Omens (The Dark in You #6) - Suzanne Wright Page 0,126
around Khloé. She suspected that was partly because he was glad Penelope had tossed out her useless boyfriend and was back on the sobriety wagon. Hopefully she didn’t fall off it again.
Keenan often watched Khloé like a hawk, as if searching for signs that the infection might have returned. It hadn’t. Maddox had definitely either neutralized or overpowered it, because even Vivian had confirmed that there wasn’t so much as a dot of death essence in Khloé’s system.
“He seems to have calmed a little since he slid this on my finger,” said Khloé, smiling down at the black diamond ring, just as she did many times a day. Such jewelry was a symbol of the ultimate commitment, so demons only ever exchanged them with partners they were utterly certain of.
Keenan had given Khloé hers the day after Maddox had healed her, saying that watching her almost die had made him realize that he never wanted to be without her. Since she felt the same, she’d asked him to wear the masculine matching ring. It had settled something in him.
“I wouldn’t say he’s calmed,” objected Devon. “Every time he has to leave you at the studio, he looks like he might spontaneously combust.”
“She almost died; the guy got a scare,” said Harper.
“We all got a scare.” Devon squinted at Khloé. “Don’t ever almost-die again.”
“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