I shook my head. “He … uh … has to travel this weekend. That’s why he came to see me at brunch.” I shrugged, pasting a silly grin on my face. “Plus, you know, it’s new, and I kinda just want to …” I let my expression turn just a tiny bit lascivious. “Get to know him, just the two of us, a bit.” I waggled my eyebrows until Ezra faked gagging. “You know, I have to vet him properly before I deem him worthy of the official best friend introduction.”

Ezra clinked his teacup to mine. “Well, each to their own, I suppose. Clearly, I need your help to vet my potential love interests for me. And help me to actually talk to them, too, I guess.”

I grinned across at him, a little of the tension melting out of me. I could do this. I could keep this fake boyfriend story going while I won my soul back from SJ … and then we could have a very amicable breakup, and he would never be seen again without me having to expose Ezra to the Son of Satan even once.

Now, I just had to get serious about what I was going to do to make sure I couldn’t possibly lose my soul to SJ. Which, given I had no effing idea what he had in store for me next, was basically impossible.

17. Soul Reaping and Passive Misery

Chapter 17

Soul Reaping and Passive Misery

SJ

“Will you cease your fidgeting!” I grouched, nudging Bub with my toe.

“Sorry, Boss!” he whined. “I’m just so excited!”

“Hey, Bub!” Beezle panted. “We’re gonna reap a soul!”

“A banner day indeed.” I hoped the dryness of my tone masked my nerves as I watched from the alley across the street from The Artful Bite as the final staff filtered out.

“What did you glean from your eavesdropping?” I demanded, my hand reaching into my pocket to find the Soul Token. I rubbed it between my fingers.

“Well, he was positive that Bliss’s brother was there to buy his pictures! He told the skinny female that if it wasn’t for you, he would have been laughing all the way to the bank off that ‘stupid finance guy’.”

“Yeah, Boss, he was not happy with you! You should’ve heard him!” Bub chortled. “He was all, ‘I had a sale in the bag, until that big fucking blond cunt turned up, and everything went to shit’!”

“He was talking about you, Boss!” Beezle cackled. “You’re the big fucking blond cunt!”

I chuckled somewhat nervously.

“That human is so delulu, thinking anyone would want to buy his squiggles!” Bub added.

“Delulu?” I grunted, eyeing my Hound. Bub sat back on his haunches, scratching at an ear with his hind leg.