Page 21

21

ASH

Ash tucked his demon features away despite Harper’s protests. The bed wasn’t big enough otherwise, and he needed to hold Harper, skin to skin.

Ash closed his eyes. What felt like seconds later, he blinked, but he must have fallen asleep because the light had changed outside.

Harper’s head rested on his chest, soft breaths ghosting over his skin. The arm thrown over Ash’s stomach tightened its hold as Harper snuggled closer.

Ash smiled at the ceiling.

Sex with Harper in his true form had unlocked something deep within him. He hadn’t claimed Harper, but he felt closer to his mate than ever. They’d connected as their purest selves, a witch and a demon.

He wanted to bask in the afterglow, get lost in exploring each other, and show Harper all the ways they could worship each other’s bodies. He’d like to keep his mate in bed for a week, maybe a month, and spoil him until they were ready to bond.

But Ash needed more than sex to win Harper over. Harper was comfortable sharing his body with Ash, and Ash loved that, but it wasn’t all Ash wanted. Harper still hadn’t opened up in any other way.

Ash glanced around the bare room. Harper was hiding from his coven and had said he’d only recently moved in with Ollie. He must have taken almost nothing with him when he’d run and not had time to settle in permanently. But that was all Ash knew about the situation.

Which coven was he running from? Why would a coven turn against one of their own? A coven’s group loyalty was supposed to come above all else. Families of witches were usually tight-knit and ruthless toward outsiders who tried to harm them.

Harper stirred on Ash’s chest and Ash’s hand went automatically to his hair.

“What time is it?” Harper murmured.

“Not sure, sweet.” Ash glanced out the window. “Looks like early evening. Are you hungry?” They must have slept a while. Ash should have set an alarm. He didn’t like his mate missing meals.

A door closed somewhere else in the apartment.

Harper sat bold upright. “Oh no, that’s Ollie.”

Ash rubbed Harper’s back, smiling at the slight squeak in Harper’s voice. “Why is that an oh no ?”

Harper twisted to meet Ash’s gaze. His cheeks bloomed with color, and he seemed to lose his train of thought.

Ash brushed Harper’s red cheeks with the back of his hand. “What are you thinking, sweet?”

The flush spread down Harper’s neck. “Just thinking about what we did earlier…” He bit his lip. “With your tail.” The tips of his ears turned red and his fresh floral scent rolled off him in waves.

Ash purred, his cock thickening. “I’d love to do it again, but not if your human roommate is here. Next time, we can go to my place. That way, I can show you my demon form without restrictions.”

Harper let out a soft, panting breath. “Yeah. I’d like that.” Another noise from the apartment caught his attention, and he glanced at the bedroom door. “But you’re right. Let’s not, you know, while Ollie is here.”

Ash poked Harper in the side, and he squirmed. “I’m not sure I do know. What are you saying?” He furrowed his brow in feigned confusion.

“Ugh.” Harper rolled his eyes. “I mean…have sex.” The last word came out in an adorable whisper.

Ash sat up and pulled Harper into a kiss. “I like hearing you say what you mean. There’s no need to be embarrassed.”

A shudder rolled through Harper’s body. “So if I ask you to…to fuck me with your tail again, you won’t think that’s weird?”

“No.” Ash brushed his nose against Harper’s. “Your desires could never be weird.”

Harper grinned. “Good to know.”

They got up and dressed, Harper glancing at the door so often you’d think it was about to burst open. Was he hesitant to have Ash around Ollie because he was human and unaware of magic, or was it something more?

He followed Harper into the living room. Ollie was on the couch, legs folded beneath him as he scrolled on his phone.

“Hey.” Ollie shot a glance Harper’s way, then did a double take, staring at Ash. He sat up straighter. “Who’s this?”

“Ollie, meet Ash.” Harper shifted restlessly. “From the club, remember? I had his number, and, um, we got coffee.”

Ollie smiled. “Coffee. Nice. Good to see you again, Ash.”

“Likewise.” Ash slid an arm around Harper. “I’ll leave you be, sweet. Have a good evening.”

Harper’s cheeks flamed. “You too.”

“Text you later.” Ash kissed him on the cheek and released him. With a nod to Ollie, who watched them gleefully, phone forgotten, Ash exited the living room and walked down the hall, slipping out the front door.

He went to the roof. Even though he wanted to stay and watch over his mate, Ash flew home.

His talk with Dante and Onyx was overdue.

“Where have you been?” Onyx asked when Ash entered the kitchen.

“Out in the city.” Ash opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of blood.

He longed to taste Harper’s blood like he longed to kiss or bury himself inside him, but biting Harper should be special. What was a little more waiting when the mate bond was his prize?

Onyx slunk closer, leaning against the counter beside Ash. “You’re out an awful lot.”

“So?” Ash cocked a brow. “You understand not wanting to be cooped up.”

