Page 31 of Demon's Heart

Ollie’s heart skipped. How easy was that? Dante also wanted to hang out in person and managed to ask without sounding like a date.

It was everything Ollie needed.

Ollie:

OMG, yes!

Dante:

Love your enthusiasm.

Ollie stared at the word love. No, Dante didn’t mean it like that. Obviously. Ollie’s cheeks still heated. So much for this chat being the same as with any other friend.

Dante:

I can’t take you onto the reserve, but there’s a good spot near the waterfront to watch the shearwaters coming in for the night. We could also watch them fly out in the morning, but you’d have to be there before sunrise.

Ollie:

Let’s do tomorrow night. I have plans to sleep in.

Dante:

Perfect.

Birds had never interested Ollie before encountering Dante’s infectious enthusiasm for the sooty shearwater, but Ollie’s changed opinion wasn’t about pleasing Dante or adopting Dante’s likes as his own. New people were allowed to broaden your horizons. Ollie wasn’t pretending to like birds toendear himself to Dante. He hadn’t realized the creatures were so interesting and was glad Dante had shown him something new.

He’d love to go to the nature reserve, but it was off-limits to the public. Protecting the shearwater habitat was important, and Ollie could live with not seeing the nests up close. He wouldn’t want to disturb anything.

Ollie put his phone on the coffee table and returned to the movie.

He felt strangely settled, his muscles relaxed and his head clear. He might worry too much, but in the end, he was doing what was right for him. He’d come a long way, and deep down, he knew his friendship with Dante was a good thing.

He’d figure this out. Little freak-outs along the way were fine. He could add Dante to his life without losing anything.

He’d stay true to himself—no matter what.

9

DANTE

Dante arrivedat the beach early. It was inevitable after itching with anticipation all day. Ollie was meeting him half an hour before sunset, and it couldn’t come soon enough.

It was too bad he couldn’t take Ollie into the reserve. The birds would be happy to let him get close. Dante’s enchantment made them more accustomed to interacting with humans than normal seabirds. But Dante couldn’t take Ollie to the clifftop and reveal his house. No one was supposed to live up there.

One day, he’d be able to show Ollie his home. When they’d been friends long enough, Dante would reveal magic to Ollie and tell him who he really was. Then he could fly Ollie to the clifftop and show him the home he’d built for them.

Would Ollie ever want to live there with Dante? Ash lived with him, so maybe Ollie would too, regardless of how their bond grew.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from down the beach.

A grin spread across Dante’s face as he spotted Ollie. “You’re early.”

“So are you.” Ollie walked along the sand until he reached Dante. “It’s such a nice day thatI came for a walk.”

They stood at the north end of the shore, right before it turned rocky. Ollie looked out at the ocean, shielding his eyes against the low sun. He wore a sleeveless top and shorts and held sandals in his other hand. The sunlight warmed his pale skin, giving him a golden sun-kissed glow. Freckles dusted his shoulders and Dante’s fingers tingled with the urge to brush them.

Ollie tilted his face skyward. “I’ve kept my eyes out, but I think all the birds I’ve spotted are seagulls.”