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6

HARPER

Harper stared at the fountain in the plaza in front of the library. It was a gray day, but the water still glittered. A chill ran down his spine. He swore eyes were on him even though none of the people walking by could see him.

He was invisible, not even really there.

A man checked his pocket watch a few feet away. Beyond him, a boy sold newspapers, shouting the headlines. Harper couldn’t hear him. There was no sound in the memories of the past since stone couldn’t hear.

Harper concentrated on the people, looking for anyone that stood out. Beings with magic glowed faintly. Harper had seen several on his last trip. Demons were supposed to be blinding. That was how he’d know when he finally found one.

No one was even shimmering today.

Harper flicked his wrist and the scene before him sped up, people bustling by at double, then triple speed. He had no idea how long he stood there, but when a headache started behind his temple, he still hadn’t seen anything useful.

Harper closed his eyes and muttered an incantation. He gasped, blinked, and his bedroom ceiling appeared. He pushed himself up, his mattress dipping. A glance at the door assured him it was still closed. He’d locked it magically. There was no way he’d risk Ollie coming in while he was on his hunt.

But Ollie had been out with a friend all afternoon, and the apartment was still quiet. Harper sat up and gulped the water he’d left on his bedside table, trying to wash the taste of stone from his tongue.

Once the water was gone, he packed his potion kit away, cleaning the glass vials and beakers with magic as he went. He checked his bag of ground stone. There was still way more than he wanted to look through.

Hunting the Hounds of Hell wasn’t as glamorous as it sounded. The Nightingale Coven was confident the Hounds had been in Shearwater Landing in the early nineteen hundreds due mostly to strange reports about seabirds. The coven suspected the Hounds, or at least one of them, was still here for the same reason. However, knowing they were in the city wasn’t much help.

No witch had any hope of tracking a demon with magic. Demons were much more powerful and could mask themselves completely from other magical beings. The Nightingales also had no idea what any of the Hounds looked like, which was understandable when they’d spent close to a thousand years in Hell before returning to this world.

So how was Harper supposed to find them? By sifting through the past.

His potion expertise allowed him to brew a complex concoction, unlocking stone memory. Harper had collected bits of paving stone from the plaza in front of the library, all of which had been laid when that part of the city was built, back when the demons were thought to have first settled here.

Brewing and ingesting the potion allowed Harper to look into the past and see everything the stones had seen. A stone’s vision was pure and unaffected by illusion, making any magical being visible, even if they had been masking their magic when the stone originally saw them.

Harper was looking for the Hounds one hundred years ago, trusting that the glow of a demon would be impossible to miss among lesser beings. Unfortunately, he couldn’t use the stone to look through anything more modern. Recent memories were too fresh to have fully incorporated into the mineral structure.

He’d had no luck in the last year. The monotony sucked, and so did the potion’s taste, but he had to find the Hounds. He couldn’t let the Nightingale Coven find them.

Harper ate a peanut butter sandwich to wash away the remaining taste of old stone, staring out the window at the setting sun.

Would he be able to win the Hounds over after he found them? If he found them, because it was starting to feel impossible.

Even if he spotted them in the past, it would be a lot of work to follow them through time. What if, in tailing them to find their home, the demons passed through a part of the city that had been completely rebuilt? He’d lose the trail.

That was a problem for another day.

If Harper ever found them, he’d tell the Hounds exactly what his coven had planned. It was a risk—not knowing how the Hounds would react—and a betrayal to Lucifer, whom Harper had sworn to serve, but Harper held no faith in that oath. He didn’t serve the Devil, his coven, or their aims.

Supposedly, the Hounds had escaped Hell, and Lucifer wanted them back. Arthur Nightingale wanted to deliver the Hounds to Lucifer to show his devotion and earn favor. Not that Arthur had ever met Lucifer. Satan didn’t bother with witches on Earth, as far as Harper could tell, but many of them still served him. They had Lucifer to thank for their power, so it made some sense.

But Harper was done with that life and ready to sell out his coven to the Hounds—if he found them. He’d show the Hounds he was on their side, let them know witches were using the past to hunt them in Lucifer’s name, and hopefully, they would appreciate the warning and leave the city.

In Harper’s wildest fantasies, the Hounds took him under their protection for warning them, and he was able to destroy his coven with their help. But that was never going to happen. It was a nice dream. Something to comfort him during the nights when he couldn’t sleep.

Even if he never found the Hounds, Harper had to make sure his father didn’t either and never gained anything from Lucifer. He couldn’t be allowed any more power.

