Page 76 of Demon's Heart

Was it inevitable he and Dante would end up a couple? If it was—and they both knew it—how could they be anything other than committed from the get-go?

On the other hand, Dante had shown Ollie they could do this without rushing. He wasn’t acting like they’d reached some inevitable conclusion.

It all made Ollie’s head hurt.

He was glad when he reached The Herb Emporium. He needed to give his brain a break.

The apothecary definitely had a weird vibe, even from outside. Ollie wouldn’t usually go into a shop with candles and dried herbs in the windows.

He entered and was assaulted by earthy smells.

“Hey,” Harper called from behind the counter. He grinned. “Isn’t this place great?”

“Like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Harper laughed. “I’ll go get Nico.” He disappeared behind a curtain.

Ollie kept his hands in his pockets, wary of touching anything. What if a spell got him? He didn’t know anything about magic other than what Harper had shown him. The place was crowded with items and plants. Who knew what any of it did.

A man maybe ten years older than them appeared with Harper. “Hi, Ollie. I’m Nico.”

Ollie gave him a nod. “Hey.”

Nico was as tall as Harper and wore a worn apron over jeans and a dark T-shirt. He fixed a friendly stare on Ollie, his expression open, as he stepped out from behind the counter.

“Harper tells me you’re new to the magic community. I know it can be hard finding out about all this, especially if your first look at magic is through someone hurting you, but there are a lot of great things about being a human in our world.”

Did Nico know he’d been attacked? Ollie glanced at Harper.

“Nico helped me when I first escaped,” Harper explained as if he thought that’s what had Ollie confused. “Not that I wanted to let him. Maybe we could all get coffee or something. Nico knows a different side of witchery than I do. One that’s less Satan-worshipy and more morally sound.”

“Yeah, for sure.” Ollie shifted on his feet. “I think hearing about other witches will help me adjust. Otherwise, all I’ll know is what happened to you, Harper, and being bound by fate to a demon after Lucifer ripped my throat out.”

Ollie’s stomach turned as soon the words were out. Shit, he couldn’t act like the attack was another event in his past. Not when phantom fingers scraped his neck. He swallowed. Why had he even said that?

Whatever. Nico already knew. There was no need to dance around the details. A positive witch story would do him good. Except Nico and Harper were staring at him with wide eyes.

What?

Nico turned toward Harper, who went from looking shocked to guilty. “How does Ollie know about demons?”

Ollie’s brow furrowed. How could he not? They were all over the city. Right?

Harper’s gaze darted between Nico and Ollie.

It was like Ollie had fucked up somehow. “What’s going on?”

“Um.” Harper ran a hand through his hair.

“Harper,” Nico said, his voice much softer. “It’s all right. You don’t have to lie to me. I’m on your side. You’re working on trust, remember? I said I’d look out for you if you ever needed it. But surely this has nothing to do withdemons.”

Why say that like it was the most ridiculous thing? It was how Dex should react, not a witch.

“It doesn’t have to do with demons,” Harper said quickly. “Ollie’s confused. That’s why I brought him here.”

Nico raised a brow. Yeah, he didn’t buy that at all, and Ollie couldn’t blame him. Lying wasn’t Harper’s strongest skill.

“Okay.” Harper held up his hands. He faced Ollie. “It looks like we may have forgotten to tell you that demons aren’t common in the Human Realm, and demons living in Shearwater Landing is a secret most witches and vampires aren’t privy to. Their identities and whereabouts have been hidden for hundreds of years.”