Page 21 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)

The Demon Realm

Damon

What was a human to do when he was left alone in the demon realm? Not explore, apparently. That was ill-advised despite the many assurances that the demon realm was much safer for me, for anyone, than the human one.

Something about this didn’t feel right. Whether it was Mori’s insistence I stayed put or my gut feeling, but something was off.

So like the good human boyfriend I, hopefully, was, I did as I was told and waited in the suite for someone to come collect me. First I showered, packed our things neatly, then ordered a hearty breakfast. I hoped Keren thought to get Mori some food. All that sunshine and rainbows needed to be powered by sugar.

My lips lifted in a brief smile at the thought of Mori. The night before had been amazing. We had proved without a shadow of a doubt that we were compatible. The smile slipped when I thought about the shower when Mori had naturally headed somewhere… the memory of being penetrated flashed through me, making me shudder.

No, Mori had apologized, then respected my boundary. He was just so good. All the shower had been was a tiny blip in an otherwise wonderful night. The shower had ended well for us both.

A smirk returned at all the ways I’d taken Mori through the night. Being with an incubus was an experience I’d never forget. I wasn’t going back to human guys.

Mori was different, though. He wasn’t just a brief lover I’d keep for a week or two at most. When I thought about my future now that my hitman days were over, Mori was there with me. I wasn’t sure how it would work with our life spans being so different. Still, I’d take another sixty years of Mori over none at all. He was the one I wanted by my side.

If he wanted me, then I was his.

We would have to talk about my reaction in the shower and what it meant. It didn’t come from some sexual trauma. I’d consented to what happened, I hadn’t been forced. It was the aftermath that’d caused my reaction. I’d messed around with a slightly older guy in my teens. Neither of us had been very experienced. A little too little prep, definitely too little lube, and a visit to the ER later, it was now a no go area. Who knows, maybe Mori could eventually build up enough trust for me to try it again. Just now, while we were still learning how we fit, I wasn’t ready.

Breakfast done, I read over the texts from Cody and Mori. Toth was coming to get me, though it wouldn’t be until later on in the day when most of the work for the orchard was done. I hated waiting for a babysitter, but I understood the need for it. Demonkin weren’t the only things in the demon realm, though they made up the majority of the population. Some humans, shifters, and other species all lived here, drawn by the clean air and ambient magic of the place.

For the foreseeable future, I was stuck in the suite. I was grateful after about half an hour of twiddling my thumbs that demons had integrated human technology with their magic. I’d noticed during our flight they also used hydro, wind and solar power.

The suite had a flat screen TV with magical access to streaming services in the human realm. Quickly, I remembered why I didn’t watch TV and shut it off.

I huffed out a breath, scanned the room, then decided to do a yoga workout. A workout would occupy me for a while. I found a pair of loose cotton pants and a t-shirt and changed, then made sure my bag was ready to go again. If Toth arrived, I didn’t want the grumpy demon to have to wait for me while I sorted my things. He would be antsy to get back to Cody. The longer I made him wait, the grumpier he would get.

Yoga was the ideal distraction. I worked up a light sweat as I went through the routine I knew by heart.

A knock came at the main door. Hurrying to it, I opened it to see Jorgoth, an elemental demon that worked for Toth in the orchard. He used his water powers to make sure the apples grew well.

“He-llo,” he stammered, nervously. “I—I’ve come to collect you.”

Alarms in my head began blaring. This guy was throwing off all sorts of vibes. He was distinctly uncomfortable, sweating, his eyes darting around the place.

“Cool, just let me get my stuff.” I turned my back on him and quickly texted Cody.

Damon: Jorgoth is here. Something is wrong. Did you send him?

Fussing with my already packed bag gave me some time to wait for a reply. After a few minutes, I was forced to think of a plan.

“Sir? We need to go. I’m expected back.”

Why did that twig my senses as a half-truth?

“Okay, I have everything.” With a final glance, I made sure I had everything, including the gems Mori had left to make sure I portalled to Toth’s castle .

Jorgoth was pensive as we descended in the elevator. The silence between us was stifling. Having spent a couple of weeks at Toth’s, I had built up a relationship with the demonkin who worked for Cody’s mate. Things had never been so awkward, making me even more suspicious.

We walked through the reception to the main door. Jorgoth didn’t acknowledge Barr, who I knew was his friend from things Mori had told me about the hellhound. I’d even sensed something romantic between them, making this weirder.

Another red flag.

