Page 46 of Demon Loved
Was it this human body he wore? Had its own needs somehow managed to overtake his common sense, making him do something that under normal circumstances, he would never have even considered?
Belshegar couldn’t begin to say. The only thing he knew for certain was that there was no coming back from what had just happened.
If he truly were Bill Garrett, the man he was pretending to be, then he supposed he could have called an airport shuttle to take him to Phoenix and get him safely away. Unfortunately, he didn’t have that option, cowardly as such an escape might have been.
He was bound to stay in Jerome until the artifacts were found.
But even though he knew he had made a colossal mistake…even though he knew there was no possible future for him and Brianna… all he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her again.
And they had kissed one more time before they rose and put on their hiking boots and socks, and followed the path of Oak Creek until the passage became somewhat treacherous, and Bree told him this was where they should turn around and head home.
Neither of them had spoken very much, and he could tell she was lost in her own thoughts, doing her best to process what had happened. For all he knew, she was berating herself just as much as he; while she wasn’t an extradimensional being pretending to be mortal, she was still a witch with a father who was a little more than that, and no doubt she thought that getting involved with a civilian who lived so far away wasn’t a very wise thing to do.
And yet, here they both were.
It was nearing five when they reached the parking lot, which was now empty. They’d passed one couple on the trail and heard voices in another spot, but otherwise, they seemed to have had the creek and its accompanying path all to themselves.
Probably a good thing. Belshegar wasn’t sure if he could have managed to maintain his composure if they’d been surrounded by humans wanting to chat about the trail and the scenery, or whatever inane subject such interlopers might have thought of.
When that thought passed through his mind, however, he knew he wasn’t being entirely fair. Under other circumstances, he might have found such conversations enlightening, since he learned a little bit more about humans every time he had a chance to talk with them.
Today, however, he only wanted to climb into Brianna’s ancient, lumbering hulk of a vehicle and get out of here.
It wasn’t until after they’d pulled out of the parking lot and were driving back down the highway that she spoke again.
“If you — if you think that was a mistake, I understand. We can just be casual. I know starting up a long-distance thing is kind of a lot.”
His mind wanted to tell him it had been a mistake. His heart, on the other hand, knew better.
“It wasn’t a mistake,” he replied at once, then reached over to touch her hand briefly where it rested on the steering wheel. “I’ve felt drawn to you since the first time we met. But….”
“But your life is in Los Angeles,” she finished for him. “I get it.”
Well, she thought she did. The truth was just a bit more complicated.
“It isn’t much of a life,” he said frankly, and she sent him a sideways look, obviously surprised by the comment.
To be fair, he was a little startled himself. True, he’d been talking about his existence on his own plane, and not this mythical life in L.A. that he’d concocted for himself, and yet the bones of the remark had been true enough. Perhaps once he’d been content to tend his gardens and just be, but ever since Elena had summoned him that first time so many years ago, he’d found himself increasingly fascinated by all the intricacies of human existence, by its utter messiness and passion and vibrancy. Every time he returned to his own plane, he tried to tell himself that this was better, that the peace and calm and gentle monotony were far preferable to being caught up in so many complications.
Those inner arguments had rung more and more hollow as the years progressed.
But what in the world was he supposed to do? Surely he couldn’t be contemplating staying here and pretending to be Bill Garrett for the rest of his days.
Even if such a thing was physically possible, Belshegar had a feeling the voice might have a few words to say on the subject, none of them what he wanted to hear.
“I…stay at home most of the time,” he continued, since he could tell Brianna had been waiting for him to elaborate.
“Why?”
Another lie, although this one was at least somewhat close to the truth.
“Because it seemed simpler that way.”
She went silent then, graceful brows pulling together slightly as she maneuvered her oversized vehicle with grace and skill along the winding road. “You don’t strike me as an antisocial person. Maybe not a party animal, but….”
Belshegar hadn’t heard the phrase before, but he could guess at its meaning well enough…especially since he’d met a few specimens, most notably Elena’s cousin Tony Castillo, who fit that description well enough based on their behavior at her wedding reception.
“That’s because I’m here,” he said. “Jerome feels…different.”
