Page 22 of Demon’s Desire (Lovers of the Damned #3)

NICO

“What’s up with you?” Harper asked the next afternoon as they worked together at The Herb Emporium.

“Hmm?” Nico glanced away from the notebook he’d been pretending to study.

Harper let the curtain fall closed behind him and came closer. “You seem…off.”

“Off? No, I’m fine.” Nico tucked the notebook in a drawer. He’d been thinking about Onyx, and as much as his talented mouth and gorgeous wings were on Nico’s mind, they weren’t what plagued him. “Did you see Ash last night?”

Harper nodded. “He mentioned that you were with Onyx, and I get it. If you’re worried about Lucifer, we can make sure you’re protected at home, and even here at the shop. Actually, I’m surprised Ash hasn’t demanded to protect this place yet.”

It was a good thing Ash hadn’t insisted on overstepping like that. After last night, Nico was inclined to push Ash away, even if the impulse was probably off base. Ash wasn’t a bad guy overall. Not that Nico wanted to get into any of that with Harper.

“I’m not worried about Lucifer.”

Harper arched a brow.

“Okay, I’d be a fool not to have concerns about the Devil, but that wasn’t why I brought up the meeting last night.” Nico wasn’t sure he should ask Harper for details, but he wanted to know if the fight between Ash and Onyx last night was typical. “Ash and Onyx don’t get along, do they?”

Harper leaned his hip against the counter.

“No, bickering is the best I’ve seen between them.

Ash made it seem like Onyx had a bad attitude back when I first met him, but I don’t think that’s the whole story.

Onyx and I had a rocky start, but he’s honestly the loveliest guy.

He and Ash just rub each other the wrong way. ”

It seemed deeper than that, but Harper hadn’t been there last night, and Ash might not have shared what happened word for word. Maybe the accusations tossed around weren’t typical.

At least Nico had been there as some form of moral support, even if Onyx hadn’t talked to him about it. “It’s great you and Onyx get along, even if Ash doesn’t.”

Harper smiled. “Yeah, Ollie likes him too.” He paused, clearly wanting to say something more.

“What?”

Harper dropped his gaze. “I’m glad you and Onyx are, um, getting to know each other. Kinda surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t be. I don’t know why Onyx gives such a bad impression when he meets people.”

It was most likely a defense mechanism. Onyx seemed to push people away to test them, and didn’t seem to want anyone knowing he liked them. At least it appeared he’d dropped those pretenses with Harper and Ollie.

Did that mean Onyx trusted the boys not to reject his friendship? Onyx still pushed Nico away. Did he not trust Nico, even after everything they’d shared?

Nico’s heart ached in protest. He’d have to work on that.

“It’s so much easier not hiding demon stuff from you,” Harper went on. “It’ll be better for you to know what’s happening with Lucifer, too. Safer, so you aren’t dragged into things blindly. You’ll be prepared if anything’s coming. Not that Lucifer would have any reason to come after you, unless…”

Nico waited a beat. “Unless what? Don’t leave me hanging.”

“Sorry.” Harper hesitated again. “I wonder… Lucifer came after me and Ollie because we were hanging around the other demons. He could potentially target you if you’re spending more time with Onyx.”

“But that was different.” Nico and Onyx weren’t the same as Harper and Ash, or Ollie and Dante.

“True. Our attacks were before Lucifer believed we were real mates. Now that he knows, he probably won’t attack you if he thinks you’re Onyx’s mate. At least that’s what Ash and Dante believe. But there’s always a slim chance. We don’t really know what’s going through Lucifer’s mind.”

“Wait. Why would Lucifer think I’m Onyx’s mate?” Nico’s body flashed hot, and sweat broke out on the back of his neck. Did Harper think he was Onyx’s mate?

Nico’s reservations about the mating bond were general.

He’d never considered that the situation would apply to him.

If it did, what would he think? Would he change his mind about immortality?

Would he accept being bound permanently to another soul even when he’d sworn never to put himself in that position, no matter how much he trusted someone?

