Page 46 of Demons and Debts
‘Club business,’ he answers. ‘Looks like you get me this morning, Princess. Up and at ‘em.’
He stands at the foot of the bed impatiently and clicks his fingers. ‘Come on.’
I look down at my body that’s still well covered by the comforter. ‘I can't with you standing there,’ I say.
‘Why?’
I gesture to the clothes on the floor. ‘Because that’s the only outfit I have …’
He stares at me like I’m an idiot.
Yep, he’s definitely all beauty, no brains.
Pity.
‘This is ridiculous,’ I say, deciding there’s no time like the present to put Plan A into action. ‘I need to go get my stuff from my apartment if you guys are really going to make me stay here any longer. I have no clothes, no deodorant. I need to brush my hair. My teeth!’
He casts his gaze over the leggings and shirt on the floor.
‘The only outfit?’ His eyes seem to glow for a second as they move over me, like he has x-ray vision or something.
Oh, shit!What if that’s one of his supey powers?
I shift under the cover, trying to hide myself somehow in case he can.
‘You ever think maybe Theo’s keeping you like that on purpose?’
‘Clotheless?’ I angle my head to the side, not really understanding what he’s getting at.
‘Oh! So I don't escape. I guess that would work; gets too cold at night still to be running around without clothes.’
He shakes his head a little bit, as if he isn’t sure what he just heard, but it wasn’t what he expected, and I know there's something I missed. My stomach sinks, but luckily, he doesn’t dwell on whatever weird thing I just said. He doesn’t try to make me feel stupid like some people do and it endears him to me.
Oh no! Stockholm alert!
‘I'll take you a little later,’ he says. ‘Throw on some clothes from Theo's closet for now and come down to the kitchen. I'll get you something to eat.’
I nod and he leaves the room, closing the door securely behind him. I get out of the bed and put on the outfit that I had on yesterday. Theo’s sweats are massive on me. I’ll end up losing my pants on the way down the stairs or something.
I wrinkle my nose, but they're not actually too bad. A night on the floor probably aired them out a little.
I make my way down to the kitchen, using the stairs that Theo showed me the first day, so I don't have to go past Sie’s door.
When I step into the room, I see Paris with his head in the refrigerator, moving stuff around and humming absently.
‘What do you want?’ he asks when he notices me behind him.
‘Cereal,’ I say without missing a beat.
He shuts the fridge and heads into the pantry, coming out with a box of something I've never seen before. It doesn’t look nice and the acute disgust I’m feeling must be written all over my face because he looks at it in question.
‘You don't like this one?’
I shake my head.
‘That's the only one that was in there.’
My eyes narrow. He’s lying. Either that or …
