Page 14 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)

The Coven

Damon

Mori kept his arm around me, the weight and warmth soothing as I wondered just what the hell was going on with Parker and Gregoris. Whatever it was, they were still holding hands as they walked into the coven house in front of me.

The house was an imposing building that housed only a few of the key members. Poppy, the Head Witch, her wife, the wife’s brother, and a few other key witches lived there. Usually, coven business was held at another building. Because the warding needed for a home interfered with spells, they conducted all their ceremonies and big workings off the premises.

I knew it was unlikely that we would see Poppy or Zinna, since the Head Witch had not long ago had their baby, and her wife was understandably protective. The magic that the pair held was impressive, yet it had drained them to create their child. They also had Poppy’s store to run.

“Come through,” Oak said, as he guided us into a large parlor. There were several deep blue plush sofas set around a large wooden coffee table laden with maps, crystals and other magical tools. The decor was understated, but classy. It actually felt like a home, with small touches that showed the personalities of the residents. I could see what I knew of Poppy in all the fresh flowers, soft furnishings and animal art. “Pops, Zinna, and Sage,” I’d forgotten the baby was called Sage, “are all elsewhere right now. We didn’t want them around for their safety while we were searching for Basil. Even I don’t know where they went, so it’s basically just a handful of us here right now. Take a seat.”

To my surprise, Parker led Gregoris over to a wide couch. The larger man took up so much space that Mori and I needed to take another sofa. I cast a look at Mori, wondering if he was going to say anything about what was going on. Parker avoided my eyes, clearly knowing I desperately wanted to speak to him.

What was this? Could they be mates? Was a simple touch enough to change his world view? I always thought that betas didn’t get true mates, except demons and shifters rarely interacted, right? Demons were so removed from supernatural society that we knew so little about them. I thought demons would only mate with demons. Could I be wrong and would I deny Parker and Gregoris their happiness just because of the things Gregoris had said about me and Mori ?

No, I wouldn’t. I loved my brother too much for that.

Everyone just continued on like this was all perfectly normal. To outsiders, it probably was, since both demons were in their human guises. Gregoris’ human form had rich dark skin, deep brown eyes, and shoulder length wavy hair. He was wearing a frown, yet he still held Parker’s hand in his. I wondered what he was thinking. He didn’t glance once at me and Mori.

Was that just it for him? His heart switched that easily? Did he not see how fickle it made him? There was no way that he was good enough for Parker if he could go from unrequited to this in the matter of moments. Or was this just another example of me not getting the supernatural world? My human heart couldn’t understand a paranormal bond.

I caught myself frowning at the direction of my thoughts, then blanketed that expression. There was no way I was giving these witches any more information than they absolutely needed.

The demon beside me caught my attention once again. Something inside me was always searching for Mori if he was near me. Mori looked a lot like Cody did as a human. The same mid brown hair and eyes. Same pale complexion I knew would go red in the sun before taking on a golden hue. Mori was a lot bigger than Cody, though. Wider in the shoulders and likely over six feet tall .

I couldn’t help but compare the two demons. Gregoris dwarfed us all, even in this disguise. He must have been about six and a half feet, if not taller. I was bad with heights. All I knew was Parker was slightly shorter than Mori and claimed to be six feet tall and next to Gregoris, he looked small.

Within seconds I took in the witches in the room, just Oak and River who we had met before, then I cataloged all the exits and important furniture. I made sure to have Mori out of line of sight from the window but I had left us with a clear view of the door, our only exit. I noted all the problems, like the building next door that had a great line of sight for a sniper if someone was determined. The wind would make the shot tricky, though.

We went through the pleasantries, the introductions and offers of drinks, before we could get down to what we were really there for. All the while I was simmering, wanting to ask what the fuck was going on!

I declined a cup of tea with all the manners that I had despite the tense situation, but took the offered sealed bottle of water. Sue me, I was still a paranoid hitman who had a contract out on him.

Not only did I have to deal with this potential mate thing, I also needed to decide what I wanted to do about the hit taken out on Parker. There was no way he could go back to a hotel, not alone. He wouldn’t let me come with him, either. We really shouldn’t be in the same place together… unless he came with us to the demon realm.

With a glance at him, his hand still being held by the guard’s, I knew he was coming back to the demon realm with us. Something had altered him during that handshake. We were never that touchy-feely before this. They were still touching! Parker looked… happy, content about it, so I wasn’t going to say a word. I might not have been a fan of the guard, but I knew Mori loved him in his own way. That made him a decent person. Demon. Whatever.