Harper might be unable to ruin his father with the blood loyalty binding him, but he could stop things from getting worse. He already had. Now that Harper was beyond Arthur’s reach, he’d lose some of his power regardless of what happened with the Hounds. From now on, Harper would be the only one using his blood to strengthen spells.

Harper shivered at the memory of being tied down and having his blood drained. He hated his rare power. If he’d been average, his father would have felt him alone. Sometimes, he’d been left so weak that he swore he’d been on the verge of death, and he’d been helpless to do anything about it. All that power in his blood, yet he’d still been trapped, as weak as a human against Arthur Nightingale.

Something sticky spilled over Harper’s fist. He looked down at the crushed remainder of his sandwich, peanut butter everywhere.

“Gross.” He grabbed a tissue and wiped it up.

The front door slammed shut, and Harper jolted. His potion stuff was hidden, but he didn’t want Ollie to see the mess of peanut butter and now tissue that was all over his hand. He quickly dashed to the bathroom and cleaned himself off.

Harper entered the living room, finding Ollie’s friend with him. He looked about their age, with curly brown hair, light-brown skin, and a similar style to Ollie. Harper fisted the hem of his boring T-shirt.

“Oh, Harper, hey. Come meet Dex.” Ollie waved Harper farther into the living room.

Dex lifted his chin in Harper’s direction. “Hey, man.” He had the most stunning gray eyes. They fixed on Harper and it was like the guy was x-raying him.

A quick scan revealed Dex wasn’t a witch or vampire. “Hi.” Harper double-checked there was no lingering peanut butter on his hand before shaking Dex’s.

“You should come out with us tonight.” Dex glanced at Ollie, who nodded.

Harper perched on the arm of the couch. “Out where?”

“There’s a new gay club opening.” Ollie practically bounced with excitement.

Dex unlocked his phone and checked something. “My cousin is DJ-ing and put me on the list. I’ll be able to get you in no problem.”

The sandwich churned in Harper’s gut. “A club on a Sunday?” That seemed weird, right?

“It’s an exclusive opening. Don’t worry, it’ll be packed,” Ollie assured him. “It’s perfect since Dex and I don’t have work tomorrow. And you don’t either, right? We’re going to watch a movie then get ready. You in?”

“Um… Where is it?” Leaving the neighborhood wasn’t a good idea, and neither was going on the subway. It felt like pushing his luck .

“It’s in the Docks, near the old Rivermouth Cannery,” Dex said without looking up from his phone.

That was fine. Not this neighborhood, but only the next one over, and Harper had never been there before. No one would have any reason to look for him there. Still, it would be safer to stay home. He’d brewed enough of his magic-suppressing potion to last a few days, but he could use the evening to brew more, or he could get started on the potions he sold to The Herb Emporium.

“It’s okay if you’re not into clubbing,” Ollie said. “We won’t be offended if you say no.”

It was the perfect out, except Harper found himself saying, “I’ve actually never been to a club.”

“Really?” Ollie seemed excited by this for some reason. “But you’d want to go?”

“Yeah.”

Dex looked up from his phone, studying Harper. “What’s holding you back? There’s plenty of great spots around the city.”

“I haven’t lived here long.” Harper hadn’t told Ollie he’d been in the city for a year and didn’t plan to. “I lived with some, um, pretty strict family before this.”

Dex nodded.

“You should definitely come with us.” Ollie flashed an encouraging smile.

Fuck, it was tempting. He’d love to go to a gay club, dance with guys, and maybe even go home with someone. When he’d tried to go out before—in a hot new outfit and everything—his coven had stopped him, and he’d worried he would never get the chance again.

If he’d been off to do anything else that night, finding out how trapped he was wouldn’t have hurt nearly as much. Whenever Harper had expressed himself or did anything his father deemed feminine or, Satan forbid, gay , he would lecture Harper, punish him, shame him. Trying to go out that night had been no different, even with his father several states away.

His face flamed and his gut twisted just thinking about it. Wasn’t the point of running away to be free of all that shit, do what he wanted, be who he was, try new things, and not live in fear? He couldn’t let paranoia stop him from going out when the risk was low. He’d even have people to go with.

Harper wanted new experiences. He wanted to dance like he never had, check out hot guys, and broaden his knowledge in every way. He wanted to be like everyone else.

He couldn’t stop the smile that stretched his lips. “Count me in.”

