Page 28 of Demon's Heart

“Let’s kill some aliens.”

Their first raid ended in a bloody mess, but once they got the hang of it, they started making progress. The game was cool but not Ollie’s favorite. At least not until he played with Dante’s commentary in his ear.

“What in damnation is that thing?” Dante made a disgusted sound. “A spider with an elephant trunk? I’m going to have nightmares.”

He sounded delightfully offended by everything that happened. But Ollie’s favorite Dante comment had to be: “That radioactive blob looks like a dick. It even has balls. Tell me I’m not hallucinating.”

Ollie had died laughing. Dante hadn’t been hallucinating.

He gasped literally any time something jumped out. Could he be more adorable? Ollie’s stomach hurt. Dante wasn’t afraid to have fun, and Ollie loved it. They played round after round.

“The dick is back,” Dante warned. “Oh shit, it jizzed on me.”

Failed Missionflashed across the screen.

“Did you get dicked to death?” Ollie asked between snorts of laughter.

“Its cum was toxic. I can’t believe that happened. We can’t tell Ash about this. He already thinks gaming is silly. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Ollie assured him. “Ready for another?”

“I could do this all night.”

So could Ollie. He hadn’t smiled this much in years.

The next night,Ollie and Dante playedWorld’s End.

“Holy shit, your character is powerful,” Ollie said as Dante appeared at his portal, fire dancing at his character’s fingertips.

“I play a lot,” Dante admitted, almost sheepishly.

“I think I’ll follow your lead on this one.” Ollie shifted his character into dragon form. “Are you willing to make a temporary alliance if you’re in charge?”

Dante accepted the offer on-screen. “Yes, but we’ll be a team. I don’t think I’d make a good leader. I’m not after power. That’s partly why I stay away from both sides. I don’t need to worry about others’ rankings, and it’s not like I’m going to trust anyone.”

Something oddly serious in the way Dante spoke made Ollie wonder if he was half talking about something else, but what could he possibly be referring to? It wasn’t like real life was about alliances and betrayals in a battle for dominance on Earth.

Reality wasn’t that epic.

“Are you saying I need to watch my back around you?” Ollie asked.

“What?” Dante sounded adorably shocked. “No, I didn’t mean I wouldn’t trust you. I was talking about everyone else.”

“So it’s us against the word?”

“Yes,” Dante replied, voice whisper-soft.

Ollie swore he felt Dante’s breath on his neck, sending chills down his spine as heat unfurled deep inside him.Fuuuck.

Ollie readjusted his headphones. “Perfect. Let’s find a quest.”

Dante kicked ass at this game. He had these cool fire spells Ollie had never seen anyone cast before. At one point, he even conjured a fire demon.

“This game is way more fun with you,” Ollie said as he and Dante killed an ice monster Ollie wouldn’t have stood a chance against by himself.

“I agree. I like having you in my head.”

Something pinched in Ollie’s chest. “My commentary is that good, huh?”