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There was a dead body in my bookshop. Again.
The fact that my sharply tailored suits had boys dropping their boxers at the mere sight of how they made my arse look was neither here nor there.
Put it this way: I didn’t earn my reputation as the butcher of the ninth circle with my words.
“I can’t believe you’re suggesting he goes there. It couldn’t more obviously be a trap than if it had THIS IS A TRAP printed across the top.”
Hopefully, by this time tomorrow, we will have this whole situation wrapped up.”
“You were never weak or pathetic, Oscar. Don’t ever think that about yourself. Joe is an abuser. He manipulated you into a position where he was able to take advantage of you. You survived him. You’re the bravest person I know.”
Like Harlow, I could hardly be called discerning. My usual criteria were male, human, and consenting.
Scanning the club to see what had my instincts lighting up, my eyes fell on a person, and everything else ceased to exist.
Catching Mori’s eye over the top of the man’s head, I asserted my authority by mouthing the universally recognised code of siblings—even demonic ones. Dibs.
My backside had barely hit the seat before he was on me, his legs widening to straddle my lap.
Satan, the way he moved should be illegal.
Ah, a fellow booklover—as if he needed to be more perfect.
I pulled out every skill I’d learned over the centuries, determined to bring this stunning man to his knees with pleasure.
pulled out every skill I’d learned over the centuries, determined to bring this stunning man to his knees with pleasure.
He snarled at me, and fuck me if it wasn’t the cutest thing I’d ever seen. My chest tightened in response, ripping me from the moment for a second.
First, I needed to help Oscar through this anxiety attack unscathed. Then I needed to find out who had hurt him. Because if there was one thing I excelled at, it was making people pay.
The realisation of what had happened slammed into me. I’d had an anxiety attack. Mid-blowjob. Fuck my life.
Maybe one day, I’d be good enough for a man like Cal. Today, though, was not that day.
The fact that he’d felt the need to apologise made me want to find every human being who’d ever made him feel shitty and introduce them to my daggers.
I knew from experience that Oscar was likely embarrassed and wanted to retreat to a safe space. That was why I hadn’t pushed him to stay. No matter how much my instincts roared at me to fly him far away, where no one could hurt him, and wrap him in several duvets while plying him with his favourite foods, I knew that wasn’t what he needed right now.
If Oscar had told me I couldn’t escort him home, and I’d agreed, I would’ve been beholden to following my word. That’s not what I had asked him though. And demons? We love a loophole.
Pretty much the only thing I missed about Hell was the heat. Why we decided to settle in England was beyond me.
Calling on my ancient well of power, I leaned forward and placed my lips on Oscar’s forehead. Marking him as mine.
That was creepy enough as a plot point in those shitty vampire books. At least he had the excuse of being fictional. What’s your justification?”
There was a rush of something that felt not quite like joy but close as I realised that Joe hadn’t taken everything from me. I had things to fight for. Things I wanted to achieve. Things I wanted to experience.
“You fought him off long enough for me to get there, and that’s what matters.
He was mine. Even if I would never be his, it didn’t change the fact that he was mine.
I can’t give you any explanation other than it felt right in that moment. Like you were the missing piece of me I hadn’t realised I had been searching for.”
can’t give you any explanation other than it felt right in that moment. Like you were the missing piece of me I hadn’t realised I had been searching for.”
“Nope. Cannot even discuss this without questioning my sanity. Am I that hard up for sex that I’m hallucinating a romance novel?”
“You think I’m hot?” “That’s the bit you focused on?” He lifted his head to glare at me. “Your inflated ego is the only thing grounding this in reality right now.”
If I rushed this, if I acted like a demon instead of a human, I could end up pushing him away.
Poor Cal, he’s not going to stand a chance against you.”
“Protect me from him, Oscar,” he squawked. “It’s your duty as my new best friend.” Despite the bizarreness of the situation, a laugh burst out of me.
My libido was awake in a way it hadn’t been for a long time, and every inch of it was screaming for Cal.
“That’s fantastic! Reviews are the lifeblood of a book’s success—especially for indie authors.”
Even Mori was fighting a smile. “Man, you can’t promise the guy you’ve marked that you’ll always tell the truth. Rookie error.”
Seeing you in that club was like a pebble being dropped into a pond—a tiny moment that disrupted my whole being.
“And I’m telling you that you deserve the world, and I’ll keep telling you that until you believe me. You don’t want to get off the sofa? I’ll sit with you. You’re having an anxiety attack? I’ll talk you through it. No matter what you’re thinking or going through, I’ll be at your side. Nothing about you can scare me away. That’s the good thing about demons. Your darkness cannot contend with mine.”
“I’m not saying I want to jump headfirst into a relationship with you, but you’ve made me feel more…alive than I have in a long time. That’s not a feeling I want to walk away from.”
“Okay, so, Shakespeare. He was gay. Right?”
If Oscar wanted me to carry him around like a baby koala all day, then you could bet your arse that was what I would do.
I may have given Oscar the option to walk away from me, but all of Hell wouldn’t be enough for me to walk away from him.
In my sleep-addled state, I’d been grinding my morning wood against his own erection. In my defence, I’d been having a very detailed dream about him bending me over his kitchen table and eating my arse like it was his favourite dessert, so really, it was to be expected.
Like I’ve been seeing the world in black and white, but meeting you has turned on the colour.”
I knew if I wanted us to build something worth fighting for, I would have to show him the full scale of the demons I was hiding. They couldn’t be too much for an actual demon to face…right?
“Satan help the man who gets lumbered with him. I might have to buy popcorn in preparation.”
My heart screamed at me to fuck social conventions and cling to him like the needy barnacle I was.
“That’s a nice sentiment, but you can’t protect me from everything.” Flames danced in his eyes as he pulled back and reached around me to open the door. “Watch me.”
None of us thinks you’re weak. For Satan’s sake, you teach teenagers. Willingly. If that doesn’t show you’ve got a core of steel, I don’t know what will.”
