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HARPER

As Harper reached the Banks, he cast out his magic, checking he wasn’t being followed. He was still in the clear.

He picked up his pace. So close. He was so fucking close.

Passing a row of restaurants, the scents of spices and baking bread filled the air. Harper’s breaths came easier, his chest no longer as tight as it had been.

Harper continued toward the river. There was less green space in this part of the city. There weren’t many trees planted along the sidewalks, but the buildings weren’t as massive as the ones downtown. The neighborhood felt lived in and well-loved by the people, even if the state of the buildings varied, some seeming abandoned.

A coffee roaster bathed the whole block in a rich aroma. Harper’s stomach growled. Now that he wasn’t on the verge of being sick, he was starving. Too bad he had no food at his new apartment.

On the next block, Harper passed a cute coffee shop with a long line and people filling all the mismatched chairs and tables on the sidewalk. There wasn’t time to go in now, though Harper had wanted to check out the place since he’d first seen it the day he’d rented his apartment. But the coffee shop wasn’t important. He needed to get to his destination. He needed to be safe, even though making it didn’t guarantee anything.

He stopped in a corner store and bought a loaf of bread and peanut butter. Better than nothing. He’d save his money for a coffee when he had a better chance of enjoying it without distractions.

Harper’s new apartment building was smaller than his old complex and housed no witches. He’d checked, and unless someone was masking their magic as thoroughly as him, he was in the clear.

The building could use a fresh coat of paint, but how it looked wasn’t important. It was on a street without any shops or restaurants. Only other apartments and a warehouse.

Harper didn’t want to live somewhere with a lot of foot traffic or cafés where it would be natural for people to hang around. He didn’t want anyone who might come looking for him to be able to blend into a crowd.

The street was quiet for a Saturday, and as he approached his building, tension released from Harper’s shoulders. He keyed in the code to the front door and slipped inside, clutching the bread tightly.

He was home, or hopefully, this place would turn into a home. Hopefully, he’d finally be safe.

Harper climbed the stairs to the top floor.

There were three other doors next to his on the landing. He glanced around, listening, but didn’t hear anyone in the apartments. He pulled off his shoe and fished out the key inside. It would be nice not to walk around with it underfoot. He’d been too paranoid about someone from the coven finding it to ever leave it anywhere.

He’d cast protections on the apartment when he’d stopped by a couple of weeks ago, then masked the spells. Now that he was here to settle in, he could strengthen his spells regularly using his blood. He’d be as safe as he could be given everything.

Shoving his foot back in the shoe, Harper unlocked the door and it creaked open. No other sounds came from inside, but that wasn’t unexpected. His roommate usually worked on Saturdays.

Sure enough, Ollie Hudson, a human about Harper’s age who already lived here, was nowhere to be seen. He’d seemed friendly when they’d met, and it would be nice to finally live with someone who wasn’t from his coven. Harper could stop hiding every last thing about himself. Maybe he’d even figure out who he was now that he was free.

There was a Pride flag in one of the windows. Harper stared at it, standing there in clothes he didn’t like and a stupid baseball hat. His stomach swooped, and he smiled.

He’d found the listing on a local LGBTQ+ forum and had mentioned to Ollie that he was gay when they’d met. All Ollie had said was, “Cool, me too.” Harper couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Harper took his food to his room. It was already furnished with a bed, side table, and dresser and had a window looking out onto the street below. Harper had been collecting things he needed to start his new life since he’d rented the room, dropping off clothes he’d thrifted on Saturdays and having other items delivered.

He was glad Ollie hadn’t asked too many questions about his strange moving methods.

After checking that everything was as he’d left it—his new potion-making equipment was safely tucked away in a magically locked box—Harper sat on the bed.

He ached to lie down and sleep. How good would it feel to not be conscious?

But his stomach rumbled, so he opened the bread and grabbed a slice. Using the knife from his potion kit, he spread the peanut butter and ate.

His new life wasn’t that exciting but Harper didn’t want excitement. He wanted stability and independence and for no one to leach his blood, stealing it for their own magical use. You know, the simple things.

Was he finally safe?

Had he reached a place where he could build his own life and have a real future? He wished he could say yes definitively, but the threat of his coven loomed.

What if they found him?

All Harper wanted was to be around people who accepted him. People who wouldn’t betray him. It felt impossible. Everything in his past told him it would never happen, but here, with a random human and his rainbow flag, maybe it wasn’t so outlandish.

Harper jolted at a sound outside his bedroom. He was flat on his back, legs hanging off the mattress. The peanut butter and bread lay open beside him. He must have fallen asleep.

He sat up and moved the food to his side table. Shit, how long had he been out? The sun seemed low in the sky, like it was about to set. He’d meant to get so many things done that afternoon, yet he’d achieved nothing.

Harper ran a hand through his hair. No need to panic. He had room for deviations from his plan now.

