Accidentally Demonic (42 page)

Nina laughed, leaning into Greg’s chest. “You get funnier and funnier, Arch. Must be all that hanging out with Wanda you do.”

“Hey!” Wanda piped up, holding Heath’s hand and smiling. “I have to have a sense of humor with the both of you. God was seriously snarking me when
He
saddled me with you and Marty for eternity.”

Casey giggled, sending a warm smile Wanda’s way. They’d made up for lost time since her “accident.” She’d gone on shopping trips to the designer outlet mall with the girls and her sister, eaten at Hogan’s Diner, and at least twice a month, you could find the four women harassing some poor waiter at the House of Hwang on karaoke night. Casey made the effort to reenter Wanda’s life instead of hiding in shame with the blanket of her mistakes covering her. In fact, Casey’d even offered to volunteer her time to Wanda and Heath’s relief effort for reverted vampires, and they’d begun to research a new potential for a support group for other accidentals, not just those who’d turned back into humans, but all species of the paranormal.

“Because seriously, we can’t be the only fucking accidents,” Nina had joked. “How much you got says there’s some poor chick out there who’s like a fire- breathing dragon, all scaly and shit, because she was bitten by her lame-assed boyfriend’s Iguana?”

If it had happened four times in just a couple of years to a group of women not even six degrees separated, Nina said, she’d bet her left lung, if she still had one, there were others just like them.

They had all agreed she had a point—who better than them to aid and abet?

Casey sighed with contentment. Life was incredibly good, and the bit of envy she’d felt about Wanda’s life had turned her into an active participant in pursuing her own.

Everything was damned close to perfect. Well, except that overprotective- father thing. Rolling her eyes, she caught Clay by the loop of his jeans when he attempted to make a getaway and a beeline for Naomi, who was dancing in the middle of the living room with, according to her, the crush of her lifetimes. “Oh, no, killa. It’s just some dancing. Let them be or there’ll be no goody bag for you to open later tonight,” she teased.

Clay stayed put, but kept one watchful eye on Naomi. “Always with the threats of no nookie. And I signed on for life? I dunno, cupcake,” he teased with a grin. “That’s some harsh shit you’re doling out.”

Casey snapped her fingers, lighting each tip with a controlled, low-burning flame. “Not nearly as harsh as your sentence will be if I have to lob fireballs at you—and we both know how good I am at that. Now cut—it—out.” She kissed his yummy lips as a warning.

Darnell poked his head between them with a grin. “Hey, we need a light,” he said, pointing to the cake. “Use them fingers fo’ good, Case.”

Casey turned to head for the table, but Clay stopped her, pulling her to mold against his hard frame.

She gave him a questioning gaze.

“Save a dance for me later? You know, so we can do the grind thing all slow-like.”

Casey gave him a saucy grin filled with the happiness he’d given her. “Like I’d pass that up. I’d grind all slow- like with you anytime, anywhere.”

Or forever.

Whichever rolled around first.