Page 49 of Demon's Heart
At least Harper had already heard what happened and Ollie didn’t have to explain.
“Are we safe?” Ollie asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dante. He did more than he should. But he needed an outside perspective. Harper was a much better judge of the situation than Ollie was. “What if Lucifer tries to come get me again?”
Harper gripped Ollie tighter. “You’re perfectly safe in the apartment. I’ve been protecting it with magic since I first signed the lease.”
“You have?”
Harper nodded. “I cast a protective spell before I moved in and was enhancing it regularly the first few weeks I lived here. My family isn’t in a cult. They’re a coven who worships the Devil, and I finally escaped their control the day I came to live here. Hiding from them took a lot of powerful magic.”
“Oh my god.” Ollie gaped at Harper.
“I can tell you the whole story some other time. The reason I brought it up is because my spell is still protecting the apartment, even though my coven has been dealt with. And Ash cast an even more powerful protection on the whole building. The other demons strengthened it too.”
Ollie glanced around the room as if he might be able to see magic now that he knew it was there. “So Lucifer can’t get us at home?”
Harper shook his head. “He’d have to break the demons’ spell first, and Ash would sense if someone were trying to do that. But I don’t think Lucifer will go after you again.”
“Why not?” Why was everyone so sure of that?
“He’s hunting Ash, Dante, and Onyx for betraying him and escaping Hell. Lucifer doesn’t care about witches or humans, as far as I know.”
“Then why did he hurt me?” Ollie hated how his voice broke on the question. How could this all happen for no reason?
“He hurt you to hurt Dante,” Harper said like he hated to admit it. Like he worried it would upset Ollie.
“But why would Dante care? I mean, he’s a good guy and would care about anyone getting hurt, but it’s not like I’m his boyfriend.”
Harper’s brow furrowed. “You’re Dante’s mate. Lucifer must have noticed something about you two like he did with Ash and me. He was stalking Ash and kidnapped me to see why Ash was so obsessed with me. Lucifer didn’t care about me personally either. It was all about Ash.”
“Dante isn’t obsessed with me.” Ollie’s heart rate spiked. The situations weren’t the same. He and Dante were friends.
“No, he’s not obsessed, but it sounds like Lucifer is trying to figure out what Ash and Dante are doing with us. He didn’t believe I was Ash’s mate when I told him and didn’t believe Ash when he backed me up. It sounds like Lucifer didn’t believe Dante either, but Dante said Lucifer knows it’s all true now that he witnessed your bond.”
Ollie still didn’t get it. He hadn’t been Dante’s mate until after Lucifer attacked.
“You’re safe, Ollie. That’s the most important thing. Lucifer knows we aren’t lying about our mates. He isn’t going to attack us the same way now that he understands the reality of the situation. And Ash and Dante will go after him. He won’t win.” As if Harper could tell Ollie was as lost now as when they started talking, he added, “Why don’t I show you how I strengthen my protection spell and explain how the protective magic works?”
That might actually help Ollie feel more secure. He couldworry about understanding the details of the conflict with Lucifer later. “Okay, but what about when I’m not at home?”
Harper gave him a reassuring look. “Dante can find you through your bond. He’ll know if you’re in trouble like Ash can with me, so even if you aren’t shielded everywhere you go, Dante will always know if you need him.”
“He can track me?” Ollie’s heart climbed into his throat. “He didn’t tell me that.”
“All I’m saying is, in an emergency, you won’t have to worry.”
Ollie got that, but it didn’t make Dante tracking him okay. That was creepy stalker shit. The exact kind of thing Ollie needed to stay the hell away from if he wanted his independence.
“Hey.” Harper bumped his knee against Ollie’s. “I know this happened way too fast, and you and Dante weren’t together before, but having a mate is amazing. I’m so happy for you two.”
“Thanks, but Dante and I still aren’t together. We aren’t a happy couple to congratulate. We’re friends. He did this to save me. It’s not the same as you and Ash.”
Harper’s eyes widened. “Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t realize… Do you not like Dante like that?”
Ollie ran a hand through his hair. He hadn’t told Harper about his relationship issues or what happened with his exes, and now didn’t feel like the time to bring it up. “I like Dante—I’ve been crushing on him—but we’re friends. I told Dante more wasn’t an option weeks ago. He gets it and said it was fine.”
Harper looked momentarily confused before recovering. “If Dante gets it, that’s all that matters.”
Ollie couldn’t help feeling like he was missing something.
