Page 2 of Demon's Mate
A phantom pain pulsed through Harper’s wrist and elbow, reminding him he couldn’t even defend himself against his father, let alone attack or challenge him. Harper’s stomach heaved and he swallowed back bile, focusing on the subway car floor until he blocked out the dark images looming in the back of his mind.
Finally, the train reached Harper’s stop, and he got off. His legs weren’t much steadier on the unmoving ground than in the rocky car. He stumbled and knocked into someone.
“Sorry.”
The man didn’t acknowledge him, and soon, he was out of sight.
People bushed past Harper in all directions, talking onphones and to one another. He climbed the stairs to street level and let the city sounds wash over him. Car horns, music, bikes whizzing past.
Cities were nothing like the remote mountain compound where Harper had grown up. They were full of distractions, keeping everything that lurked in his head at bay.
His back straight, Harper walked as casually as he could through the downtown shopping district toward Old Town. Tall buildings shaded the street, keeping the summer morning cool. Harper suppressed a shiver. He swore he could still feel the motion of the train car.
He was so close. His muscles ached with the urge to run, but that would give him away and ruin everything.
Patience was key. He could do this. He’d been sneaking around the city for more than half a year, and this was the last time he’d have to do it before he was free.
As he went, the buildings got smaller and less modern. The library was in one of the oldest parts of the city, an area he frequented as part of his hunt. Not that he’d had much success tracking the Hounds of Hell, a failure his father had punished him for repeatedly.
Harper ground his teeth. Don’t think about it.
The walk seemed to take forever. Harper’s heart pounded like he’d been running after all, sweat dampening the back of his neck.
At last, he arrived and ascended the many stone steps leading to the grand library. His tail never followed him inside the historic building. Or at least the sloppy man following him today never did.
Harper glanced behind him as he held the front door for an older woman, catching a glimpse of his stalker sitting outside a coffee shop across the open plaza.
He entered the library and returned the books he’d checkedout previously, leaving his bag nearly empty. He hadn’t wanted to look suspicious leaving his apartment weighed down with too many things, but it wasn’t like he’d miss anything he left behind.
After the books were returned, Harper hurried down the building’s rear stairs, pulling his phone from his pocket and turning it off as he entered the basement. There were plenty of books down here, as well as a few reading rooms. Harper had turned off his phone every time he’d come into the basement over the last eight months, leading the men following him to believe he had no reception down here.
At first, when Harper had done this, he’d spent the entire day in the basement reading as a test to see what response the lost phone signal would receive. His more diligent stalkers had checked up on him when they’d lost sight of his phone’s location, but after weeks of them always finding Harper in the basement, they stopped checking.
The man at the coffee shop waiting for him certainly wouldn’t come to find him—he never had before—and this was key to giving Harper a head start.
He walked quickly through the stacks to aStaff Onlydoor. After checking no one was around, he slipped through the door and into a narrow hallway, heading straight to a supply closet a few doors down.
Inside, he flipped on the light and shifted boxes of cleaning products around until he came to the one at the back where he’d stashed some things. Grabbing his bundle, he flicked off the light and hurried farther down the hall to the staff restroom.
Harper set his bundle on the restroom counter and shucked off his backpack. He stripped out of his ugly office clothes and pulled on the jeans and T-shirt he’d stashed, transferring the potion to his new pocket.
The clothes were no more his style than what he’d been wearing, but at least they were casual. He pulled on a baseballcap and checked himself in the mirror. Most of his brown hair was covered. He’d let it grow long, and some of it stuck out around his ears, but it was good enough. The last touch was a pair of thick-framed glasses.
Harper opened his backpack and pulled at a loose thread in the lining, ripping the seam. When the hole was big enough, he reached his hand in and pulled out a leather bracelet and his secret debit card.
Stooping, he secured the bracelet around his ankle. The spell trapped in the leather tingled against his skin as it masked his magic from any witches he might pass on the street.
He’d tested the bracelet many times and was certain the man tailing him today wouldn’t notice the disappearance of his magic. He’d never acted like he’d noticed before, leading Harper to believe this guy didn’t track his magic closely.
The bracelet wasn’t foolproof. Anyone magical who thoroughly assessed him would be able to break past its enchantment, but it was good enough for this stage of the plan. He didn’t want anyone casually noticing a witch sneaking around when there was a chance it could get back to his coven.
Harper grabbed his ID and stuffed his discarded clothes and backpack—including his turned-off phone and wallet—into the trash can. He took the spare cell phone he’d stashed with the clothes, slipped it into his pocket with his ID, and carefully exited the restroom.
The hallway was still empty as he walked quickly to the employee exit at the end, where he’d snuck out before. He opened the door and stepped into an alley, resisting the urge to glance at the single security camera. It was unlikely to catch his face with the hat on.
Harper measured his steps as he walked, shoes scuffing the old paving stones. It was less of a risk to run now,but it would be smarter to act normal—draw no attention—he had to be smart in order to not screw this up.
More sweat prickled his skin and a wave of nausea made him glad he’d skipped breakfast. Almost there. He just had to stay calm and get through this. Which was easy. This was the last time he’d have to sneak out of the library. Everything was fine.
