Page 30 of Gambling with Time

“I’ll get Ty,” she said.

“It wasn’t a threat, love.” I stopped her with my words, and she paused her hand on the doorknob.

“I know.” Her soft answer carried to me, but she didn’t look back before she was out of the room.

My throat filled with unfamiliar emotions, causing a lump to form, and I swallowed forcefully to clear it. Without hesitation, I trailed closely behind her, my determination to make sure she knew for sure it wasn’t a threat propelling me forward.

As I caught up with her in the dimly lit hallway, I reached out, my fingers gently encircling her upper arm. If she wanted to break free she could. I guided her attention back to me, needing to connect in that moment of vulnerability.

“Love,” I whispered. My tail reached for her at the same time I brushed my fingers over her cheek. “This isn’t a situation where I think I can control you or your body. Do you understand?” I dipped my head lower until she lifted her eyes to meet mine. “If—well, it is your secret to tell or keep.”

“But—”

I pressed my finger over her lips. “No buts. You are strong and fierce. More than capable of taking care of yourself. Just remember, I’m here to help. And I love you with every fiber of my demon’s soul. Even in forgetting you, they couldn’t remove that from me. So you are stuck with me even if you change your mind. And whoever is growing in here–” I pressed my palm over her stomach. “I’m going to love them too.”

She swallowed hard, pressing her lips together as she blinked away tears. “Bell–”

“Just say you understand, okay, love?”

She nodded. A tear slipped down her cheek, and I kissed it away.

“Good, now let’s go find a solution to the bigger issue.”

Her arms wrapped around me in the tightest hug she’d ever given me, and I returned her hold. She released me, her touch gentling, and I pressed my lips to her forehead before stepping away.

She tangled her fingers with mine, the way she always did with Lex, and then pulled me down the hall.

We found Tyler in the dining room, a plate of fruit that only grew on the mountains piled high. He bit into one of the pink ripe berries, the juice already staining his fingers and lips.

“Have you had these? Why don’t we have these at home? They are like cotton candy and blueberries.” He held one up, and both of our eyes dropped to the fruit.

“You are as pink as I am blue,” I said, cocking my head at him.

“True. But mine washes off.”

I snorted. “And I can glamor mine away.”

“Are we doing some sort of weird measuring of dicks because that is just a little strange.” Samantha rolled her eyes. “Ty, we are going home. We need to see if Mom or The Order has any information on getting memories back.”

“What about Rai, Al, and Lex?” He dropped the berry and pushed the plate away.

“Lex is going to talk to the God of Dreams, and Alastor and Rai are staying here to search for a djinn,” Samantha replied.

“I want to search for a genie in a lamp,” Ty said.

“It isn’t what you think it is. They don’t do the three wishes thing.” I shrugged; I was still disappointed about that.

He deflated. “Really? That is a bummer.”

“Yeah.”

Samantha shook her head at us with a laugh. “Come on, we should get back.”

“Just lead me to a mirror, love.” I gestured for her to lead the way. We headed back to the rooms, to the same mirror we used the last time we traveled from here.

It was easier each time I created the portal, and I understood how my brother, Tristan, became so skilled with mirror travel. We exited in Lex’s private room, it was the easiest, and I wasn’t sure a random guest in the penthouse would like three people crawling from their bathroom mirror. Although it might be fun to test if I was alone.

The club was silent and dark when we exited the VIP area. The high windows said it was daytime. I didn’t care much if humans saw me in all my demon glory, but I knew it would hamper our progress, so as we walked, I slipped into my glamor.

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