My Liar, My Love

“Are you going to kill me?” Jamie asked. That had never been the plan. Dead—especially if his lead turned out to be false—would bring about an avalanche of paperwork he’d never find the motivation to tackle. There would be an unnecessary number of questions and perhaps a bit of punishment he’d rather not endure. Demetrius gave a lazy shrug. “Only after we’ve had a bit of fun. Now, how do you feel about ‘my mother has someone regularly checking in with us while she’s gone; they’ll be calling any minute’?”In place of any response, Jamie felt around for the door knob. She had the wild sort of look in her eyes that told him she was set to run. In his experience, that was never a quiet affair and was often accompanied by screaming; loud…unnecessary…screaming.“Don’t,” he said. “I’d rather not on an empty stomach.”Heedless of his polite request, Jamie spun on her heels and yanked the door open. She darted through it without so much as a glance back to see that he was already on his feet

The whispers swirled around the hall faster than he could walk. Barely a half hour within the building and there were very few who didn’t know that Demetrius Finley had once again graced the mere mortals with his presence. It’d been a busy weekend of implanting documents and memories to get himself back into the school system and he now owed a few too many favours for his liking but if he planned to move forward, he would need greater access to a certain teary-eyed wonder. “Demetrius?” The boy stopped, forcing his most accommodating smile. “Haley,” he said. His eyes twinkled with a delight he didn’t truly feel. “Been a while.” His former classmate skipped to close the final distance. “It’s been years. Shit. What happened? Were the rumours true?” “Tell me what they were and I’ll let you know.” Haley spared a conspiratorial glance about the hall before leaning in to fill him in. It had barely

The 8oz carton of milk slid across the lunch table, coming to a stop inches from his hand. Demetrius looked at the box, then the hand that had nudged it closer, and finally the reddening face of the girl who’d initiated the gesture. Jamie didn’t return his gaze, instead choosing to keep her eyes downcast while she waited for him to accept it. “Here.” Demetrius took the carton, turning it over as if he meant to read the label or its nutritional facts but in truth, it was the gesture itself that stumped him. Not only had she come to share a table with him of her own volition, Jamie had brought a gift…albeit a puzzling one. When she finally lifted her eyes, she caught the question in his. “For last night,” she said stiffly, returning her gaze to the box of milk. “Huh? Oh. Oh!” He lowered the box to the table. “Don’t worry about it. I’d never let you get eaten.” She blanched at his words, the colour from earlier retre

“Daddy, can we keep them? Please?” Valerie clung to the pair of black and white cats, fixing her father with a desperate look. “Look at their little faces. I promise I’ll feed them and clean up after them. Please please please please!”Demetrius squirmed against the 8-year-old’s tightening grip, but Cassidy would not endure the abuse. She leapt from the girl’s arm, choosing instead to sit by her feet and mewl plaintively at the man standing between them and the next phase of the plan.“I dunno, Val…” he said. “You know how your mother feels about animals in the house.”“But please?” Valerie whined. “I know she won’t mind when she sees how cute they are.”“I’d still wanna talk to her about it first, sweetheart. When she gets back next week, we’ll circle back to this.”“But they could be dead

The faint scent of familiarity drew him from his slumber. Demetrius eased himself from Jamie’s outstretched arm then slipped from the bed. He thought to throw his shirt on but it was already too late; Cassidy had helped herself into the bedroom. His sister raised a brow at him, displeased by his current condition but for the moment, she didn’t comment on it. “You weren’t at school.” He nodded toward Jamie. “I needed her to sleep.” “Dem, that’s not your responsibility. Look at you.” She gestured to his bare chest. “Have you forgotten what we’re supposed to be doing? You asked me for my help and I’m willing but…what is this?” “You’re overthinking it,” he said. Demetrius reached for his shirt, slipping it on. Despite the cavalier gesture, Cassidy’s words had made him self-conscious. “She’s no use to me dead and her body’s beginning to fail.” His sister narrowed her eyes. “You’re lying.” “Drop it.” “Demetr