“Fair or not, it’s how feelings work. I wouldn’t care if she sipped on a single straw with Brynna during lunch or licked chocolate sauce from between Brynna’s fingertips … or shared a single shower stall with her and LaShonda after PE class—in fact, I’ve had that fantasy a few times. But if Kody ever held hands with Caleb or kissed his cheek, I’d go Liu-Kang-Mortal-Kombat all over his giant, hairy ass.”

He narrowed his gaze on her. “As the queen of jealousy, you are well aware of how this works, so don’t play all innocent with me like you don’t know.”

“She should trust you.”

Yeah, right. “This isn’t a matter of trust and you know that. It’s a matter of respect. Kody trusts me and I trust her because we respect each other’s feelings when we’re together and apart, and we don’t play those games with each other’s emotions. I don’t try to make her jealous and she doesn’t do that to me. We don’t have to. So I’m sorry that you feel like you’re second place, but you’re not my girlfriend and you’re a little handsy with my body’s no-zones whenever you’re near me, so I do, and will always, maintain three car lengths’ distance between us at all times.”

And then she did what she always did whenever she was near him. She walked into his personal space and put her hand on his chest before she trailed her hand lower. “You and I could have a good time together, Nick. If you’d let us.”

He pulled her hand away as it neared the waistband of his jeans. “I don’t think of you like that.”

“You could.”

And that was the problem. “Yeah, and I don’t want to be that guy. It’s just a short jump from that to wearing obscene Mardi Gras beads and hanging out on Bourbon Street and sexually harassing women who’d rather switch teams than look at me. No offense, I don’t want to be the poster boy for why women should consider swearing off men altogether, for eternity. I’d rather be a stand-up guy who speaks well for my gender rather than a two-timing mandork.”

She scoffed at him and raked a sneer over his body that would have shriveled the gender of anyone who possessed lesser conviction. “You are a Malachai! Why don’t you ever act like one!” She shoved him. Hard.

Furious at her unwarranted attack, Nick tripped and hit the ground.

Livia unleashed her wings and took her demon form. Her breathing ragged, she stood over his body, glaring down at him. “You’re pathetic! Weak! Disgusting! You have all the power of the universe to take what you want and you never use it! What is wrong with you?”