hand came out, catching my arm and pulling me back.
“Where do you think you’re going, Zoey?” he asked in a voice that told me he’d had enough of my antics for one evening.
I pulled away from that warm, tingly feeling I always got when Dev touched me. I didn’t want to feel good right now. I wanted answers. “I’m going to talk to Albert about my hallucinations, Dev. I would like to know what it is my alcoholic’s brain managed to pull out of thin air. So back off.”
His jaw tightened, and a long sigh came out of his mouth as though he was struggling to keep his patience. “Zoey, you need to go upstairs and rest.”
His condescending tone pushed me over the edge. I might have been able to handle that from Daniel. Fighting had always been a part of our relationship, but it was new with Dev. The fact that Dev was beginning to see me as a problem to be handled really cut to the quick, and following true to form, I struck out as hard as I could.
“I’m not five, Dev,” I pointed out, hearing the cruelty in my voice but not quite able to stop it. “Contrary to what you might think, you don’t own me. We’re not even married. If providing for me means I suddenly have to obey you, then I can sure as hell provide for myself. I’m going to talk to Albert. If you think you can stop me, feel free to try, but you have to sleep sometime. You can let me get the information I need now or I can get it later when you least expect it.”
I saw the hurt register on his face before that careful mask fell into place. This was the king’s advisor, not my love. “Of course. Feel free to speak to Albert. As I am not your husband, I will leave your care to him. I’m going out for a while. I’ll sleep in the office tonight. I wouldn’t want to disrupt your marriage bed.”
Dev walked off, loosening his tie, his posture and movement a testament to his anger.
“Damn it, Z,” Daniel growled, getting into my space. “That was just fucking mean. You got anything you want to say to me? You want to try to run me off? Give it your best, baby, because if your plan is to alienate the people who love you, you’ve done a fantastic job tonight.”
I didn’t say anything because I was worried if I started talking, I would start crying. I needed to be hard and cold. I needed every bit of my inner bitch or I would be upstairs with both of them making me feel like a spoiled child. “Are you done?”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “For god’s sake, don’t let me keep you. Go talk to Albert. You’ve already fucked up the evening, so what’s another ten minutes of waiting on you?”
“If you don’t have the time to wait, the door is that way, buddy.” I made my way to the bar.
Albert turned his eyes to me and an amused curiosity lit his face. Since I’d moved in with Dev and Daniel had joined us, Albert’s attitude had distinctly softened toward me. Apparently, while the demon had trouble with adultery, he didn’t mind a little bigamy. Once I was in a committed relationship with his master that included my husband, he started treating me with fondness.
“Mistress,” Albert acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. He considered himself a servant to the three of us. We’d adopted him through our relationship with Dev. “Your birthday evening has gone awry?”
I pushed myself up onto the barstool. “Tom, can I get some coffee?” I asked, though the perverse side of my nature goaded me to order a martini and make sure Daniel saw me drink it. I was still chilly though, and my stubbornness wasn’t going to warm me up. “It’s been past awful, Al. It might make my top ten crappy nights of all time.”
“Master Daniel seems more angry than usual,” Albert commented, looking across the club. Daniel was staring at me, arms crossed, foot tapping.
“Well, if you think he’s upset, you should see Devinshea.” I wrapped my hands around the mug Tom passed me, letting the coffee warm my skin.
“It was inevitable,”
“Where do you think you’re going, Zoey?” he asked in a voice that told me he’d had enough of my antics for one evening.
I pulled away from that warm, tingly feeling I always got when Dev touched me. I didn’t want to feel good right now. I wanted answers. “I’m going to talk to Albert about my hallucinations, Dev. I would like to know what it is my alcoholic’s brain managed to pull out of thin air. So back off.”
His jaw tightened, and a long sigh came out of his mouth as though he was struggling to keep his patience. “Zoey, you need to go upstairs and rest.”
His condescending tone pushed me over the edge. I might have been able to handle that from Daniel. Fighting had always been a part of our relationship, but it was new with Dev. The fact that Dev was beginning to see me as a problem to be handled really cut to the quick, and following true to form, I struck out as hard as I could.
“I’m not five, Dev,” I pointed out, hearing the cruelty in my voice but not quite able to stop it. “Contrary to what you might think, you don’t own me. We’re not even married. If providing for me means I suddenly have to obey you, then I can sure as hell provide for myself. I’m going to talk to Albert. If you think you can stop me, feel free to try, but you have to sleep sometime. You can let me get the information I need now or I can get it later when you least expect it.”
I saw the hurt register on his face before that careful mask fell into place. This was the king’s advisor, not my love. “Of course. Feel free to speak to Albert. As I am not your husband, I will leave your care to him. I’m going out for a while. I’ll sleep in the office tonight. I wouldn’t want to disrupt your marriage bed.”
Dev walked off, loosening his tie, his posture and movement a testament to his anger.
“Damn it, Z,” Daniel growled, getting into my space. “That was just fucking mean. You got anything you want to say to me? You want to try to run me off? Give it your best, baby, because if your plan is to alienate the people who love you, you’ve done a fantastic job tonight.”
I didn’t say anything because I was worried if I started talking, I would start crying. I needed to be hard and cold. I needed every bit of my inner bitch or I would be upstairs with both of them making me feel like a spoiled child. “Are you done?”
Daniel rolled his eyes. “For god’s sake, don’t let me keep you. Go talk to Albert. You’ve already fucked up the evening, so what’s another ten minutes of waiting on you?”
“If you don’t have the time to wait, the door is that way, buddy.” I made my way to the bar.
Albert turned his eyes to me and an amused curiosity lit his face. Since I’d moved in with Dev and Daniel had joined us, Albert’s attitude had distinctly softened toward me. Apparently, while the demon had trouble with adultery, he didn’t mind a little bigamy. Once I was in a committed relationship with his master that included my husband, he started treating me with fondness.
“Mistress,” Albert acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. He considered himself a servant to the three of us. We’d adopted him through our relationship with Dev. “Your birthday evening has gone awry?”
I pushed myself up onto the barstool. “Tom, can I get some coffee?” I asked, though the perverse side of my nature goaded me to order a martini and make sure Daniel saw me drink it. I was still chilly though, and my stubbornness wasn’t going to warm me up. “It’s been past awful, Al. It might make my top ten crappy nights of all time.”
“Master Daniel seems more angry than usual,” Albert commented, looking across the club. Daniel was staring at me, arms crossed, foot tapping.
“Well, if you think he’s upset, you should see Devinshea.” I wrapped my hands around the mug Tom passed me, letting the coffee warm my skin.
“It was inevitable,”
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