Page 58 of Demon's Heart

Like Dante would ever say no. “Sounds good. It’ll be a while before we run out of things to do with the new expansion coming.”

“For sure.” Ollie’s smile carried a hint of relief. “So, I’m not a dick for kicking you out after comforting me all night?”

Dante clasped Ollie’s shoulder. “No. Don’t worry. Go get ready for work and have a good day.”

Ollie’s cheeks turned from pink to red, eyes shining. “Okay. Bye, Dante.” He turned and hurried into the bathroom.

Was that longing in Ollie’s eyes, or was Dante seeing what he wanted? Even if it was, Ollie could be longing for the way things had been before, not for Dante. Maybe Ollie wished he hadn’t needed Dante by his side last night.

It probably wasn’t romantic longing.

Dante couldn’t afford to hope Ollie might want something other than what he’d said. That was a dangerous game Dante couldn’t play with his ancient heart. He might not survive it.

He left the apartment and went to the roof, freeing his wings and flexing his muscles. His phone buzzed in his pocket. Dante pulled it out and read the message.

Ash:

Where are you?

Dante:

At Ollie and Harper’s. I’m heading home now. Why? Is something wrong?

Ash:

You could have left a note. I’d ask if Harper and Ollie are okay, but I’ve already checked in with Harper.

Ash could mean through their bond or via a phone call.Dante didn’t ask. He launched into the air, aiming for the reserve across the city.

If Dante had been in tune with Ollie’s emotions, he’d have known Ollie was having a bad night. But knowing Ollie was struggling and Ollie not asking for help would have been painful, so Dante continued to block Ollie, keeping that part of their bond suppressed.

At home, he landed on the deck, finding Ash waiting, arms crossed and scowling.

“What? You’re that pissed about waking up alone one time after living in the woods by yourself for decades?”

Ash grunted. “I don’t care about being alone. I was worried. Something might have happened to Ollie.”

Dante’s demon fire flared and he ruffled his wings. If anything else happened to Ollie, he’d rip the world apart. Ollie might not be in danger of losing his life as easily as before, but he wasn’t allowed to suffer. Dante had to protect him better from now on.

Having Ollie limp in his arms once had been too much. Dante didn’t think he’d ever forget that moment, no matter how much time passed.

“I take it Ollie is fine?” Ash pressed.

“As much as he can be. He couldn’t sleep. Luc left his psychological wounds, as usual.”

Ash growled.

“Come on. Let’s do the rounds and see if we can get any further hunting whoever killed my birds, and I want to know what’s been going on in the Realm of the Damned for the last two hundred years. See if we can figure out why Luc is taking out his anger on innocents when we’re right here.”

“Figuring Luc out is an impossible task.” Ash launched into the sky alongside Dante. “You still think hunting him in his own territory is the best idea?”

Dante ground his teeth. “I’m not waiting for him to come back when it suits him. I’m done with defense.”

“Fine, agreed, but we can’t go back to the Realm of the Damned without Onyx. I need to know I can get us out again, even if we get trapped, and I can’t break the confinement magic without both of you.”

“I know.” Dante hated that he couldn’t blaze into the Realm of the Damned, fire at his fingertips, and take his vengeance. He’d have done it days ago.

But he hadn’t told Onyx his plan to hunt Lucifer in Hell and wasn’t looking forward to convincing him to get on board. Onyx hadn’t even wanted to help Dante and Ash track down the other potentially escaped demons after talking to Ren. Onyx kept insisting he wasn’t needed, but that wasn’t true.