Only You (The Mephisto Covenant Series) by Stephanie Feagan Page B

rarely serious about anything at all, broke it in a passionate rage.
    With fury in his black eyes, he looked up from the crack and spat at me before he disappeared from the war room.
    “Damn,” Zee murmured, “shit just got real.”
    I took a heavy breath and said to all of them, “It’s best if I leave, at least for now. I’ll figure things out, and she can be here and get to know Jordan again without any more drama.” I said to Sasha, “I’m sorry,” because she knew what this meant. She understood like they didn’t. Mariah was my responsibility, and I was abandoning her. Until Jordan came to be with us permanently, it would be up to Sasha to walk Mariah through the minefield that was our lives.
    At her nod, I left.
     
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
    ~~ Mariah ~~
    Olga meowed.
    I jerked awake, then lay utterly still, eyes squeezed shut while my mind took me away from what was about to happen. I waited on the braided rug by the fire and listened to the wind at the windows and said little girl prayers and, in the part of my mind that could never entirely leave, I prayed he’d be too drunk.
    I came awake more fully and remembered he was dead and wanted to weep with relief. But Olga had meowed. Someone was here.
    Opening one eye a tiny bit, I remembered where I was. I lifted my head and saw Mathilda sitting by the fire, reading a book. A bottle of Tylenol sat on the desk, alongside a glass of water. And leaning against the wall next to the door was Phoenix – the reason for Olga’s meow. He was dressed as Kyros had been, in black leather pants with heavy black boots and a long, black leather trench coat. I wondered what it was that they did. I would ask Viorica.
    Thinking of seeing her, my anticipation returned and I wished I had something nicer to wear. For all that I was insulted by what Phoenix said, he was spot on with his critique. My clothes were fine for pub work, but inappropriate for anywhere else. If I could go to my apartment, I would change into a sweater and my jeans.
    He pushed off the wall to stand straight. “I’m here to apologize, Mariah.”
    I wondered if Sasha and his brothers made him do this, although he did actually sound sincere, so maybe not. I closed my eyes and stroked Olga’s soft fur. “Apology accepted.”
    He didn’t leave. I could still feel him watching me.
    After a while, he said, “How long will you stay?”
    “A week.”
    “I’ll be gone, so I won’t see you again.”
    “Okay.”
    He still didn’t leave. I opened my eyes and looked across the room at him. He stared at me with a contradictory expression of anger and need. “Was there something else?”
    “No, I . . . no.”
    “Well, goodbye then.”
    “I really am sorry, Mariah. Whatever my problems are, it’s grossly unfair to make you suffer for them.”
    I wondered what his problems were, then decided I didn’t care. I would never see him again. “Everyone has problems, and sometimes they bleed over onto others. It’s okay, Phoenix. Let’s just forget it.”
    Still, he didn’t leave. I rolled to my back and sat up, disturbing Olga, who jumped to the floor and went straight to Phoenix. She purred loudly, butting her head against his boot. When he reached down to pick her up, I knew he wasn’t going to leave right away. I was cursing this fact when he looked at me again, only this time, there was no anger, no hatred. Instead, all I saw was yearning. Not sexual, exactly, although there was that, but more a plea, a want of some kind. Mesmerized, puzzled, and improbably sad, I couldn’t look away.
    Mathilda continued reading, and maybe she was listening, maybe she wasn’t, but I had a feeling she knew every tiny detail of what went on in this house, so there was no point worrying about her presence. I asked Phoenix, “What is it about me? Do I remind you of someone?”
    “Yes.”
    “Was she friend or enemy?”
    “Friend.” He continued petting Olga, who continued to purr.
    The room was darker than before, only