277
Lucy
I didn't want to go back to the Blood Moon Estate. I didn't want David to see me when I wasn't entirely sure that I was moving past the incident with Amelia. Was that silly? Probably, but I couldn't help the way I felt about it.
"To Stacy's building," Duke said, glancing at me. I nodded, sighing with relief. "It's about time I get to see your new digs."
The escort smoothly navigated the streets, and soon, we were pulling up in front of Stacy's building. We thanked the driver and headed upstairs to my apartment. The receptionist, a new girl, looked at me with wide eyes.
"You brought a different man home?"
My face heated as Duke burst into laughter.
"Duke is my cousin!"
"Oh..." she said. "Well... it's good I didn't send this message then."
I shook my head and walked toward the elevator. Duke was still laughing as the door closed behind us.
"Are they always like that? Waiting for you to bring a man home?"
"Duke--"
"How many men do you bring back here?"
"Stop!" I said, flustered. "They just... They've been like this since David dropped me off, and we... Well, they interrupted us."
"From...?"
"It was just going to be a kiss."
Duke made a sound like he wasn't convinced. The door opened, and I almost sighed as I saw Tina on the other side. She looked Duke up and down and then looked at me.
"Tell me this is an innocent study party," she pouted. "I heard the other guy was--"
"This is my cousin, Duke, Tina, not a date!"
Duke grinned at her, and Tina sighed.
"Good. No offense, you're cute, but Lucy deserves the smoking hot piece of man that dropped her off that other time."
I nudged Duke out of the elevator as he laughed. "Don't you have somewhere you were going, Tina?"
"Have fun studying!" Tina said, stepping into the elevator. "Though you should invite smoking hot back!"
Duke laughed the entire walk to my door. I fumbled with my keys.
"You think she knows she could say that literally?"
"No."
"Shame," Duke said, snickering. "He did almost set that room on fire, from what Trent said."
I opened the door, sighing as I smelled the cleaning supplies Stacy left for me lingering in the air from the last time I'd cleaned. Duke hummed.
"It's pretty empty..."
"Well, I..."
"I'm telling David." He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
"What--"
"If I was forced to decorate my room at Blood Moon, you're going to have to decorate this apartment. It's fair." He smiled. "Think about when you do get David in here. You want him sitting on the floor with you?"
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?"
"You could be getting, or giving, head on the couch if you had one."
I couldn't speak. My whole face was burning. I could feel the heat down my neck. My mind went black, and Duke, true to form, was just laughing.
"I'm surprised you know what that means! And impressed. I guess Sarah had corrupted you completely."
I blinked, ducking my head. My jaw trembling. There was a memory at the back of my mind, but it was so far away, so weak against the embarrassment and the surge of images in my mind, that I couldn't head it. I tasted salt. I smelled cologne, but it was David's. I could see his bare chest, him lying back across a couch that didn't exist yet.
I could see the heat in his eyes and felt my body warm at the thought.
"Lucy, don't torture me..."
"I'm still here. Hold off on fantasies until after I'm gone, hm?"
I glared at him. "You--You did that on purpose!"
He shrugged. "If I can't joke with you, who can?"
I sighed, leading him into the dining room where the simple table stood. We set the books down, and I went into the kitchen to get us drinks and snacks before joining him. He pulled out a large stack of books from his bag, and I winced.
"Are those from Maggie?"
"Every single one of them."
"Sorry."
He waved his hand. "I've been taught enough mental magic that it won't be that bad. Besides, I'll have a break from all the medical diagrams."
His phone chimed, and he answered. He glanced at me.
"I have no idea, so I'm not even going to lie... Okay. That's really not necessary, but I know there's no arguing with you."
He hung up and opened a book. "Be prepared to have a significant portion of Blood Moon's menu for the night brought here."
I smiled. "I'm glad that they're looking after you."
"She's trying to stuff me so she can cook me, I swear."
I laughed. "Blue is not trying to eat you."
"I said cook, not eat. I'm not sure who she's feeding me to."
"Tom," I said before I could stop myself. I almost winced as he blinked.
Then, he flushed, and a rush of glee went through me.
"Finally!"
He scowled. "Fine. One point to Lucy. Over 9000 for me."
I opened a book of my own, beaming at him. "At least I'm on the board now."
Blue sent a small team to us with enough food to stock my fridge and feed us for the night, and we still have enough leftovers. At least, if I was staying here, I wouldn't have to worry about figuring out what I should eat.
The only problem was that they also brought a host of decorative pillows, linens, towels, tablecloths, and a thing they put together that was probably a pull-out couch.
Duke grinned. "This is only the beginning."
As one of the team dropped a fluffy, vibrant blue pillow on the couch, I had a feeling that he was absolutely right.
We studied for a while after dinner. It was nice to sit on the couch on one end, wrapped in one of the fluffy blankets they'd left, and read. Duke was on the other side, wrapped in another blanket, reading a book on internal organs and taking notes. The air was filled with the rustle of pages and the scritch of his pen on paper.
The hours slipped away faster than I realized. I was deep in the history of the Moon Wars, according to witches, when Duke yawned, and something chimed.
"I'm headed for a shower. Don't get eaten by a book."
I scoffed as he left, stretching over his head. I went back to reading. As I turned the page, I saw the drawing of a man holding a staff that looked a lot like the Spear in the museum.
I wondered if he was Peter's ancestor. I turned again and there was an image of a gigantic black wolf. It was at least as big as a horse. The eyes were inked with various colors that shifted like David's eyes.
Fenris of the Blood Moon
I shifted in my seat, searching for the start of the passage on the prior page.
Fenris, warrior of Fen, wolf of the night, the moon, and beyond, manifesting under the blood moon, was the first among us to stand against the fallen witch and her lover. Let it be known that Fenris shall always have our allegiance, our cauldrons, our spells, and grimoires. United in the Awakening, we will always be kin.
I sat back, wondering what it meant to be united in the Awakening. The person who wrote the book was a witch of the Hecate Coven centuries ago. I tapped my fingers on the opposite page, turning it over in my mind before the sound of Duke's phone chiming caught my attention. I looked up and blinked as I noticed the suitcase standing against the wall.
Duke came out drying his hair. "What?"
"A suitcase?" I cocked an eyebrow. "I guess I should expect them to furnish the guest room next time?"
"What makes you think they haven't this time?"
I blinked, stood, and went to the guest room. Sure enough, there was a whole bed there. There were clothes in the closet and everything.
"How did they do that?" I asked. "I didn't see them carry in anything!"
"The wonders of magic," Duke said and turned back. "Come on. It's about time for a snack. Then, my watch is going to go off, gently demanding me to get in bed and sleep."
"Gently?"
"Well, more gently than Blue, anyway."
We ate the snacks they'd left for us before turning in for the night. I stopped in the doorway of the room as he opened the window just enough to get a breeze.
"Are you going to be okay?"
He waved his hand. "I'll be fine. You should be worried about what you're going to wear tomorrow."
"What's happening tomorrow?"
He smirked. "I guess you'll have to find out, hm?"
I wanted to ask, but he was climbing into bed.
"See you in the morning!"
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