Page 31 of Demon’s Desire (Lovers of the Damned #3)

To Nico’s disappointment, Onyx didn’t stop by his window after the demons cast their protections. He texted, saying they were going to The Herb Emporium to prevent Lucifer from sneaking in there, and Nico hadn’t heard anything further.

Which was probably a good thing. Onyx had to be ready to talk the next time they saw each other. So did Nico.

The more Nico ruminated on it, the more being Onyx’s mate seemed like a real possibility. He’d never felt this way before, had never fallen so quickly for someone, or had this burning desire to know them and be there for them in every possible way.

The next day, Nico was preoccupied with memories of Onyx, laid out for him, naked and blushing, as he walked to work. The images pulled on his consciousness. He couldn’t have gotten Onyx out of his head if he’d wanted to.

Nico paused at the corner as the light turned red, resolving to talk to Harper about mates, when someone knocked into his shoulder.

“Hey, watch—” Nico stiffened at the sight of Michael.

The witch cursed, fumbling with a small object in his hand.

“What are you doing here?” Nico called on his magic, wary of all the humans around.

Michael dropped a glistening item, and it rolled into the street. A car went by, and the shiny thing disappeared, either crushed or knocked into the nearby drain.

“You’ve been in my house,” Nico accused. “Are you stalking me?”

Michael’s wide eyes darted from the street to Nico, then back. He turned and ran.

“Shit.” Nico took off after him.

People glared as they ducked out of the way. Michael was already half a block ahead. He pulled open the door of a parked car and climbed in. The car took off.

Nico stopped and took a breath. Had Michael been trying to get a sample of his blood or hair? The object he’d dropped could have been a small vial.

Turning back the way he came, Nico pulled out his phone to text Rowan, but he already had a message.

Rowan:

Had some trouble at the club last night. Reminded me of the Orlov business. You had any word they’re back in town?

Nico:

No, I haven’t heard anything about the Orlovs. Can confirm Michael is back for sure. Seen him around my apartment twice now.

Rowan:

Need me to send someone over?

Nico wasn’t sure. He tucked his phone away and headed toward The Herb Emporium.

Nico could handle Michael, especially if he was inclined to run at the smallest provocation. Rowan had his hands full. The possibility of the Orlovs returning was a much more serious problem. Not to mention the bounty on the demons. Rowan had said he’d try to figure out who’d set it.

It wasn’t like Michael could get to Nico at home. If he’d been trying to grab a blood sample to break past Nico’s protections, he was barking up the wrong tree. It might have helped if Nico had hired a security witch, but that wouldn’t do a thing against the demons’ spells.

At The Herb Emporium, Nico unlocked the grate and opened the shop. As he turned on the coffee machine, he texted Rowan back.

Nico:

Na. All good.

I promised Michael’s ex I’d tell her if I spotted him, so she might want someone around her place.

Rowan:

No problem. Let me know what she needs.

Nico poured his coffee and called Evelyn.

As they talked, Harper appeared and made himself a coffee before retreating to the main shop area.

Luckily, Evelyn hadn’t seen Michael around her place.

She lived on the other side of the city but asked for one of the Valeros to come by that evening around the time she’d be returning from work. Just in case.

Once all that was coordinated, Nico topped off his coffee and joined Harper out front.

“How was the concert the other night?” Nico asked.

Harper lit up. “Amazing. I wasn’t familiar with the band, but it was so fun.”

“I’m glad.”

“How about you, good weekend?”

Nico sipped his coffee. He’d never imagined he’d come to the younger man for advice, but here he was, hoping Harper had answers.

“My weekend was good. I hung out with Onyx yesterday.”

Harper set his mug aside, shifting closer. “Ash mentioned that when he went over to protect your place. So you and Onyx are…” He gave Nico the politest, yet most curious look imaginable.

Nico resisted the urge to fidget. Going by Harper’s knowing look, he suspected Nico and Onyx had done more than hang out.

“We’re getting to know each other. I like him,” Nico admitted.

Harper bit his lip, thankfully too polite to press.

Nico soldiered on. “Can I ask you something, between us?”

Harper’s eager expression turned serious. “Sure.”

Nico’s cheeks heated. Now that he was about to say it out loud, being Onyx’s mate seemed a hell of a lot more ridiculous. He cleared his throat. “What was it like being Ash’s mate before you knew about the bond? Could you tell something was happening?”

If Harper was surprised, he hid it well.

More likely, he’d seen this coming. “Yeah, I could tell. I was overly attached to Ash, no matter how much I told myself I shouldn’t be.

” Harper’s cheeks stained red, and he adjusted his glasses.

“We had a one-night stand, and I couldn’t get over him.

Then, when we reconnected, I had this urge to trust him even though I didn’t know him. ”

Harper was one of the least trusting people Nico knew. It had to have been an effect of the mating bond.

Nico trusted Onyx, but that made sense after getting to know him, so it was harder to be sure if it was a sign. “Before, you said Ash was drawn to you. Do you think it went both ways?”

