Chapter Fifty-Eight
Dylan
“You should call in sick tonight,” I insisted yet again. Not that I thought the stubborn woman was going to listen to me. Professing her love for me didn’t mean she was taking my advice on her safety. Okay, that was unfair because she was trying to be safe, and I’d probably have her sequestered in my home with guards until the killer was located if she let me.
“I’ve already missed enough work,” Allie argued. “Listen, I only have a few shifts left, and then you won’t have to worry about me going into SpellBinders.”
As always, Allie sounded anxious about the prospect of being unemployed. I’d offered her work at my firm, but she’d refused, which had come as no surprise. At least I’d convinced her to delay applying for jobs until after the killer was caught, because it would make it easier to keep her safe if she wasn’t running off to interviews. Her easy agreement had been a pleasant surprise.
“Why are you so worried about missing one night in the middle of the week?” I asked. “You know Wednesday is a slow night at SpellBinders. Marcos will be fine if you don’t come in.”
“I have rent due in a couple of weeks, and I really need to have a full check for that,” she explained.
“Who cares about your rent?” I asked. “I don’t understand why you haven’t already given them notice. Didn’t you say your roommate is planning to stay with her mom instead of moving back there, anyway?”
“Thanks for reminding me I need to find a roommate on top of everything else,” she grumbled.
“Why do you need to find a roommate?” I demanded. “We’re getting along great. You should just give up your apartment and stay with me.”
“Is that really how you want to ask me to move in with you?” she asked with a roll of her eyes.
This was one of those moments where my brain was telling me to quit while I wasn’t too far behind. My brain tells me that a lot when I’m with Allie, probably because I’m prone to saying dumb shit around her. I am fully aware of how lucky I am that she has a very forgiving nature. Like the other times my brain warned me to shut up, I ignored the warning. “I don’t need to ask you. You’re already here. We’ve passed an affinity test, and you love me. Moving back to your apartment would be stupid.”
“So, now my ideas are stupid?” she asked.
Crap! I suddenly realized I’d just fucked myself over completely. “I didn’t say your idea was stupid,” I insisted and tried to get back to the topic of work, hoping to get my ass out of trouble. “I just don’t like your idea of being at SpellBinders alone tonight.”
“I’ll only be alone for an hour,” she said.
“Which is reckless and insane with a killer on the loose,” I insisted. “How long did it take you to get attacked last time?”
“So, now my ideas are stupid, reckless, and insane? Or, am I just stupid, reckless, and insane?” she asked.
“I never said that!” This was an argument I was destined to lose. It was even worse than answering the question about whether her jeans make her butt look big. “I’m scared to death of losing you,” I admitted.
“Trevor is going to drive me to work,” Allie reminded me.
“But he can’t stay there for your entire shift,” I argued, feeling somewhat panicked at the idea of her being unguarded at the club. Everything had been arranged so Allie would have someone with her tonight while I went to my meeting. That is until Trevor had been asked to draw up a contract for one of Night High’s producers, who insisted the meeting happen tonight.
“You’ll be there before closing, right?” she asked.
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about it. Please, don’t go tonight.”
“Marcos already promised to have security follow me any time you or Trevor can’t be there,” she reminded me. “I’ll just take him up on that offer tonight.”
“Do you really trust Marcos?” I asked.
“Not entirely,” she admitted. “The only reason I think I can trust him to follow through for the hour I’m alone is he’s trying to convince me to work there longer.”
She was right, but I still couldn’t shake my unease.
The chirping of Allie’s phone interrupted us. “I need to answer that,” she said, but I already knew it was just her way of getting out of arguing with me more.
“Hello?” she said. “Yes, this is Alana Talbot.”
I tapped my foot, arms crossed in front of my chest, as I waited for her to finish her call.
“That’s great news!” she said excitedly, and then listened to the person on the end of the line for a few minutes, only making small sounds of understanding. “Thank you so much for letting me know.”
“They found the killer,” Allie said after setting her phone on the counter.
“Are they sure they have the right person?” I asked, because I didn’t want to take any chances.
“Yes, they’re sure. The police know what they’re doing,” she assured me.
“Did they give you any details?” I asked.
“It was a vampire trying to use the essence from the succubi,” she said. “I guess they found all sorts of evidence.”
“What about the demon or witch who was helping him?” I asked. “He couldn’t have done this without help.”
She shrugged. “He had some book about rituals, so they think he was trying to do it on his own but hadn’t had any success.”
Something wasn’t sitting right with me about all of this. “Did he confess?” I asked.
“No, it wasn’t possible to question him,” Allie said. “What they actually found was a pile of ashes. It seems he was hiding at a hotel, sleeping under the bed to avoid the sun. The cleaning staff swears there was no sign on the door, so they went in to clean. They also opened the drapes, and I guess he was a pile of ash by the time the police got there. He had his ID and some items that belonged to the most recent victim. That prompted them to search his home, where they found plenty of evidence linking him to the killings. They didn’t go into details, but they’re sure he was the killer.”
“So, the killings had nothing to do with the demon who attacked you at Spellbinders?”
“The police said the demon turned himself in last night, before they found the vampire. They said he’ll be charged for my attack, and they’ll contact me if they need anything.”
“So, the killer is dead, and there’s no more threat to you,” I said thoughtfully.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She wrapped her arms around me. “You’re worried that this isn’t really over, but it is. Now, I can go to work, and we don’t need to argue about it anymore. When I get home tonight, we can celebrate, and maybe you can think of a better way to ask me to move in with you.”
I hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. “I’d still feel better if you had someone drive you to and from work,” I said and then braced myself for an argument.
“That’s probably a good idea,” she admitted. “It isn’t the nicest area to walk at night, and I don’t want some other creep from SpellBinders following me out.”
“Will you move in with me?” I asked. “Please. I can’t imagine not having you here every night.”
“Yes,” she said with a grin.
“Just like that?” I asked in disbelief. “Weren’t you just arguing with me about moving in here?”
“No, I was annoyed that you assumed I would,” she explained. “I was also a little worried about agreeing to move in while my life was in danger. I want to do this because it’s what we want, not because we think it’s a good idea. Did that sound completely insane?” she asked, pulling back to look me in the eyes.
I shook my head. “No, I get it, and I know you’re stressed out about quitting your job.”
“Don’t ruin the moment by promising to take care of me,” she warned.
“I was just going to point out that you don’t need to look for a job to feed your succubus side. If
you’re living with me, I can promise your needs will be taken care of on a regular basis. We won’t have to worry about me getting addicted, unless you’re planning to leave me.”
She giggled and tapped my chest. “Always the romantic, aren’t you?”
I was tempted to take her back to my room, but the doorbell interrupted us. Sam was also sprawled out on the bed, and that kitten could be cranky when his nap was interrupted.
“That’s probably Trevor,” she said. “We’d both better get to work. I promise to keep my phone with me and on for the hour I’m alone. Are you sure your mom will be okay taking care of Sam tonight?”
Having a familiar was more like having a child than a pet. We couldn’t leave Sam alone, and he got into all sorts of mischief if we didn’t watch closely.
“Don’t worry,” I assured her. “My mother is really excited about having him over tonight. He’ll be spoiled and sleepy when we pick him up later.” Since my mom had no intention of staying up that late, she’d already told me to let myself in when we stopped by to pick Sam up.
Allie gave me a quick kiss before heading off to work with Trevor. I was still having trouble believing Allie was safe. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I hurried upstairs to get Sam.