Page 26 of Beyond the Storm
“Then I guess that’s what you gotta do.” The little brat shrugged. “Unless you pay up.”
“Fine.” I pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over. “You little con artist.”
He plucked it from my hand and pocketed it. “Nice doing business with you.” Then, to the woman behind the counter, he asked for one of the shark plushies instead.
My annoyance lifted once Gray had the stuffed toy secured in his arms, resting his cheek against the sloth’s head. “Thanks, Mason.”
I slid my arms around him and kissed his blond curls. “Anything for you, angel. But you should reconsider his name.”
“Why?” Gray nuzzled the plush before leaning over and doing the same to my chest.
“Sleepy the Asshole fits him more. I nearly had to fight a little kid for him.”
Gray giggled. “You’re my hero.”
As his lids dropped a bit and his pace turned sluggish, I knew it was time for his afternoon nap. I guided him to the corner of the arcade and knelt down. “Hop on.”
“Yay.” Gray crawled onto my back and wrapped his legs around my waist, hugging my neck with one arm. The sloth was secured in his other hand. “Giddyap.”
“I’m not a horse.”
“No, but I’m still gonna ride you like we’re in our very own rodeo.” He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, “So find somewhere private, ’kay?”
“How can you say shit like that when you’re seconds from falling asleep? You evil thing.”
He softly laughed and nuzzled into my back. “You love me.”
“Yeah. I do.”
A light snore reached my ears. He was already out. Damn him. He was a sexy, mischievous Nephilim who needed a spanking. After his nap though.
With him on my back and ignoring the few stares tossed our way, I left the arcade. Puffy white clouds had rolled in, and the sun passed behind them, casting shade on the full parking lot before bright rays found us again. A group of teenage boys rushed toward the building, playfully shoving each other and laughing.
You would never know that a little over a year ago, this peaceful seaside town had been the location of a war between supernatural beings. Demons, werewolves, vampires, dragon shifters, and fallen angels had all clashed.
My heart had stopped beating that night. Figurately. But watching the man I loved sacrifice everything, watching him fall to the snow as his soul was transferred into the only weapon powerful enough to kill Lucifer, it was like the breath had been knocked out of me. Only when I saw him open his eyes and heard his voice did my lungs start working again.
I held Gray’s legs a bit tighter. His heart beat against my back, slower now as he slept. I hoped he was dreaming only of sweet things. No nightmares. No sorrow or pain.
I placed him in the passenger’s seat, buckled his seat belt, and placed Sleepy the Asshole on his lap. He made a tired little sound and turned his face toward me as I started to pull away. I kissed the tip of his nose before walking around to the driver’s seat and driving to Clara’s mansion. I carried him toward the house and reached the porch just as a drop of rain landed on the steps, then another. A spring shower.
Noises came from the kitchen, cabinets closing and utensils clanking. Spices wafted in the air, and my mouth watered as I closed the door.
“It smells great in here,” I said as I passed beneath the archway.
Clara stood at the stove, stirring something in a huge pot, and glanced at me over her shoulder. “Hey, welcome home. Did y’all have fun?”
Gray and I were living with her while our house was being built on a plot of land on the edge of Echo Bay.
“We did,” I responded, rubbing up and down Gray’s back as he rested against my chest. “Need help?”
“Nope. Everything’s basically done. It just needs to cook for a bit.” Clara stirred the contents again. “Raiden gave me a recipe for beef and vegetable stew. I made a loaf of bread earlier to go with it.”
“Sounds good.”
A thud came from the backyard. Sirena had a quiver of arrows strapped to her back and pulled another free, braced it on the bowstring, and sent it soaring toward a target. She had built a mini obstacle course and arena, where she trained every day, rain or shine.
“Gods, that woman is hot as hell,” Clara said, looking at her through the window above the sink. “Look at those triceps.”
