Page 28 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
“You’ve been going to college for seven years, Lunar. You should have a doctorate by now, but I’m sure at this point you’d settle for a bachelors, wouldn’t you?”
“Fine, keep being an asshole. It’s like a disease.” She crossed her arms and pouted, looking like a pissed-off toddler.
Solar gave a sigh that caused his entire body to sag. “I’m sorry. I just had a shitty night. That’s all. I shouldn’t take it out on you. It’s not your fault.”
“Oh, Sol, would you please come home? We miss you,” Lunar said, her perfect eyebrows drawing together in concern. “You’re hanging out with the wrong people.”
“Don’t start that again.”
“I know you don’t want to hear it, and I know you’re tired of Mom begging you to listen, but we do it because we love you.”
“I know. But I’m fine. I promise you.”
“I understand you have to blow off steam, but enough is enough. Think of the future—not just today. What if Mom gets tired of helping you? Have you thought about that?”
Solar sat up as if spring-loaded. “Has she said something about that?!”
“No, she hasn’t. Sometimes I think… it would help if she did.”
He pointed a threatening finger at her. “Don’t you dare give her any ideas.”
“Don’t worry, she would never cut her baby off.”
“But you would. Good thing it’s not up to you. So…” He put a hand out and wiggled his fingers.
Lunar shook her head. “No cash this time. She made a bank transfer.”
“What?! Oh, c’mon.” Solar raised a fist and looked as if he was going to pound it on the table but refrained. “Was thatyouridea?”
She raised a blond eyebrow. “No, it wasn’t. I think it was Mom’s accountant that suggested it. There have been too many cash transactions, and it doesn’t look good on her records.”
“That fucking meddling asshole! He should worry about restoring his hair plugs and not sticking his nose in other people’s business.”
“Why cash, Solar?” she asked, her voice heavy with concern. “Are you in some sort of trouble?”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Like I said, I’m fine.”
“Mom asked me to tell you that Richard is willing to give your job at the art gallery back.”
Solar blew air and rolled his eyes. “I don’t want that job. Richard is a hard ass. He thought I was his slave or something.”
“You were working part time. You can hardly call that a slave’s schedule.”
I had gotten so absorbed by their conversation and family drama that, at first, I didn’t notice the niggling sensation growing in the back of my head. My eyes flicked toward Drevan. He was watching me with interest and startled a bit when I caught him staring.
I leaned forward, driving the force of my suspicion into him. “What is this?”
He pursed his lips and looked like someone who was trying to make up a big, fat lie. In the end, however, he put his palms up. “You got me.”
“He’s the Sloth Subject, isn’t he?”
“That, he is.”
“Here in New York?”
“It’s a big city. Its citizens span the personality spectrum.”
I pushed my plate away and crossed my arms. “And you think that tricking me into meeting a pampered jerk born with a silver spoon up his ass is gonna make me change my mind to help you?”
