Page 50 of 'Til All the Seas Run Dry

“So,” he said, squeezing her. “What’s one more month after a thousand years? Your destinies were linked. Find the point at which they go their separate ways and see it through to the end.”

* * *

It had taken forever for Callum to fall asleep that morning. But eventually, sleep had found him, and he woke, groggily, a long while later. He tapped the screen on his phone to show him the time. Just past sunset. He never slept this late. Normally he was up hours before sunset, showered, dressed, and touching base with all of his managers before the business day ended. But Penny had forbidden him to work, and he had allowed her to do it.

He stood from the bed, scratching his chest while he stretched. He still wore the gray sweatpants from the night before. He climbed the steps and found Robbie sitting at the counter. The sharp smell of nail polish remover greeted him, and he saw Robbie wiping off his nail polish with a cotton ball.

“Evening, boss,” he said, looking up and smiling.

“Hello,” Callum said, his voice still husky from sleep.

“Time for sucky sucky?” Robbie asked with a mischievous smirk.

Callum sighed heavily and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “Robbie, for the last time, please dinnae call it that.”

Robbie snorted a laugh and returned his attention to his nails. Callum looked at the small black shadow between two flowers where he was always careful to sink his teeth. Robbie was remarkable. He offered his neck up two or three times a week and never slowed down. It was odd, really. Normally, a feeding had the same effect on a human as losing two pints of blood. Because that’s exactly what they were doing. They were normally lethargic and weakened for a few days as their bodies recovered. But Robbie never needed any time to recuperate. Rather, he seemed to have a boundless capacity for donation.

“Pardon the impertinence, but… you are… human, right, Robbie?” Callum trailed off.

“As human as can be, I’m afraid. My mama was the churchy type. She wouldn’t have gotten together with a supernatural.”

“Supernaturals can go to church, aye?”

“Sure they can. But not her church. Not where I grew up.”

Callum nodded. It was entirely possible that way down Robbie’s bloodline, someone had been something. Something that gave him enhanced healing abilities without bringing any other qualities to the surface. It was entirely possible. Likely, it seemed. Callum let it go.

“So what are you doing?” he asked, sitting on the other bar stool.

Robbie smiled brightly and held up a bottle of nail polish. “I ordered this last week, and it finally came. Today. Magda dropped it off. I think it would look dynamite on Jory, but I wanted to test it out first to show her.”

He shook it rapidly before twisting off the top and dragging the little brush against the opening, removing the excess polish. He spread a long, careful stroke down his right thumbnail, and Callum realized for the first time that Robbie was left-handed.

The polish looked black in the bottle, but when Robbie twisted his hand, it was a shimmering green, and then purple from another angle. Like a raven’s wing. Robbie was right. It would look stunning against the bronzed ochre of Jory’s hands.

“You bought it for Jory to wear?”

Robbie looked sheepish as he continued to paint. Callum could see the blush rising up his cheeks. “Well, I bought it for both of us, actually. I thought we could share it.” He looked tense, like he expected Callum to be jealous. But Callum only smiled.

“That seems verra economical.”

“It ain’t cheap polish,” Robbie said. “And I’m not above bribing.”

“Bribing?”

“Yeah. Bribing her to like me.”

That made him pause. Robbie had the easy air and irresistible charm that no doubt earned him friends everywhere he went.

“Everyone likes you, Robbie.”

The color heightened on Robbie’s cheeks. “Believe it or not, I have a hard time making friends.”

Callum arched a skeptical brow. “You have friends all over this country. Isnae that what you told me, why you’re so good at finding things?”

Robbie shrugged. “I haveacquaintancesall over. But it’s hard to trust people like that. Everyone’s only looking out for themselves. And everything has a price. You know?”

Callum nodded. He did know. “But you trust me?”