Will had changed, and for the better. He’d clearly got over the bad things that had happened, and he seemed…more secure, somehow. More faithful.
I liked this new Will, he was more willing to joke with me. He almost seemed like he’d…
…been hanging out with my dad.
Why hadn’t I thought to call dad? If anyone knew how to handle succubi it was him. He could…I don’t know, take her to a resort and distract her until she’d forgotten her plans completely. It would at least slow her down. “Hey. Loki.”
He was apparently not doing anything, because he stepped out of a bakery and offered me a cookie. I took it warily and bit into it.
Bacon chocolate. “I’d rather have cayenne.”
“Bacon’s good too. What’s up?”
“Succubus problem.”
“Ooh. Is she…”
“She was when I saw her. Hot, that is. But I’m sure she’s changed.”
“Oh, probably. What’s she doing?”
“Collecting Senators. Killed a woman in a mage duel.”
“Ugh. Did you have to do cleanup on that?”
“Thruor took care of it.” I wasn’t surprised that he’d reacted about the cleanup not the death. This was Loki, after all. “So…any bright ideas?”
“I assume Will’s working up an exorcism.”
I nodded. “If possible. She’s pretty powerful, too.”
“And hot.” He tapped the side of his nose. “Are you implying?”
I thought about the fact that this should be rather awkward and somehow wasn’t, which probably just meant I’d hung out with him too much. “Maybe.”
“Kanesha would be jealous if you did it.”
I shuddered. “After Tyz’vel, no thanks. I’m off demons for…”
“For a century or so?” he teased.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’m more like my mother in that regard.”
“Ah yes, a one lover at a time kind of girl.” He grinned again. “Don’t worry. I’ll see if I can slow her down. Collecting Senators sounds like fun, though.”
Oh great. “I didn’t mean to give you ideas.”
He shrugged. “Difference is that I wouldn’t do anything with them once I had them. I’m strictly catch and release.”
I covered my mouth with my hands. “If you weren’t my dad…”
“What?”
“As you are, I can’t really say I want you to go seduce her right back.”
“You want me to go seduce her right back.”
I grinned. “Besides, I can’t tell you what to do.”
He tapped the side of his nose again. “Damn straight.”
“Straight is one thing neither of us is.”
He actually let me have that as the last word, twirling away and somehow producing a cane from somewhere as I munched on the bacon cookie.
Which was quite good.