Page 42 of Noctis
“Duh! Your boyfriend and your best friend cheating behind your back.”
“Right.”
“It really sucks.”
“It does.”
It did, but their betrayal rather paled into insignificance besides the discovery that a shadow creature could possess people, had used a doctor’s body to fuck me, and now believed I belonged to him. If nothing else, Caligo provided one hell of a distraction.
“No wonder you were acting weird in there.”
“I was?”
She frowned. “It was almost as if you were flirting with Dr. Collins.”
“Would that be so weird?”
“His wife would probably think so.”
My brain short-circuited. “Ha, funny. Married men wear wedding rings. Besides, you were the one who insinuated he played for my team.”
Laura snorted. “You traditionalist, you. Anyway, he does wear one. It’s just on a chain around his neck. And I didn’t have all the facts back then. He’s probably bi.”
“And where is this wife? Does he keep her in a cupboard?”
She rolled her eyes. “She’s a film producer, so she’s often away for months at a time. I think she’s in the States at the moment. I guess the arrangement works for them. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that jazz.”
“How do you know all this?”
She fixed me with a stare. “Do you know how many times I’ve been in this place?” I shook my head.
She counted quickly on her fingers. “Four… no, wait… five. That’s why it was weird that our mutual shadow friend had never paid me any attention before this visit. I guess he had someone better to watch get undressed. Just like he moved on so quickly from me to you. Not that I’m complaining, because you’re handling him far better than I ever did.”
A pang of something struck me. It felt suspiciously like jealousy, but I refused to accept that interpretation. How many other men or women had Caligo taken to bed while wearing someone else’s skin? How many people had he claimed as his? Laura had said he never spoke to her, but perhaps he would have eventually.
“Why do you keep coming back here?” I asked, genuinely curious. “There must be better places. Tyler wanted me here so I couldn’t walk out of the door and get straight into a cab. What’s your excuse?”
She sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I guess the first time I thought being surrounded by nature would help. Afterward, I kept choosing what was familiar rather than taking a chance on somewhere new. Besides, my aunt pays for it, and it’s easier for her if the bill comes from the same place.”
“Maybe you should stop drinking and taking drugs?” I suggested, only half-joking.
“Ha! You’re funny.” She wasn’t laughing, though. Instead, she looked sad. “Maybe we could be friends when we’re both back in London.”
“Maybe.”
She pointed an accusatory finger at me. “Only if you’re going to be a good influence. We can’t start booking ourselves in here as a pair because people will talk.”
I laughed. “Do they do a buy-one-get-one-free offer?” Then I sobered. “I think I’m going to develop healthier coping mechanisms. Take up boxing or something.”
She smiled. “We all say that. It usually lasts a couple of months, and then we’re back here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rowan
Four days later
I hadn’t seen Caligo since Laura interrupted our kiss. He hadn’t responded to any of my summons, and there’d been no late-night visits. His disappearance made a mockery of everything he’d said and done. No matter how often I told myself I should be relieved that he’d already transferred his attention to someone else, I couldn’t quite make myself believe it.
