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“I knew it was a good match when I saw you. You’re smart. Now sit. Aziel did an awful job explaining himself. Guilt will often sway the tongue into forgetting the important bits.”

Without my permission, I found myself sitting on the couch, glaring at the old woman who sat on the other end, looking at me. There wasn’t anything she could say that would make this better. I should’ve trusted my instincts and stayed away from paranormals. I put Ollie in danger because I was a damn idiot.

She raised her eyebrow at me. “Are you done?”

“Can you read my mind?” I snapped, edging farther away from her.

“No. She’s just teasing. She thinks it’ll make you feel better. Athena be kind. He’s worried for his family,” the demon by the front door scolded.

She waved a hand dismissively. “I am kind. I can see his thoughts all over his face. I suggest you don’t play poker. You wouldn’t be very good at it.”

My brows furrowed and my gaze darted around for some kind of answer on who the hell this crazy woman was. No one offered me anything but a sympathetic smile.

“Now, before you toss Aziel to the wolves, there are some things you need to know,” she began, ignoring my obvious panic. “First, I sent him to you. Without you, he will die.”

My stomach dropped, and my mouth fell open. “What?”

She nodded once. “Aziel has been on his uncle’s list since he was just a little thing, when his parents tried to leave the family. Camus took this as agreat insult and while he couldn’t kill Aziel thanks to my protection, he has been punishing him for his parents’ actions for years. Without your help, Camus’s patience will run out as soon as Aziel is no longer useful to him. I’ve looked into the future, and nothing I do can stop it. Only you can bring him peace.”

“M-Me? I’m human! What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Love him,” she replied easily. “I’m not asking you to fight beside him. That would be unwise and would go against my promise to Aziel.”

I shot Aziel a questioning look, but he still wasn't looking at me. He normally looked like he’d face down the devil without flinching, but now he looked like he was beating himself up. He deserved it, but I hated seeing him look so dejected. It was confusing, and I growled, mostly to myself.

“Can we skip to the part that says any of this is my problem? I barely know him.”

“Your mind might not know him yet, but your soul does. You are his mate. Even inaction on my part wouldn’t have kept you two apart for long. Your fates are and always will be intertwined.”

Shock and horror dumped into my system, choking the breath from me. No fucking way. I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but I could make an educated guess. I’d spent most of my adult life avoiding paranormals. And now they were saying I was mated to one?

“Jesus fuck! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Felix snorted from his spot behind the front desk. He was back to spinning on the stool and looked completely at ease with this whole situation. “Jesus fuck. That’s funny. Isn’t Jesus some kind of deity or something?”

“Shut up, Felix,” the group chorused.

Aziel warned me he was an idiot, but now really wasn’t the time to deal with him. The walls felt like they were closing in. This was insane. Thanks to one demon, I was on the radar of a dangerous crime family, who was sending monsters through the mail to get to me, and the fate of said demon’s life was in my hands. Oh, and we somehow belonged together. Because that made fucking sense. I gripped my hair, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.

“I understand your reaction, but there’s nothing to fear. I’ve seen only good things so long as you stick together. I–”

“No.”

Aziel’s voice caught everyone’s attention, and we all swung to face him. He was still glaring at the ground, but his expression was more determined and when he finally looked up, that dangerous edge to him was back.

“I told Athena I wasn’t going to take your happiness to find my own. You asked me to leave. I’m not forcing you to help me. You won’t have to see me again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DECLAN

The room protested,but Aziel didn’t flinch. His eyes were locked on me.

“Azzy, if you do this, you won’t survive. He is looking for any excuse to end you. I can’t protect you from this,” the old woman pleaded.

“I deserve it, for dragging innocents into my life for my own selfish reasons.” He looked like he was fighting to keep his expression neutral, the corners of his mouth fighting against a frown. “I’m sorry, Declan. Dante getting information was one thing. Getting information had never hurt innocents before. I shouldn’t have gotten involved. It was my fault it escalated.” He shifted his gaze to the demon by the door. “Watch over him until the ward is up. They’ll come for him if he’s alone.”

And then he was gone. The old woman cried out in protest, and I felt the panic in the room. They wanted to chase him. But because he asked them to protect me, they wouldn’t move until it was safe.