She hugged him and kissed his cheek before he turned her chin to kiss her lips. He deepened their kiss until she moaned into his mouth. Pulling away, he said, “Ares and Charlie went shopping for you today while you were asleep. Turns out, you can’t rescue your family in the nude.”
She laughed as she left the room to grab some clothes.
“You’re good for her…” I said rather awkwardly.
It seemed Bash and Azazel had picked up where they left off, from what Bash told me, but things between us had been strained since he’d returned to our lives. I had no clue what to say to him, and he hadn’t taken any steps to address the rift between us. I thought apologizing to him would help, but he still gave me a wide berth.
“Sometimes she needs encouragement, not tough love. Having been a guardian angel for so many centuries comes in handy sometimes,” he quipped, an edge cutting through his calm tone.
If I could talk to Diana about my feelings, I could do the same with Azazel. “You deserve better from me, too, you know.” His drawn brows and squint betrayed his confusion. “You said Diana deserved better from me, but you do, too. I don’t like that things are weird between us.”
“I don’t know what to do with you and had never anticipated having to deal with you again after we broke up. Then I had visions of your crew, Diana, and myself fighting Satan’s army, but nothing could prepare me for actually being around you and Bash again.”
“Seems you don’t have an issue being around Bash...”
“Yes, because he made an effort. He also charmed the pants off of me, literally. Desmond, I’m waiting for you to let go of your hangups and show me you give a fuck. It’s hard to tell sometimes because you have to control everything, including your emotions.It’s frustrating,” he huffed. “Diana and I have a soulbond, so I’m not going anywhere. When you’re ready to let go, I’m here.”
He got up from the bed and left, leaving the door open behind him. I stared out into the empty hallway, losing myself in thought until my concentration was broken.
Chop, chop you giant Hell demon. Didn’t you say we have plans to make and shit to do?Diana linked me.Move your ass!
I’m coming, dollface. Have some patience.
Azazel had a point. Neither of us planned on going anywhere. We both had feelings for Diana and each other. I just had to do the work to show him that I could let go of the control I desperately needed.
“You’re all taking this way too seriously. This is a straightforward plan. I B&E, draw a summoning circle to act as a portal, and we take Diana’s family and get the fuck out of there. We don’t need multiple exit plans,” Bash grumped, impatiently tapping his foot on the floor. “Az even said he sees them getting here in one piece. It’s already 10 in Brooklyn, and eventually they’re going to go to sleep.”
“He has a point,” Charlie agreed. “Since you left, Nonna has been closing the shop earlier and sleeping more.”
Diana winced, twisting her mouth into a grimace before looking at the floor. The pain evident on her heart-shaped face tore me up.
“Sister, you had no choice. Your boys are a fucking mess, but you were safer being dead under their protection than alive at home. Your family will understand,” Oisín said as he gave Diana a hug. “It’s weird to hug you…I’m so used to sitting on you and stealing your food or rubbing my face into you.”
“Don’t remind me. I shared all my snacks with you…” Diana rolled her eyes.
“I actually made this ass-cat little plates of food for dinner every night while you were gone. He had a spot at the table and everything…” Bash seethed. Hehatedbeing duped, and Oisín had pulled the fur right over his eyes.
“And I appreciate it,” Oisín cackled. His laugh sounded just like Diana’s… it was off-putting to hear it come from someone else’s mouth. Everything about him was unsettling.
“How do you think I feel?!” Charlie exclaimed. “I carried him all the time and bought him little Christmas costumes. I would babysit him for Diana when her family went on vacation and he slept in my bed…”
“Trust me, if I didn’t have a cover to keep, we wouldn’t have been sleeping,” he flirted as he winked at Charlie.
“Okay, back on topic,” Mal steered the conversation. “We need two exit plans. Bash is right, we don’t need six. With Nonna and Angela, we would out-power any reptile shifters if they decided to crash the reunion.”
“Mal’s right. Nonna may seem like your average witch, but she was born and raised in Italy. The woman is hardcore Tuscany, even if her accent has faded over the years.”I can only imagine.If Nonna’s attitude was anything like Diana’s, she would be a force to be reckoned with.
Everyone wore head-to-toe black to blend into the night. Oisín even changed his hair, turning it black to match his turtleneck and black jeans. Bash didn’t seem the least bit nervous, ready to break into Diana’s house like he had done dozens of times before.
“Are you good to go?” I asked him.
“Bloody born for this, just like old times. Breaking into Diana’s house and into her dreams was my favorite pastime before she came home with us,” Bash grinned. “I took you on some really good dream dates, remember?” he asked her.
“Yeah, you were the perfect dream boyfriend…but then I met you in person, and you ruined it,” she smirked. Oisín high-fived her, and they cackled together.
“Sleep with one eye open, Birdie,” Bash promised before he drew a large circle in white chalk on the floor. “This is where we’ll all fade back to when we come back. It’s imperative that once you’re done fading, you get out of the circle. That way no one can pull you back.”
Bash stepped into the summoning circle and winked before he disappeared. We all waited for him to mindlink me with the all-clear, some of us more patiently than others.