Page 14 of Dead & Dating
I look up and twist around when Esme and Duske are gone, my heart racing a little faster until I see them through the store window. I rush inside and sigh, my heart skipping a beat when I spot her again. She's standing by one of the sample carts, her head tilted back slightly as Duske feeds her something from the tray. Her expression is completely blissed out, her eyes half-lidded and her lips parted in a soft smile. Her scent reaches my nose from here, sweet and intoxicating, and I can see the way Duske stares at her, his intense dark gaze wholly focused on her.
I grin, gesturing toward them, wondering when Duske will finally make a move on her. "How fast do you think that's going to happen?"
Vesper follows my gaze, his lips curving into a knowing smile. "Tonight."
That’s really fast. "What do you mean?"
A chuckle rumbles through the Alpha as he squeezes my shoulder, his lips finding the curve of my ear. "He's going to get all macho and start the conversation about how we're demonsand our darkness isn't for her, and then it's going to end up in them fucking."
My eyes go wide, and I can feel the excitement bubbling up in my chest. "We can watch, right?"
Vesper laughs, shaking his head. "Next time. That has to happen first."
I sigh, leaning against his side and rest my head against his shoulder. It's not fair. I want to see it, want to watch the way Duske takes her, the way she will fall apart under his touch. But I know Vesper's right. Duske needs this, needs to claim her in his own way before we can all come together.
I twist around, my gaze scanning the rest of the store, and I freeze when I spot a familiar face at the other end of the aisle. "Isn't that one of Esme's kids?"
Vesper follows my gaze, recognition flashing in his eyes. It's a little girl, maybe four or five, with dark curls and a bright pink dress. She's holding her mother's hand, chattering away about something, and I can see the resemblance to one of the kids Esme used to talk about from her preschool class.
We picked her up a few times after work and the more I stare at the little girl, the more I'm convinced that she'll be able to spot Esme in a heartbeat. There's something about kids, especially the young ones who haven't learned to filter their perceptions yet. They see things adults miss, notice the shimmers in the air and catch the flicker of movement that shouldn't be there.
More often than not when a kid points out a ghost, they’re actually right. Which we can’t have here.
Vesper's eyes go wide, and then a devilish smile spreads across his lips. "Let me take care of this so Esme and Duske can continue having their moment. I haven't started chaos in a while."
My heart races, anticipation flooding through me. This is Vesper in his element. As a chaos demon, his entire existenceis built around disruption, around throwing the natural order into delightful disarray. And watching him work, watching him unleash even a fraction of his true nature, always does something to me.
I grin, unable to hide my excitement. "And this is why I love you."
Vesper leans in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "Wait here for me."
Ever since we came to Earth, we've had to conceal our desires, our true natures, to fit in with the humans. We've been bound by their rules, their social norms, their expectations of what's acceptable. For decades, we've played the part. Good neighbors. Friendly faces. Normal men living normal lives. Only following the rules, never stepping out of line, never letting our demon sides show through.
Unless of course, it’s someone’s time to go or we’ve been specifically given a task to disrupt nature.
It's been so long being on Earth that I don't really remember why I came up in the first place. Was it an assignment? A curiosity? A need to escape the monotony of Hell? The details have faded with time, blurred by the years of pretending to be something we're not. But it's been fun, in its own way. Learning about humans, experiencing their world, finding joy in the small things like pumpkin spice and Halloween decorations.
But watching Vesper cause chaos? That always turns me on.
There's something primal about it, something that speaks to the core of what we are. He's not just breaking rules—he's reminding us that we're not bound by human limitations. That we're more than the masks we wear. And seeing him embrace that, even for a moment, makes my blood run hot.
And if Death liked men like that, I’d bend over in a heartbeat for him after he goes allGrim Reaper.That cloak? Yes, please.
Vesper stalks off toward the preschool kid, the Alpha all predatory grace, his chaos demon instincts shining through even in this human form, the power coiled beneath his skin, ready to be unleashed. A dark aura follows him, bleating around his form, threatening to reveal his demon skin.If only.
I watch, my breath catching in my throat, as he gets closer to the kid. His hand flicks out subtly, a gesture so small most people would miss it, and something flies off the shelf, spilling onto the floor.
The gingerbread cookies scatter across the tile, and for a moment, nothing happens. Then, one by one, they start to move. They get up, their little legs forming from the dough, and they start to dance. It's almost comical, the way they twirl and spin, their frosting faces frozen in perpetual smiles.
The kid squeals in happiness, her hands clapping together as she watches the cookies dance. Her mother, on the other hand, starts to freak out, her eyes wide as she backs away from the display. She's muttering something under her breath, probably trying to rationalize what she's seeing, trying to fit it into the neat little box of reality she's constructed.
But I can see the fear in her eyes. The uncertainty. The crack in her worldview.
And it'sbeautiful.
Vesper walks back over to me, his grin full of satisfaction, and I feel heat pool low in my belly. He looks alive, energized, like he's just fed on the chaos he created. His hazel eyes are practically glowing, and I want to pull him close, to kiss him until neither of us can breathe. Maybe do more, but we’re in public and of all the things I’ve learned, spending time in jail for public indecency isn’t any fun.
"That was fun," he purrs, pulling me against his side.
