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“Everything okay in there?” Basil called out.
“I’m fine!” she shouted back. “I’m coming, just wait a sec.”
She hopped off the bed, wrapped herself in a robe, and turned to Tallak, who got up from the floor and dusted off his boxers. She made shooing gestures in the direction of her closet for him, snatched a perfume bottle off her dresser, and sprayed an unhealthy amount of it in the air.
Not moving a step, Tallak stifled a cough and glared at her.
She opened the closet and made the best impression of one of those people waving airplanes to their position on the tarmac. Get in, she mouthed at Tallak.
Narrowing his eyes at her, he moved toward the closet at a glacial pace.
Gooooooo, she silently half commanded, half pleaded with him.
“The closet?” he whispered so quietly she barely heard him as he passed her. “Could this be any more cliché?”
“Zip it,” she hissed back and closed the door on his glower.
Heart thundering in her chest, she hurried over to the window, pulled back the curtains, and shoved the window open to let in some fresh air. Then she rushed to the door of her bedroom and cracked it open a handspan.
Basil’s face was visible in the little space she’d opened, his brows drawn together in concern. “Are you okay?”
Hazel smoothed her hair. “Yes, of course. Absolutely okay. Perfectly fine. Never been better.” She cleared her throat. “So what’s up?”
Basil sniffed the air, then coughed and pulled back a bit. “That’s a lot of perfume.”
“Yeah, um, I dropped the bottle, spilled it all. Clumsy me.” She faked an embarrassed laugh.
“Right.” He rubbed his nose as if to get rid of the scent. “Um, so Merle called. She tried your cell, but you weren’t picking up, so she called the house. She’s coming over right now. Said she needs to talk to you, it’s important, something about Sophie Laroche. I thought I’d wake you so you could get ready.”
She sucked in a breath. “Oh. Thank you, that’s great, hon. I’ll just…get ready, then.”
Basil nodded, gave her a salute, and turned on his heel, sneezing as he walked off.
With a heavy exhale, she shut the door, then turned to the closet precisely as that door opened and Tallak stalked out, his expression just this side of murderous.
“You need to leave,” she whispered with urgency.
“I presume you’d like me to take the scenic route out your window? To complete the hide-your-lover bingo card?”
Ignoring his sarcasm, she poked her head out of the window and looked down, checking to see if the outside was scalable.
“There’s a rose trellis out here that you can climb down,” she said as she turned back to the room—to come face-to-face with a fully clothed Tallak, standing so close that his body heat warmed her through the thick fabric of her robe.
His eyes flashed fire as he leaned in until his lips almost touched hers. “Stuff me in your closet again, and I will chew up all your clothes.”
And with that, he jumped out the window. Jumped, not climbed.
Heart in her throat, Hazel rushed to look outside and just caught sight of him touching down in a crouch, his landing as smooth as any cat’s. Demon physique. She shook her head.
He sauntered off without a backward glance, his hands in his pockets, the morning sun gilding his hair, and she stifled the keen sense of loss as she watched him leave.
When Hazel went downstairs after her quick shower, Merle was already sitting at the kitchen table, her expression tight, shoulders locked as she cradled her steaming mug of tea. Basil and Isa were just finishing their coffee and said their goodbyes as soon as Hazel stepped into the room.
“Hey,” Hazel said to Merle, grabbing the coffeepot to pour herself a cup. “What’s going on?”
“Sophie can’t find the spell to transfer the responsibility for paying back to the Powers That Be from one witch to another. The only other way to get the information is from Juneau directly.” Merle raised her eyes from her tea and met Hazel’s gaze. “Sophie asked me to call her forth from the Shadows, and I need you to come with me.”
CHAPTER 25
