That left so many of their ghosts restless. They were human, and that made them crave a human kind of justice. I couldn’t let this woman go without that, too. Her ghost might not be here, but I could help her find the kind of end that she might want.
I shook my head. “Both of you have other priorities now. You have mates. I’m sure you’re thinking about starting families and all that.”
Vi gaped at my suggestion, but it was Ness who fidgeted nervously. She tucked a piece of hair that wasn’t there behind her ear, likely because she needed an excuse to move. We’d known her so long that we knew what she was thinking, even if she was trying to hide it.
“You’re pregnant?” Vi shouted.
Other patrons lifted their heads, all their attention now on us.
Ness quickly hushed Vi. “No! No. It’s just that…we’re trying.”
That was even more reason to keep this problem off Ness’s plate. She and Ryder deserved happiness after all they’d gone through.
Ness grimaced. “We’re worried that the number of times I’ve died might be a problem.”
It’d happened twice now. Once before we’d met her, and more recently when Ryder had to go through Ness in order to kill Alvin. Death refused to take Ness. It kept shoving her back into the world of the living as if she had a duty that she could not escape.
Vi gave a half-shrug. “Ask Cerri to make you some sort of fertility potion.”
I nodded in agreement, though I was startled with how easily we’d switched topics. This was nothing new for us. We all walked a fine line between danger and normalcy. None of us had ever known a moment of peace. We simply had to find the sparks of life in the brief moments we had available.
Ness’s shoulders didn’t relax until I told her that she was, for all intents and purposes, still very much living. Though she had died, she wasn’t undead. I would know if she was.
I waited for Vi to give me a suspicious glare, since I’d never quite explained my arcana to her. Instead, she wore a knowing look that unnerved me more than I wanted to admit. Vi had a touch of the divine in her since her father was Lucifer himself. It made me wonder what kind of information she had access to.
There wasn’t time to ask. I set about making two coffees, one for myself and another for Maddox. I’d left him waiting long enough. By the time I returned, he was very clearly disgruntled. His upper lip curled with disdain at the sight of me.
I stifled the urge to console him. Though I lived in the cool grasp of death, that didn’t make me an ice-queen. If anything, I craved warmth and the ability to spread it around. I wasn’t sure Maddox would appreciate the gesture, though.
He seemed cold and removed. Any hint at emotion made him pull back. I wanted to crack him open and let out everything that he kept in, but that wasn’t my place. His business was his own.
“It’s about time,” he grumbled when I set his coffee in front of him.
I nearly snatched it back. The only reason I didn’t was out of fear of burning myself.
“Excuse me,” I said. “That’s a free coffee. You could be a little more grateful. Or are you used to having donut shops kiss your boots just because you’re a cop?”
He narrowed his eyes and glared up at me, but I noticed the slight lift at the corner of his mouth. Oh, I got it. He wanted someone to take his frustration out on. This was a verbal sparring match, and he would give as good as he got.
But I wasn’t going to take part. At least, not in the way he expected. I pulled out a chair for myself and sat in preparation for the rug-pull I was about to perform.
“So, how does it feel to be nothing more than a small human in a world of supernatural beings?”
Maddox’s hint of a smile disappeared completely. He looked away from me while his jaw tightened. For a breath, I felt bad. Then, Maddox had to go and open his mouth again.
“I could ask you the same thing. I’m guessing you’re not that powerful in comparison to some of the things out there. You didn’t do anything to protect yourself last night. If all you can do is see ghosts, then you’re in the same boat as me.”
I pressed my lips together. Maddox didn’t need to know what I could do. That was best left unspoken. The others treated me the same way. They left me out of their trials. No one came to me for help because they were afraid their troubles would get me hurt.
And, in a way, I was grateful. Ever since I’d helped Ness find Alvin’s victims, I’d learned to keep my power to myself. The others didn’t need me.
No one did.
I jumped off that train of thought and shook myself. Maddox grinned, perhaps thinking that his comment had worked. I didn’t roll my eyes, but I really should have.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
He opened his mouth, then shut it again. He took a long moment to contemplate the real reason behind his visit. I was sure that it wasn’t because he missed me. He had another ulterior motive, but my boss and friends had distracted him.