Page 30 of Infernal Secrets

I crossed to the stools at the counter, unsure what to say now that I was sober.

Ezra occupied the middle stool, leaving only the seats on either side of him. I crossed my arms beneath my chest and worried my lip.

“Sit,” Ezra said, voice hard and commanding.

Who was he to tell me what to do?

I turned my head, ready to tell him exactly what I thought about his bossing me around like he had the others last night, but I swallowed the retort. His cold eyes dared me to argue.

I lowered myself into the seat on his right, and he turned back to the book without a word.

I looked at Cyn, who moved sausages around in the pan. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

It took way too long for my brain to catch up to the fact that breakfast items littered the counter. He’d raided my fridge?

“Zeke needs to eat,” he added when I didn’t answer.

“So you take over my kitchen?”

He lined a plate with paper towels, dropped the sausages on it, and ignored my question. He wiped the pan before pouring in whisked eggs.

“Oh man, that smells good,” Ash said. I looked over my shoulder as he sat up, twisting to crack his back. “Morning, Little Blackbird.”

“It’s Raelynn,” I snapped, then winced. I was in a foul mood thanks to Ezra bossing me around and Cyn’s attitude. No, that wasn’t fair. The aches and confusion weighed on me, too. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I need coffee.”

“No, it’s Rae,” Zeke said, ignoring my glare. He rolled off the sofa, climbed to his feet, and stretched his long arms over his head, making his shirt rise to reveal a trail of dark hair below a toned stomach.

When he caught me staring, he grinned, brushing the silvery white hair from his forehead. His black brows and body hair made it obvious the ashen hair wasn’t natural.

I turned around in my seat, huffing. It was too early for this.

Like before, Zeke’s warmth pressed against my back as he curled around me, reaching for a sausage.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting a sausage.” He took a bite of the link.

“No. Why are you touching me?” I looked at his hand on my shoulder. “You keep touching me.”

He hummed and swallowed the bite in his mouth. “You’re nice to touch.” He bopped my nose with his finger.

Ash chuckled as he entered the kitchen, pulling a stack of plates from the cabinet to help Cyn.

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the alluring smell of warm vanilla and sweet honey surrounding Zeke. “Have you ever heard of personal space?”

“Well, yeah.” He lowered his arm. “You’re not… I-” When he averted his eyes, his playful charm faded. Something in my chest tightened.

“Wait.” I twisted in my seat. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh. Nothing.” He shook his head, the brightness in his eyes dimming as he glanced away.

He was lying to me. I hated lies.

All my life, people had lied to me.

Mom and Dad lied when I said I saw monsters and shadow friends, until I learned it wasn’t normal and stopped mentioning them. My extended family lied about Grandma to keep her away. My ex lied about cheating after I refused to sleep with him during our first week of dating.