Page 6 of Demon's Mate
Out of their group of three, bringing bad news always seemed to fall to Ash, but that didn’t mean he liked it. He let his deepening frown and silence do the work for him. They mayhave been apart for decades, but after thousands of years together, they didn’t always need words to communicate.
Dante’s face fell, and Ash hated being the one to dim his light, no matter how necessary. Dante pushed off the lamp post. “Shall we go somewhere to catch up?”
Ash nodded. “Somewhere private.”
3
HARPER
As Harper reached the Banks,he cast out his magic, checking he wasn’t being followed. He was still in the clear.
He picked up his pace. So close. He was so fucking close.
Passing a row of restaurants, the scents of spices and baking bread filled the air. Harper’s breaths came easier, his chest no longer as tight as it had been.
Harper continued toward the river. There was less green space in this part of the city. There weren’t many trees planted along the sidewalks, but the buildings weren’t as massive as the ones downtown. The neighborhood felt lived in and well-loved by the people, even if the state of the buildings varied, some seeming abandoned.
A coffee roaster bathed the whole block in a rich aroma. Harper’s stomach growled. Now that he wasn’t on the verge of being sick, he was starving. Too bad he had no food at his new apartment.
On the next block, Harper passed a cute coffee shop with a long line and people filling all the mismatched chairs and tables on the sidewalk. There wasn’t time to go in now, though Harper had wanted to check out the place since he’d first seen it the dayhe’d rented his apartment. But the coffee shop wasn’t important. He needed to get to his destination. He needed to be safe, even though making it didn’t guarantee anything.
He stopped in a corner store and bought a loaf of bread and peanut butter. Better than nothing. He’d save his money for a coffee when he had a better chance of enjoying it without distractions.
Harper’s new apartment building was smaller than his old complex and housed no witches. He’d checked, and unless someone was masking their magic as thoroughly as him, he was in the clear.
The building could use a fresh coat of paint, but how it looked wasn’t important. It was on a street without any shops or restaurants. Only other apartments and a warehouse.
Harper didn’t want to live somewhere with a lot of foot traffic or cafés where it would be natural for people to hang around. He didn’t want anyone who might come looking for him to be able to blend into a crowd.
The street was quiet for a Saturday, and as he approached his building, tension released from Harper’s shoulders. He keyed in the code to the front door and slipped inside, clutching the bread tightly.
He was home, or hopefully, this place would turn into a home. Hopefully, he’d finally be safe.
Harper climbed the stairs to the top floor.
There were three other doors next to his on the landing. He glanced around, listening, but didn’t hear anyone in the apartments. He pulled off his shoe and fished out the key inside. It would be nice not to walk around with it underfoot. He’d been too paranoid about someone from the coven finding it to ever leave it anywhere.
He’d cast protections on the apartment when he’d stopped by a couple of weeks ago, then masked the spells. Now that hewas here to settle in, he could strengthen his spells regularly using his blood. He’d be as safe as he could be given everything.
Shoving his foot back in the shoe, Harper unlocked the door and it creaked open. No other sounds came from inside, but that wasn’t unexpected. His roommate usually worked on Saturdays.
Sure enough, Ollie Hudson, a human about Harper’s age who already lived here, was nowhere to be seen. He’d seemed friendly when they’d met, and it would be nice to finally live with someone who wasn’t from his coven. Harper could stop hiding every last thing about himself. Maybe he’d even figure out who he was now that he was free.
There was a Pride flag in one of the windows. Harper stared at it, standing there in clothes he didn’t like and a stupid baseball hat. His stomach swooped, and he smiled.
He’d found the listing on a local LGBTQ+ forum and had mentioned to Ollie that he was gay when they’d met. All Ollie had said was, “Cool, me too.” Harper couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Harper took his food to his room. It was already furnished with a bed, side table, and dresser and had a window looking out onto the street below. Harper had been collecting things he needed to start his new life since he’d rented the room, dropping off clothes he’d thrifted on Saturdays and having other items delivered.
He was glad Ollie hadn’t asked too many questions about his strange moving methods.
After checking that everything was as he’d left it—his new potion-making equipment was safely tucked away in a magically locked box—Harper sat on the bed.
He ached to lie down and sleep. How good would it feel to not be conscious?
But his stomach rumbled, so he opened the bread andgrabbed a slice. Using the knife from his potion kit, he spread the peanut butter and ate.
His new life wasn’t that exciting but Harper didn’t want excitement. He wanted stability and independence and for no one to leach his blood, stealing it for their own magical use. You know, the simple things.
