Page 44 of Infernal Secrets

Zeke spun on his stool. “Rae! I like the outfit, but why hide the pretty tattoos?”

“I’m not hiding my tattoos,” I said, entering the kitchen for a fresh cup of coffee. “I have to work today.”

I didn’t want them to see the birthmark on the back of my leg. No matter how many people thought it was a tattoo, the color was all wrong, making me self-conscious—especially since it looked eerily similar to the symbol on the book they seemed to recognize.

I didn’t need more reasons to piss off demons.

“Work?” Zeke perked up. “Can I come?”

“No.” I turned, mug in hand, and saw him pouting. “I’ll be gone until this evening, so you have until then to be out of here. Eat what you want, but don’t be here when I get home.”

Zeke looked stricken. “Why not? I thought we were having fun.”

I swallowed my mouthful of coffee and blinked, dumbfounded. “Fun?”

“Well, yeah. When we were lying in bed—”

Ash choked on his bite of toast. “You were in bed with her? She let you sleep with her?”

“No, I didn’t let him sleep with me.”

Ash looked from Zeke to me in confusion.

“He climbed into my bed this morning. I didn’t let him.”

“That’s not how I remember it,” Zeke said with a cheeky grin.

Cyn dropped the pan he was scrubbing and spun around, studying Zeke. “How do you remember it?”

“She pulled me into bed with her.”

Cyn turned toward me, tension obvious in the set of his shoulders.

I took an instinctive step back, lifting my mug like a shield. “What? I don’t remember that at all.”

“Because you thought I was Max.”

My mouth popped open before I realized what had probably happened. I shook my head with a small smile. “That’s because Max sometimes sleeps with me when he stays over.”

Ash looked at Cyn, who turned back to the sink, then glanced at me again. “Who’s Max?”

“That’s what I wondered,” Zeke said, taking a large bite of eggs. He looked over his shoulder at Ezra on the sofa, who paid us no mind. “You eating?”

Ezra turned a page. “I ate toast.”

“But you need protein. You’ve only had an apple since dinner the night before last.”

“I’m fine.” When Zeke opened his mouth to protest, Ezra’s cold features softened as he sighed and closed the book. “I’ll have some eggs and fruit.”

Both Zeke and Ash turned their attention to me again when Ezra joined them.

“So,” Zeke prompted, stuffing another bite of eggs in his mouth.

“Swallow before speaking,” Ezra said, voice quiet.

Zeke swallowed. “Sorry, Ash.” Noticing my puzzled look, he explained, “Ash hates when people talk with food in their mouths.” He tapped his fork against his plate. “Now, back to the important stuff.”

“What?” I took a sip of my coffee.