Page 204 of Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

EPILOGUE

TEN

Two Months Later

I'd never imagined how much finding my mate would change my life.

It wasn't just that Matthew made me feel complete and fulfilled in a way I hadn't felt before. Matthew was also helping me figure things out about myself I'd never given thought to before.

Because of his support, I'd applied for a job last month, and as of two weeks ago, I was working as a sous chef at a fusion restaurant and loving every moment of it. It was popular, and there were two other sous chefs splitting the shifts with me, so I was able to maintain a good work-life balance.

Matthew and I both had jobs we loved now, and while it cut down on our time together a little, it made our lives fuller, and we always went to bed in each other's arms, so the separation during the day wasn't too bad.

"What are you thinking about?"

I glanced up at Matthew as he walked into the kitchen, a towel wrapped around his waist, his chest bare and very, very inviting.

"You," I answered with a shrug, making him smile. He walked around the counter to my side, and I pulled him close, covering the pot with a lid to let the sauce simmer. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Don't you get tired of cooking all day for work and then coming home and cooking for me too?"

"I would never get tired of cooking for you," I answered solemnly, and his smile widened.

"You're so sweet."

Matthew leaned up on his toe tips, and I bent to close the distance between us, pressing our lips together.

I squeezed Matthew's hips and gave his lower lip a quick lick before pulling back, and he gazed up at me with dark brown eyes full of love. I'd never imagined someone could look at me with so much adoration, but that was before I met this human.

We ate in front of the TV, then went to bed curled up in each other's arms. It was a routine we'd quickly fallen into, and there was something comforting about it, about knowing that each coming day of ours would end just like this.

A few days later, I decided it was time I showed Matthew the place I'd lived in for the last many centuries, the demon world. I knew my other demon friends who'd found human mates had shown their mates around, and I wanted to share my old home with Matthew too.

While I wasn't particularly attached to the place—to me, home had always been about the people I lived with rather than the place I lived in—it had been my home for a long time, and I knew Matthew would like it.

When a weekend came up where we both had time off—while I always had the weekends off, Matthew’s schedule tended to be all over the place—I popped the question.

"Hey, Matthew? Would you like to see the demon realm?"

Matthew turned around on the couch to look up at me, his brown eyes wide. "The demon realm? Really?"

Nodding, I cupped his chin, making sure not to nick his soft skin with my claws. "Yes. I'd like to show you my old home, if you're up for it."

Nodding quickly, Matthew turned around fully and leaned up to smack a kiss on my mouth. "Yes, please. I'd love to see it. When are we going?"

"How about tomorrow after breakfast?"

"Perfect! I can't wait."

Chuckling, I let him turn back to the TV, wrapping my arm around his middle once more. I looked forward to showing Matthew around the demon realm, and I was excited to see all the ways he'd react to everything he saw. I wondered what my old home would look like through Matthew's human eyes. Would he find it strange? What if he didn't like it?

It wasn't like I planned on moving back to the demon world. My life was here now, with Matthew. But that didn't mean I didn't hope he'd enjoy the demon realm.

Matthew

The demon realm was fantastic.

I couldn't keep my gaze still as I looked around, mesmerized by the bluish-white flames lighting our way through the wall sconces. The flame was blue!

The demon realm looked like one giant cave system, with smaller openings leading off into hallways that split into smaller caves.

"How many demons are there? Like, in total?" There must have been hundreds of caves in this place, but I didn't think there were as many demons.

"Now? There are twenty-four of us. But back when Underworld still existed, when we had the purpose of torturing the dark souls, there were hundreds. Most of them either went dark or moved on to Afterworld once their job was done."

Ten had told me a lot about Otherworld and Afterworld. It wasn't something humans were supposed to know, but our religions had still come up with places and ideas that were similar, if not the same. Afterworld was like heaven, where the 'good' souls could rest until they were ready to reincarnate. Otherworld, on the other hand, was a waystation where souls could stay until they were ready for Afterworld, or join the Soul Collectors, who were responsible for transporting souls from the human realm to Otherworld.

It was a complicated system that I still didn't understand very well, but I understood what Ten was saying, and I had a question I didn't know if I could ask.

"What is it?" Ten asked, glancing down at me as we paused in front of a curtained-off doorway.

"Why did you and the other demons stay? Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you did, because we wouldn't have met when we did otherwise, but why? Why not move on to Afterworld?"

Ten shrugged, his blue eyes gleaming brightly with the blue flames reflected in them. "I don't know. I guess I just wasn't ready. Afterworld is peaceful, but it can get boring at times, or so I've heard. I wasn't prepared to settle down, I suppose."

"And now?" I asked, worried because our life was pretty damned regular. What if Ten started getting bored of it? Would he leave?

"Now, I'm starting to see the merits of a quiet, peaceful life," Ten said, his sharp teeth on display as he grinned at me.

Smiling, I took his scaled hand in mine and pressed a kiss on his knuckles. Then, I eyed the curtain. "Is this your room?"

Ten nodded quickly, reaching for the curtain. "Would you like to see it?"

"You bet."

Giving a rough chuckle, Ten pulled the curtain aside and waved me forward.

I rushed into the cave, eager to see the room Ten used to live in.

"Oh wow." Ten's room here was very different from the one in the human world.

One side was taken up by a massive bed. Two demons of Ten's size could easily fit on it, and I wondered if he'd ever shared it with a demon friend. I hoped he had, because he'd lived a long life before we ever met, and I'd hate to think he'd spent it alone. I knew he wanted only me now, but I didn't begrudge him any companionship he may have had before. It wasn't like I hadn't been with other people before we met.

I turned my focus back to the room, taking in the high coffee table and the couches and chairs scattered around it in a rough circle. There were enough seats for all the demons, and I wondered if they'd gotten together here for conversations and more.

"Is that for Hella?" I asked, catching sight of a plush dog bed right by the bed.

"Yeah. Not that she ever used it. She preferred climbing into my bed," Ten said with a fond shake of his head, making me smile.

"You know what we should do now?" I asked, turning to him and craning my neck so I could meet his eyes. He peered down at me, blinking slowly as he curled his tail over my ass.

"What?"

"We should make use of that comfy-looking bed of yours."

Ten stared at me for a moment, then picked me up, startling a laugh out of me. Carrying me to the bed, he threw me on it, and I bounced once before settling.

Ten's eyes roamed over me, and he snapped his fingers, making my clothes disappear. I shivered at the sudden chill, but then Ten was on top of me, warming me up.

Fuck, I didn't think I'd ever get used to being so close to him.

"I love you, Ten," I murmured as I pressed my lips to his mouth, and he growled against my lips, licking them once before pulling back so he could meet my eyes.

"I love you too."

As Ten slid inside me a few minutes later, I pushed up into him, taking his cock as deep inside me as I could. I hoped we could stay like this forever, and if not, then I just hoped we had a lifetime of this. Just this. It was all I'd ever want.

Want to meet more demons? Check out the Demon Debacles series! Start with My Demon Roommates .