Mori was super sweet, made friends with everyone and had already charmed the witches. He sat next to me cheerfully sipping on a piping hot cup of tea, a cookie in his free hand. He was sitting so close we were touching from knee to shoulder. His presence was reassuring and settled some of my nerves from being in this house. I was grateful to him almost as much as I wanted to test out our chemistry. It buzzed between us like it was a living thing.

I snapped myself out of daydreaming about what Mori would feel like under me to focus on what Oak was saying. The witch was answering some questions Mori had about Cody. Every aspect of Cody’s life fascinated him. I couldn’t wait to tease Cody about his doting dad.

Focused once again in the room, I shivered. Magic flavored the air, leaving every breath bitter with the tang of it. I hated the feeling, irrationally so. This was all conditioning from my childhood, I knew that. I had no reason to fear or dislike the witches.

“Should we make a start?” I asked when the conversation settled.

“Sure,” Oak said affably, his tawny skin became rosy with a blush. He and his sister, Zinna, had similar features. The same deep gray eyes and straight dark hair that spoke of their Asian heritage. Oak wore his tied back in a low ponytail that really suited him. If I hadn’t met Mori first… no, he still wouldn’t have been my type. Oak gave soft dom top vibes. Plus, he was a witch and just… shudder. Nope.

“Well, we went through the usual spells trying to trace him. It was useful because his brother is here. Thyme—“

“Thyme? Seriously.”

Oak rolled his eyes. “Yes, Thyme.”

I couldn’t help the snicker that escaped me. “Basil, Thyme, and are there any other herb related names?”

Gregoris was glaring at my rudeness. Parker took his hand back to cover his mouth and hide his own giggles .

Oak scowled. “Thyme is a fine name. It’s from a naming tradition in his family—“

“Are you talking about me again?” a voice came from the doorway. A shorter, red-haired man with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen entered the room with a smile on his face. He was cute, with a soft-looking, heart-shaped face. Adorable if you were into twinks, which I wasn’t. I preferred someone of my build or more muscular. A challenge. Thyme’s hair fell in soft curls over his forehead, into his eyes. He pushed them aside and winked at me. “Damon, right? Are you here to help us find Basil? My brother is sneaky, so I hope you can help.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “I just want this over with.”

“Uh, sure. Sorry about the name thing.” Honestly, now that he was in front of me, I thought the name suited him. It was almost fae-like, and he had the air of magic about him.

“No worries. Like Oak was saying,” he perched next to the other witch with an easy familiarity that Oak didn’t seem to mirror. He became stiff next to Thyme. “It’s a family name. I had it before my transition and kept it.” Thyme grinned cheekily. Him, I liked. “Besides, it always seemed like more of a boy’s name, anyway.”

“It was good of you to honor your great-uncle that way,” Oak said rather formally .

Thyme bestowed a stunning smile on Oak that did nothing to melt the chill between them, or rather, from Oak’s direction. Whatever was going on there was Oak’s issue, not Thyme’s. Could it be mistrust from who Thyme was to Basil?

“Okay, so you want Basil taken care of? Let’s have a look at where you’ve had traces of him.” I returned to the business at hand. I wanted to get me and Parker, plus our demon companions, back to Toth’s castle as soon as possible.

In the corner of my eye, I caught Thyme’s startle and Oak’s contemplative look. Were they worried that we would say something about Thyme being trans? Was his mention of it a way of feeling me out? Were they checking I was a decent person despite being a paid killer? Seemed like I passed the test if that’s what it was. Stupid really, since I likely wouldn’t have known, as most witches transitioned with magic and not hormones and surgery like humans did. Some humans could get a coven to help them with it at a massive cost. For an individual witch to do it was to give up some of their magic forever. Living their authentic selves came at a significant cost. I actually admired Thyme for being willing to do that. I’d only just met the witch, but I could guarantee that I respected him a hell of a lot more than the other witches in this coven .

Any coven, really. Northarbor’s witches, Basil aside, seemed decent, but at the end of the day, they were still witches.

We had been at this for hours. They had looked for the ex-High Witch in many places, as indicated by the little pins on the map in front of us. The trouble was that Basil was too powerful and knew how to hide himself with magic easily. He also had allies. Someone in the coven had to be helping him, which is why they were down to just three people looking for him. Even then, they often excluded Thyme from things because they were afraid he was leaking information to his brother.

While I didn’t know the situation, I knew people. Thyme was determined to find his brother and make him pay for his crimes. I knew this as a fact. It was something I was going to have to bring up with Oak, since he was wasting a valuable resource. Thyme had information about his brother that we could likely use.

The hours passed by with countless cups of tea, takeout, and snacks marking the passage of time with very little to show for our work .

Parker was working on a database of all known allies of Basil, any aliases he used, and the all important money trail. He would need supplies and cash to fund the things he had been up to.

