Page 33

OLLIE

That afternoon, Ollie headed through the Banks toward The Herb Emporium.

As he neared the address Harper had given him, Ollie couldn’t help thinking that the street felt very Harper. Ollie peered in a window of a boutique. This had to be where Harper bought his trippy quilted throw pillows. Ollie hadn’t seen décor quite like that anywhere else.

He checked his phone. Dante hadn’t texted all day.

Part of Ollie had expected to be bombarded with messages. He’d braced himself to have to force space between them, though it seemed that wasn’t necessary.

It was true that, as a rule, Dante didn’t reach out much, especially outside coordinating meeting online. Dante had also said being bonded didn’t mean everything was decided. Their relationship could progress naturally and in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm Ollie’s life.

So why was Ollie doubting Dante’s word and expecting Dante to blow up his phone? Dante keeping his promise wasn’t a surprise.

It was as if, despite trusting Dante and knowing what kind of man he was, Ollie still expected everyone to lie and break boundaries.

That wasn’t true and he’d have to work on remembering that. Even if he and Dante were in this together, Ollie still had things to figure out for himself. He had to go slow and steady for this to work.

Could he really do that with the bond tying them together? It was hard to imagine, no matter how hard he tried. Magic and the bond might not be inherently suspicious, but he still couldn’t be sure they weren’t influencing his decisions.

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 with demons .”

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. ”

Ollie’s stomach churned. “So I blew Da—their big secret? Why did no one tell me?”

“Hey.” Nico spread his arms in a calming gesture. “It’s fine. Harper, you know any secret is safe with me.”

“But this wasn’t mine to reveal.” Harper’s voice dropped to a whine. “I have to call Ash.”

“Your boyfriend?” Nico’s brows flew upward. “ He’s a demon? ”

Harper cringed. “Yeah.”

Some of the color drained from Nico’s face. “Oh great. I told a demon I’d be watching him. No big deal.”

“What? Why?” Harper asked.

“In case he wasn’t good to you. ”

Harper’s face flushed. “You really don’t have to worry about that.”

“Maybe not.” Nico turned a piercing gaze on Ollie. “But there’s more than one demon? You said you were bound. What does that mean?”

“Uh…” Ollie was guessing Nico didn’t know about mates. Was that another secret? He was keeping his mouth shut from now on.

Nico clasped Harper’s shoulder. “Harper, if Ollie needs help, you can count on me. Even against demons. I have powerful friends. We can figure something out.”

“No, no.” Harper shook Nico off. “I’ve fucked this all up. Ollie is fine. I’m fine. The demons aren’t a problem.”

“Then tell me Ollie didn’t casually mention Lucifer as if he’d actually run up against him.”

Harper fisted his hands in his hair. “I need to make a call.” He pulled out his phone and dialed. “I’m so sorry, Ollie. I figured Dante would have told you.”

Ollie stood in heavy silence with Nico as Harper scurried to the other side of the shop and whispered into the phone. Why were demons such a secret?

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Nico asked in a low voice.

Ollie shook his head. “Seems I’ve said too much already.”

Nico studied him. “Fine, but I meant what I said. Regardless of what happens when Harper gets off the phone.”

“Uh, thanks.” Ollie was taken aback by Nico’s willingness to help. “I’ll keep it in mind.” Not that he needed to.

Even with all his doubts about the bond, Ollie was safe with Dante. Harper was right. Dante and Ash weren’t the problem.

Hopefully he hadn’t caused a major headache for the demons .

Harper hung up and rejoined them by the counter. “They’re coming.”

Nico’s face hardened. “Great. We better close up.”

Dante and Ash arrived at the apothecary a short time later.

Harper rushed forward, his expression tense. “I’m sorry.”

Ash cupped Harper’s cheeks. “It’s all right, sweet. Don’t worry.”

Harper melted into Ash and Ollie looked away. The big demon’s tender tone gave the moment a private edge that felt intrusive to witness.

Dante hesitated near the door, giving Ollie a small smile.

Ollie’s chest erupted with butterflies. Before he knew it, he’d navigated the crowded shop and pulled Dante into a hug. “I’m the one who messed up, not Harper. You should have told me your existence was a big secret.”

They pulled away from each other, Dante’s hand lingering on Ollie’s lower back. “I should have, but I was worried about overwhelming you with information and honestly didn’t think you’d ever be in a situation to reveal us.”

That was fair, and Ollie didn’t think Dante was mad. Maybe this wasn’t as big a deal as Harper had made it seem.

Nico cleared his throat. “Not to be the fifth wheel, but we are in my shop.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

Ash stepped forward. “Fine, witch.” He made a show of considering Nico. “You’ve been good to Harper, and he likes you. I trust his judge of character, so you can’t be that bad.”

“Gee, thanks,” Nico said so dryly Ollie’s skin itched.

Ash continued as if Nico hadn’t spoken. “Who we are is a secret that doesn’t leave this room, and if you don’t keep quiet, you won’t like the consequences. Don’t betray Harper’s trust.”

“Ash,” Harper hissed, elbowing him.

