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There was that one time someone tried to mug me. It was a bad choice on their part, but they couldn’t be blamed since they hadn’t known I had a giant glamoured beside me. He’d turned the man into a husk, draining him so much his body became dust as soon as the last tendril of the shadow pulled away. And that was only one of the times. I comforted myself with the thought that he wasn’t so trigger-happy with me at his side.

“Samhain will give us a longer window to explore if you wish.”

“More like, you explore. I love seeing you try things.” I laughed, thinking about the time I made him eat ice cream.

He grunted, fluttering his wings out. He always did that when he was feeling something more intensely. I finished tying my boots and hopped to my feet, heading for the garage where I’d parked the car. I didn’t have any neighbors right next to me, but I didn’t want to risk him being seen. And when he got into a car, it was ascene.

He followed me into the garage, and I went directly to open the back door for him since he needed more room for his wings. He glowered at me from a few feet away.

“You’re wasting time,” I sang. He sighed and approached to begin the painstaking effort to arrange his oversized body into my little Kia.

“I will never understand your urge to use avehicle,” he sneered. I helped him shove his wing in. He winced. “I can fly us,” he drawled. Instead of answering, I gently closed the door. He watched me from inside, looking like a sullen child. He had to hunch to accommodate his size. Maybe he had a point, we needed more room, but that was a future me problem.

“Okay, now you can glamour,” I said and slid into the driver’s side.

There was a small shopping center a few minutes into town. I’d found that going earlier was best because it wasn’t as packed.I pressed the garage button, and it slowly rose, the gears working overtime. Once the path was clear, I backed up and headed onto the road.

“I was thinking we could get a few things for the bedroom.”

“Mmm, whatever you please, my Little Mortal.” My heart throbbed at his endearment—even though I was technically no longer ‘mortal.’

“Also, I need to grab some soap and shampoo. You know what we should do? Take a washing machine with us, that would make everything so much easier.”

“One of those devices humans clean clothes with, correct?”

“Yes,” I answered and settled into describing where we could put it. I navigated into a lot, and the car jostled over a few speed bumps. Once in a parking spot, I shut the engine off.

I hopped out of the car and opened the back. “Let’s go,” I chirped.

A lady approaching her vehicle peered at me and then did a double-take. She gave me a strange look, but I shrugged off her judgment. I didn’t care how I was perceived. Feathers grazed my arm, and he brushed past me. I reached for my bag on the floor of the back seat.

We passed the coffee shop I’d hung out in when I’d been terrified of going home, and entered the wide glass doors with the electronic swinging doors. He was an ancient monster and had seen much because of it, but he’d only been able to watch, never experience—until me.

I peeked around and, not seeing anyone, reached out a hand. The back of it rubbed against feathers, and I slowly patted until I found my way to his arm. I grabbed the large hand, slipping my fingers between his.

A soft purr echoed from his chest, and I pressed my lips together to hide my smile.