Page 3 of April's Fool (Northarbor Coven Book 2)

Revelations

Damon

Cody had a crush on his new colleague. It was apparent as soon as the two were in the same room together that the new guy, Quill, liked him back. Quill was one of the few colleagues that genuinely liked Cody. The rest were all too busy trying to climb the ladder, unafraid to trample him on the way. It gave me too many targets to choose from.

All I could do was to keep watch on him. Help him keep his spirits up, even as he seemed to fade in front of my eyes. The flowers had cheered him, until they, too, seemed to wilt under the strange air in Cody’s apartment.

Watching my new friend struggle with something he was too scared to talk to me about made frustration burn in my gut. Instead of confiding in me, he was withdrawing, and I hated it.

Even the secrets of his past weren’t enough to draw him out. I had Parker working every angle to figure out what his family had done to him when he was born. Our theory was that Basil had been tasked with ending Cody so his family could get the trust fund back. Apparently, it would revert to the family on his death instead of going to charity and they weren’t as solvent as they used to be after buying their way into another coven.

His emerging magic might be the block on him failing, but why would his family have done that to him and not his siblings? So much of this made little sense. I could tell we were missing a lot of information.

Watching Cody and Quill dance around their attraction to each other was difficult. It only got harder when Cody sweetly announced his date with Quill.

Naturally, I followed them on their date, neither one aware of my presence as they flirted. I could practically see them falling in love with each other, and I prayed to every deity I knew of to prevent Quill from hurting my friend.

Not that I was in love with Cody, but I loved him deep in my soul, even as his magic grew within him, making him something that I feared had been taught to hate.

My views made no sense, considering how deeply ingrained magic was in our culture now. There were healers alongside doctors in the hospitals. Spells served a variety of purposes, from security to cosmetics. Hell, I’d even used magic on Cody. Yet I’d always had this innate fear of it. I was more cautious around witches than any other supernatural being, for reasons I didn’t understand.

Of course, my upbringing hadn’t helped. I’d moved from foster homes to group homes, been adopted, and then returned when the family became pregnant. Some couples had made more of a mark on my psyche than others. Those families had hidden their prejudices from social services and encouraged, with stern punishments, a hatred of anyone not like them, especially witches.

Later, I’d discovered that those foster parents had come from witches and had their powers stripped, but it was too late to undo the conditioning, no matter how hard I tried.

Cody Valentine represented something I hated, yet, no matter how I tried to turn away from him, I continued to stay by his side.

I hadn’t planned on watching Cody with Quill. Somehow, I still found my way to the building that overlooked his own with a clear line of sight into his apartment.

The cameras I’d installed in his tiny space—truly, Cody deserved better than that dump, though it kept him humble and sweet—caught all the action, though, unfortunately, none of the sound. I saw through the feed on my phone the moment that their lips met, and a swell of purple magic .

My friend lurched back with surprise, not fear, on his face. Quill looked hopeful and concerned for Cody. Then he had wings!

A demon! My friend was a demon! Was that the reason for the contract on his life? Had someone figured out the secret?

Watching, I saw Cody come to terms with what he was, then kiss Quill again. Instead of looking away like I should have, I watched, far too curious for my own good.

Eventually, I saw Quill break out into a demon form. He and Cody talked for a few minutes, a whole host of emotions playing over both their strangely beautiful faces. My heart ached with how perfectly they fit together.

I returned to the space I shared with Parker, then showed him Cody and Quill in their true forms.

“Well, fuck, this just got more complicated.”

“Indeed. We need to speak to them, but judging by what I witnessed before I left, they won’t be coming up for air anytime soon.”

Parker laid a hand on my arm, squeezing with sympathy. “Sorry, man. I know you had a crush on him. ”

“It was barely anything. Cody is... he’s my friend. I feel responsible for him.”

“Still—“

“I’m good, I swear. Let’s just take a break, okay? Pick this up in the morning. He’s got a demon with him. He’s safe for the time being.”

Spending the night tossing and turning had made me cranky when I woke. Make up was useful for more than blurring my features as I painted it on to cover my dark circles.

Would Cody need me now that he had a mate?

Trying to lighten my mood and subtly tell him I knew everything, I sent Cody some messages to tease him and make sure he got to work.

I followed him and Quill to his office building and then watched in dismay as he was fired for being part demon. The rejection stung him. I could feel it almost as if it had happened to me.

The reaction of his former colleagues had me taking names for further investigation. I still couldn’t rule them out, even with Cody’s family under suspicion. His family were even bigger suspects now that it was out that Cody was part demon. How far would they go to hide such a secret? Did his coven know? The elders had helped with a spell, one that was likely the binding of his demon side. So had they been the ones to make the contract ?

All I knew was that my friend was part demon, and I didn’t care. He was still my sweetness, my Cody, and if he would let me, I would figure this mess out. I’d even give his demon boyfriend a chance to prove he was good enough.