Page 14 of Demon's Heart
“Great.” Dante grabbed the dark-red button-down off his bed. “You better hurry and get dressed.”
“I’m good to go.”
Dante eyed Ash’s jeans and the T-shirt tied to his belt.
“What?” Ash ruffled his feathers. “There wasn’t a dress code.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Dante shooed him out of the doorway.
The sun set as they flew over the city, bathing the buildings in orange light. Hopefully, it would be a good night, as soft and warm as the departing sun. Maybe Dante’s first date with Ollie could be at sunset. Dinner at a rooftop restaurant. Surely, Onyxcould recommend somewhere. It seemed like the kind of thing he’d know.
Landing on top of the gallery, Dante and Ash retracted their wings, which melded into full-back tattoos, and put their shirts on. Dante’s wrinkles weren’t too bad, at least not compared to Ash’s.
A ladder led down the side of the building to one of Onyx’s office’s windows. Dante had come in this way last week, much to Onyx’s annoyance, but it was easier than finding a deserted side street to land in.
Despite his previous grumbling, Onyx hadn’t locked Dante or Ash out. The gallery was protected, but like Dante’s house, the spells had been crafted to allow all three of them free access.
Dante slid through the window into an empty office.
Ash followed. “There’s no way these are large enough to fit through by chance. Onyx must fly in and out too.”
“That’s what I thought.” But Dante couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Onyx’s wings. Why go through the trouble of hiding them when he must fly around the city as much as they did?
Ash closed the window. “Do you know where Onyx lives?”
“No.” Dante readjusted the cuffs of his shirt. “He’s never offered any details.”
“Maybe I should track him.”
“Or you could ask.” Dante led the way out of the room, not hopeful Onyx would provide an answer if they did start prying.
They exited the hall into the second-story gallery space, which had a balcony open to the floor below. Chattering voices drifted upward, echoing off the walls, the lofted ceilings adding a pleasant openness to the building.
Dante and Ash descended the stairs, finding the ground floor filled with people. Soft music played while servers slipped through the crowd with drinks. Paintings Dante hadn’t seenbefore hung on the walls, and the sculptures that usually occupied plinths around the room were nowhere in sight.
“Nice,” Ash grunted like he couldn’t care less. “Oh look. There’s Harper.”
Across the room, Ollie stood next to Harper, each man clutching a glass of wine.
Dante’s pulse quickened and warmth flooded him. A smile tugged at his lips. He followed Ash through the people, eyes trained on his mate.
Ollie’s posture seemed relaxed as he talked to Harper. He smiled easily, dimples flashing with each upturn of his lips. Ollie wore all black—slim-cut jeans paired with a loose-fit V-neck tee and a silver chain around his neck.
Turning, Ollie’s gaze traveled over the crowd until it landed on Dante. His cheeks tinged pink and he quickly looked away.
A rumble started deep in Dante’s chest, and he cleared his throat to cover it. No growling or purring. He needed to approach Ollie as if he were human and not let his demon nature get in the way. He was a man approaching someone he liked. Simple. Easy.
Dante shook out his hands and ignored the tingling in the tattoo of his hidden tail.
“Hey, isn’t this place great?” Harper beamed at Ash as he and Dante approached. “It’s so fancy.”
Ash wrapped an arm around Harper’s waist. “It is, sweet. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yeah, I’ve never been to an art gallery before.” Harper’s eyes darted around the room like he didn’t know where to look first.
Dante’s gaze slid to Ollie, who was staring at him, cheeks still slightly flushed. “How’ve you been, Ollie?”
“Good.” The word came out breathless. Ollie sipped hisdrink and cleared his throat. “You know, work and all that. Can’t complain.”
