Page 6 of Demon Dating Service
“Excellent. Does that mean you’re a fan of birds?”
“Very much. I’ve studied birds all my life. They’re absolutely fascinating creatures. Did—” Luke jerked his tongue back and clamped his teeth together to hold in the rest of his rambling. He had to make a good impression and not bore his prospective landlord to death with all his jabbering about birds.
Az lifted a questioning eyebrow as if prodding Luke to continue. Instead, Luke smiled broadly and gave a shake of his head.
“I’m a fan of crows myself. There are a few who like to visit me. Clearly, you won’t have a problem with that.”
“Nope. Not at all.” But were these the same crows he’d met on campus and who’d brought him the flyer? No, there was no way they could be the same birds. Crows were smart, but could they be trained to ferret out possible renters for their human friend? That was a little hard to believe.
“How about a tour of the house? It would help you decide whether you would like to rent our room.”
“Yes, please. That would be wonderful.” Even if Az decided Luke wasn’t worthy of staying in their attic, at least he’d be able to say that he was able to wander through the rooms of an incredible house.
From the foyer, Az took him on a leisurely stroll through a grand family room, past a wide curved staircase, to an honest-to-fucking-God library. The house had an actuallibrary. And it was filled with leather-bound books. They were real, too. Not those shitty fake books people sometimes bought to make it look like they owned books. No, just stepping into the room, he couldsmell the leather, old paper, and ink combining to make the most intoxicating aroma in all the world.
Once in the room, he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay there and examine each and every book. To grab a tome, flop into one of the big leather chairs, and lose himself for several hours.
“If you choose to rent our room, you would be free to use the library anytime you want,” Az practically whispered in his ear.
Luke’s head whipped around, and he stared openmouthed at the man. “Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not. Ogos and I are typically the only ones who use the library. As a college student, you would need a space in which to study, correct?”
That wasn’t wrong. Of course, he’d learned to make do with sitting on the ground or in a stairwell, anywhere he could find that was even a little quiet.
Az continued his tour, taking him through a dimly lit formal living room where all the furniture was under white sheets. Az waved one hand at it. “We don’t use this room much.” And then they moved on to the dining room with a ridiculously long table set with gleaming gold candelabras and a glittering chandelier. He didn’t have time to count the chairs, but he was pretty sure there was enough room for over twenty place settings.
Who the fuck are these people? Is it common for them to entertain royalty on the weekends?
They cut through the butler’s pantry to the kitchen, filled with white cabinets and marble counters. All the appliances gleamed and sparkled, looking brand-new.
“You would be permitted to use the kitchen anytime you like. There would also be a spot made in the fridge for any food that you wished to keep in there,” Az explained as they moved through the family room to the curved staircase.
On the second floor, which had more oil paintings of landscapes and portraits, Az pointed to closed bedroom doors and said names like Tog, Mullmag, Annod, and Bath’tuk. Az didn’t have a foreign accent—as far as Luke could tell—but those were some of the strangest names he’d ever heard.
“My friends are out entertaining themselves this afternoon,” Az explained. “I wanted to show you the house without them underfoot. They get excited when we have guests.”
Luke took it back. Az made his roommates sound like overeager golden retrievers. That was nice.
Better than territorial house cats with claws and hissing.
Az paused near the end of the hall and pushed open a door. “This would be your bathroom. It’s the closest to the attic staircase. You would be sharing it with Annod. He’s not bad, but he leaves messes.”
“No problem. I’m happy to tidy up after him and myself,” Luke said after peering around the rather normal-looking bathroom with the sink, toilet and shower half-hidden behind a curtain with a bright floral pattern. He was willing to do anything to appear to be the perfect tenant.
Az turned from the bathroom and opened another slender door. He reached above his head and pulled a beaded chain, popping on an old-fashioned bare-bulb light to reveal a very narrow staircase. With every step they took, the wood creaked and moaned. No matter how hard Luke tried, the noise was ridiculous. There was no way he’d be able to take the stairs without alerting the entire house that he was coming or going.
At the top of the stairs, Az flipped on another light to reveal a medium-sized room with a full-sized bed, nightstand, and dresser. The furniture wasn’t of the same high quality he’d glimpsed in the rest of the house, but it was still in good shape and functional. Far better than what he’d been living with recently. The air was warm and stuffy, but that was because noone had ventured into this room. With a little use, it would air out just fine.
“What do you think? Would this work for you? We apologize for it being so small,” Az said, his hands twisted together in front of him.
“What?” Luke’s head jerked around, and he grinned at his possible landlord. “No! This is perfect. Amazing, really. Far better than where I’ve been living.”
“Your current home is bad?” Az inquired.
A scoff broke from Luke’s lips before he could catch it, and he shoved a hand through his hair as he gazed at the room. “More like homeless,” he mumbled to himself. He forced a smile as he turned to Az. “Poor college student, but you don’t have to worry. I’m working right now at Burger Hut and Sinful Soaps, so I will be able to pay my rent on time. I promise that. Living expenses are through the roof right now, and going to college is never cheap.” Luke shrugged, because life was expensive for everyone. Maybe not so bad for Az and his friends if they’d managed such an amazing house, though.
“And your family? They’re unable to assist you? To relieve some of your hardship?”