Page 15 of Demon (Mystic Guardians #3)

Chapter Fifteen

C allan

Nothing happened over the next week, and Callan grew more frustrated every day because he had not caught that scent again. No more notes arrived, and since Lonnie was too scared to sleep in his bedroom, he’d been sleeping on the couch with Callan staying in the recliner.

They hadn’t kissed again, and Callan had held off giving his third courting gift. It wasn’t the right time. Not with Lonnie more restless than usual. His movements were more jittery, and he’d been rambling more than usual, his sleep so fitful he awakened often to sit up and look around the living room. Callan made sure to calm him each time, but seeing his mate so agitated and unnerved bothered him so much, he was finding it hard to not resume courting. He wanted to give Lonnie something else to focus on. But something told him it wasn’t the right time.

The stalker’s complete silence bothered him. It felt like the calm before a storm.

On Friday night, he and Lonnie were about to settle in for the new show they’d been watching, this one called Bleach . It was very different from the last show, but Callan had been enjoying it. Though he found watching Lonnie’s face during it was even more enjoyable.

Lonnie had left the room to grab something out of his bedroom when someone pounded on the front door.

Callan briefly closed his eyes because he knew exactly who was out there. He shouldn’t have told Rafe where he was, but his brother had been insistent, and since he posed no threat to Lonnie, Callan had caved. So he had no doubt Rafe, Nathanial, and Bartholomew were the ones pounding on the door.

He got up to answer, growling at them all. “This is my job. Can’t just show up.”

“It’s your birthday,” Nathanial said as he shoved past Callan and strode into the house. He stopped, eyes going wide as he looked around. “Whoa.”

“Be careful,” Callan warned, sending each brother a pointed look. “And be nice to Lonnie. He’s…good.”

Rafe’s lips stretched into a knowing grin. “How good?”

When Callan didn’t answer, he whooped and walked into the house with Bartholomew on his heels.

“Where’s Shia?” Callan asked after looking to make sure she wasn’t coming behind them.

“Visiting her parents.” Rafe shrugged. “She said to have a fun ‘boy’s’ night.”

Lonnie picked that moment to step into the living room, his jaw dropping as he took in the huge demons taking up most of the space. But he didn’t cower, just blinked at each of them.

They were all big like Callan, and their horns looked nearly the same with Rafe’s being a shade lighter, making them a dark gray. Callan imagined it was startling to have them all together like this.

“Lonnie, these are my brothers.” He pointed at each one, naming them. They all stared at Lonnie hard, eyes narrowed. Rafe was looking between Callan and Lonnie, and his brows were slowly climbing up his forehead. When a grin of utter joy stretched his lips and he whooped again, Callan rolled his eyes. Of course Rafe would figure out that he really liked Lonnie. He wouldn’t know about the soulmate part since none of them had known humans could be that, but he’d be happy that Callan had found someone. He walked to Callan and pulled him into a back-thumping hug.

“Congratulations, brother.”

When Lonnie gave Callan a confused look, Callan glared at Rafe, who was smart enough to realize Lonnie didn’t know how strong his feelings were yet. He dropped it, and luckily his other two brothers followed his lead, both of them looking Lonnie over with curiosity now. He decided it would be better if they knew the truth right away.

“Lonnie can see through glamours.”

All three turned incredulous expressions toward Lonnie, who nodded.

“He knows what we are?” Bartholomew asked.

“He does.” Callan went to Lonnie and put his arm around his shoulders. “He’s always been able to see preternaturals.”

“Like Bain and Alaric’s boyfriends?”

Callan nodded.

Rafe clapped his hands. “Then we should go to the fights. Nathanial wants a match.”

“No.” Callan crossed his arms.

“What fights?” Lonnie piped up.

“Demon fight ring,” Rafe answered. “Callan is a champion there.”

Lonnie looked up at Callan with complete puppy dog eyes. “Oh, we have to do that.”

Callan growled. “It’s dangerous to take a human. I’m supposed to be his guardian,” he told his brothers. “So, no.”

Bartholomew snorted. “With all four of us? We can protect him.”

“Absolutely not,” Callan growled. “We do something else.” There were no humans at that underground warehouse, and Lonnie would not only stand out, but Callan wouldn’t put Lonnie in that kind of dangerous situation. And Xavier would have his horns.

“Then what do you want to do?” Rafe had picked up one of Lonnie’s figurines and was frowning at it.

