Page 70 of Demon and the Raven

“I’m just repeating what he said.”

“It sounds so romantic,” I gushed.

“Well, because you believe, and as I apparently have a cool head on my shoulders, he feels that together, we could offer invaluable assistance.”

“It’s interesting, don’t you think?” I asked him, smiling. “A Catholic priest wants a gay couple along on an outing to a supposedly haunted cemetery. That’s really something.”

“It’s something all right.”

“Well, JJ had a sleepover last night, and they could see the graveyard from where they were, and they said they saw lots of lights out there. I bet those belonged to the paranormal investigators.”

“So they were in the graveyard fucking around. That’s fantastic.”

“Don’t be so grouchy.”

He scoffed.

“So we’re going to a cemetery tonight.”

“I am. I can talk to Father Dennis and help do whatever, but I think you should⁠—”

“No.”

“Xander,” he warned me, his voice dropping low.

“As if I would let you go alone.”

“And of course it has to be done when it’s dark because no one can ever check out anything creepy during the day,” he said, changing the subject.

I grinned at him.

“What?” he said, around a mouthful of muffin.

“You sound very cranky there, Chief MacBain.”

“It’s Saturday evening. I should be getting ready to barbecue.”

I sighed as he got up and walked over, taking a seat beside me. We sat there, quietly, shoulder to shoulder, neither of us saying a word.

“Short of tying you up, I don’t suppose you’d stay home.”

“You suppose right,” I confirmed, smiling at him. “And you tying me up would excite me so—then you’d have to stay too.”

“It would ease my mind to know you’re safe here.”

“Well, then call Father Dennis and let him know we will not be his backup tonight, and that we really hope he doesn’t meet up with anything scary this evening.”

His exhale was long. We both knew we’d never do that to our favorite priest.

Each in our thoughts, time crawled by.

“I need you to be careful,” he finally said, putting his arm around me, pulling me close.

“Same goes for you.”

“Kathy’s family had her body picked up by the funeral parlor this afternoon. The service is going to be next week.”

“We weren’t friends, but I’m sorry she died that way.”