Page 48 of Demon's Mate

You didn’t. I’m just being lazy.

Ash:

Nothing wrong with that. Especially if you didn’t sleep well.

Harper paused. How did Ash know? Had Ash guessed when he’d ignored that part of Ash’s initial message?

Ash:

What’s your favorite breakfast food?

Harper:

Pancakes.

What’s yours?

Did Ash eat breakfast? Vampires didn’t need human food.

Ash:

Scrambled eggs. I had some this morning.

He wouldn’t ask Harper to breakfast if he’d eaten. Which was okay. Ash’s messages chased away the remnants of Harper’s nightmares, filling his chest with butterflies instead of dread.

Other than textingAsh about random little events and answering all of Ash’s questions about his favorite things, Harper’s day didn’t improve.

The prospect of leaving his apartment made his stomach cramp. He didn’t do anything except shower and have sometoast all day. If he hadn’t had Ash to talk to, he might not have gotten out of bed.

What should his next move be? Going back to The Herb Emporium, where Nico surely knew something was up, was a risk Harper didn’t want to take after yesterday.

It wasn’t likely anyone followed him and Ash home without the vampire realizing, but Harper’s coven was closer than ever, and he couldn’t be certain a third witch hadn’t been lurking near the port, waiting to see what happened.

It might not be safe to go out.

At the same time, Harper couldn’t stop selling potions to Nico altogether. If he did, he’d run out of money and, much sooner than later, be unable to pay rent.

The uncertainty paralyzed him. He should have been able to come up with a new plan, but fear settled in his bones, and he couldn’t shake it off, no matter how much Ash asked about pancake toppings or how Harper liked to take his coffee.

Ash had said he wanted to help, but Harper couldn’t make himself ask. It went against everything he had in place to keep himself safe.

The next few days were no better. Harper was unable to do anything except sit around and worry. But Ash texted every morning. He really seemed to want to get to know Harper.

Harper’s phone buzzed on his nightstand and he snatched it before it had even stopped.

Ash:

Can I take you out for coffee?

Harper clutched the phone. He should say yes. It sounded like a date, and even as horrible as he’d felt all week, his feelings for Ash hadn’t dimmed.

Harper:

Like a date?

He had to be sure. Who cared if it wasn’t cool to ask or if he should automatically know whether Ash was being casual or asking him out. He couldn’t handle mixed signals.

Ash: