Page 75 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
I rolled my eyes, trying to shake off my jealousy.
Damn, why does he have to look like that?
It sure made him harder to resist.
Drevan chuckled as the woman waved at him. She seemed on the verge of getting out of her car, but reconsidered when she spotted me approaching.
“You’re a menace,” I said. “Maybe you should try a different guise.”
“We’ve already been over this. What you see is what you get. This is no disguise.”
“If you say so. What news do you have?”
For an instant, it appeared as if he might argue, but in the end, he let it drop. “Get in the car. We’ll go somewhere nice and private to talk.”
Going somewhere nice and private with him sounded heavenly. Or maybe the right word would be hellish? In either case, those were the type of situations I needed to avoid.
“Um, you can tell me right here. I have work to do.” I hooked a finger toward Striker Hall.
“Your classes are done for the day,” he said. “You passed your exam with flying colors. You’ve been studying like a maniac. You deserve a break. And we need to discuss the situation at length. We need a new plan.”
“How… h-how do you know…” I babbled, realizing it was the wrong question.
He always seemed to know everything, even if it happened in the confines of Striker Hall, where he and his minions weren’t allowed, which made me wonder… what if there was a spy in our midst? A demon inside a host, and that was how he kept up to speed. Or it could be someone like Giuseppe, playing the zero-sum game. I decided I needed to keep my eyes open, just in case. Then asked the question that mattered most at the moment.
“I really did well on my exam?”
“Not only that, you got the highest grade.”
“Wow, cool!” I said in a bewildered breath, that current of pride washing over me again.
Oh, shit!
He patted my shoulder. “You should be proud of yourself.”
“I should?”
“Most definitely.” His golden eyes scrutinized my face. “You earned it. Pride is a natural response to one’s well-informed deeds.”
So Jenna was right. I was safe from a relapse.Pheew!
“Now, you deserve a break. Well,” he shrugged, “let’s say half a break. We can celebrate first, then we’ll talk about Solar. Sounds good?”
“I guess.”
Ten minutes later, thanks to his driving magic, we were crossing towards Brooklyn, driving through the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, which was unexpected.
“Where are we going?”
“Coney Island.”
“Coney Island… I’ve never been there. Jenna and I have talked about going together, but we’ve never had a chance.”
“I know. That’s why I’m taking you.”
I frowned. “I thought you said somewhere nice and private.”
He answered with a crooked smile, then jumped into a history lesson. “Do you know that Coney Island isn’t really an island? Not anymore, anyway. It is now a peninsula. Though it used to be separated from Brooklyn by a creek.”
