Ruby: A Reverse Harem Romance (Jewels Cafe Book 6), page 11
He was letting me keep his soul. He was sharing Ruby. I had a soul and a soulmate and a best friend. Two best friends. I felt like I was on top of the world. That feeling lasted all night. It lasted all morning, as the guys and I got up early, energized because Migs said he’d looked online and found a new hip consignment shop that was just opening up. So, we got dressed—the guys bundled up against the early morning chill, but I wore a grey suit I knew drove the women mad. I was celebrating, and demons ran hot anyway. And I wanted Ruby’s eyes to devour me like they had yesterday at the coffee shop.
We detoured to see if the owner, a very sweet woman in her forties, (who seemed tickled to have the attention of a trio of guys in their twenties) might let us look at her start up merchandise for some intense comicon costumes.
“Sure, sweetie,” she’d pinched Bar’s cheek and he’d just smiled in return.
After five minutes, I spotted a purple scarf that I was pretty certain Holly had described as one of Maddie’s favorites. I picked it up and my fingers tingled. It was hers. Somehow, I just fucking knew. That wasn’t even supposed to be one of my powers. But I knew. I petted the soft yarn infinity scarf. No fucking way. What were the chances of finding it? It was like I was on a roll. Good thing after fucking good thing! Fuck yes!
I almost looked up at the sky and said thanks, but I was afraid I’d immediately be engulfed in flames. And then we’d lose the scarf and I wouldn’t get to see the smile stretch across Ruby’s face.
It took all my self-control to calmly hand over ten bucks and walk the fuck outta that place without major Madden touchdown-style celebrations. Bar and Migs whooped when we got outside. Bar tucked the scarf into the pocket of his big down coat for me.
When we reached an empty street I said, “Fuck yeah! Look at us! Good boyfriends!” And I’d never admit it to the guys, but that word boyfriend was a word I’d never used before. And it lit me up inside like a damned firecracker. I was all sparkly-happy and shit.
When we passed Vee, the local nightclub, one of the brawny bartenders was shooing a puppy out the door. The small, white and gold little aussiedoodle whined as Finn, a vamp, nodded to us and used his foot to block the pup from scrambling back through the door. He pulled up the hood of his black hoodie as the sun started to peek over the buildings.
He growled down at the dog. “I said no, mutt! I don’t know how you got in here, but you can’t stay. Unsanitary hairy bastard.”
Bar, the softie, immediately charged forward and scooped up the little dog. “Finn, you got an empty crate or something? I’ll take this little guy off your hands.”
The bartender grumbled.
Migs wasn’t much better. “Dude, that thing could have fleas.”
“Girls love puppies,” Bar protested.
I crossed my arms over my chest. Ruby was not a normal girl. In a fucking good way. “Did you forget our girlfriend owns a shoe store? What the fuck do puppies love to chew more than bones? Shoes!”
Bar pouted. “Fine. He won’t be for Ruby. We’ll give him to Holly.” He bent down and ruffled the pup’s ears. “Right, Dumbledore? You’ll be a good boy for Holly.”
Migs shook his head as Finn tossed a crate at Bar, who turned and let the crate hit his side as he bodily protected the puppy.
Migs walked over and picked up the crate, setting it upright and holding it while Bar placed the little dog gently inside. “Bar, you can’t name the dog you’re gonna give to someone else.”
Bar shrugged as he picked up the crate and got a faceful of yippy, jumping puppy nips. Then he carried it as we made our way over to Jewels Cafe. He waited outside while Migs grabbed coffee and I ran around town trying to hit quotas before I spent the entire day with my crew again. I knew my boss was pissed, so I at least had to do the minimum.
Everything was going so good for me, that I had to do whatever I could to hold off the bad.
But when I walked back around the corner twenty minutes later, everything that could have gone wrong had.
Ruby was on the sidewalk, dressed in a form-fitting white sweater dress, white tights and little furry booties. Holly stood next to her in a VSCO girl outfit, an oversized hoodie and seashell necklace. John—back in his choir robes—was next to the girls on the sidewalk facing Migs and Bar. For some reason, it looked like they were facing off.
