“Why, did you cry?” asked Khloé.
The hellcat sniffed. “No.”
“You lie, Pinocchio.”
“God, that puppet was such a whiner,” said Devon. “‘Poor me, poor me, I’m made of wood.’ A lot of women would be happy with a guy whose nose grew like that. We’d always know when he was lying, and it would make sitting on his face a lot more fun if he whispered some fibs at the same time.”
Harper snickered. “Only you, Dev. Only you would think this shit. Ooh, here comes Teague.”
Careful not to stand on the people who were sitting on the doorstep, he stepped onto the deck. A beer bottle in hand, the male shouldered his way through the Conga dancers and crossed the gravel pathway that cut through the lawn. He nodded at the other women and then smiled at Khloé. “Hey, gorgeous.”
She returned his smile. “Hey, stallion.”
He took a swig from his bottle. “What are you ladies talking about?”
“Naughty wooden boys,” replied Devon, a twinkle in her eye.
The hellhorse frowned. “I don’t know how to contribute to that conversation.” He shifted his gaze to Khloé. “How’s life at Keenan’s lair treating you?”
“Fine,” said Khloé. “Honestly, things don’t feel much different than they did before.”
“Probably because you didn’t move out of your house. I like that Keenan didn’t ask you to. It shows he knows what you need and, more importantly, cares what you need. As mates go, you could have done worse.”
Khloé snorted. “Don’t think I don’t know that you like him.” He and Keenan actually got along pretty well these days.
Teague shrugged. “He’s not the world’s worst guy. I am surprised he’s left your side, although we both know he’ll follow you out here in about, oh, two minutes.” The hellhorse sipped his beer again. “Ciaran looks comfortable.”
Khloé glanced at her brother, who’d passed out in the nearby hammock, cuddling a garden gnome. One minute he’d been talking to them. The next thing, he’d been snoring softly.
“I noticed he spent most of the night glaring at you,” Teague added.
Khloé sighed. “He’s still mad that I nearly died. Like it was my fault.”
“It probably eats at him that his attempt to save you didn’t work—you know how he is for taking on burdens that aren’t his.” Raini pushed off the swing. “I need to go pee.”
“Me too,” said Harper, standing. Her nose wrinkled. “I think my ass is wet. Oh, please tell me I didn’t piss my pants.”
“You have a wet patch on your butt,” said Raini. “But I think it’s from the grass. Don’t quote me on that, though.”
“You all coming back inside?” the sphinx asked.
“Sure thing, pissy pants.” Devon stood. “I gotta get more gin.”
Harper scowled. “It’s not piss.”
“It looks like piss,” said Devon.
“You look like piss.”
“How can a person possibly look like piss?”
The two women continued to argue as they made their way up the path—Raini played peacemaker, but it didn’t work so well.
Teague helped Khloé off the slide. “I noticed there’s still some tension between your incubus and Knox,” he said quietly. “Keenan was so pissed at him that day we all thought you’d die—I don’t know why, and I’m not asking. But, yeah, I really thought Keenan was going to try to take him out.”
Khloé had heard as much from her twin. “He didn’t speak to Knox for, like, two weeks. I asked why. He just said he felt that Knox could have done more to save me. I think Keenan just felt guilty for not getting to me earlier and he needed someone else to blame.”
“I don’t know. Your incubus doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d point the finger at someone else if he knew the guilt belonged to him.”
True, but it was the explanation she gave to anyone who questioned her about it. Truly, she wasn’t entirely sure why Keenan felt the Prime could have done “more,” but she hadn’t pushed him on it, sensing there were certain things the sentinels were forbidden to share with anyone—even their mates.
Khloé wasn’t mad about it. She understood that some secrets just weren’t his to share, and she liked that he had such integrity. His loyalty was still primarily to her, and that was what counted.
Besides, she’d be a damn hypocrite to whine at him for keeping secrets when she, too, was required to keep secrets from people she cared for and trusted. Not from Keenan, though—he knew all about little Asher and what he’d done to Lane. Of course, Harper and Knox had spun the story and claimed to others that Enoch had purged Lane of his powers—something people had bought, considering Lazarus demons specialized in death and destruction.
Harper and Knox had been shocked to hear how Asher and his demon had come to Khloé’s aid. If she wasn’t mistaken, it scared the couple that he was so powerful—especially since people would seek to destroy him while he was young and vulnerable if they considered him enough of a threat.