Page 29 of Demon Touched (The Demon Syndicate #2)

Nova

S he was still mostly asleep when the sound of a knock on the door filtered in. Nova ignored it and rolled over, wanting to sleep just a little bit longer.

“Nova, it’s me. I’m coming in,” Zane announced right before she heard the door unlock.

Her eyes snapped open and Nova watched in horror as Zane waltzed right in. He froze when he saw she wasn’t alone and Dex had him pinned against the wall before she could do or say anything, his hand wrapped around Zane’s throat.

Nova could only watch as the completely naked current guy choked out her ex.

She had no fucking idea how to deal with this.

The last thing she expected was for Zane to study Dex from head to toe and then grin. He held up a paper bag despite getting pinned to the wall and said, “I brought bagels. Had I known you’d be here I would have grabbed you one too.”

The situation was so absurd she laughed and Dex rolled his eyes as he dropped the hunter, apparently not giving a single fuck that he was naked.

“I can see why she likes you,” Zane snorted, his eyes wandering south.

Nova felt her cheeks heat and she wanted to strangle him right then and there.

“Mm.” Dex studied Zane from head to toe as well, not bothering to hide his admiration. “I can see why she fucked you. I would have too if I wasn’t taken.”

Nova almost choked when Zane blushed and she couldn’t handle it anymore. “Could you please put some fucking clothes on?”

“I can go,” Zane managed, clearing his throat awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“From what I gather it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” Dex smirked and went into the bathroom, closing the door.

Leaving her alone with Zane.

“Holy shit, Nova.” The other hunter kicked off his shoes and then climbed up onto the bed. “He’s fucking huge !”

“I’m aware,” she hissed as she tried to kick him off the bed without losing the blanket. “I’m not wearing any clothes right now so get the fuck off.”

“Did he just flirt with me?” Zane’s eyes were wide and he looked absolutely out of it, completely and totally flustered.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Dex has that effect on people.”

“Where did you find him and where can I get one?”

The sound of Dex laughing from the bathroom only made her laugh harder. “He can hear you,” she whispered. “Now go away so I can get dressed.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “Just go in the closet you weirdo. It’s almost as big as this damn room.”

Nova had no idea how to deal with the fact that Dex hadn’t tried to kill Zane, or that Zane was losing his mind over how hot Dex was.

Grabbing the blanket, she wrapped it around herself and slid off the bed. The two different sides of her life were crashing together and honestly, Nova wasn’t sure how to deal with it, but she supposed it could have been worse.

She quickly got dressed and put on a pair of leggings and a tank top. Then she knocked on the bathroom door. Dex opened it and smirked down at her in nothing but his pants.

It wasn’t easy to keep her eyes on his face.

“Need something?” he asked.

“Yeah, the fucking bathroom. Are you done?”

Nova didn’t want to ask if he was okay where Zane could hear them, but Dex was smiling, so that was something.

The way his eyes twinkled meant he wasn’t done teasing her. He enjoyed messing with her too much.

But he surprised her by taking her face in his hands to give her a soft, sweet kiss, taking his sweet time. Nova had to hold on to him so her legs didn’t buckle.

“Your charm is on the counter,” he murmured against her lips. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Mhm.” How was she supposed to think when he did that? “Just…don’t kill him.”

“He’s too pretty to kill,” Dex teased as he slid past her.

Nova took a breath and tried to ignore the sensation of his nipple piercings rubbing against her arm. The intensity of this man was fucking astronomical.

Then she went into the bathroom and closed the door, trying to calm down.

Her scent charm was exactly where he said it was and she slipped it into her earring as she brushed her teeth, keeping an ear out for Dex and Zane in the other room.

“Are these all yours?” Zane asked.

The sound of a gun being picked up made her pause.

Was she going to have to interfere?

“Yes, they are. Do you have a key to Nova’s apartment?”

She rolled her eyes. Dex could be so jealous sometimes.

“No, I just unlocked the door with my lock pick.” Zane cleared his throat and she could only imagine the look on Dex’s face. “But I learned my lesson. I won’t do that again.”

“Do you do that every morning?” Dex asked. It sounded genuine, like he was just curious, but Nova tensed as she waited for the response.

“Yeah.” Zane paused for a moment. “I do it every time we work together.”

Dex didn’t respond and she finished up.

When she came out, the both of them were in the tiny kitchen while Dex made coffee.

Seeing them together made her realize just how big Dex was all over again. Zane was not short or small at 6’4.” He was a hunter with two decades of training and he had the muscles to prove it, but when he stood next to a nephilim, he almost looked short.

“I’m glad someone makes sure she eats,” Dex muttered. “And sorry for choking you.”

“Hey man, no worries. Had the roles been reversed, I would have done the same.” Dex raised an eyebrow at that and Zane blushed. “Well, anyway, I would have tried.”

Nova slapped her hand over her mouth so they wouldn’t hear her laugh.

“You’re not a shifter, are you?” Zane pulled out the coffee cups and Nova threw her dirty clothes into the laundry basket as she listened.

Would Dex tell him what he was?

“No, I’m not a shifter.”

The silence was awkward, but Zane didn’t push.

She picked up Dex’s shirt and frowned when she saw all the blood. This would be complicated to explain.

“How long were you two together?” Dex asked as he took the mugs and poured coffee into them.

