Page 54 of Hellbound

WHERE ARE YOU?

MARIAN:

HOME.

VALE:

AND WHERE IS “HOME”?

Marian ugly laughed at her phone and said aloud, “I don’t fucking think so” as she tapped the screen.

MARIAN:

YOU’RE SOMEHOW MORE OVERBEARING OVER TEXT THAN YOU ARE IN PERSON.

VALE:

I PREFER THE TERM “DELIGHTFULLY PERSISTENT.” DON’T PRETEND YOU DISLIKE IT.

MARIAN:

I DON’T PRETEND WITH YOU. THIS IS 100% GENUINE DISDAIN. AND IF I’M GOING TO PRETEND, I’M GOING TO PLAY MERMAIDS. FUCK, WE SHOULD HAVE PLAYED MERMAIDS THAT NIGHT BEFORE YOU KILLED ME. YOU’D MAKE A GOOD URSULA.

Something delayed his response. For some reason, she pictured him laughing at her. She hadn’t meant a word of that text, but she just couldn’t stop herself. The barrier of a screen made her far too comfortable with him. This was dangerous.

VALE:

HAVE YOU EATEN ANYTHING TODAY?

What a strange question. Marian cocked a brow as she replied. Yes.

VALE:

ARE YOU LYING?

MARIAN:

ALSO YES.

And there was nothing he could do about it. She was safely hidden away in her little North Hollywood hovel.

VALE:

HOW DOES SUCH A CARELESS PERSON SURVIVE TO BE HOWEVER OLD YOU ARE? YOU’RE FAR LESS HOSTILE OVER TEXT, BY THE WAY. WHY IS THAT?

MARIAN:

SHEER FORCE OF WILL. I’M NOT TELLING YOU MY AGE. THIS IS LIKE GETTING GRILLED BY A BAD COP.

She waited to see if he’d push the last question—the one she didn’t know how to answer. A few seconds passed this time before Vale replied.

VALE:

AND HERE I THOUGHT MY LINE OF QUESTIONING WOULD COME ACROSS AS GOOD-NATURED MOTHERING.

Her fingers stilled over the keyboard as her jaw tightened. You never met my mother.

An ellipsis appeared in the text log and lingered there a while before the demon’s response came through.