Harper shuffled his feet, breaking eye contact for a second. “If Lucifer is spying on us again, and notices the two of you spending time together—even if it’s platonic—he might assume Onyx is being drawn to you, like Ash and Dante were drawn to me and Ollie.”

“But Onyx isn’t drawn to me.” Nico could have laughed. He wasn’t special to the demon.

The image of Onyx outside his window filled his mind.

Nico shook it off. Onyx had needed someone. He liked Nico, and Nico had already proven he couldn’t easily be pushed away. Of course Onyx had shown up. It was no more than one friend seeking support from another.

Nico was like any other friend-with-benefits in Onyx’s life. But why did acknowledging that stab him in the heart?

“Onyx certainly didn’t want to help you with Rowan.

I guess he would have if he’d been drawn to you.

” Harper seemed to mull this over, except he looked less convinced by his own logic the longer he was quiet.

“Anyway, you’d know more than me. I don’t mean to tell you what’s going on with you two.

Onyx is a good guy, and I think he wants friends more than he admits. That’s all.”

“You’re right about that.” Nico wanted Onyx to be open to positive relationships, especially in his case.

He was pretty damn drawn to the prickly demon. To some extent, it had to be mutual. That didn’t mean it was magic. People were drawn together all the time, and it had nothing to do with mates.

Rowan:

I need to speak to Onyx.

Nico stared at the ominous text.

He’d closed the shop for the day. Harper was long gone, meeting Ollie and their human friend, Dex, to go to a concert. An event that Harper had said the demons wouldn’t be attending.

Nico was glad to hear that the boys did things on their own.

Maybe there wasn’t as much to worry about with the mating bond as he’d assumed.

His reservations were still valid, but the longer he spent around the mated pairs, the more he realized being mated wasn’t overriding the boys’ lives.

The bond was potentially problematic, but, in their cases, didn’t seem to be in practice.

Perhaps Nico was going soft on the idea. He couldn’t lie, the possibility of being Onyx’s mate had nagged at him all day.

He replied to Rowan.

Nico:

I’ll let him know. Want us to come by tonight?”

Rowan:

Yes. This can’t wait.

Nico:

What’s going on? Can I get a heads up?

Rowan:

Sorry, Nico. I’ve got to pass this on to the demons before I tell anyone else.

Shit. Nico scrubbed a hand over his face.

Nico:

Got it. No worries. I’ll text when we’re on our way over.

After double-checking that everything was in order, Nico left the shop and closed the metal grate.

He’d wanted to invite Onyx over to game this weekend, and was uneasy having to contact him about Rowan. Onyx probably wouldn’t like it and might use it as an excuse to convince himself that Rowan and demon business were the only reasons Nico kept him around.

It wasn’t true, but Onyx was sensitive about people only getting in touch when they needed something. The argument with Ash and Dante was enough to make that clear.

Fuck, Nico was overthinking. It wasn’t like he was dating Onyx. He only wished he were. That way, this thing between them could grow until it was solid and undeniable.

As he walked home, Nico brought up Onyx’s contact and hit call. The phone rang, but Onyx didn’t pick up. Instead of leaving a message, Nico sent a quick text asking Onyx to call him back.

Nico stopped in the coffee shop on the corner of his block and ordered a double espresso. However the evening played out, he had a feeling he would need the caffeine.

As he sipped his coffee out on the sidewalk, Nico contemplated calling Onyx again. He didn’t care about coming across as needy. He wasn’t letting Onyx push him away, regardless of how urgent Rowan’s request was.

A car backfired, and Nico’s head whipped around. Across the street, a man spoke animatedly with two others, gesturing wildly with his arms. Nico’s eyes narrowed. That looked a hell of a lot like Michael.

So, he was back in the city. What in damnation was he doing on Nico’s block? Fuck, maybe he had been the one to break in. Nico didn’t recognize the man Michael was with, but the woman seemed familiar. Nico wasn’t sure from where.

Before he could decide how risky it was to confront Michael when he wasn’t alone, an SUV pulled up, and the three climbed in. Perhaps one of the others lived on the block, and Michael’s presence was a coincidence. It was possible, but Nico wasn’t about to assume all was well.

