Page 3 of Hooked on a Demon
Wanna go for a drive?
I’ve already had a beer. Starting my second.
I’ll come get ya
Declan pauses to think about it. He doesn’t really want to go out. But he also knows that if he doesn’t, he’ll sit here for the rest of the night drinking and watching reality shows, which doesn’t exactly scream healthy and well-adjusted. Though, there is probably a lot about him that doesn’t scream well-adjusted.
Sure.
Cool
Be there in 10
K.
He turns off the TV, puts the cap back on his beer, knowing full well it will be flat by the time he gets home, and puts it back in the fridge. He charges upstairs, turns on the shower, and hops in to quickly wash off the day’s grime. Everest is comfortable enough to let himself in if Declan isn’t ready right when he arrives, so he doesn’t worry about rushing through it too much. When done, he rubs his hair with the towel, squeezes some gel on his hands, and runs it through the long strands that run down the center of his head before quickly braiding it. Unsure where, if anywhere, Everest wants to go, Declan feels it can’t hurt to make sure his hair isn’t a complete poof ball when it finally dries. He grabs a pair of dark wash jeans from the dresser drawer and a dark green Henley. By the time he makes it downstairs, Everest is already sitting on a stool in the kitchen, scrolling through Declan’s phone with Buckley’s head resting in his lap.Traitor.
“Dude. Who is Charlie? And why is she blowing up your phone?”
“None of your business,” Declan says, trying to grab his phone from Everest’s hands, but he twists to keep it out of reach.
“Pah! She says, and I quote, ‘You were the best I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait to ride your’—” Declan tackles him, wrenching the device from Everest’s stupid hands as Buckley bounces behind them, grumbling playfully.
“You’re such a dick. Why do I stay friends with you?” Declan grumbles.
“Apparently, you’re the king of dicks, according to Charlie.” Everest laughs. “Besides, you know your life would be boring without me.”
After Declan’s father passed and Lachlan became the new demon lord, Declan found himself accompanying his brother on some of his travels. Partly so Lachlan could keep an eye on him, and partly because Declan was curious what else there was out there. Soon enough, Lachlan found himself settling in Leeside, and Declan decided to stay on this side of the world as well. Hanging around Leeside so much led to joining clubs to keep busy.
As much as it pains him to admit it, Declan knows Everest is fucking right. They’ve been friends for years, meeting when they both signed up for a recreational football team. They were paired up for some warm-up drills and have stuck together ever since. Growing up in the underworld, Declan never thought he would befriend a human, let alone become best friends with one.
Declan has never been one to have a large group of friends. Instead, he prefers a small, tight-knit group of quality friends over quantity. Granted, the idea of keeping a small group of trusted individuals around him may have been a by-product of his father and how he felt the need to keep a close group of confidants during his reign as ruler of the underworld. But Declan has yet to unpack all the ways his father fucked him up, and he’s certainly not about to do it right now.
“You ready to go?” Everest asks, pushing away from the counter.
“Oh. Yeah.” Declan slides a pair of running shoes on, not bothering to untie them. He pats Buckley on the head, giving him a good scratch behind the ears and a kiss on the forehead before they exit the house. “Where are we going?”
Everest unlocks his truck and, as he climbs in, says, “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
Declan buckles his seatbelt and rolls his eyes at his friend. “Nothing illegal, alright. Bucks needs his daddy to come home.”
“Daddy, huh?”
“Fuck off.” Declan laughs.
CHAPTER3
Eliana
“So, tell me, how have things been going for you lately? It’s been a couple of weeks since our last session.”
“Really? That’s the best you’ve got?” Eliana replies.
“Well, from your reaction, I assume everything has been going swimmingly.”
Eliana rolls her eyes. Dr. Colson Reid has been her therapist since she moved back to Leeside two months ago. He came highly recommended, at least according to the random internet reviews she looked through before selecting him. He’s generally pretty good at what he does, and he has helped her begin to work through her anxiety and other feelings as she navigates life in her hometown.
Huffing out a sigh, she crosses her arms across her chest and admits, “No, things are not goingswimmingly.”