Onyx frowned, ignoring him. “More of Dante’s precious birds died. You see anything that might explain that while you were out in the city ?”

“No.” Not that he had been looking. “Where’s Dante?”

Onyx shrugged. “He should be back soon. I’m sure his flock saw you come in and told him.”

Ash drank his blood, unsettled by the dead birds. He tried not to feel guilty for spending the whole day with Harper.

“We’ve missed something,” Onyx went on. “For all we know, Luc could be in the city taking out Dante’s flock.”

“How?” Ash set his mug down. Onyx hadn’t thought that the other day.

“I don’t know how. That’s the whole problem. How are we supposed to know what we’re missing? ”

“If Luc were here undetected, why wouldn’t he come for us? Why spend his time killing birds? That would be wasting a huge advantage. Surely, he’d realize every passing day gave us more time to find him.”

Onyx crossed his arms. “Who’s killing the birds then? If it’s not Luc, then it has to be someone else who’s on to us. You know there’ve been rumors in the magic world about the demon flock.”

Ash’s brow furrowed, and he scowled at the remaining blood in his cup. “You think it’s the hunters?”

Onyx wrinkled his nose. “Maybe.”

“What about the hunters?” Dante asked, coming in from the deck, folding his wings against his back.

Onyx turned to face him, a hand on his hip. “Think they could be the ones after your birds?”

Dante slumped onto one of the barstools on the opposite side of the kitchen island. “If they’re trying to find us and know about my connection to the birds, killing them doesn’t make sense. Why not try to use the birds to track me down?”

“Maybe they’re trying to draw you out by killing them,” Onyx countered.

Dante didn’t look convinced. He cut a sidelong glance at Ash. “Where’ve you been?”

Ash swallowed the urge to deflect. He had to tell them about Harper. “I’ve been seeing someone.” There, that sounded off-hand. He turned to wash his mug in the sink.

“Wow.” Ash could practically hear Onyx’s eyes roll. “And I thought I was the irresponsible one. Luc is knocking at our door, and you’re out getting laid.”

Ash clenched his teeth. “It’s not about getting laid.” He turned and faced his brothers.

“So you haven’t been out fucking around?” Onyx raised a brow. “Wait. Is that what you’ve been doing all this time? Have you even tried to track Lucifer?”

“Yes, of course, I’ve tried to track him,” Ash growled. He wasn’t irresponsible. “I can handle more than one thing on my plate, you know.”

“Didn’t think you were sharp enough for that,” Onyx sneered.

“Stop it.” Dante slapped the counter. He looked tired, the lines around his eyes more noticeable than usual. “Who have you been seeing, Ash? It’s not like you to get involved.”

Ash held Dante’s stare, his stomach twisting as he hesitated, a strange emptiness in his chest that felt a lot like dread. “You’re right. I don’t usually get involved. But this man isn’t just anyone. He’s… He’s my mate.”

Onyx laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Ash ignored him, his gaze fixed on Dante.

“Your mate?” Dante whispered, cocking his head. “But you don’t believe we’ll ever find our mates. You haven’t believed in over fifteen hundred years.”

Ash’s tail twitched. “No, I didn’t, but I was wrong. I know it’s him. I can’t explain what’s happening between us in any other way.”

“Wait.” Onyx grabbed Ash’s shoulder and pulled him around. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.” Ash confessed what happened the night Harper took him home from the club and how he’d been following Harper around for two weeks.

As Ash explained, Onyx’s face hardened. He shook his head in tiny, jerky movements like he was trying to dislodge something from his brain. Dante, on the other hand, was uncharacteristically devoid of emotion.

Onyx threw up his hands. “How would you even know he’s your mate? How do you know you’re not wrong? ”

“I just know.” Ash shrugged, warmth filling him as he pictured Harper in his arms. “It’s instinct. Being with him is right in a way nothing has ever been. I’d do anything for him. I want to spend all my time with him.” Ash ran a hand through his hair and over his horns. “My future feels so much brighter now that I can see him in it. The connection is already growing, and I want nothing more than to feed it, bond us together, and spend the rest of eternity learning my mate inside and out, sharing everything with him.”

Onyx blinked, his mouth slack.

Ash turned to Dante. “Do you believe me?”

“Of course.” Dante smiled, but his eyes betrayed a hint of melancholy. “Ash, I’m so happy for you. I knew it wasn’t impossible. I knew we’d find them. I told you this place was special.”

“You were right.” Ash’s heart warmed, and he hoped, more than anything, that Dante was right about finding his mate here. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

Dante waved him away, joy sparking in his dark eyes, pushing the sadness away. “So, can we meet him?”

“Wait. What does your mate think is going on between you two?” Onyx cut in. “It’s not like he knows mates or demons exist. Dante won’t be able to meet him without getting all sappy, making it weird, and giving something away.”

Dante glared at Onyx. “I won’t make it weird. I know how to talk to humans.”

