Lukas doesn’t laugh like I expected him to. Instead, he just shrugs, his expression strategically neutral.
“I can think of worse fates than being locked in a cell with you.” He says with a straight face, his tone entirely too calm. I refuse to groan or give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He’s just trying to get a rise out of me.
“That’s the general idea, yes.” He responds smoothly, as though he’s reading my thoughts again. Wait. He IS reading my thoughts again. I realise his hand is resting on the bed beside my ankle, his finger lightly brushing against me. My eyes narrow, and I instinctively pull my leg away. So much for his whole I can’t help it excuse. He might claim he doesn’t have control over hearing people’s thoughts, but it’s not like he puts in any serious effort to avoid it either.
“You know, if you spend much more time in my mind, I’m going to have to start charging you rent.” I snap at him. Lukas just shrugs, as infuriatingly relaxed as ever.
“It’s only fair. You’re on my mind all the time.” He answers immediately, like he’s got the line locked and loaded. I let out a heavy sigh, unwilling to even entertain his response. I kind of walked into that one. But that corny line does not make up for his blatant disregard for my privacy. I knew I disliked him, well, at least I thought I did, even if he’s SOMEHOW managed to trick me into thinking he might not be so bad. It’s probably just because I’ve saved his ass… What, three times now? I feel oddly responsible for him. That’s all. It’s not like I actually like him or anything. He’s insincere, rude to just about everyone and weirdly against anything colourful or interesting. I bet his house is decorated in greyscale. I saved him because I’M a good person. Not because he is. Besides, I don’t have to like a guy to know that it’s definitely not okay to sell him to a demon.
“You know.” Lukas interrupts my thoughts again, his tone mild and completely unbothered. “Flirting with you would be a lot easier if you would just cooperate.” He comments casually. I shoot him a sharp glare, my patience wearing thin.
“Why in the world would I do that?” I demand.
“Aww, come on.” Lukas says, giving me wide puppy dog eyes that remind me of how Roxy looked when he was missing.
“Life is short, flirt with me!” He holds his sappy expression for a moment, then breaks out into a smile. His grin is wide and playful, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. Of course. That pretty much confirms what I already suspected. He’s flirting with me because he’s bored and wants to mess with me. There’s no way he’s serious. He just throws out these lame lines because he doesn’t have anything genuine to say.
It’s fairly late at this point, but we manage to find a pizza place that delivers this late at night. Normally, I’d drive to pick it up myself, but considering my car is now a pile of charred metal, that’s obviously not an option. Ugh. Tomorrow, I’ll have to start the insurance claim process. That’s going to be a nightmare, especially since I’m feeling completely drained and will probably stay this way for the next few days. I briefly consider asking Eli to write up some sort of police report about a freak accident, something to make the whole process go smoothly with the insurance company. I sigh heavily at the thought. Awesome, I’m now contemplating insurance fraud. When the pizza arrives, I groan as I force myself out of bed. I’d have happily eaten it right here, but Lukas insists that it’s gross to eat in bed. I don’t have the energy to argue, and the smell of melted cheese is motivation enough to drag myself across the house to the couch. Collapsing onto the cushions, I watch as Lukas sets the pizza box on my coffee table. It’s then that I notice how odd it is that he’s walking around barefoot. Not wearing shoes is something you do when you’re completely comfortable in someone’s house, not when you’ve only known them for a few days. Then again, I didn’t bring his shoes when I rescued him, so they’re probably still back at the hotel. It strikes me how bizarre this situation is. We spent all that time shopping for him, getting him a hotel, and setting everything up, yet here he is, back at my place, no car, no clothes, no plan, and crashing on my couch again.
“So, I guess you’re staying here tonight?” I say with a sigh, expecting some quip in response. Instead, there’s silence.
“Lukas?” I call, glancing over at him. He’s just sitting there, staring into space. Completely zoned out. I reach over and prod his shoulder. He jumps, startled.
“Huh?” He mumbles, his focus snapping back.
“I asked if you’re crashing here. At least for tonight.” I repeat, a little slower this time.
“Oh, right. Yes, if you’ll allow it.” He says, nodding distractedly. But even as he answers, his gaze drifts again, and he still doesn’t seem fully present.
“Lukas… Is something wrong?” I ask, trying to keep my tone light.
“Other than the obvious stuff, I mean. You’re distracted, you’re not eating, even though you were the one who insisted we needed food.” I point out.
“Actually, I said that you need food.” He corrects automatically.
“A technicality”. I counter, rolling my eyes.
“Seriously, what’s going on? If I were acting like this, you’d probably already have snooped in my head to find out what’s wrong!” I accuse.
“I would not.” Lukas argues, but his tone lacks conviction.
I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow.
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure you would. Admit it.” I insist. He sighs, deflating a little.
“Okay, maybe I would. But only because I’d be worried.” He concedes.
“Exactly. So spill.” I demand. Lukas hesitates, his jaw tightening. For a moment, I think he’s going to deflect again, but then he finally speaks.
“Remember during your… Daring rescue, when I stopped to check on my father?” He begins cautiously. I nod, staying quiet so I don’t interrupt.
“Well… I think I figured out why my mother got involved with Solem.” He says, his voice heavy. He pauses, running a hand through his hair.
“She said my father was sick, and she needed Solem’s help. That’s why I wanted to check on him before leaving. But… Clare there was nothing there. No thoughts of his own. Nothing left of him at all. I… I think he might be dead.” Lukas admits. There’s nothing I can say to fix this. No words to make it better. So, instead of speaking, I scoot closer to him on the couch. Slowly, I wrap my arms around him and pull him into a hug. For a moment, Lukas freezes, like he’s not sure how to respond, then he hugs me back awkwardly, like he can’t quite remember how hugs work. We sit there in silence and let the pizza go cold.