The puppy ran amok, darting around Bar’s feet, purple yarn trailing from his mouth.
Shit.
I ran forward. But the red-veined rage in John’s face and the white cast of Ruby’s cheeks said it all.
Something bad had happened.
We were fucked.
Chapter 13
Ruby
“I told you this morning they were sabotaging your miracle!” John thundered next to me, pointing an accusing finger at Bar and Miguel. “Here’s the proof! They sent me off with wild accusations of angelic abuse. But those weren’t even angels! Those were humans playing dress up! And now, look. Last night they took you to the wrong shop. This morning, they went to the right shop and destroyed the only bit of Maddie’s clothing they could find!” John pointed at the bit of purple yarn trailing across the sidewalk from the mouth of a tiny white and gold puppy.
His yelling caused the little dog to yip and hide behind Bar’s legs. It caused a few people at the bakery across the street to come outside and stare at us. I could tell it wasn’t an admiring kind of stare.
Bar scooped up the dog and cuddled it, saying, “It was an accident. Dumbledore just got carried away.”
“More lies!” John thundered. “The demon must have told you we needed clothing for a séance. And you deliberately destroyed it!”
I swallowed hard, insecurity bubbling up in my stomach as my eyes flitted from Migs to Bar. “Is that true?” Even asking that felt like I was cutting myself open. Did demons know about séances? Did Parker tell them to do this? I wondered.
Migs shook his head. “No. Ruby. You know we wouldn’t. We didn’t know anything about that. We just know what you said. You wanted to find Maddie’s stuff for Holly. That’s it.” Migs stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket as the wind blew harder. But Harmony’s Guide said liars hid their hands. Was he cold? Or was he lying?
Parker ran up to stand beside the guys, looking heartbreakingly handsome with his wind-tossed hair and grey suit.
But my brother pointed an accusing finger at him and said, “This one! This demon! I bet you he’s working on a promotion! Wants to look good, dragging an angel down to the depths. He heard you had two strikes and thought, ‘Easy pickings.’”
“Wait, demons are real?” Holly asked.
John had accidentally sprung the whole angel thing on her this morning, when she’d come into the store and he’d materialized out of thin air. At first, she’d screamed and thrown things at him, nearly ruining a beautiful pair of cauliflower-colored slides. But then she’d listened. And I think she believed. Or wanted to anyway. Because she wanted heaven for her sister.
Holly had been devastated to learn Maddie was a ghost.
Holly’s eyes were wide with fear when I turned from the argument to look at her.
“There are demons?” she repeated.
I nodded and grabbed her hand to reassure her. “Yes. But Parker’s only a minor tech demon—”
“So he says!” John barked. “But demons lie!”
A human with long blonde hair stepped out of Jewels Cafe. He wore an apron, so I assumed he worked there. He walked over to us and said, “Can you take this somewhere else? You’re scaring off all our customers!”
John held up his hands, indicating he meant no harm. “We’ll leave.”
The cafe owner nodded and went back inside.
My brother put an arm around my shoulders and started to bodily turn me.
I resisted, dropping Holly’s hand, stepping away from John, and studying the faces of the men I’d thought were my soulmates. Bar looked devastated, his dark brown eyes wide and brow furrowed. Migs looked shocked, or maybe lost, like he couldn’t quite understand. Part of me wanted to go to him and hold his hand like he’d done for me yesterday. But the other part of me doubted, felt insecure. I had a bit of Mig’s soul. So I was connected to them. But so did Parker. And he’d been there first.
Was he more evil than I’d recognized? Was I that bad of an angel? Was I that gullible?
I’d been dancing this morning, after the fun we’d had last night. It had been like war only without the real fear. Without the consequences. I’d been happy dancing so hard I hadn’t even complained when I stubbed my toe. That’s how magnificent it had felt to think I had soulmates.