Callan quickly moved to take it from him and carefully place it back on the shelf. He gave his brother a glare. “We’ll go to Jenny’s.”

“A bar?” Rafe scoffed. “That’s it? But it’s your birthday!”

“I like Jenny’s. Lonnie will be safe there.” Yes, it was a bar run by a demon and was filled with them, but humans gathered there as well.

“Jenny’s it is,” Nathanial barked out and gave Lonnie a come-hither smile that made Callan’s belly burn. He placed his hand on Lonnie’s shoulder.

Lonnie looked up at him. “You didn’t tell me it was your birthday. I would have gotten you something.”

Callan shrugged. “Not important. Have had many birthdays.”

“Well, I don’t agree. They should all be important, and your brothers obviously agree. Your drinks are on me tonight.” With that, Lonnie grabbed his wallet and keys and stood by the door.

Oh, Callan liked the fierce little glare on his face. His dick twitched, and he willed it not to fill. Not with all his nosy brothers there.

Rafe drove a roomy SUV, so Callan helped Lonnie into the middle of the back seat then climbed in beside him. He tugged him close, so Lonnie wasn’t pressed so much against Bart on his other side. Rafe and Nathanial were in the front, and as they drove, Nathanial kept looking back to stare at Lonnie. Callan frowned at him but Nathanial just grinned.

“He’s hot,” Nathanial said, wiggling his thick, black eyebrows at Callan.

“Don’t get ideas.” Callan glanced at Lonnie, whose cheeks had turned so red he could tell in the dim light. He looked back to his brother.

Nathanial held up his hands. “No, I get it.”

Callan had to resist the urge to growl “mine” at his brother. But his arm around the man and his glares should be warning enough. Nathanial just chuckled and finally turned to face the front.

The five of them walked into Jenny’s to find a darts championship going on. The bar was packed with very large, very boisterous demons. Though there were other humans in the mix, Lonnie stood out, looking small amongst everyone. Callan moved closer to him, every protective instinct he had firing at all cylinders.

As for Lonnie, his wide smile was shining as bright as his eyes as he looked around at all the demons in awe. “I wish I had a camera,” he murmured.

“Wouldn’t work. Glamours hide truth.” Callan led Lonnie to a standing pub table in the corner a little away from the competition. The noise level was deafening, and the smell of sweat and beer permeated the air. He pulled Lonnie closer, nestling him under his arm, his heart swelling when Lonnie snuggled in close.

Rafe yelled over the noise, “I’ll go get us drinks!”

Lonnie handed him a credit card. “Put mine and Callan’s on that, please.”

His brother nodded as he took the card. He and Nathanial pushed back through the crowd.

Bart leaned over the table. “Darts?”

“Do you want to play?” Callan asked Lonnie, leaning in close to his ear. His sweet, musky scent was so much better than the odor of the bar.

Lonnie nodded eagerly. “I would love to. It’s been some time since I played, but I used to be pretty good.”

Five dart boards lined the back wall, and that part of the bar was heavily packed with huge bodies. Callan would have to keep a close eye on Lonnie. He nodded to Bart, who left the table to sign them up.

Rafe and Nathanial returned with their drinks. Nathanial’s gaze was glued on Lonnie, and Callan shot him a fierce glare.

Nathanial nudged him and winked. “Can’t help but look. He’s so pretty.”

Lonnie’s cheeks turned bright red. “Th…thank you.”

Bart came back to the table, grinning. “They had openings. Will be about an hour.” He leaned closer to Lonnie. “Tell us about you.”

Lonnie, still snuggled into Callan’s side, shrugged. “I teach creative writing—that’s about it. I’m not terribly interesting.”

“Why do you need a bodyguard?” Nathanial had leaned closer as well. “Are you in trouble?”

Lonnie nodded. “I’ve got a stalker, though I’m at a loss as to why. My sister hired Callan for me.”

“He’s strong. Will keep you safe.” Nathanial leaned even closer, his mouth opening again but he shut it when Callan put one hand on his face to push him away. Nathanial’s grin turned sly. “You like my brother?”

“Very much. He’s wonderful company and takes his job very seriously.” Lonnie picked up his beer and took a sip, then sputtered and coughed. “Holy shit, that’s strong.”

“Demon ale,” Rafe said, thumping a fist over his ribcage. “Will put hair on your chest.”

Lonnie set his glass back down, eyeing it warily.

