Page 53 of Forbidden

“She’s done that and worse to others.”

Storm sucked hard on the cigarette, turning the end bright orange. “She’s got us all on strings, man. I don’t know how to get out.”

“You’ll get out. We all will.”

“How do you know?”

“Prophet, remember?”

Storm’s eyes widened. “No shit? He know something?”

“He knows… a lot of things. I don’t know details, but… he’s told me things will be better one day.”

Storm blew out a smoky breath. “Man, I hope you’re right. I don’t even know what an LA without Lilith would look like. But I’m real fucking curious to find out.”

It was a sentiment Wolf understood far too well.

It wasnear dawn when Wolf’s shift finally ended. The club didn’t recover its usual crowd, but some humans did show up after midnight, unaware of the drama that took place earlier. When the last of the customers left—human and halfling alike—Wolf and Storm returned inside to close up for the day.

Behind the bar, Xyra had shed her usual red leather jacket, and her midnight blue hair was frizzing around the crown of her head. She cast Wolf a weary nod as she wiped down the bar. There was no sign of Shadrach. Luke andMalachi were sitting on a pair of stools, wrapped up in each other and talking quietly.

In the booth across from Alex and Talon, resting his head on his arms with his eyes closed, Ira snoozed. His mouth was open slightly, his body lax with sleep, and Wolf snorted out a quiet laugh at the sight. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen someone comfortable enough tosleephere before.

“How long has he been like this?” he asked.

“About an hour,” Alex said. “I’m surprised the music didn’t keep him awake.”

Wolf leaned over him, threading his fingers through Ira’s soft curls and combing them away from his face.

“Seidhr? It’s time to go home.”

Ira inhaled, stretching languidly and sitting up with a yawn. “It is?” He tipped his head onto the back of the booth, casting a sleepy smile up at him. Wolf couldn’t resist, covering his exposed neck with his hand and kissing him softly.

“Yes. Come on. You should sleep in a bed, not on the table.”

“If you insist.” He let Wolf pull him to his feet, wincing when his back popped. “Okay, yeah, bed sounds good.”

“We’re going, too,” Talon said, ushering Alex to his feet. “Call if you need anything.”

“Same to you,” Wolf replied, tucking Ira under his arm as Talon swept Alex away with his powers.

Xyra and Storm waved them away.

“We’ll handle the clean-up,” Xyra said. “Thistime.”

Wolf grinned. If Storm was feeling well enough not to protest, Wolf wouldn’t either. “Noted. I owe you both one.”

Malachi and Luke fell into step with them. Outside, the sun hadn’t yet risen above the horizon, and the sky was apale, golden gray. The others peeled away from them in the parking lot, going to Malachi’s cherry red Mustang and waving as they drove off.

“I might not be made for all-nighters,” Ira said, flopping over the middle console and resting his head on Wolf’s shoulder as he put the car in drive and steered out onto the street.

“Well, you’ve been under a bit of stress lately, too.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Do you think the paladins will come back to the club again?”

He smiled at the road. Ira would know that better than him, wouldn’t he? “Do you?”

“I don’t knoweverything, you know,” he said, casting an arch look up at him.

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