All of this was taking too much of our time.

Despite Mori’s soothing presence and happy-go-lucky attitude, even his patience was wearing thin. “Should we return for the night and come back fresh tomorrow?” he finally asked. It had to be about three in the morning. My eyes felt gritty, and I kept suppressing yawns.

“Why don’t you stay here?” Oak offered. “There are a couple of rooms you could have. We could all get a couple of hours’ rest, then start fresh in the morning.”

I seemed to be taking the lead on this, as my companions all looked at me to answer. Something about it didn’t feel right, but Parker’s eye bags had bags of their own at that point. Moving with us all this tired was stupid and dangerous. “Fine. Let’s get some sleep.”

River led us up to the spare rooms while Oak and Thyme talked in low voices, arguing about something I was no longer interested in. I just wanted to lie down and close my eyes for a few hours. Just switching off my brain for a while would help. “Here you go.” River opened both the doors. “You’ll have to double up, I’m afraid. Sorry, there aren’t more rooms. ”

“No worries,” Parker said with a smile before towing Gregoris into one room and closing the door with finality. I guess we were having that discussion another time then.

“Shall we?” Mori’s face lit up with a grin. Okay, this was probably better than bunking with Parker. He always had cold feet that he liked to warm on my legs.

“Sure. Thanks, River.”

We said our good-nights and entered the comfortable guest room. There were none of the personal touches that filled the downstairs rooms. It was as welcoming as most hotel rooms were. Bland, inoffensive, with hopefully a comfortable bed.

Mori turned to face me when I shut the door carefully and locked it. A crackle of energy arced between us. Was he feeling the pull as well? He closed the distance between us and cupped my face. “Can I kiss you?” he whispered. “I need to know.”

“Know what?” I asked, leaning into his touch. His hand was warm. It made me feel… safe.

His eyes never left mine. “Just what it is about you.”

“Yes.”

Slowly, he closed the gap between our lips. It felt like it took forever, the anticipation of his mouth on mine drawing tight like a bow string before snapping .

When he kissed me, I gasped. Not out of a sense of him belonging to me, or some mystical sense, just a feeling of rightness.

Home.

Mori felt like every dream come to life.

I pushed closer to him, opening his mouth with my tongue. He clasped the back of my neck and groaned into the deepening kiss. This was everything I’d ever been looking for.

Bed. I wanted to get him into bed to see just how well we came together. Based on this kiss alone, Mori was perfect.

Clever fingers loosened my tie and worked at the buttons of my shirt. It was my turn to moan into Mori’s kiss as he touched the bared skin of my chest.

“Hmm,” he sighed, as I worked kisses over his jaw to his neck.

“Let your ears change. I want to test how sensitive they are.” The familiar feel of magic filled the air as he let his ears free. I licked along one, making Mori groan.

Mori’s mouth landed on mine just as I heard it.

The whip-crack sound of a shot.

Mori jolted, then cried out in pain as blood bloomed on his shoulder.

Fuck!

Instinctively, I acted. “Get down!” I yelled, as I pushed him to the floor .

I flung myself behind the bed and withdrew my gun that I’d hidden inside the jacket of my suit. The witches hadn’t even thought to check us for weapons.

It took a second, but I found the line of sight the shooter had used. I couldn’t get a shot with such a small gun. The shooter had the advantage. Dammit. We were fucked. We had to get out of there.

The door burst open.

“Down!” I cried as another shot went off, this time hitting the wall beyond the empty doorway.

“Your highness!”

“I’m here,” Mori called in reply. “Damon, come on, we need to go!” Mori raised his hands and, using his magic, formed a shield around me. I crawled towards him.

Another shot rang out, glancing off the shield. The house was in chaos.

“A portal.” Gregoris looked horrified at the growing stain of blood on Mori’s shoulder.

My demon looked pale. His expression was tight with pain.

“We can’t. The wards.”

Mori glanced at me, then had a wordless conversation with Gregoris. “We can break them if we combine our magic.”

We didn’t have a choice. “Do it,” I said .

They clasped hands, and the hallway filled with a magenta colored magic, the same color as the wings that burst from both Mori and Gregoris.

I heard shouts of panic as the wards strained and crumbled. Some still held firm. Oak and Thyme rounded the corner, their hands raised, ready to do magic.

“Quick, come with us. We’ll return you somewhere safe after,” I called to them.

They nodded their agreement, pushing magic out to help Mori and Gregoris with removing the wards. The ever present feeling of pressure, like an impending thunderstorm, fell. With their help, the wards were down.

The feeling of magic surged once more. A portal opened in the hallway, the demon realm waiting for us on the other side.

Oak nodded at me, clasped Thyme’s arm, and ran through the portal.