He adjusted his fake glasses. Ollie had seen him wearing them, so it was best to keep pretending. Besides, he liked how they framed his narrow features. He was ditching the baseball caps though. They really weren’t his thing.

Speaking of his thing , Harper got up, opened his dresser, and pulled out a box of black hair dye. He’d always wanted to dye his hair, and while he was partly motivated to change his appearance to make it less likely he’d get recognized around the city, he’d look good with darker hair.

Picturing a change in style lightened the weight in his chest.

There were so many new things he could do now. He could do anything he wanted as long as it didn’t put him at risk of capture.

His coven would know he was missing by now. What were they doing? Had they found his discarded clothes in the library? Was his father flying out from Colorado? Harper shuddered. He didn’t have to worry about it. He’d never have to see his father again.

Harper opened his bedroom door. He should say hi to his roommate and not hide, but he hesitated. He’d never had friends. What if Ollie found him annoying, or they had nothing in common?

He inched into the living room where Ollie was curled up on the couch, looking at his phone, lips turned downward. As soon as he noticed Harper, he perked up.

“Hi.” Ollie beamed, showing off a perfect smile. He had a round face and curly blond hair. “I was wondering if you were here. You all moved in?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I was sleeping.” Wait. Why was he apologizing?

“Makes sense. I bet moving was tiring. I mean, all those stairs.” Ollie made a sympathetic face. “It’s why I never want to move out of this place. Imagine lugging everything back down again.” He set his phone on the coffee table, his gaze landing on Harper’s hands. “What’s that?”

Harper looked at the box of dye. He’d forgotten he had it. “I was going to dye my hair.”

Ollie wrinkled his nose .

Harper’s chest tightened. Maybe Ollie didn’t want the dye to mess up the bathroom. He should have considered that. “I don’t have to,” he added quickly. “It was just a silly idea.”

Ollie’s brow furrowed. “I mean… Go for it if you want. I just can’t in good conscience let you use that without offering my help.” He smiled.

“Help?” Harper felt like he’d missed a step. He’d overreacted. There was no reason to be afraid of Ollie’s disapproval. Ollie wasn’t his father or anyone from his coven. He wouldn’t judge or try to control Harper. “What do you mean help?”

“I’m a hair stylist, remember?” Ollie shook his head, lips twitching. “Please let me do your hair instead. It’ll look so much better than that .” He pointed at the box.

Harper’s cheeks heated. “You don’t have to. It’s fine.” He couldn’t afford to get his hair done on his current budget.

“But why be fine when you could be amazing? You’ll look stunning with darker hair.”

How was Harper supposed to respond? People weren’t normally this friendly. “Uh?”

“Sorry. Am I being weird?” Ollie cringed. “I’m just so glad you’re here. It’s been too quiet by myself, but if I’m freaking you out, I can back off. What you do with your hair is up to you.”

“No, it’s okay.” Harper was being rude. He had to relax. This was his chance to finally make a friend and do all the friend stuff he’d longed for. “You’re probably right about this not looking any good. I’m bound to mess it up.” Harper’s hand tightened on the box. “But anything else is out of my budget.”

“Oh.” Ollie hummed in understanding. “Don’t worry about that. We can go to the salon when I’m not working, and as long as you cover the cost of the dye, I won’t charge you.”

Was this typical getting-to-know-your-roommate behavior?

Ollie seemed just as eager to be friends as Harper was. He must have been really lonely in the apartment by himself. Why else would he make such an effort to be nice when they didn’t know each other? Or maybe Ollie wasn’t being overly nice, and Harper just didn’t know how to interact with kind people.

“That sounds really great,” Harper admitted.

Ollie’s grin widened. “Perfect. Let’s go.”

“Now?” Sweat broke out on Harper’s palms. He wasn’t ready to leave the apartment.

Ollie stood from the couch, pocketing his phone. “We might as well get your makeover going. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to sitting around all evening. Now we’ve got something fun to do.”

Harper stopped himself from fidgeting under Ollie’s gaze. Satandamnit, why was he so awkward? “Are you sure you don’t mind? You were just at work.”

“Na, not at all. Let’s do it. Then we can get dinner on the way home. There are some quality takeout places on the way that I’ll have to show you since you’re new to the neighborhood.” Ollie grabbed a light jacket off the armchair, looking expectantly at Harper.

He was shorter and dressed in all black, his long-sleeve button-down rolled up to the elbows with the top few buttons at the collar left undone. He looked good, stylish, like someone with his own personality who knew who he was.

Would Harper have his own style one day? Maybe even a personality that felt authentic rather than like a mask? Fuck, he hoped so.

Screw it, he was leaving the apartment even if he hadn’t planned to so soon. He wanted this experience, bonding with his roommate.

Harper ducked into his room to grab a hoodie and followed Ollie out of the building.

As they walked, Ollie chatted about his job and his colleagues. It sounded like he was pretty happy at the salon .