But staring at the dark expression that came over Parker’s face after John’s accusation was like staring at that shit demon that had nearly smothered me in 93-93-91, the number planet. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like the air was putrid and foul and tainted. That day, with the shit demon trying to fill my mouth, I’d felt sure I was going to be given a Science Award for my death—awards for those angels who died the most embarrassingly awful deaths. Today, I felt like I might end up being the first angel to receive that award without dying. “Here is Ruby. The idiot who was foolish enough to fall for a soulmate trick from two humans and a demon, even though she knew humans don’t believe in love. Even though she knew one of the guys was a demon. Don’t be like Ruby.” I’d be a nighttime story for little angels as they were put to bed, a warning about everything not to do. Anger rushed through me like lava and I felt so glad that I hadn’t mated with them last night. So glad my humiliation wasn’t complete in every way.
I glared at the guys and said, “Just go!”
Bar hid his face in the dog’s fur.
Mig’s took a step toward me. “Corazón, you can’t be serious. We’d never—”
Parker stopped him. “It’s better if we do what she wants.”
My temper flared. He wasn’t even going to deny it? He wasn’t even going to argue?
Migs and I took a step forward at the same time, our mouths running wild.
“Cerra el orto pelotudo de mierda,” Miguel spat at Parker.
At the same time, I said, “You aren’t even going to fight? You’re not gonna defend yourself?”
Parker said softly, “There’s no defending what I am.”
There was silence for a moment.
John tugged on my shoulder again.
“You guys are cocksuckers, you know that?” Holly flipped them off.
Bar walked forward and pushed the tiny dog into Holly’s hands. “Here. In our attempts to sabotage everything and do evil we got him for you. I named him Dumbledore. But you can pick whatever.”
The little furball licked Holly on the face. She bit down on a smile and pulled a little bit of purple yarn out of the dog’s mouth.
“It’s okay to like the dog,” I told her.
She hugged the dog a little closer. “This doesn’t make you guys less assholey,” she warned.
Bar nodded.
Holly clung to the little piece of yarn and the dog as I put an arm around her and turned away from my soulmates.
I tried to ignore the stupid human emotions that tugged at me, screamed at me, lit themselves on fire.
I didn’t have time for emotions.
I had miracles I needed to make happen.
Chapter 14
Barrister
I wanted to die.
We went home, silent and somber, as the sun rose higher in the cloudless sky and the day turned warm and chipper. I glared up at the sun as Migs unlocked the door to our place. Stupid ass sun, it should be ashamed to be out today. The shadows of our apartment felt more right. None of us bothered to turn on the lights as we tromped in.
Parker went right to the liquor cabinet.
Migs—being responsible—sat on a kitchen stool and set up a recording for our shop phone saying we were closed today for a family emergency.
Family emergency, more like implosion.
I marched past both those fuckers to the bathroom. I yanked off my stupid, over-sized coat with the stupid under-sized pockets that had let that stupid dog ruin every damned thing about my life.
I yanked open the medicine cabinet on the back of the mirror.
I took three fucking Benadryl to knock me out and slurped them down with water.
I abandoned my coat on the bathroom floor and shuffled down the hall to my bedroom, trying not to think at all. I just needed to pretend yesterday never existed.
If I forgot yesterday, forgot her, then everything would be alright.
If I forgot the most perfect woman who’d ever existed, the most beautiful, sweet, innocent … If I forgot …
I locked my door and collapsed on my bed, ignoring Migs and Parkers’ requests to talk.
I didn’t want to talk.
I didn’t want to feel.
I didn’t want to exist.
Thank God someone for fucking Benadryl because I p …a…s…s…e…d… o…u…t.
Chapter 15
Ruby
Five hours into our séance, a séance attempted with a tiny piece of purple yarn on the floor of the backroom of my shop, we hadn’t seen Maddie once. Not so much as a semi-transparent nipple. I stood and rubbed my aching back, trying to walk out the stiffness in my joints. I tripped and nearly faceplanted on the rough concrete. We’d left the lights off since we’d been trying to summon midday. And I’d thought the light from the high, narrow windows in my backroom was more than enough for simple walking. Apparently not.
