closes his eyes and pulls in a long breath. “It’s been you and me forever, Hitch. How can you leave me?” His last words come out as a whisper, and tears start to roll down his cheeks. We met when we were teenagers, and we’ve shared a great deal with each other over the years. Having Mekhi in my life has helped me heal from the loss of my family. I’ve been with him through all of his breakups; we used to joke that if he wasn’tgay, we would have been married with the cutest children in the world by now. He has always been by my side..
“Just for a little while, until I learn how to keep us safe,” I whisper, choking back my emotions.
Mekhi exhales loudly as he squeezes my hand. “You will be gone for ages, foryears, Hitch. Time works differently there, remember?” He lets go of my hand and moves to sit on the bed. “Why do I feel like I’m never going to see you again?” He says, looking up at me, anguish clear in his eyes.
I walk over and sit next to him. “I will be back. Gaelan is still going to move in with us, I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” I wrap my arms around him and hug him tight to me. “You are my best friend, Mekhi. I love you. Plus, who else is going to tell me what I really look like in my dresses? Who is going to steal my shoes?” I laugh as tears start to roll down my cheeks. Mekhi presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“I love you too, Hitch. It’s going to suck even more because I can’t even call you.”
“I might have a way to fix that.” My voice wobbles with emotion. “But you might not like it.”
“What do you mean?” He asks, sounding worried.
“I have a spell, one that will allow us to talk without a phone,” I tell him.
He looks scared now. “No magic, Hitch, you know that.” He protests, looking at me like I’m crazy.
