Page 13 of Demons of Eden

“That’s right,” he confirms, still smirking. “And you are?”

“Eden Cross, and you can save all of the name jokes I know you’re thinking of. I promise I’ve heard them already.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Are you sure this is the right place?” I ask while looking hesitantly at the antique shop in front of us. It certainly doesn’t look like the sort of store a demon would own.

It’s a cute little place from the outside. Light blue wooden planters filled to the brim with flowers are set under each of the large bay windows, which are being used to display some of their strange wares. It almost makes me think of a cottage-style country shop, something that belongs more in a made-for-TV romcom than in the middle of a busy, real-life city. It certainly looks out of place, seeing as it’s surrounded by much taller and more modern buildings in all directions.

“It is,” Torrin confirms, nudging my shoulder lightly with his own. Though he has to bend a little to pull it off, given our difference in height. “You can relax, okay? I wouldn’t have brought you along if I thought it would be dangerous. I know demons don’t have the best rep, for some good reasons and some less, but I promise Eli’s great. If you give him a chance, I actually think you’ll like him,” he adds reassuringly.

“If you’re sure…” I say uncertainty, still feeling oddly unsettled despite his reassurance.

“I am. He’s my first stop when trying to track a demon down for a reason.” Torrin takes a cheery step towards the door, clearly not sensing whatever it is I am or realising just how nervous I feel.

Still hesitating, I nibble my lower lip and pull my jacket tighter around myself as I glance around at our surroundings one last time. I still don’t see anything that would explain why I’ve felt so damn twitchy since we left the car. Just regular city streets and normal-looking people going about their day.

Maybe it’s me having an off moment because of the pregnancy, just another unfortunate side effect of carrying a demon inside of me?

Then again, I felt fine when I arrived at their office this morning, if a little nauseous. Torrin had been there with a smile ready to greet me. The others, well, they certainly weren’t looking to join the welcoming committee. Daion was suspiciously on his way out the door just as I came in, offering only a quick wave while avoiding my eyes, while Rio was apparently working on some kind of research upstairs and definitely not just avoiding the demon-screwing harlot. Honestly, as long as I didn’t have to see his stupid face, I wasn’t about to complain or care about where he was.

Regardless, everything had felt fairly normal, even on the drive over here. It was only when Torrin and I got out of the car that I started to feel weird, like we were being watched…or assessed, maybe. Realising there’s nothing to be seen and that I can’t spend all day worrying over possibilities, I follow Torrin, determinedly shaking off the bad vibes. Well, it’s more like I shove the bad feelings into a mental box, chain it shut, and then dutifully ignore it like a politician ignoring their campaign promises the second they’ve won an election.

A rush of air blows my dark hair back, cooling the slight nervous sweat beading on my skin as I step inside. Immediately I pick up the scent of burning incense coming from somewhere in the store. I breathe deeply, relaxing a bit when the intense smell doesn’t immediately make me want to vomit. That surely has to be a good sign. I actively will my heart to stop racing so fast in my chest.

“Torrin Fletcher! What a pleasant surprise,” a deep and cheerful voice calls. I can’t see the speaker from here, just the back of Torrin as he disappears around a corner at the rear of the store.

“Eli! How are ya, man?” Torrin’s warm voice replies a moment later.

I head over towards the sound of their conversation slowly, too busy being distracted by the contents of the shop to be quick. My eyes roam over crystals, herbs, and empty vials. There are also decorations, tarot cards, and more things that I can’t identify scattered across the shelves and tables. It looks more like a spiritual shop than an antique store at first glance, but the further I get into the place, the more stuff I find. It seems like a cross somewhere between the two, I quickly realise, even if half the antiques are completely unrecognisable to me. Some of it has to be from other worlds. If the bizarre gold object reflecting light weirdly as it constricts and expands isn’t fae in origin, I’ll eat my own shoes.

“This is Eden.”

I look up from the strange object to find my favourite demon hunter standing with the man—correction, the demon—we came here to see.

The demon doesn’t look much like one, though Ash hadn’t either, so perhaps the stereotypes aren’t entirely accurate. He stands at about five-eight and is dressed in soft-looking clothes, which appear more than a little dated. Despite their age, they’reclearly well-loved and cared for, with signs of hand-stitched repairs. I’m fully convinced it's an outfit he’s personally held onto for decades. He honestly looks like the sort of gently spoken guy you’d find in a library, or maybe drinking tea in a quiet cafe somewhere in a small town. Or he would, if you ignored the black eyes and the small curved horns at his temples, anyway. Those features are the only obvious indications as to his demonic nature; the rest of him could pass for a timid human in their late thirties or early forties.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Eden. You may call me Eli,” the demon introduces himself with a quick, weird little half-bow.

“Hello.” I nod my head in greeting, not sure I should touch the stranger by offering to shake his hand, even if he does look mostly harmless. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by my lack of handshaking or other pleasantries.

“Let's get right to it then,” Torrin decides with a rap of his knuckles on the display table, glancing between the two of us before continuing. “Eden’s looking for a demon called Ash. Nothing bad. She just needs to speak to him.”

“Ash?” he repeats the name curiously. “That’s certainly not a demon name, though perhaps it comes from one, just as Eli is my chosen name while residing in this world. Names have power, especially over those from my species’ domain.”

“Oh.” I frown, not sure how to respond.Does he think witches are unfamiliar with the concept of nicknames? Or is it done differently for demons somehow?

“Let me rephrase: do you know any demons who use the name Ash?” Torrin asks, looking caught somewhere between sighing or laughing at his friend.

“I do not.”

“He’s probably an incubus, if that helps at all?” I add hopefully, even if it’s not looking good. I shouldn’t feel sodisappointed; it’s not as if I expected we’d get answers this easily, and yet, I feel my stomach sink when he shakes his head.

“While I don’t know any who answer to Ash, I do know a few incubi and succubi living in this realm. I could pass on your inquiry to those I would trust with such things and see if any of them have information to share?” Eli offers, his tone surprisingly kind.

I glance at Torrin for direction, and he nods encouragingly, so I answer, “That would be great, thank you.”

“You’re most welcome. If you have any other info—” Eli abruptly cuts off mid-sentence, eyes going wide for a second before he snaps his head to face Torrin. Concern practically radiates from him as he puts his hands on the hunter’s shoulders, trying to urge him to the back corner they’d emerged from minutes before. Torrin’s like a wall, though, refusing to budge. “You must hide,” Eli hisses insistently, looking sharply between us. “Both of you. Quickly.”

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