CHAPTER#123

"Why do I feel like you're punishing me for something I didn't do?" Mike pulled open the kitchen drawer and pushed aside the scissors and the keys. His fingers closed on the little jewelry box.

"What can I say? I have trust issues."

"Obviously. Here. I bought this for you." He held out the jewelry box. Lily recoiled from him.

"What is it?"

"A rosary. I figured it's about time you found Jesus." He laughed at the look on her face. "It isn't a rosary. I saw it online and thought of you, so I bought it. Almost forgot I had it."

"What do you want in return?"

"Nothing." Mike shrugged. "I mean, if you don't like it, I can take it back. Like I said, made me think of you."

Lily took the box, a dubious look on her face. She opened it, her eyes growing wide. "Where did you get this?"

"Ebay. May I?" He pulled the necklace out of the box. It was a red agate stone set in silver with islamic lettering around the sides. "The red made me think of your hair. And your eyes. And your attitude, if I'm being honest." She held her hair up so he could fasten the clasp behind her neck. "I kind of figured it could be a peace offering. I felt like the last time we saw each other didn't end as well as I would have liked it to. This place is still your home if you decide to stay. I want you to believe that."

Lily held up the pendant. Her eyes looked through it, focused on something he couldn't see. Several seconds passed, and the hint of a tear appeared in her eyes.

He was about to say something when she suddenly disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, the stink of sulfur filling the room. He coughed, waving a hand in front of his face. The odor was bad enough that he set his beer down, a bad taste in his mouth.

"Demons," he muttered. He left the beer behind and went out to the front yard to see how he could help.

…

"Ugh." Mike held up a hand to shut out the sun's light. It had been a late night trying to lay down all the new sod in the front yard. The lightning blasts and storm had killed off most of it, and only a few of the shrubs had survived. The delivery had showed up six hours late, and Mike and the others had to hastily unroll the sod beneath a scorching afternoon sun. Tink had crawled into bed with dirt on her hands and feet, her goggles pulled down over her neck. Mike had fallen asleep in his shirt, his back sore from hauling sod.

"Rise and shine, lover." Naia called out from the bath. "Sofia said to tell you that breakfast is ready, and if you don't come down soon, there won't be any left."

"Mergh." He slid out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

"You're filthy," Naia declared, standing on the surface of the water in the tub.

"Yeah. I was so tired." He stretched, his joints cracking. A yawn slipped out of him. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Remodel of the garage. Zel hates the current setup, but she hasn't said anything to you yet. I think Tink used your computer to order the parts already."

"Sounds good." It had been over a week since he had chased the Society away, and he had spent those days fixing the mess they had made. He pulled off all his clothes and tossed them in the hamper. "Anything else?"

"It's the big day." Naia helped him into the tub so he wouldn't slip. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Beth will be here any minute to make it final."

"Excellent." He closed his eyes, and felt the water in the tub surge around him. It took only a few seconds, the powerful vortex of water scrubbing his skin clean. The water fell back down with a splash, and Naia lathered his hair with shampoo. "I'm hoping things slow down soon. I feel like things have been a little hectic."

"At least nobody is trying to kill you today." She pressed herself against him again, her breasts squishing against him. The water vortex worked its magic, and Mike opened his eyes. Naia gave him a kiss on the nose.

"Thanks," he told her and got out of the tub. The water on his skin stayed behind, and he was instantly dry. He put on some clean clothes and left his room, closing the door behind him. The smell of fresh food made his mouth water, and he jogged quietly down the stairs, ducking at the bottom to avoid the sudden swirl of fairy lights over his head. As far as he could tell, Blue had run off with a piece of bacon, and Red and Green had given chase.

"It's about time." Sofia said, then set an extra plate on the table. She wore an apron over her gown. "I figured you were going to sleep through breakfast." Tink was already at the table, his laptop just to the left of her plate. She opened her mouth wide to shove in syrup covered waffles.

"Do I smell bacon?" he asked.

"Blue took the last piece. She was the early bird, she got the worm." Sofia handed him a cup of coffee. "You'll have to settle for sausage and toast."

"I feel so punished." He smiled at her, but she didn't return it. He took a sip of the coffee. "Tastes good."

"Of course it does." She rolled her eye. "Everything I make tastes great."

"I think you taste great." He reached around her and gave her ass a pinch. Her cheeks turned red. "Even if you are a little sour at first."

Sofia stayed quiet, but he saw the slight smile

on her lips just as he looked away. "Today's the big day Tink. Are we ready?"