Page 13 of Demon's Desire
He gathered his magic and recast the protection spells on his apartment. It would be smart to get someone stronger to come around and beef up his security. Maybe he could hire a witch rather than ask a favor.
Once the protections were in place, Nico left his trashed apartment and walked to The Herb Emporium. Moving calmed him, even though he was only putting off cleaning his place and figuring out if anything had been taken.
The walk was too short to relax him completely. Nico couldn’t stop his muscles tensing as he raised the metal grate covering the shop’s entrance.
At a glance, everything seemed fine, and a quick inspection showed his protective spells were still in place. Nico unlocked the door and strode through the shop.
Everything was as he’d left it. His displays of dried plants and candles were as crowded as usual, but nothing appeared out of place. He checked the back room and the potions stocked behind the counter. All fine. He counted the cash and double-checked that all his log books were present.
Satisfied no one had been there, Nico locked up. He thought he’d feel relieved, but was instead left with a sinking feeling as he went home to face the mess.
5
ONYX
On Wednesday morning,Onyx flew from his loft to the gallery at top speed, beating his wings until they burned. It didn’t help.
He landed on the gallery roof, shoes hitting the building hard. Burning off that smidge of energy left him even more restless. He ruffled his feathers, stretching his wing muscles, and concentrated on the breeze swirling around him, trying to find any hint of calm.
There’d been no word from anyone since Sunday. He cracked his knuckles. Why the fuck did he think he’d hear from his brothers? They obviously didn’t need anything more from him after pawning off their task.
Nico had been silent as well. Onyx’s fire flared every time he thought of the man. He hadn’t exactly given out his phone number, but still. Shouldn’t Nico have updated him by now? Had he talked to that coven? Had Rowan been in touch?
It didn’t matter. Onyx didn’t even want to be involved, which only made his obsession more infuriating.
Onyx retracted his wings, skin itching as they transformed into large tattoos spanning his back—his other demon featureswere always hidden—and slipped on his shirt. His fingers flew over the buttons, pale lavender fabric crisp against his overheated skin. After tucking the shirt in and rolling the sleeves to his elbows, Onyx ran a hand through his hair.
There was no need for a mirror. He always looked amazing.
He didn’t have to think about his brothers or Nico. He was important in the human world, and there was more than enough to focus on with the gallery.
Onyx descended the ladder from the roof and climbed through the window to his office. It was barely after sunrise, so there was no risk that Scott would be around. Onyx crossed the room and opened the small fridge hidden in the wood-paneled shelving. He pulled out a bag of blood and reached for a crystal glass.
On second thought, he abandoned the glass. He’d been famished lately. Nothing seemed to fill the pit inside him.
Onyx flopped into his desk chair and grabbed a metal straw out of his top drawer. He pierced it through the bag and cast a spell to heat the contents.
Maybe he needed to feed from a donor rather than a bag. It had never mattered before, but there had to be a reason everything was sooff.
Onyx bought his blood from a vampire-run organization that sourced its product from magical community members. It was the easiest, most ethical way to feed. Onyx hadn’t fed from a person in decades. Perhaps the sheer length of time since feeling a pulse beneath his fangs was the problem.
As he sipped, he pulled out his phone. No messages.
He sucked on the straw until the blood was gone, drinking so fast his stomach cramped, leaving him no more settled now that he was full.
Onyx put the empty bag in the fridge to throw away later and pulled up his chat with Ollie and Harper. He’d named itYour Favorite GroupChatupon starting it, but figured it was time to change it up. He typedNot My Matesinto the name field, then sent the group a text.
Onyx:
Let’s start our food tour with sushi. Dinner tonight?
Neither man would reply at this hour, so Onyx didn’t hold his breath. He set the phone down.
Ollie and Harper were growing on him. He’d been suspicious of Harper at the start, but who could blame him? It hadn’t helped thatAsh,of all demons, had been the one claiming he’d found his mate.
He’d never admit it, but being around the little mates gave Onyx a soft, warm feeling. He loved knowing his brothers would care for the two young men better than anyone else ever could. He even liked knowing Ollie and Harper would care for his useless brothers.
Onyx didn’t need a mate like they did. He hated so many things about what the quest for mates had done to everyone, and to the world, but part of him still went mushy over the reality of the mating bond.
