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"Yeah, he's coming tomorrow night if that's okay?" I answered, shoving any further thoughts about Emrys's lips into a secret drawer in my head to be analyzed later when I was alone.

"That works," Krista said, accepting the towel Mark had retrieved from the outdoor cabinet.

"Thanks, babe," she said, hanging it on a hook by the outdoor showerhead Mark had installed.

"I'm whipped. I think I'm going to head to bed," I said, stifling a yawn as Krista and Mark rinsed off together under the shower. "You want me to clean up the kitchen before I hit the sack?" I asked, hoping she'd say no. All my extracurricular activities had left my body begging for sleep.

"No, we got it. You look worn out," Krista observed as Mark wrapped one of the striped oversized beach towels tightly around her body. "Trying to butter me up?" she quizzed Mark as he tucked her under the crook of his arm to help warm her. "Don't think that's going to get you off the hook, buddy," she warned lightly, shooting him a look that spoke volumes.

"Is that a fact?" he asked, pulling her in close.

I left them to their light flirtatious banter. Despite Krista's offer, I decided to detour into the kitchen anyway to give it a quick cleaning before bed. I figured it was the least I could do since they'd offered up an olive branch. Not to mention, judging by the smoldering stares they had shared, they'd be busy for a while.

By the time I was done with kitchen I was dead-ass tired. I climbed into bed with Mouse and within moments I was out. The last thought I remembered was Emrys. Everything after that…blank.

***

The sunshine streaming through my French doors seemed brighter than usual the next morning. I was full of nervous energy, which wasn't exactly uncharacteristic for me. The reasons were just different today. I didn't know how I was going to stay busy until tonight. Cleaning my room would kill the majority of the day, considering I hadn't touched it in a while. "What the hell," I thought. I stripped my bed, tossed the sheets in the hamper, and hastily made my bed with a new set. I was too keyed up to make it the way I normally liked. I pretty much just tossed the sheets on in a half-assed manor, not bothering to smooth them out. Typically, the wrinkles would have set my teeth on edge, but it just didn't seem to matter as much today. My deep plum-colored comforter covered them anyway. That was about all the focus I could muster. The rest of the time I basically fluttered around my room, leaving a bigger mess than what I'd started with. I think I started like ten different tasks, but didn't finish any of them. Finally, I stood in the middle of my room which looked like a tornado had ripped through it. It turned out to be a disgusting waste of time, and after another half hour of mindlessly moving my belongings around, I stomped out of my room.

"Morning, sunshine," Krista chirped, taking in my scowl.

"Whatever," I muttered, pouring myself a steaming cup of pumpkin spice-flavored coffee. After I had doctored it up to my liking, I slumped down on the stool at the counter.

"Bad morning?" Krista laughed. "I thought you'd be all sunshine and daisies today."

"I feel like such a doof, fluttering around my room like a confused butterfly because some guy is coming over. Not to mention the fact that the butterfly has taken up residence in my belly," I griped, taking a sip of my scalding drink. I welcomed the way it burned my tongue and then resumed its fiery journey down my throat. The heat brought some of my hazy senses back into focus.

"Aww, that's so sweet, you're nervous," she teased. "Don't worry, from what I've witnessed, the Soul Trader seems quite enchanted with you."

"I am not nervous," I said, glaring at her over the rim of my ceramic mug. "As long as Haniel and Mark behave, I'll be fine."

"Not nervous, gotcha," she said, shooting me a knowing look. "Don't worry about the guys. I'll kick them if they get out of control. We just want to get to know him, which is okay, right?" she added. Even though she acted like she had my back, she also had her own agenda for the night.

"Yeah, I guess," I agreed, rinsing out my coffee mug in the sink before placing it in the dishwasher. "I think I'm gonna go do some training," I added, heading out of the kitchen.

"Be careful," she called after me.

"Sure," I lied. Careful was the last thing I planned on being.

Haniel was waiting for me when I stepped out on the patio.

"I'd like to do some terrain training today," I greeted him.

"Terrain training?" he asked, knowing my usual distaste for it.

"Yes, the tougher the better," I clarified, bending down to double-knot my boots.

"I assume a warm climate?" he asked, noting my black yoga pants and white tank top.

"Either, it doesn't matter," I answered, bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet. I was ready to partake in an activity that would shift my focus and speed the day along.

"You will need warmer clothes and your running shoes," he stated, picking up on my agitated mood.

"Okay, I'll be back in five," I said, racing off to my room to grab my favorite hooded sweatshirt. It had a picture on it depicting a zombie chasing humans with a caption that read "Zombies hate fast food." I pulled off my combat boots and tossed them toward my closet. After lacing up my Nikes with deft fingers, I raced out of my room. "Be back later," I called out to Krista who was leaning against the kitchen counter sipping a mug of hot chocolate.

"Be careful," she repeated like I didn't hear her the first time.

"Sure," I lied again, jogging back out to Haniel. "I'm ready," I said, skidding to a stop in front of him.


Tags: Tiffany King A Daemon Hunter Fantasy