Page 12 of Demon's Bane

Well, thatmightbe a little dramatic considering I agreed to all of this, but faced with the stark reality of being alone with a demon, of having my home and my little peace and sanctuary invaded, of suddenly being tossed back into the never-ending drama of the Crescent Coven, it feels like everything I’ve built these past few years is teetering on the edge.

I don’t even remember what it’s like to have a roommate, let alone ademonroommate. It’s been years since I’ve had to sharemy space or answer to anyone, not since Allie moved out and my one failed attempt at cohabitation with a boyfriend went up in flames.

So what the hell am I supposed to do with this demon? Show him to the futon in the guest room and pretend like all of this is normal, like it’s not completely, totally, utterly batshit that he’s—

I’m snapped out of my spiral when a fluffy black furball darts out from under the couch and rubs up against Rhett’s leg.

Rhett visibly flinches at Poe’s appearance. My senior black void of a cat made himself scarce while Esme was casting, but apparently has decided it’s safe enough to come back out.

“You have… a creature,” Rhett deadpans.

“A cat,” I correct. “You don’t have cats in the demon realm?”

Rhett shakes his head, looking down warily like Poe might attack him at any moment. Though he’s gone a little silver around the whiskers in his golden years, Poe is still a very respectable creature of darkness.

“We do not.”

“His name is Poe,” I explain, crossing the room to scoop him up. “And he’s very friendly.”

Rhett watches my every movement, eyes narrowing. “Poe is a strange name.”

The absolute audacity of this demon to be insulting my cat.

“He’s named after a famous writer and… you know what? It doesn’t matter. You don’t have cats in your realm, so you don’t get to decide what is and isn’t strange to name them in mine.”

The opportunity to bicker with him about this somehow releases a bit of the tension in the air. Rhett seems to feel it, too, as something almost like a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

At least until he glances around the apartment with a sharp, judgmental look on his face.

“What?” I ask, getting ready to defend my home from this bad-mannered demon. “Is there something wrong with where I live, too?”

He shakes his head. “No. It’s not that. I just… what kinds of wards do you have around this place?”

“Other than the ones binding you? I don’t have any.”

His gaze cuts back to me. “None?”

“None. I don’t know what kind of protection you’re used to back in your realm, but wards aren’t really typical here. At least not for average people like me.”

“Average people? Are you not a Crescent Coven witch?”

“Yeah, I am. But—”

“And you live away from your coven?”

“Yes. What’s your point?”

“They leave you unprotected here? Nothing standing between you and anyone who might—”

“Whoa,” I say, setting Poe into his customary spot on the back of the couch and holding up my hands. “Let’s get a couple of things straight.”

It’s Rhett’s turn to cross his arms over his chest, face falling into stony, disapproving lines, but at least he has enough good sense not to keep arguing with me.

“First, yes. I am a Crescent witch, but I assure you I’m not anywhere near important enough to need fancy wards and protection. Second, I truly don’t know what you might need wards from in your realm, but in mine? A good set of locks and a security system on the shop downstairs are more than enough.”

He frowns even more deeply at that, but I’m on a roll and not about to be interrupted.

“And third, while you’re in my realm, you’re not going to pass judgment on me or disrupt my life. I’ll do what I can to find Seren and see if she wants to talk, but other than that, we can stay out of each other’s way. Got it?”