Page 24 of Problematic

Lux Tower sigil embossed in the corner.

Of course.

I took the card and focused on the machine. Grind. Tamp. Pull. Watch the dark liquid pour with perfect crema, because if I ruined the demon lord of New Abaddon’s coffee, some part of me believed the city itself might open up and swallow me whole.

Mandi wiped an invisible spot beside me. “Quiet morning?”

“Yep.”

“Nothing weird happening?”

“Not at all.”

I slid the finished cup across the counter. My fingers brushed Vale’s for half a second. His aura didn’t flicker.

Either he had incredible control or he had murdered his nervous system years ago for convenience’s sake.

“Here you go,” I said. “Tell Mr. Draven I said . . . enjoy.”

I wanted to climb into the pastry case and expire alongside the croissants.

“I will,” Vale said.

His gaze lingered for a beat. Then he turned and left. Mandi waited three whole seconds, which for her counted as monastic restraint.

“What the actual fuck,” she whispered.

“I recovered.”

“You squeaked.”

“I did not squeak.”

“You made a noise only dogs can hear.”

I grabbed a rag and attacked the counter. “He ordered coffee.”

“For Lux Draven.”

“For Lux Draven’s mouth, apparently, yes.”

Mandi’s eyes lit with wicked glee. “Imagine being the barista who fuels tyranny.”

Sam barreled out from the back before Mandi could keep going, curls bouncing, apron half tied. “Line’s forming. Save your flirting with doom for after the breakfast rush.”

“I’m not flirting with doom,” I snapped.

Sam pointed at my face. “You’re blushing.”

I slapped my hands over my face and muffled out, “Am not.”

The rush hit hard after that. Office demons. Night-shift witches. Humans with dead eyes and reusable cups. A vampire who asked if the oat milk was ethically sourced and then complained about the foam. For two hours I had no room in my skull for wards or Lux Draven or the fact that his assistant had stared at me like I was a file he planned to deliver upstairs.

Then the rush broke, and Mandi slammed her phone on the counter.

“Oh my gods,” she said. “Speaking of Lux, did you see what happened at Broken Halo last night?”

I kept wiping the steam wand. “Should I pretend I know what that is?”