“Don’t yell at me. I don’t need this shit right now either, okay?” Dragging my hands down my face, I groan. “How do we fix it?”
“I don’t know. The way the spell is worded it seems like you’ve summoned me here until the solstice.”
“Oh Goddess,” I whisper, my pulse ringing in my ears. “I can’t hide you from Laney for that long.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Her nostrils flare and the ends of her hair seem to lift of their own accord, but I know better. She’s gathering power, likely without even realizing it. I’ve seen it before with Laney. Luna’s chest rises and falls rapidly with angry breaths. Her cheeks flush pink as her eyes flash a dangerous silver, completely devoid of the wintery blue hue that caught my attention before.
“No!” I squeak. “I know you’re stuck here and that’s a terrible inconvenience and I’m sorry. I just—I just don’t know how to fix it. I’m sorry. I’m trying here, okay?”
Luna takes a deep breath, her eyes falling shut as she tries to calm herself. The power flowing through her dissipates and her hair floats down around her shoulders where it belongs. Letting out an uneasy breath, I try to remember anything I’ve learned that could help here.
“A banishing spell might work?” I pose it as a question because I’m honestly not sure.
“If it did, you’d regret it. Banishing me could prevent you from accessing moon magic for the rest of your life. Is that something you’re willing to risk?” Luna inclines her head to the side, obviously intrigued by the thought.
“I mean,” I sigh. “I did this and it’s not fair to you. I’d just have to deal with it.” A knot forms in my stomach. Moon magic is one of the few things I enjoy casting. I make a wonderful tea from moon water that helps with creative blocks.
“Interesting,” she purrs. “I’m going to bathe. The room with the toilet is the right one, yes?”
I snort, nodding as she stands up. “Make sure you test the water with your hand first, I don’t want you to get burned.”
“Why would it burn me?” Luna’s eyes go wide as if it’s the most terrifying thing she’s ever heard.
“The water is heated, if you turn it up too high it could hurt.”
“Modern convenience,” she laughs. “How interesting.”
I shake my head as I watch her practically glide out of the room and down the hallway. This should be interesting.
Luna stares at the sandwich on her plate even as I bite into my own. Ham, cheese, mayo, mustard, and the tiniest bit of hot sauce . . . it’s the best sandwich ever, but she doesn’t seem very impressed.
“Is there something wrong?” I sit my sandwich down and grab a napkin, wiping the tiny breadcrumbs from my hands. She didn’t eat dinner last night, hadn’t asked for breakfast this morning, and now it seems like she’s going to pass on lunch as well. Do Celestials not eat?
Luna bites her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving the plate before her. Her hand slides over her throat to the back of her neck. “Well,” she finally begins. “This just isn’t quite what I’m used to.”
“Do Celestials not eat?” I ask aloud this time. It’s not like I know a lot about her kind. Maybe she exists solely on moonlight. Maybe she eats magic or something, hell, I don’t know.
“No, we do. It’s just—” Luna lets out a dramatic sigh. “I mostly eat moon blossoms. I’ve never stayed in this realm long enough to eat your food before.” Her eyes rise to meet mine and I snort.
“Well, we don’t have moon blossoms. But what I heard is you’re a vegetarian and luckily for you,” I murmur as I slide the seat out from the kitchen table. “My ex-girlfriend was a vegetarian. Let me see if I can’t make you something you’d like better.”
Luna grimaces and pushes the plate away. “Thank the Great Goddess.”
I roll my eyes and turn toward the fridge, opening it to see what we have that a veggie might like. Jess ate a lot of pasta, but if Luna preferred flowers . . .
“A salad might be more up your alley,” I reason, picking through the fridge for a bag of lettuce and a few extra ingredients. Laying everything out on the sink, I pull a knife from the wooden block and begin chopping a tomato.
“That looks really—” Luna’s head snaps to the side, her attention solely on the door.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think your sister is here,” she murmurs, pushing the chair out.
“Shit,” I whisper, laying the knife down on the counter. “Okay.” I blow out a long breath and quickly toss all the ingredients into a bowl for Luna. Hopefully, the salad would be easier for her to eat. Even if she has to eat it in seclusion.
Luna holds my gaze for a moment, confusion etched across her face. “Do you want me to go back to your bedchamber?”
“What? It’s a bedroom and no,” I groan, handing her the bowl of salad. “I can’t hide you forever. She’s going to find out, unfortunately. Maybe she can help.”
“Is she trustworthy? Your sister?’
“Yeah, I’d say so. What do you mean, though?”
Luna looks cautiously toward the door and then back down at the food in her hands. I can tell something’s bothering her, but I’m not sure what. As powerful as she is, why would she be afraid of Laney? Don’t get me wrong, my sister is a total fucking bad ass and I would be afraid of her . . . but I’m also not an immortal being with insane amounts of magic at my fingertips.
“Forget it,” Luna sighs, taking the bowl to the table. I reach into the fridge and grab a bottle of dressing—French, the absolute best—and set it on the table beside her.
“This makes it tastier, at least for me.”
The door beings to creak open and an entirely new wave of panic washes through me. My eyes go wide as my pulse thrums in my eardrums. “Change of plans,” I whisper, shooing Luna toward the pantry in the back of the dining room.
“I thought you wanted me to—”
“Shh, quiet, please,” I beg as I open the door, waiting for her to step inside.
Luna narrows her eyes on me, her knuckles turning white as I step into the pantry. She opens her mouth to say something but I quickly shut the door, turning around just in time to see Laney pop out from behind the front door.
“Hey, Bug,” she calls out in a cheery voice but her face quickly changes into an expression of worry. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I step away from the door, narrowing my eyes on Beezlebub as he flies over my head to perch on it. Traitor.
“Mmmhm,” she muses as she makes her way to the dining room table. Her eyes fall to what appears to be a random bottle of French dressing. “Why didn’t you put this up when you were done eating?”
“Lazy, I guess,” I laugh nervously. I’m a better liar than this, normally. But I’m not used to having to lie to Laney.
“You’re being weird, what’s wrong?” Laney walks hesitantly into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of fizzy water from the fridge. “Did something happen?”