Harper’s face split into a wide grin. “Yeah. Ollie said that when he first met Dante, it was like something was pulling them together. I felt that too. Especially being physically close to Ash.” His cheeks darkened.

“Was being intimate with Ash different than other people?” Sex with Onyx was like nothing Nico had experienced, and it wasn’t about his demon features or magic slick, even if those things blew Nico’s mind.

It wasn’t even about Onyx’s attractiveness or their perfectly aligned kinks. Their connection went beyond physical.

That second time in his bed, Nico swore something came alive between them.

Harper averted his gaze. “I can’t really say. Um. I wasn’t super experienced before Ash.”

Nico cursed himself internally for making Harper uncomfortable. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It wasn’t appropriate.”

Harper’s attention snapped back to him. “What? No. I want to be able to talk to you. We’re friends, not just coworkers.

I don’t have much experience talking about my, um, sex life.

It makes me awkward. That’s all. Sometimes it feels like I don’t have experience with anything.

It’s like my life didn’t start until I left my coven. ”

Nico opened his mouth.

“Do not apologize for not helping me more than you did. We’ve been over this.” Harper pointed an accusing finger at Nico, who clamped his mouth shut.

He took a second to finish his coffee.

Nico had been intrigued by Onyx from the start, had this desire to figure him out and not let him get away. If that wasn’t being drawn, then what was? Being mates fit, but without knowing Onyx’s feelings, there was no way to be sure.

Nico wanted Onyx so much, he was at risk of seeing things that weren’t there. He needed an outside opinion at the very least.

“Don’t laugh, but I think I’m Onyx’s mate.”

Harper squealed in a pitch so high, Nico winced. He flung himself on Nico and crushed him into a hug. “Oh, Satan, I’m so happy for you. I totally called it.”

Nico’s heart pounded, and nerves rocketed through him. “You called it?”

“You two have been spending a lot of time together. It makes sense. Tell me how it feels.” Harper pulled back and inspected Nico.

“It feels like I don’t want to live without him.”

It was intense but true. Nico couldn’t lose Onyx, couldn’t watch Onyx move on and leave him behind. They could grow together, bring others in to join them, but Onyx and Nico were the beginning of a core, a foundation. They had to be a part of each other’s lives from here on out.

This had to be what the mating bond felt like.

Harper bounced up and down. “Aww.”

Nico laughed. “I didn’t think you’d be this happy.”

“Why not? I want everyone to have a mate. You deserve a fated love. I have to tell Ash. He might actually be right.”

“Ash thinks I’m Onyx’s mate?”

“Not exactly. He had a theory. Since Ollie was Dante’s mate and I was the one to bring Ollie into our group, Ash wondered if I’d found Onyx’s mate too.

Except he guessed Dex, and that was wrong.

You being the third mate actually fits better.

It’s all fate. There’s no way it was random chance that I rented a room with Ollie and got a job with you, and we’re all demons’ mates. ”

“The odds do seem slim.”

“Not slim, one in a million. Maybe even less likely. The demons have been searching for thousands of years, and then, boom, three mates all connected to each other? It’s about fated connections.

Who says they only form between mates? Why not among families?

The brothers have each other. It follows that as their mates, we’d have our own bond. ”

When put that way, Nico’s doubts began to fade.

He was scared of wanting this and being wrong, but the intensity with which he longed for Onyx wasn’t usual. Instead of seeing it as a sign he’d be heartbroken, it could be a sign he was right.

“Can I tell Ash?” Harper pulled out his phone.

“Not yet.” Nico grabbed Harper’s hand. “I need to talk to Onyx. He hasn’t even hinted that we could be mates. I need to figure out how he feels before anyone else gets wind of what I’m thinking.”

Onyx wanted some form of relationship with him, but was he as all in as Nico? Was fear holding him back?

Harper put his phone away. “Okay, yeah. I won’t tell anyone we talked. But I need to come up with something to tell Ash.”

“Why?”

“He’s going to ask what got me so excited, and passing it off as a reaction to a super successful brew seems unlikely.”

“He’ll know you got excited?” Nico’s heart skipped. He’d heard there was a telepathic element to the mating bond, but not exactly how it worked.

What would being that in tune with Onyx’s state of mind be like? His gut reaction was distrust. Being a mate was more intense than the sire bond between vampires and their children—a bond Nico had never wanted, partly due to its invasive nature.

But Nico had never loved Rowan. Never wanted more with him.

He wanted everything with Onyx, and bonded, Nico would be closer to Onyx than any other soul. A connection like that was beautiful. Not frightening.

“Don’t worry.” Harper put a reassuring hand on Nico’s forearm. “You don’t have to share your emotions all the time if you don’t want to. Ollie and Dante don’t. And you aren’t mated yet. You can always wait to complete the bond, if you want.”

“Why do you sound skeptical?”

“It’s not that I’m skeptical. The connection will grow naturally between you, now that it’s started. You’ll feel it more and more. And you’re not like Ollie, you’re familiar with magic, and even mates. It’s hard to imagine wanting to wait when it’s all right there in front of you.”

All that potential, ready for Nico and Onyx to seize. Nico had never been more excited about anything in his life.