Callan pushed it to the other side of the table with a quick frown at Rafe and Nathanial, both of whom should have known better. What the hell were they thinking? “We’ll get you regular beer,” he told Lonnie. “You don’t need that.”

“I’m sorry,” Nathanial said, shaking his head as he pushed away from the table. “We thought it would be funny. I’ll go get it.”

It was a rather strong brew since demons metabolized alcohol at a different rate than humans. He should have first made sure his brothers get Lonnie a human brand of beer, but he’d been too busy looking over the crowd and trying to pick up the elusive scent of the wizard again. Just knowing a preternatural was after his mate had him so hyper-vigilant he could focus on little less. And though he normally enjoyed outings with his brothers, he couldn’t help but wish they were spending his birthday at Lonnie’s house, preferably snuggled on the couch while eating popcorn and drinking the cans of green tea that took up a huge chunk of Lonnie’s pantry. He’d kind of grown addicted to it himself.

He took a healthy swallow of his own beer, planning to stick to only the one since he was still on the job. Besides, with Lonnie buying his drinks, he wouldn’t have had more anyway. He’d picked up on the fact things were tight with Lonnie.

Cheers erupted near the dart boards, and Lonnie turned to look, sending a waft of his scent to Callan. He inhaled it deep, then met Rafe’s gaze, his brother giving him a knowing look. Bart was also watching him, and he saw nothing but pleasure in their faces, knowing he’d found someone. He would have to tell them that some humans could be soulmates. It could change everything for Bart and Nathanial.

When their time to play darts arrived, Callan leaned against the wall and watched Lonnie interacting with his brothers. They divided into teams of two, so he sat out this round. Lonnie’s first turn came up and since they were playing Cricket, he nailed three twenties right off the bat. Rafe, his partner, cheered and slapped him on the back. Lonnie staggered a bit and Callan straightened up to glare at his brother as he walked over to pull Lonnie protectively against him.

“Sorry,” Rafe muttered as he looked at Lonnie. “Forget my own strength sometimes.”

Callan’s nostrils flared. “Stop forgetting stuff. First the demon ale, then this?”

Lonnie laughed it off with a wave of his hand. “I’m fine.”

“Can I get you another beer to make up for it?” Rafe pulled out his wallet.

Lonnie shook his head. “Nah, two was my limit. I want to be sharp for this tournament so we can kick their asses.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rafe took his turn, hitting two fifteens and missing with his third shot. They were playing against a couple of demons, both of whom were damn good.

Callan held his breath as Lonnie went again, all three of his darts taking out the eighteens. Cheers broke out around them and Callan hurriedly gathered Lonnie close again so nobody else pounded him on the back. Lonnie seemed to like resting against him, his form almost melting into Callan’s between his turns. Callan didn’t mind not playing because this felt so good, he just basked in the sensory overload Lonnie gave him. The heat of his body. The sweet scent of his hair mixed with the faint tang of sweat because it was hot with so many gathered in their corner of the bar. He was solid against Callan, and whether he realized it or not, Lonnie kept putting his free hand on Callan, touching his chest often. Once, he slid his palm down to Callan’s waist, and the heat in the room had nothing on what was happening inside Callan’s body.

He was burning up for this man. Desire coiled in his belly, his dick hard in his jeans. And it wasn’t just from the touches. Watching Lonnie’s face, bright with laughter, then fierce with determination when he took his shots, had Callan watching him with complete fascination.

And when Lonnie swept the bullseye shots and pumped his fist into the air in celebration, Callan laughed with utter delight. Lonnie ran to him and threw his arms around Callan’s neck, and Callan’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Everyone around them was cheering and they were getting a little shoved about. Lonnie suddenly pulled back enough to look Callan in the eyes before he glanced down to where Callan’s hard dick was poking into him.

His pupils dilated and he licked his lips, making them look slick and shiny.

Something thick and heavy passed between them, the shared lust so powerful, Callan was ready to cart them back to Lonnie’s house immediately. Everyone around them just sort of faded into the background, their own private bubble tense with anticipation.

Lonnie licked his lips again, eyes still blown out. “We should go home.”

“Fuck, yes.”

He got his brothers’ attention and practically shoved them out of the bar. The whole ride back, both he and Lonnie were quiet, Lonnie gripping his thigh tight. Callan could barely find the words to thank his brothers as they dropped them off.

Lonnie was fairly vibrating as they walked into the house and when he turned to face Callan, the absolute raw desire on his face sent Callan into overdrive.

He could wait no longer.