For a second, I wished that Parker was here to catch me. Until I remembered he was a lying asshole of a demon who’d convinced two humans to trick me.
“Should have had that stupid boob reduction,” I muttered as I paced back and forth through the stock room. Because apparently, without them here, my balance problems were back.
“What was that?” my brother asked.
“Nothing.” I waved him off. I didn’t need him going on any further. He’d lectured me enough on the walk back here.
What I needed to do was focus. I could walk right down to the graveyard and see the ghosts no problem. But Holly was human. She could see supernaturals now that she knew about the supe world. But ghosts? Human eyes still couldn’t detect them without a séance.
And ours wasn’t working.
At first, Holly had laughed at me. John had chuckled.
Because I was a screw up and everybody knew it. Last year, I’d tried to reunite a man with his ex-wife only to walk in on her marriage to someone else. That’s how much I sucked at miracle-making. At understanding love.
The faces of the guys popped into my head and I tried to shove them away. But stupid tears came anyway.
I swiped them away before Holly noticed. I smiled as she took the little dog outside for a potty break.
As soon as she left, it felt like I could drop the facade of hope and cheer. I turned desperately to John. “Why isn’t it working?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“We’ve followed your manual exactly,” I pointed to the scroll that unfurled across the floor. Next to it was a cross. Three candles flickered dumbly in the light of midday. It was noon. And nothing was working. “I can’t mess this up, John. It’s my last shot,” I rasped as tears clogged my throat.
“I know that!” John said, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. “I’m gonna run upstairs real quick to check—”
“No!” I cried.
But it was too late. My brother shrank into a ball of light and popped out of existence.
Holly came back just as I was gathering up John’s robe.
“What the hell happened?” she looked at the clothes in my hands.
“John ran to heaven to check on the protocol.” I swallowed hard.
Admitting my incompetence was hard. Watching Holly’s face distort as she registered what I was saying was even harder.
Her expression went from disbelieving to harsh. “You mean you haven’t done this before?” She gave a laugh. But not a funny one. She squeezed her dog until it yipped, and then she let it down. It ran off through the shelves, eager to get away from her anger.
“This is pointless!” Holly shook her head. She sat back down on one of the folding chairs we’d dragged over to our circle. She leaned forward, hugging her arms to herself. “We’re just wasting our time.”
Alarm pierced me. “Please … don’t say that.”
Holly started to cry softly. “I’m never gonna see her again. She’s gone and this is pointless.” Her mascara turned her tears into black little raindrops that stained her skin like sin stains a soul. Her aura darkened. “This whole fucking thing is so fucked up. Life is pointless.”
I wanted to approach her. I wanted to hug her. But I didn’t. Because she was angry. And if I’d learned anything from my own human body, it was that anger demanded space. It deserved to be respected. Because it came from a place of truth. Even if it was wrong. Truth and right weren’t always the same thing. But I realized they both deserved respect. Holly’s truth was fury.
Hell, it was my truth, wasn’t it? I was furious with Parker and Bar and Migs. And I didn’t need a hug so I could tamp down on my anger and pretend everything was okay, pretend it didn’t exist. I hurt. I felt like a fool for letting them trick me.
I wondered if Holly thought the same of me. Fear set in and I leaned forward. “I want you to know, I am trying my hardest. I’m so sorry you got a defective angel. I wish you hadn’t. You deserve a better angel.”
And she did. If God had sent someone else, this would have been so much easier. So much better. I couldn’t help but kick myself for agreeing to Maddie’s request. I should have sent it off to Gunther and let him assign someone else. I should have stopped the first day—
Holly’s words interrupted me as she stood and shoved aside her chair. “A better angel? I don’t even know if there’s a God. If there was, He wouldn’t let shit go down like this. There wouldn’t be bullshit accidents, choking on grapes. Guys wouldn’t be assholes.” She kicked over a shoe box.
