Page 7 of Demon's Mate
Was he finally safe?
Had he reached a place where he could build his own life and have a real future? He wished he could say yes definitively, but the threat of his coven loomed.
What if they found him?
All Harper wanted was to be around people who accepted him. People who wouldn’t betray him. It felt impossible. Everything in his past told him it would never happen, but here, with a random human and his rainbow flag, maybe it wasn’t so outlandish.
Harper joltedat a sound outside his bedroom. He was flat on his back, legs hanging off the mattress. The peanut butter and bread lay open beside him. He must have fallen asleep.
He sat up and moved the food to his side table. Shit, how long had he been out? The sun seemed low in the sky, like it was about to set. He’d meant to get so many things done that afternoon, yet he’d achieved nothing.
Harper ran a hand through his hair. No need to panic. He had room for deviations from his plan now.
He adjusted his fake glasses. Ollie had seen him wearing them, so it was best to keep pretending. Besides, he liked how they framed his narrow features. He was ditching the baseball caps though. They really weren’t his thing.
Speaking ofhis thing, Harper got up, opened his dresser,and pulled out a box of black hair dye. He’d always wanted to dye his hair, and while he was partly motivated to change his appearance to make it less likely he’d get recognized around the city, he’d look good with darker hair.
Picturing a change in style lightened the weight in his chest.
There were so many new things he could do now. He could do anything he wanted as long as it didn’t put him at risk of capture.
His coven would know he was missing by now. What were they doing? Had they found his discarded clothes in the library? Was his father flying out from Colorado? Harper shuddered. He didn’t have to worry about it. He’d never have to see his father again.
Harper opened his bedroom door. He should say hi to his roommate and not hide, but he hesitated. He’d never had friends. What if Ollie found him annoying, or they had nothing in common?
He inched into the living room where Ollie was curled up on the couch, looking at his phone, lips turned downward. As soon as he noticed Harper, he perked up.
“Hi.” Ollie beamed, showing off a perfect smile. He had a round face and curly blond hair. “I was wondering if you were here. You all moved in?”
“Yeah. Sorry, I was sleeping.” Wait. Why was he apologizing?
“Makes sense. I bet moving was tiring. I mean, all those stairs.” Ollie made a sympathetic face. “It’s why I never want to move out of this place. Imagine lugging everything back down again.” He set his phone on the coffee table, his gaze landing on Harper’s hands. “What’s that?”
Harper looked at the box of dye. He’d forgotten he had it. “I was going to dye my hair.”
Ollie wrinkled his nose.
Harper’s chest tightened. Maybe Ollie didn’t want the dye to mess up the bathroom. He should have considered that. “I don’t have to,” he added quickly. “It was just a silly idea.”
Ollie’s brow furrowed. “I mean… Go for it if you want. I just can’t in good conscience let you usethatwithout offering my help.” He smiled.
“Help?” Harper felt like he’d missed a step. He’d overreacted. There was no reason to be afraid of Ollie’s disapproval. Ollie wasn’t his father or anyone from his coven. He wouldn’t judge or try to control Harper. “What do you mean help?”
“I’m a hair stylist, remember?” Ollie shook his head, lips twitching. “Please let me do your hair instead. It’ll look so much better thanthat.” He pointed at the box.
Harper’s cheeks heated. “You don’t have to. It’s fine.” He couldn’t afford to get his hair done on his current budget.
“But why be fine when you could be amazing? You’ll look stunning with darker hair.”
How was Harper supposed to respond? People weren’t normally this friendly. “Uh?”
“Sorry. Am I being weird?” Ollie cringed. “I’m just so glad you’re here. It’s been too quiet by myself, but if I’m freaking you out, I can back off. What you do with your hair is up to you.”
“No, it’s okay.” Harper was being rude. He had to relax. This was his chance to finally make a friend and do all the friend stuff he’d longed for. “You’re probably right about this not looking any good. I’m bound to mess it up.” Harper’s hand tightened on the box. “But anything else is out of my budget.”
“Oh.” Ollie hummed in understanding. “Don’t worry about that. We can go to the salon when I’m not working, and as long as you cover the cost of the dye, I won’t charge you.”
Was this typical getting-to-know-your-roommate behavior?