Harper magically scanned people as they walked, looking for witches, and even when he didn’t detect any—or any vampires because the difference between the two wasn’t immediately obvious when vampires could move around during the day—he didn’t relax.

How could he? He may never relax again at this rate, let alone on a nice summer evening with crowds of people out enjoying themselves. Every corner they passed, he expected someone to jump out.

The salon was in a busy part of the Banks Harper hadn’t been to before, near lots of restaurants and bars. At least the salon itself was dark and quiet inside.

Ollie let them into the large, open-plan space, switching on the lights and illuminating the high ceilings and exposed brick walls. He led Harper over to his station, and they talked about colors, highlights, and lowlights before Ollie went to mix the dye.

Harper eyed the large front windows and all the people beyond, but no one passing by paid the salon any attention. There still weren’t any witches around. Everything was fine.

The sky turned orange, casting everything in a soft glow.

“You okay?”

Harper startled, heart pounding, and nearly jolted out of his seat. It was just Ollie returning with his supplies. Harper gripped the armrests to steady himself. “Yeah, fine.”

Ollie paused. “Jumping out of your skin doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in your answer.”

Harper froze. Was Ollie mad at him or making fun of him? Maybe he couldn’t do this friend thing after all.

“You seemed tense walking over here. Is everything all right?” Ollie went on, his tone kind and maybe even concerned. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

Good, Ollie wasn’t mad. Harper tried to shake it off. He didn’t want Ollie thinking anything was odd about him, but he didn’t want to have to wear a mask all the time either. “I was just worried we’d run into someone, but it’s fine. I’m having a weird day, that’s all.”

“Okay.” Ollie gave him a small smile. “If you need anything, let me know.”

Yeah, there was no way he was asking human Ollie to help him avoid the Nightingale Coven, but he appreciated the offer. “Sure, thanks.”

Ollie started sectioning off Harper’s hair, placing the foils, and brushing on the dye. The contact sent tingles over Harper’s scalp. Ollie caught his eye in the mirror. “If it’s an ex you’re worried about seeing, I totally get it.”

Harper shifted in his seat. He didn’t have any exes. “It’s not that. Um…it’s more a family thing.”

“Gotcha.” Ollie frowned. “Do you mind taking off your glasses?”

Harper did so, folding them and putting them on the counter in front of the mirror. “Are you avoiding your ex?” he asked, hoping to turn the conversation back to Ollie.

“Yeah. He used to live with me. We started off as roommates, and then… Well, you know. It was a mistake.” Ollie made a face. “I’m never letting that happen again. I’m just glad he was the one to move out.”

Harper nodded like he might understand from personal experience. His stomach twisted. He’d never had a boyfriend, but technically, he was betrothed.

Damnation . Even thinking the word made him want to hyperventilate. He refused to accept being engaged without his consent, no matter what his father had organized. The betrothal didn’t count.

Arthur Nightingale knew Harper was gay and didn’t accept him. That had never been more apparent than the day he’d declared Harper was going to marry some woman named Aurora from the Thornfield Coven.

Harper had never even met her. The Thornfields were a Shearwater Landing coven, and if they were on good terms with the Nightingales, Harper didn’t trust them.

Arthur had always talked about Harper carrying on their family line. They were supposedly descended from the first witch and Lucifer himself. Never mind that Harper had cousins and tons of other relatives, he had to father children with a witch from a good bloodline to carry on the Nightingale name.

He had no idea if he wanted kids, but he’d never have a wife. Back when he was still trying to appease his father, improve his rank, and earn love, Harper had suggested surrogacy as a way of continuing the family. But Arthur hadn’t wanted to hear it.

The topic hadn’t come up in a while, and not at all since Harper had started his hunt. Then, two weeks ago, Harper’s father had called to say Harper had a fiancée and her family was expecting him at their compound for an engagement party in three weeks.

Harper had seen red. His father’s complete disregard for him had hurt and enraged him, even though it was nothing new. But he hadn’t argued. His escape plan had already been set, so he’d lied and agreed to meet Aurora without a fight.

He hoped the woman wasn’t looking forward to the marriage any more than Harper was. And if she was, oh well, she’d move on, he was sure.

Now that Harper was free, he could find a boyfriend. Was that too ambitious? Something casual might be better to start with.

He hadn’t been in the right headspace to put himself out there for a long time, even if he’d had the chance—which he hadn’t while constrained by his coven—but the idea of meeting guys and hooking up didn’t stress him out anymore. Not like it had after his assault. Now, two years later, his life was just starting in so many respects, and Harper was itching to embrace all of it.

Harper longed for a partner, someone he could share everything with and love with all his heart. Someone safe who he belonged with and trusted. But he’d never trusted anyone.

Maybe he’d figure out how after his coven was out of his life for good.

“I’m sorry you guys had a bad breakup,” Harper told Ollie. “I promise I won’t try to date you.”

Ollie laughed. “Perfect. Sounds like we’ll get along great.”

Harper smiled. He hoped so.