Outside of the hotel, I worked to create a bit of distance between me and the elemental. I knew we couldn’t portal directly from the hotel. The staff had been very apologetic about it. Mori had said something about building works and renovations, meaning they didn’t want portals opening up and causing accidents.

“This way, please,” Jorgoth said, still sweating profusely.

Without speaking, I followed him. Part of me wanted to go through with whatever this was, some sort of half-baked kidnapping. Yet I knew I was vulnerable. My guns were back in my room in the castle. I had a knife on me, but against magic, I was severely outclassed. My best bet was getting some distance between us and running.

I was grateful for the walk I’d shared with Mori, as I’d been able to learn where things were. Ever thoughtful, Mori had shown me where the portal guild was. He said to go there and wait for him if we were ever separated or if there was an issue. I wore a gem on a necklace as a ‘just in case’.

Didn’t look like I would need it, though.

During our short walk, we had picked up a tail.

Barr, the sweet hellhound, was following us as Jorgoth took me further from the hotel, in the opposite direction of the guild.

What I needed was a way of delaying so Barr could get closer. We were out of the hotel exclusion zone, so Jorgoth could portal me at any point. The only place he could take me was the human realm.

Fuck.

Was Jorgoth in contract to a witch?

My mind buzzed even as my steps slowed, making Jorgoth look at me with a frown. “Sorry, long night, tired. Incubi and their stamina, huh?” I joked.

Who could Jorgoth be—?

Basil.

The only witch who would have a reason to come for me was Basil. The same witch who had Toth for hours before we rescued him. Could Basil have tortured Toth for more than Cody’s demon name?

Jorgoth’s face twitched in, I guess, was supposed to be a smile. Not a hint of a laugh escaped him. If anything, my delaying tactic and joke seemed to make him more uncomfortable.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Barr’s approach. Without a word, I took off, running back the way we came, towards the portal guild. I was not relying on the hellhound to get me to Mori. There was no way I was going back to the castle. Who knew how many names Basil had stolen from Toth’s mind.

Not knowing if Barr was friend or foe, I skirted him and just ran.

Streets blurred past me as I dashed through them. Shouts went up as water was flung at me, crashing into walls. An icicle flew by my head by inches. Fuck, that would have hurt!

“This way!” Barr yelled.

I hesitated, losing vital seconds to Jorgoth, who was relentless in his chase.

Barr reached me before he did. He clasped my wrist, drew a portal, and we were gone.

We came out only a few streets away. “Sorry, I panicked.” Barr’s eyes were frantic. His breathing was heavy, his slightly furry cheeks red.

“Are you working for Basil? ”

“Who’s Basil?”

The hellhound was innocent, my gut told me as much.

“Why were you following us?” I asked.

Barr ran a nervous hand over his face. His fingers were trembling. “Can we move while I explain?”

I nodded my agreement and took a circular route, still intending to get to the guild, but not waiting for Jorgoth to find us until I had answers.

“So, a few weeks ago, Jor was supposed to meet me on his day off, and he just vanished. When I finally got a hold of him, he couldn’t explain where he’d been. It was just so off, you know?”

Again, I nodded. “Couldn’t? Like he couldn’t say the words, or wouldn’t?”

“He tried speaking. It was like his throat would close around the words.”

“A geas.” At Barr’s confused look, I explained, “a binding spell of sorts. Makes it so the person can’t do something. Here, it was preventing him from telling you he’s contracted.”

Barr stopped still in the street. “He is?”

“Yeah, I think I know which one, too. Means I can’t go back to the castle and Cody really shouldn’t be there until we either free the demonkin affected, because if I know this witch, there’s more than one in contract, or we kill the witch. ”

“By the magic! This is worse than I thought. Prince Amorandes is going to be so upset! What was Jor going to do with you?”

“I think he was taking me to the witch because he certainly wasn’t taking me to the portal guild.”

Up ahead, I spotted the guild. “Fuck! Jorgoth is there.”

“Where do you want to go? You said you can’t go to the castle, so where can I take you?”

“To Mori. He’s going to be in a club in Sweetwater.”

I led Barr away from the guild while I searched for a picture of the heat club on my phone. He would need a reference of where to go for the portal.

“Here.”

Barr glanced at the picture, then closed his eyes briefly. “Got it.”

Jorgoth rounded the corner in front of us.

Barr grabbed me again, taking off in a sprint while drawing another portal. This one was bigger, took seconds I wasn’t sure we had.

In a blink, we burst through, the portal snapping closed behind us.

There, surrounded by shifters, was Mori, his eyes wide with concern.

“Hey, did you miss me?”