Harper scrambled out of the rideshare after Ollie and Dex. They were in a mostly deserted part of the Docks, full of old warehouses and the closed cannery. The building in front of them was lit up in a multicolor display. Music pulsed from inside and a line wound down the otherwise quiet block.

It seemed like a strange place for a club, but what did Harper know.

Dex led the way to the bouncer at the door. He gave his name and the guy checked their IDs before letting them in.

A thrill went through Harper as the heat of the club hit. After the year he’d had, it was like walking into another world.

It was a good thing Harper had borrowed some clothes from Ollie. He didn’t have anything cute in his limited wardrobe. Ollie had lent him a tank and a pair of black shorts, which were ideal for the hot club. The shorts were tiny and hugged Harper’s body, making his ass look better than should’ve been possible.

“Drinks?” Ollie shouted over the music.

Dex nodded enthusiastically, and they pushed into the crowd. Ollie reached back and grabbed Harper’s hand, pulling him along so they didn’t get separated.

Harper stumbled, his palm pressed against Ollie’s.

It was such a casual, friendly gesture. One it seemed Ollie hadn’t thought twice about, but Harper had never held hands with anyone like this. It felt so good that he didn’t even register the people they pushed through on their way to the bar.

Harper didn’t like Ollie in a romantic way, which almost made the physical contact more jarring. There’d been no casual affection in his life, or any affection, really. Ollie’s soft palm made him realize how little other people had touched him other than to hurt him. How nice was it to feel connected to someone this way?

They reached the bar and Dex leaned forward, waiting for a bartender to look in his direction.

Ollie dropped Harper’s hand. “What do you want to drink?”

Harper crouched to be heard over the noise. “Nothing for me.” He wasn’t letting anything lower his inhibitions.

“Okay.” Ollie passed his answer on to Dex, along with his drink order.

For once, it wasn’t annoying to be tall. Harper took in the club as the other two got their drinks. Lights flashed in the far corner of the large open space. The DJ must be over there, where everyone was dancing, and there was a second bar to the left, next to a platform with dancers covered in body paint.

A loft ran along one edge of the club—some sort of VIP area, maybe? Harper couldn’t see the people up there with the lights flashing below, but as he looked, he got an odd feeling, a prickling of anticipation like something was waiting for him.

He cast out his magic, inspecting the loft. No other magic registered, so he wasn’t sure what put him on edge other than paranoia. He pushed it away .

Ollie and Dex threw back a shot each. “Another!” Ollie slammed his shot glass on the bar and Dex handed him a second one. He downed it. “I’m so glad you came out with us, Harper.”

“Yeah?” Harper couldn’t help smiling. Ollie’s dimpled grin was infectious.

Ollie slung an arm around Harper’s waist. “Yeah, and I’m happy you moved in with me and that you’re my new roommate.”

Harper laughed. “I’m glad you’re my roommate too.”

Ollie squeezed him. “Yay. You’re so sweet. And respectful. And nothing like my last roommate.” He frowned.

Ollie seemed a bit drunk. He and Dex had a drink at home before leaving, but Harper didn’t think that made anything he was saying untrue. It was a relief Ollie liked having him around.

“I got lucky finding your place for rent,” Harper said. “I think it’s going to be good.”

Ollie’s smile returned. “It is.” He grabbed Dex and pulled him and Harper toward the dancefloor.

Harper didn’t know how to dance, but who cared? His insides bubbled, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

When they reached the dancing crowd, Ollie and Dex pressed close together, arms slung easily around each other like they’d done this countless times.

Ollie pulled Harper in. “Dance with us.”

Harper pressed against Ollie’s back, moving with them. He laughed. The way they were touching seemed suggestive, but there was no heat between the three of them. It was fun, and Harper liked being close to someone he felt comfortable with, with no pressure put on what they were doing.

Ollie turned around, putting his back to Dex, who crowded in, his hands on Ollie’s hips. Ollie gazed up at Harper. “Having fun?”

“Yeah.” Harper grinned as Ollie wrapped his arms around him, the heat of his friend’s hand on the back of his neck warming him in a way he hadn’t known he needed.

It was exhilarating to be out and surrounded by queer men, some of whom were giving the three of them hungry looks. Harper wanted to broaden his sexual experience and get over the hurdle of hooking up for the first time in a long time, but that wasn’t all he wanted. That wasn’t the only way he could embrace being himself. He was glad he wasn’t here alone and hadn’t realized how good it would feel to have queer friends, even brand-new ones he’d only just started getting to know.

Honestly, the night couldn’t get any better.