Nova tensed again.

They had to know she was listening in. Why else would he ask Zane that?

“We were never officially dating,” Zane admitted as he opened the fridge. “I’ve never seen her…look like that.”

She was going to kill both of them.

Yanking on her armor, she ground her teeth together, wondering if she should interrupt them or not.

“Look like what?”

Tightening her gear, she tried to ignore them, but she was just as curious as Dex.

Zane was quiet for so long that she peeked around the door to see him contemplating as he sipped on his coffee. “I couldn’t tell you,” he finally said. “She’s just different around you.”

Nova practically stomped across the room and knelt down to grab her bag of weapons. She yanked too hard and the case slammed into her knees.

Why were boys so fucking gossipy?

She flipped the top open and tossed what she wanted on top of the bed.

They needed to be on patrol tonight since it was almost the full moon. Those witches would probably try something and Nova refused to let them steal any more magic.

Thanks to the way witches worked, it would kill them if someone took all of their power.

Coffee appeared in her peripheral vision. “Don’t forget to eat,” Dex told her.

“I am fully capable of taking care of myself,” she reminded them both.

Nova delicately took the coffee from him and was pleased to see it was exactly the way she liked it. She took a sip and instantly felt less annoyed.

“I’m reminding you for the safety of everyone else.” Dex snickered when she glared at him. “What? You can be mean.”

Zane choked on his coffee and she glared at him too. They were both insufferable.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Dex?”

“Mm, I have time.”

She watched as he went into the closet with his coffee and she wondered what he was going to do about his shirt, but his white button down was pristine when he came out. Did he use magic to clean it?

Dex buttoned up his shirt and raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s not polite to stare.”

Nova hated the way she blushed every damn time he teased her. She drained the rest of her coffee even though it was still too hot to really enjoy and then shoved her case back under the bed.

“You two are fucking ridiculous,” Zane muttered from the kitchen.

She grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it over her armor, wishing this entire thing was less awkward. Zane watching them both get ready for the day wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d have to experience.

Was he going to ask her questions she couldn’t answer or would he leave it alone?

Dex buckled his harness over his shirt and took his weapons from the table where she’d put them the night before and put everything back where it belonged. Nova was glad she was wearing her scent charm because watching him reminded her how he’d let her disarm him.

Seeing him covered in blood…

Well, it was something she thought she’d like, but seeing that dark side of him was seriously provocative.

“I got the bikes,” Zane said, still watching Dex.

“Both of them?”

“Yeah, you can pick which one you like best.”

Nova strapped on her leather arm braces first, enchanted with shields thanks to her mom. Then she grabbed an oversized black hoodie and pulled that on too. Her harness would go over that, so she’d stay warm.

“I’m surprised you didn’t get just one.” Nova buckled her own gear on and slipped the weapons into their holsters.

“I told you last time,” Zane snapped as he poured more coffee. “I’m never riding bitch on your bike again.”

“Don’t be such a baby. We crashed one time.”

“You broke my arm!”

“But did you die?” She smirked, knowing if it came down to it, Zane would do it again.

Nova looked up, sensing Dex’s attention. He was smiling slightly, but there was something different about the way he was looking at her. She tilted her head in a silent question. Dex just shrugged and she pulled on her boots, hyper aware of every move Dex made.

Would they all leave together? Well, that wouldn’t really work since she knew he’d flown here.

“Why do you need so many weapons?” Zane asked. “Do you work as a hunter?”

“Something like that,” Dex muttered. “I should go.”

He pulled his coat on and Nova realized it was the same one she’d seen him wear that first night.

“Am I going to see you tonight?” she asked, looking for the blood she’d seen the night before, but it was completely gone.

“Probably. We still have one more season of Attack on Titan to watch.” Dex grinned at her and then crossed the room so quickly she jumped.

The way he smiled as he took her chin in his gloved hand made her breath catch and all she could do was stare. “Unless you’d rather not.”

It didn’t matter if Zane was watching, she couldn’t look away from those pretty, golden-brown eyes.

She could see it. She could see the love he had for her shining in his eyes and the only reason she even knew what it looked like was because she’d seen her father look at her mother like that.

“As long as you’re here before dawn I don’t care,” she murmured.

“Good. I’ll be back by three, but do whatever you have to do. I’ll entertain myself until you come back.” Dex gave her a gentle kiss and kept his tongue to himself, but somehow it still made her blush.

“Be safe,” she murmured.

“Happy hunting, Nova.” Dex stood and went through the front door, but he took the stairs to the roof instead of the elevator.

Thanks to his illusions, he could do whatever he wanted, even before the sun had set.

She sighed and grabbed her bagel. “Just say whatever you’re going to say already.”

Zane snorted. “I’m definitely calling before I come over from now on. Seeing that man’s naked body is not something I think I can handle on a regular basis. I seriously can’t figure out if I want to fuck him, or be him.”

It was such a relief that things hadn’t gotten weird or awkward that she couldn’t help but laugh.

Zane finished his bagel and tossed the trash. “Ready?”

She nodded and grabbed her helmet. “Hopefully we can find what we’re looking for tonight.”

“I’m sure we will.”

Once this was over, she could figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.

Nova locked up and followed Zane down the stairs as she pulled up her hood.

This shit would be done tonight if she had anything to say about it.