“More than a distraction?”
He kissed my temple. “Much more.” He pushed up from the bed and began to get dressed. I didn’t have to ask why. Morgan had arrived with Bex and Allison.
Levi smiled at me while I dressed, seeing me in a new way. The grin plastering my lips into an upward curve wouldn’t go away, either, and I worried that everyone downstairs would know. Bex absolutely would. “Oh, God,” I said.
“What?” Levi asked pausing.
I covered my eyes. “Bex. You’re his Taleh. He knows. He knew… He probably… Oh, God.”
Levi cringed, unable to come up with any words of comfort.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I said, slipping on my shoes.
Levi followed me downstairs. Bex and Allison were in the dining room, sitting with Morgan, watching him eagerly consume an entire charcuterie board by himself.
“Eden!” Morgan said with a bright smile.
“He has news,” Bex said, failing at every attempt to make eye contact with me.
“Sorry. I’m so sorry,” I blurted out.
“For what?” Morgan said, wrinkling his nose.
“She’s talking to Bex,” Allison said, trying to maintain a straight face.
Bex looked ill, the third most miserable I’d ever seen him, only losing to my death and his loss of Allison. “I don’t suppose you can not do that again?”
Levi tried to answer, but only came up with a few unfinished words. He finished with a sigh and an apologetic smile.
“The news?” Allison said, prodding Morgan.
“I scored a scholarship. Full ride.”
I beamed as I took the seat in front of him. “Really? That’s incredible Congratulations!”
“Well. It was a Titan scholarship. I don’t know how much I earned.”
“Morgan, you’re an exceptional student. All of it was earned,” I said.
“Congratulations,” Levi said, stuffing his hands in his pocket.
The movement caught Bex’s eye, and once he caught a glimpse of Levi’s hand, he cringed, likely remembering where it had just been.
Bex stood up quickly. “I… I’m going to get some air.”
“I really am so, so sorry,” I said, calling after him.
Allison covered her giggles with her hand and then wiped away her smile. “It’s not funny at all, oh my God.” She cleared her throat. “Congratulations, Morgan.”
Levi shrugged one shoulder. “It’s a little funny.”
Allison burst into laughter, and Morgan stared at me, confused yet again by our strange family.
I forced a smile. “When do you leave? Need help packing?”
“Nope. Titan is covering all that. They connected us with a company that helps military families move. They come in two weeks to box up almost everything except the essentials. My mom is so relieved.”
“Wow. A company who not only pays for college but for moving and transportation. Who knew that was a thing?” Levi asked.
I glared at him. “I’ve heard of it.” I smiled at Morgan sweetly. “That’s truly amazing, Morg. So happy for you.”
Morgan peeked at Levi before speaking to me. “We should, you know, hang out before I go.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “The usual?”
“Yep.”
“It’s a date,” I said, feeling Levi’s uneasiness. He knew better than to be jealous, but he worried this wasn’t the time to be giving into foolish human proclivities.
“I know,” I said in Levi’s general direction.
“You know what?” Morgan asked.
“Nothing,” Levi and I said in unison.
“Okay,” he said, standing. “One last hurrah to celebrate. I thought I’d be nervous to go without you, but … I mean, no offense, but I’m not.”
“None taken, Morgan, it’s great. It really is.”
“You’re not going to college?” Allison asked.
I pressed my lips together in a hard line.
“Why is that?” Morgan asked, suddenly realizing how strange that was.
Allison immediately realized her mistake. “That’s right,” she said, snapping. “Gap year.”
I nodded. “I know. My parents aren’t happy, either.”
“Did I know about this?” Morgan asked.
“Yes.” I nodded.
He seemed confused. “Things are still fuzzy from around the time I was, you know, comatose.”
I shook my head. “No worries. When do you leave again?”
“Two weeks. Let’s plan for the weekend before, but we should hang out before then.”
“Definitely,” I said.
He stood. “Okay, I have a lot to do. Write a thank you letter to Titan for one. Text me,” he said, jogging around the table to give me a hug.
“Eden,” Levi said.
I turned my back to Morgan the moment he reached for a hug, forcing him to squeeze me from behind. He froze and then pulled his hands back.
“What?” I said, turning to him.
He stared at me for a moment with horror on his face.
“Morgan?” I asked.
He shook his head, seeming to come out of it. “Nothing. I don’t know. Whoa.”
“You okay?” I asked, touching his arm.
Morgan winced and then relaxed under my fingers. I searched his mind and came up empty. Whatever had happened, it was something I couldn’t see, or it was just there for a moment; an echo.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. We’ll talk later,” he said.
I went in for a hug, and he leaned back, patting my shoulder. “Talk soon.”
Morgan left in a hurry, leaving Levi, Allison, and me to trade glances.
“I left something behind,” I said.
Levi shook his head. “No, something was close.”
“Agreed,” Bex said, rounding the corner. “It was decent-sized, too. Nothing small like a Druden. Something I could tangle with.”
I frowned. So did Allison.
“What?” Bex said, side hugging her. He kissed her cheek.
She was clearly disturbed, her expression unchanging even as her head tilted from the kiss. “It’s not something I enjoy thinking about, you fighting dem—”
“Babe,” Bex said, interrupting her. He shook his head, and she nodded.
He’d already educated her about humans and their acknowledgment of demons. For us, they hovered out of duty or to antagonize. For the most part, they left humans alone unless they were noticed or acknowledged, and that made them curious. Even Allison, who was being protected by a known demon killer like Bex could fly under the radar if she played the game right.
“Sorry,” Allison said.
Bex smiled. “You’re doing great. Nothing to be sorry about.”
“It took my mother years,” I said.