Zed spluttered, choking on the sip of beer he'd just taken and turning red in the face. Lucas just grinned so wide I thought he might burst out into laughter. And as for me? I didn't know what to fucking do with that. Cass had just given Zed the most ridiculous nickname in gangster history, worse than Gumdrop, and I had a psychic hint it was going to stick.
"I'll come with you to see her tomorrow," I told Lucas, deliberately sidestepping Zed's new nickname. "Maybe she'll be having a better day."
Lucas shrugged, looking dejected. "Yeah, maybe." Then he flashed me an appreciative smile. "Thank you."
Warm bubbles of emotion fizzed through my belly as our gazes connected, and I smiled back at him. It was impossible not to.
Zed's phone rang again, and he showed me the caller ID displaying Alexi's name on the screen.
"Take it," I told him, pushing back from the table.
Zed gave me a nod and answered the call as he moved away from the dining table to find out what Alexi was calling for. Cass tried to help me stack the dishes up, but I gave him a stern look and eyed his sling.
"You've done enough tonight," I scolded. "Go watch a movie or something. Just chill and let that shoulder heal." His eyes narrowed and his lips parted as if to argue back, but I hardened my glare. "That's an order, Cassiel. Don't test me."
"Better do what she says," Lucas offered, stacking up dirty plates and carrying them into the kitchen. "You wouldn't want to get shot again."
Cass scowled in Lucas's direction but reluctantly did as he was told. I picked up more of the dishes from the table and took them through to where Lucas was already rinsing and stacking plates in the dishwasher.
"I've got this," he told me when I tried to help. "Zed will probably have business shit to discuss when he gets off the phone anyway."
I wrinkled my nose, not really even wanting to know why Alexi had called. When Cass had proposed the idea of faking his death to free himself from the Reapers, I hadn't even given it a second thought. I got it. Sometimes I wished I could kill off Hades, too.
"Hey." I tucked my arms around Lucas's waist and rested my cheek against his back. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you with the details."
Lucas didn't respond immediately, his shoulders bunching as he gripped the side of the counter. Then he exhaled heavily and turned around to hug me back.
"I get it," he said against my hair. "I don't like it, but I get it. You've got no real reason to trust me, not with something as serious as all of that."
I pulled back, wanting to disagree, but he silenced me with a gentle kiss.
"Not yet, anyway," he amended. "But one day you will. In the meantime, I'm not going anywhere." Then his gaze turned sheepish. "If that's okay?"
Flashing him a reassuring smile, I reached up and pulled his face to mine for a lingering kiss that filled me with those effervescent bubbles of happiness that he always created. "More than okay," I told him in a whisper as we broke apart, breathing heavily. "Want to leave this mess for later?" My intent was clear as I pressed my body into his and nipped his lower lip with my teeth.
Lucas groaned, then shook his head. "So fucking tempting, Hayden. But I actually have a stack of assignments to do for school. I'm, uh, I'm a bit behind. If I don't catch up soon..." He trailed off with a grimace.
A flash of guilt stabbed through me. Lucas should be completing his senior year at Shadow Prep and preparing to go to university, not learning how to fight and surviving a nearly fatal stabbing at the hands of his older lover's ex-fianc茅.
"Maybe I could get your help on my economics paper tomorrow, though?" he asked with a hopeful tilt to his voice. His arms were still banded tight around my waist, and I quietly never wanted him to let go. "Zed told me you're a little bit amazing when it comes to business subjects, and that's majorly my weak point."
I huffed a short laugh. "Zed was the one who tutored me," I informed him, "but I'd love to help. I'll make sure I save some time in my schedule tomorrow."
He responded by kissing me again, which quickly turned heated, and the next thing I knew he was lifting me up onto