He strode over to his building and went inside. The gate and front door could easily be unlocked with magic. Witches didn’t usually protect shared entrances unless everyone in the building was magical and part of the same coven.

Inside, everything seemed fine. Nico hurried up the stairs to his floor. As he approached his apartment, he noticed Lucia’s door was open.

“Nico,” she called from the doorway. “Are you just getting back from work now?”

He stopped in front of her. “Yeah, why?”

“There were these people yelling in the hall.” She glanced disapprovingly up and down the corridor.

Nico’s heart skipped. “Yelling? About what?”

“I didn’t quite catch it. I had the music on. You know me. But the commotion went on for a minute, and I turned it off. By the time I pressed my ear to the door, all I heard was a string of bad language.”

“How long ago was that?”

She frowned. “Maybe five minutes. Any idea what it was about?”

Nico’s grip tightened on the to-go coffee cup. “I saw a guy out front who’s been involved in some shady witch dealings in the past.”

Lucia tutted. “Someone like that wasn’t in the hall yelling for me, so why’s he poking around your front door? Everyone knows you don’t tolerate nonsense.”

“If I had to guess, he wants payback for not turning a blind eye to his business, or for tipping off Rowan to what he was up to.” Nico didn’t mention Evelyn, though Michael could be angry that he’d helped her. It was probably a combination of all three.

Lucia gripped his hand. “You’re such a good man, always doing the right thing, but you never remember there’s a risk to you too.”

“Can’t let that stop me.”

She squeezed. “I know. But be careful.”

“I am.” Nico’s phone began vibrating in his pocket. “I’ve got my place protected. No one’s getting in. Want me to see about getting your security enhanced?”

Lucia’s eyes widened. “If you really think it’s necessary. I’m not defenseless, but I’m not stupid either. If I hear anything more, I’ll call you and pretend I’m not home.”

“Thanks.” Nico rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take care of it and tell you when things are resolved so you won’t have to worry.”

“Who’s worrying?” Lucia gave him a stern look. “Don’t go taking care of it by yourself. Get that vampire to sort it out for you.”

Rowan would always help, but he might have too much on his plate. Who knew what he needed with Onyx? “I’ve mentioned it to him.” At least he’d mentioned Michael was back, even if he hadn’t brought up the break-in to his apartment.

Lucia nodded. “Good. Come by tomorrow. I’m making empanadas de mole amarillo.”

Nico’s mouth watered. “I’ll be over. That’s a promise.”

She smiled.

By the time Nico got inside his apartment, his phone had stopped ringing. Pulling it from his pocket, he saw Onyx had called. A grin tugged on his lips.

Fuck, he was a fool.

He called Onyx back.

“Oh, good. You aren’t ignoring me,” Onyx said as he picked up.

Nico chuckled. “I called you first, so how could I be ignoring you?”

Unsurprisingly, Onyx didn’t acknowledge the flaw in his logic. “What do you want? I’m busy.”

Nico paced the apartment. “I know you’re busy. I was going to call later and see if you wanted to game, but something came up.”

There was a beat of silence. “You called to say you can’t hang out with me because something came up? Even though we didn’t have plans?”

“No. That’s why I wanted to call, and I would have, but Rowan asked to meet with you.”

“Oh.” Onyx’s disappointment was unmistakable.

“We can still game after meeting him. If you don’t have anything else lined up.”

“I don’t know, Nico. I don’t want to see the vampire. I’m not in the mood.”

“I get that.” There was no way Onyx was over what had happened with Ash and Dante, and Nico didn’t doubt he wanted to avoid magic world problems. “But it sounds urgent, and Rowan wouldn’t tell me what it was about. I’d deal with it if I could, except he said he needs to tell you before anyone.”

Onyx let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Fine. Whatever. But if it’s some bullshit and Rowan is wasting my time, he’s going to hear about it. Meet me at the club.” Onyx hung up without waiting for Nico’s reply.

He hadn’t put up as much of a fight as Nico had anticipated. That had to be good. Nico was making progress. He just didn’t know where it was leading.