“Trin?” Zayne’s sleep-rough voice called out, and I spun around. He was sitting up and peering over the back of the couch. “Is everything okay?”

Two choices presented to me. Tell Zayne there’d been a spirit in his apartment, but not be able to tell him who the spirit was or why he’d been here. Or tell him nothing at all, because already having one ghost hanging out at his place was one dead person too many.

“I was waiting up for you, but I must’ve fallen asleep,” I blurted out, my mouth making up my mind for me as I deftly hid the dagger behind my thigh. “I came out to see if you were awake, and when I saw you weren’t, I got something to drink.”

“Liar,” Peanut retorted. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“I’m sorry to wake you,” I added, stepping sideways.

“It’s okay.” He dragged a hand through his hair. The moment he lowered his arm, those thick strands fell back into place. “You get something to drink?”

“Uh-huh.” I also nodded, and when Peanut didn’t comment, I glanced behind me to see that he was gone.

“You were waiting up for me?” he asked, resting his arm on the back of the couch.

“Yeah. I wanted to see how you were doing.” I stepped closer, keeping my hands behind my back. “If you were okay.”

“Always.”

“Always?” I repeated. “Dez told me that Greene was with the clan for several years. You knew him, and he’s...”

“He’s dead.” He pushed the hair back from his face again. “There’s nothing more to say.”

“There’s a lot more to say.” I felt a tinge of grief through the bond. “You knew—”

“There’s really not, Trin.” He swiped a hand down his face. “It is what it is.”

He wasn’t being dismissive or heartless. He was avoiding the loss and the pain that followed. I could understand that. “I’m sorry, Zayne. I really am.” I swallowed the knot in my throat. “I wish I could do something.”

I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I thought I saw a brief smile. “You going back to bed?”

“I guess so.”

“Really? You sound wide-awake,” he said, and boy, wasn’t that the truth. “Are you really going back to sleep, or will you lie there, staring at the ceiling?”

“Are you psychic?” I joked. Kind of.

Zayne chuckled as he turned back around. “I’m awake now. We could keep each other company. You know? Until one or both of us passes back out.”

The offer stole my breath a little, and how lame was that? I should yawn loudly and obnoxiously, but he’d just lost someone and I would do anything to make that better for him.

“Sure.” The dagger all but burned my palm. “Uh, I’ll be right back.”