Page 2 of Demon's Heart

He’d suspected Ollie was his mate when they’d first met. The encounter had been brief but enough. Today confirmed he hadn’t imagined it. Ollie was his.

Ollie’s phone chimed on the coffee table, and he scrambled to grab it. His cheeks turned red as he swiped anotification away, then stuffed the phone in his pocket. “Stupid app.” He rolled his eyes.

Harper frowned. “Is it that guy again?”

“Not that one, no.” Ollie shot Harper a cryptic look and took a swig of his beer. He crossed the room and cozied up to his friend’s side, saying something too quiet to hear.

Was Ollie messaging men on a dating app? A rumble started low in Dante’s chest.

Ash appeared at his elbow and thumped his back. “You good?”

“Fine.” Dante cleared his throat.

“You might want to stop growling,” Ash muttered.

“That wasn’t a growl.” Dante couldn’t tear his eyes from Ollie. He focused his demon sense to pick up what Ollie was saying.

“I might go for it,” Ollie whispered to Harper. “He’s hot…”

Ash pinched Dante’s arm. “Don’t eavesdrop. It’s rude.”

Like Ash was one to talk. Dante turned away from Ollie and narrowed his eyes at his oldest friend. “He’s talking about seeing some other man.”

Ash’s hard brow furrowed, then his eyes widened. “So heisyour mate.”

Flutters erupted in Dante’s chest. “How…how did you know?” He hadn’t shared his suspicions with Ash.

Ash’s lips twisted in a smug smile. “Why else would you care who he sees? I knew it. Well, I hoped he was your mate when you first met him—the way you reacted—but I didn’t want to pry.” Ash gripped Dante’s shoulder. “Congratulations, brother. I’m so happy for you.”

Dante couldn’t appreciate Ash’s warmth. “Congratulations are premature. He’s human. How will I ever explain this to him?”

Ollie laughed at something Harper said, sending tingles down Dante’s spine.

Ash seemed nonplussed, his face hard as stone once more. “I thought Harper was human when I first met him. It’s not impossible to work through. Besides, you have us to help. Enjoy this moment, Dante. You fucking deserve it.”

Some of Dante’s tension melted away. Ash was right. He should enjoy the way Ollie overwhelmed his senses, calling to him like a siren’s song as the beginning of their bond sparked between them. He’d imagined finding his mate for so long, seeing this moment as the finish line when it was actually the beginning.

There was no rush to explain anything to Ollie. Surely, he’d feel the connection too. It would all happen naturally.

Dante approached Ollie and Harper across the living room. They’d stopped whispering, a lull in their conversation. Hopefully, he wasn’t interrupting.

“What did you study when you moved here for school?” Dante asked Ollie.

Ollie’s attention snapped to Dante so fast he had to feel the pull between them. “I went to the city’s vocational school to become a hairstylist. I gave Harper his new look. Black suits him, don’t you think?”

Harper ruffled his hair.

“It looks good.” Dante’s gaze slid back to Ollie. “So does yours.”

Ollie bit his lower lip. “Thanks. Um, so what do you do?”

What did he do? Dante couldn’t exactly say he was once in Lucifer’s inner circle and now a sworn enemy of the Devil. “I’m involved with looking after the local shearwater population.”

“Cool, like a biologist?” Ollie stepped closer.

“Yeah, I’m a conservation biologist.” It was close enough to the truth. Dante had built a magical connection to the shearwatersin the area, creating his flock of loyal birds. He’d protect them and conserve their habitat at all costs.

A crease appeared on Ollie’s brow. “Are shearwaters endangered?”