“Harper isn’t human,” Ash said before the two could get lost bickering. “He’s a witch.”

Both demons fixed looks of surprise on Ash.

“You went home from the club with a witch?” Onyx’s brows disappeared beneath his blue bangs. “What happened to not trusting witches?”

Ash didn’t appreciate the sharpness in Onyx’s gaze. “It’s not about trusting or not trusting witches. Harper is my mate. I trust him . And I didn’t go home with a witch. I couldn’t tell he had magic when we were at the club.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Explain,” Dante said a little too calmly.

Ash told them how Harper seemed to be in some kind of trouble and how he’d saved Harper at the port. “Today, I discovered he’s suppressing his magic. When we were in bed, I found a charmed bracelet that only a witch would wear, and after inspecting him more closely, I saw through the strong magic he’d used to mask himself.”

Onyx looked at Dante. “I don’t like this.”

Dante frowned, tapping the counter. “Do you think it could be one of Lucifer’s tricks?”

“What?” Ash growled. “No, of course this isn’t Luc.”

“Harper lied to you, Ash,” Dante said gently. “Don’t you think Luc might exploit our longing for our mates to distract us?”

Onyx pointed at Ash. “And you’ve been very distracted.”

“It isn’t Lucifer. Onyx, Dante, I’m telling you, he’s my mate. There’s no faking the connection. Harper is hiding from his coven. His magic suppression and lies aren’t about me.”

Onyx gave him a withering look. “You sound so na?ve right now.”

Ash ignored him in favor of Dante. “I’ve been distracted, but not completely. I’ve been trying my best to track Luc. A few more hours a day searching wouldn’t change anything. Harper isn’t getting in the way of that. And besides, if he were part of some distraction plot, why would he push me away when I approached him after our night together?”

“That’s a good point.” Dante’s shoulders sagged like he was relieved to agree. “If he had an agenda, he’d have jumped at the chance to pull you back in.”

“Harper has been wary of me.” Ash averted his eyes, inspecting the countertop. “He has trust issues and seems reluctant to let me in at all. That isn’t how he’d act if he were trying to trick me into thinking we were mates.”

“No,” Dante agreed more firmly. “And it’s hard to imagine Luc enchanting a fake mate to trick you if the witch was completely clueless about what was happening. Luc wouldn’t leave that much to chance. He’s always preferred controlling every aspect of a situation. Involving a witch at all would be surprising, actually.”

“Oh, come on .” Onyx glared at them both. “The timing is sus as fuck.”

Dante shrugged, his wings ruffling. “I’ve known Shearwater Landing was significant for a century. It’s not suspicious at all when taken in that light. It might not be ideal timing, but fate doesn’t play by our whims.”

Ash wasn’t sure what he’d expected of this conversation but he needed to get to the most pressing point before it completely derailed. “I told Harper I’m a demon,” he said in a rush. “It was the only way to show him he could trust me. I had to be the first to take the leap of faith.”

Onyx took a step back, eyes flaring. “We’ve never revealed ourselves.”

“But he’s my mate.” Ash tried to suppress the growl creeping into his tone. “I can’t explain how the mate connection works, but I knew it would be all right to tell him. It’s fate for us to be together. Harper isn’t the kind of witch who hates or worships us. He reacted well. He understood what me revealing myself meant.”

Dante nodded. “And he opened up to you?”

“Not completely.” Ash couldn’t help picturing how Harper had trusted him with his body. As much as he liked that, it wasn’t a complete comfort. “He needs time to get there.”

Onyx snorted .

Ash’s insides twisted, and he glared at Onyx.

“It’s a complicated situation,” Dante admitted. “Honestly, the only way I can imagine you revealing yourself is to your mate, Ash. I don’t doubt your judgment in trusting Harper. Maybe if we meet him, it’ll be easier for us to feel the same trust.”

Onyx threw up his hands, shooting daggers between them, and stormed out of the kitchen.

Ash hadn’t revealed himself in the right way, but of course, Onyx would latch onto his failure rather than try to understand what pushed Ash to go against their pact.

He averted his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Dante stood and moved around the counter, placing a hand on Ash’s shoulder. “He’ll forgive you for revealing yourself.”

Ash snorted. “And you?”

“Already forgiven.” Dante squeezed Ash’s shoulder. “Your mate, Ash. This is wonderful. I’m so glad. After all this time.”

“It’s terrifying.” Ash met Dante’s steady gaze. “What if he doesn’t accept? I trust him not to betray us, but that doesn’t mean he’ll ever trust me enough to share himself and bond with me. What if something happens. There are too many unknowns.”

Dante rubbed his shoulder soothingly. “You’ll find a way. I know you will. And I’ll help in any way I can.”

Ash covered Dante’s hand with his. “Thank you, Dante. I don’t deserve you.”

“No, Ash. You deserve so much more.”