Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)(99)

“Connections,” I said, tensing as the whisperers circled the two of us, watching, trying to listen. My heart began to pound. “I needed to relax.”

She blinked at me, a look of disbelief displayed on her face. I should have warned her ahead of time that I’d “changed” my attitude toward drinking. I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Let’s just be careful and have fun, ’kay?”

“Fine, okay,” she shot back, still acting unsure about my out-of-character behavior. “I guess as long as you hook me up, too.”

A whisperer leaned near Veronica’s ear, and her guardian angel dived between them. I pretended not to see, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her toward the deejay booth, only to stop short. Jay was leaning down, grinning, and talking with Marna. Veronica’s eyes narrowed. This was about to turn into a hot mess. I changed direction, pointing us at the bar instead.

“No, hold up,” she said, pulling away and watching them.

The two raunchy spirits could see the dark disappointment trickling around Veronica, swirled with green envy. The demons attacked, both whispering to her at once despite her guardian angel’s efforts to stop them. My breathing went shallow as her aura darkened and the green became more vivid. Standing there, not interfering, was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.

At that moment Marna tugged Jay’s arm, as if she were trying to get him to come out of the booth, and he laughed, shaking his head and pointing to his work. She went up on her tiptoes and hollered something to Jay’s boss, who grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders, patting Jay on the back. Marna clapped at her success and grabbed Jay by the hand, leading him out to the dance floor. What were they thinking?

Veronica stared out at them, and the spirits, who were finished whispering, danced around her, further antagonizing her angel as Veronica struggled internally.

I whispered to her, “She’s just a friend of Kai’s from England. Jay met her over the summer.”

“That’s the English chick? He told me about her, back when we were just...”

“Friends,” I finished for her.

Veronica never took her eyes off the two of them as they danced closer and closer, Marna’s ample chest pressed up against his, their hips moving together. I felt dizzy and nauseous. I drained the rest of my beer and noted the time. Two beers in fourteen minutes. That wasn’t good.

I leaned in again to tell Veronica not to worry, to tell her that the twins would be gone tomorrow, but an abrasive demon voice shot through my thoughts.

“No more whispering to the girl.”

I lifted my face to the thing hovering above us. As I met its sunken, mossy eyes, my foot automatically stepped back from the malevolent stare. Even in spirit form, it appeared malnourished, with hollow cheeks and a snarling hole for a mouth. I jerked my eyes away.

“Come on, Veronica,” I said to her, gripping her elbow. “Let’s go get a drink.”

She stood her ground, continuing to stare at Jay.

“I’m going over there.” Her voice was resolute as she started forward. Then she stopped. I looked past her to the dance floor. Marna’s hands were around the back of Jay’s head, and they were kissing, right there for the world to see. He was caught in a whirl of red lust. Not. Good.

Veronica pushed away, running toward the exit near the bathrooms. My muscles itched to run after her. The proud spirits were air-prancing and high-fiving each other. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t comfort Veronica or say anything to Marna and Jay.

I knew I should work, so I looked around, hoping for inspiration. I worried the two demons were becoming bored with me as they bobbed up and down, assessing the crowd and swooping down to whisper to people. A rush of paranoia overcame me.

“Don’t worry, they’re always a bit ADHD.” I turned to the quiet speaker next to me. Ginger sipped her cocktail from a small straw, watching as Jay jogged back to the deejay booth. Marna paused at the edge of the dance floor. When she saw me, she turned the other way and disappeared into the sea of bodies.

“But they won’t forget about you for long,” Ginger assured me. “So get back to work.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I said.

She strode away with major hip action. While the spirits were distracted, I left the ballroom on speedy feet. Veronica was just coming out of the bathroom with swollen red eyes. She stopped when she saw me, and her jaw trembled. I would have guessed her to be the confrontational type in a situation like this, ready to march right up and tell both of them off. The idea of her in tears tore at my heart. I went to her, checking over my shoulder and finding no spirits in sight. I fought the urge to hug her.

“I’m not going back in there,” she said to me. “I want to go home.”

“But...” Under normal circumstances I would get us out of there right away.

Behind her, a giant-winged being soared down at us, and I sucked in a short breath. It planted its gargoyle mug inches from mine. I tried not to cringe. If they’d had real bodies, their flesh and breath would no doubt smell rancid, like death. I focused through its misty form on Veronica.

“Take my car,” I offered, disinterest in my voice. She sniffled and looked confused. “I need to stay and deal with some things here, but you can drive home and I’ll get a ride.”

The spirit, if it was possible, got even closer, and I found myself tilting my stance to lean away from it. “Why do you show concern for this girl?”