Nico seemed unfazed. His sharp eyes left Ash briefly to inspect Dante before returning. “I won’t tell a soul that I’ve met demons. But I’d like to know what you’re doing with Harper and Ollie. If there’s any trickery going on here, I’ll do everything I can to get them away from you.”

Trickery? What did that mean? Nico was way off base.

Dante stepped forward. “There’s no trickery. We’re dealing with a precarious situation at the moment, so the fewer people who know who we are, the better.”

Nico pursed his lips. “Precarious, how?”

“That doesn’t concern you.” Ash dismissed him with a flick of his hand. “We’ll deal with the demon problems and the rest of the community can stay blissfully ignorant.”

“Fine, don’t explain. But I’d like to know what’s happening with Harper and Ollie. Ollie said he was attacked by Lucifer.”

Everyone looked at Ollie.

His heart thudded. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”

“It’s all right.” Dante’s hand returned to Ollie’s back and his tension leaked away.

To Nico, he said, “I assume you know the legends about the fall to Earth and demons giving rise to witches. But the reason we fell didn’t survive the passing of time.

We fell to find our mates. Ollie and Harper are my and Ash’s fated other halves.

No one will look after them better than we will. ”

Ollie swayed like the floor had slipped out from under him. What did Dante mean they fell to Earth to find their mates? That was how it all started? It had been about mates all along. Dante said he’d waited for Ollie a long time, but had Dante been waiting for Ollie for thousands of years?

Dante was ancient, but Ollie hadn’t known so much of his life had been shaped by mates. Mating seemed like a part of his existence, not the driving force or the thing that kicked off bringing magic to Earth.

Ollie closed his eyes. How was he even supposed to process this?

“I’ve never heard of fated mates,” Nico muttered, giving the impression the jury was still out on whether he believed Dante. “According to legend, you must be the demons—the Hounds—who escaped Hell. Was it to find your mates? Will you drag Harper and Ollie back to the Realm of the Damned with you?”

“Back to the Realm of the Damned?” Ash scoffed. “We aren’t going back. Harper and Ollie will never see that cursed place. It’s not like the demons there are living happily with their mates.”

“Where are their mates?” Ollie asked.

Dante gently gripped the back of Ollie’s neck, turning him so they were face-to-face. “No one but Ash and I have found our mates. Most demons considered the search hopeless a long time ago.”

A chill ran down Ollie’s spine. “Only you and Ash?”

“Yes, Ollie. And I’m so, so grateful.”

Ollie’s throat thickened at the intensity in Dante’s dark, flame-flecked gaze. This went so far beyond the two of them.

“Why did Lucifer attack? Is he still here?” Nico cut in. “Is that the precarious situation you’re dealing with?”

“So many questions.” Ash sighed. “Look, Nico. We aren’t sharing all our secrets because one got out. I’m sure history told you Lucifer was displeased by his Hounds’ escape. But the details don’t concern you.”

“Maybe not.” Nico’s back straightened. “But it concerns Harper and Ollie. I’ll always stick up for people on the short end of a power imbalance, even if legends are going to walk into my shop and throw their weight around.

I’m on their side no matter what, and if what you say is true and you’ll protect Harper and Ollie from Lucifer and any other trouble, then I’m on your side too.

If you ever need me, count me in, even if you don’t trust me enough to explain what’s actually going on. ”

“ Hmm ,” Ash hummed as if he were impressed despite himself.

“Thank you,” Dante said much more graciously.

“Yes, and we thank you to not send hunters after us,” Ash added.

Nico raised a brow. “Treat your mates right, and I won’t have to.”

Ash gave Nico a chilling grin, orange fire flashing in his eyes. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll treat our mates like kings, and if you’re on Harper and Ollie’s side as much as you say, and you keep our secret, there won’t be any issues from us. It’s Onyx you’ll have to worry about.”

“Who’s Onyx?”

“The third Hound. He won’t forgive you if you give us away, and he doesn’t have a mate to keep him in check.”

“I won’t talk.” The first hint of fear filled Nico’s face. “Now, can we be done with all the threats? You could actually get to know me instead of wasting time with intimidation. Then you might trust me.”

“Why don’t we all get coffee?” Harper seized the opportunity to change the subject. “We can put our fangs away and relax”—he threw an arm around Ash—“more friends is a good thing. I mean, if you trust my judgment, you know I’m right.”

Ash grunted in affirmation, his gaze turning soft.

“That’s an excellent idea,” Dante agreed. “Isn’t there a coffee shop you like nearby?”

“We aren’t going to Seaside Coffee,” Ollie blurted out. “Dex can’t get involved in any of this.” There was no need to screw up anything else today, and bringing demons to Dex’s work felt like tempting fate.

Nico checked the time on a clock hanging behind the counter. “I don’t know about you, but I could use something stronger than coffee. The Breeze should be open. It’s not far.”

“Is that the bar you told me about?” Harper turned excitedly to Ash. “Yeah, let’s go. Come on.” He threw Ollie a grin as he tugged on Ash’s arm.

Ollie forced a return smile. “I think I could use a drink too.”

It might not help him process being the impossibly rare exception to an ancient demon’s near-failed, two-thousand-year-long search for his fated mate, but it sure as hell couldn’t hurt.