Page 31 of Bedeviled

“Um, is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“Goddess, Selene,” she laughs, “these things take time.”

Not that much time, as far as I’ve been told. There’s less than two weeks until the full moon, and by then, the lunar cycle will have forced a shift upon her.

“Do we need to have the ‘your body is changing’ talk?”

She laughs again, though for some reason she sounds a little choked up.

“You okay?” I ask, my brow furrowing.

“Mhm,” she says tersely.

I’m pretty sure my friend is not okay, and why would she be? Only days ago, she had her werewolf boyfriend bite her in an attempt to break a forced bond placed on her. It worked, but it didn’t stop Sybil from getting kidnapped by the very woman she’d been trying to escape. She’d then been beaten and nearly auctioned away. And if that wasn’t enough, my best friend is now tied to her boyfriend, Sawyer, and his pack in ways I don’t fully understand. And she’s dealing with an impending shift, which seems scary and probably painful.

So with that all in mind, I’m not going to force the confession out of her when she’s trying to put on such a brave face.

She clears her throat. “Enough about me. I sense you need to talk.”

I glance down at my hand, my stomach flipping as I take in my new ring. I can’t tell if the sight of it evokes horror or excitement.

Both, I think.

I bite the inside corner of my lip, getting nervous. “Do you remember how Memnon made me vow to marry him?”

I love you, est xsaya, est etap, est Memnon.

“Yes…” she says tentatively. After a long pause, I hear her gasp. “No, you didn’t.”

I cover my eyes with a hand. “Mhm.” Now it’s my turn for the dodgy answers.

She screams. “You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“You married the demonic sex god.”

“I had no choice.”

I don’t mention the annulment and how I had a choice then.

“I thought you had gotten around the unbreakable vow?” Sybil says.

I twist my ring back and forth. “I had—so long as I didn’t fall in love with Memnon.”

The quiet part is loud.

I hear Sybil’s sharp inhalation. Then, “Oh, Selene,” she says softly. After a moment she adds, “Are you happy?”

“Um…” I take in my ring again, my stomach feeling fluttery. “Yeah, I think…I am.”

She screams again. “I’m so happy for you! Even though Memnon still is an asshole, and also it was massively rude that you didn’t invite me to the wedding⁠—”

“It was more of an elopement situation.”

“—I’m still happy for you. But if Memnon reverts to being more of a demon than a sex god, just tell me. I now know some shifters.”

“Is this a murder-for-hire situation?” I say. “Because if it is, Sybil, I’m flattered.”