Page 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

R io gives me another suspicious look as we make our way down the street, the lack of an end destination becoming increasingly obvious with every minute. I turn away, anxiety and just a smidge of guilt twisting together in my stomach unpleasantly. He’s been giving me glances like that since I asked for his help, worsening when I insisted that it had to be him when he tried brushing my request off.

Hopefully he doesn’t think I’ve lured him away from the others in order to murder him or something equally as ridiculous.

Though I can’t really blame his suspicion. I would much rather have Daion or Torrin here with me, but I can't trust that their responses won’t be affected by my new abilities. Rio, on the other hand, can clearly fight off the effects well enough for his answers to be uninfluenced, even if I unintentionally blast him with waves of lust. It’s also not like he’ll hold back due to worrying about potentially hurting my feelings, the way those two might, either.

“For fuck’s sake, spit it out already!” Rio snaps loudly, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street, completely ignoring the irritated and curious looks his outburst earns us.

“Spit what out?” I ask, a rush of panic forcing the response from my lips before I can think. I pause to shoot what I hope is a reassuring smile at an older woman who’s glancing over our way with some concern before continuing to walk. If he wants answers, he’ll follow. There’s no way we’re having this conversation with the audience he’s just garnered us.

“Whatever it is that you’ve dragged me here for,” he practically growls back in frustration as he catches up with me. The tension in his shoulders seems to deflate when he turns his head to meet my eyes for a moment as we walk. I wonder what he sees, why it’s apparently enough for him to lower his voice and smother some of the obvious irritation and animosity he feels as he continues. “You obviously didn’t drag me out here for my help with something to do with finding your demon, so what is it? I want to get this over with, and I’m sure you do too.”

“You’re right,” I say, hating to agree with the irritating man, but there’s really no use in denying it. “I just…I don’t know where to start.”

“How about you start with why it’s me being dragged outside at this stupid hour?”

“It’s nearly eleven,” I point out, partially to buy myself another few precious seconds of deflecting from the awkward topic we’re here to discuss. At least no one’s staring anymore. I turn left down a quieter road once I realise where we’ve ended up during our tense walk. If we’re this close to the city’s biggest park, we may as well find a nice grassy spot or a bench to continue with this awful conversation. Especially seeing as today is fairly warm for this time of year.

“We tend to work a lot at night, so I’m usually still sleeping right now,” he grumbles.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” He does sound tired now that he’s dropped some of the rage from his tone. I wonder why the hell he’s been up and awake since the early hours of the morning then? I stumbled into him in the upstairs hallway while it was still dark out, then found him downstairs after eventually showering and changing into clean clothes. Clothes I assume Suvi dropped off for me. Given that she’s the only other person in this city with a key to my place, it had to have been her. Bless her soul for knowing exactly which clothes and other essentials I’d need. If she’d brought my tightest pair of jeans…there might have been a slight problem, as those were a bitch to pull on even before the little bump.

“So?” Rio prompts me, this time with only a fraction of the level of snappiness he’d put into his first demand for answers. The fact he’s clearly trying not to be a complete asshole somehow only makes this worse.

“Look.” Deep breath in…and out. “I don’t mean to pry, but I get the idea that you know a lot about succubi, likely more than either of your brothers do,” I begin, quickly continuing when I see the angry way his eyebrows twitch at my words, wanting to correct the assumptions he could be coming to. “I’m not asking for your life story. I probably already know more than it’s my business to know, but I do have some questions about their abilities.”

“Daion and Torrin know plenty about demons and their powers,” he grunts, though I notice how he doesn’t outright deny knowing more about succubi specifically.

But even if they have some or all of the answers I’m looking for, I still need this to come from him. It’s the only way I can be sure.

“I can’t trust their responses.”

“And here I thought you liked them both. Maybe even too much ,” he replies, muttering the last bit. I still catch what he said, frowning at the words but otherwise choosing to ignore them.

“I do like them,” I confirm, unashamed of that part of all this. They’re great guys—kind, skilled, sexy, fun, and helping me, despite the insane situation I've found myself in. What's not to like? They’re easy people to find yourself caring for. Maybe too easy. It’s dangerous to get this attached to near-strangers, even more so when those feelings could be entirely one-sided, their responses driven by magic out of my control.

I sigh, realising a little soul-baring might be needed on my part in order to get him talking as much as I wish it wasn’t.

“I care about them,” I add nervously, amending my prior statement. “I know you care about your brothers too, and I want this information so I can avoid hurting them, if that’s what I’m doing.”

Even if it is entirely unintentional...

Rio stops and stares at me for a minute or two, forcing us to a standstill right outside of one of the park’s many entrances. The seconds drag on, feeling stretched longer than they should thanks to the tense atmosphere. I almost say more, only snapping my mouth shut when he sighs loudly as he turns away. He takes a few steps before pausing, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides before sighing again, and there’s more weariness in the exhale this time as he whirls back around.

“You’re worried it’s your succubus shit making them want you, that your new powers are letting you take advantage of them,” Rio says bluntly, though for the first time I find myself wondering if he’s only being so cutting due to his discomfort with the topic. His uneasiness around anything to do with the sex-feeding subspecies of demons isn’t exactly unknown.

“I’m…” I trail off, letting out another sigh of my own. “Yeah. I am worried about that.”

“Look, it’s obvious I’m not a fan of you suckling off their energy like a horny leech. As much as I want to blame their current stupidity on you and your new abilities, they’re both more than capable of resisting a succubus lure. I made sure of that. It’s their own dumb attraction to you that made them not realise it was happening sooner. I suppose it could be tough to notice magic-induced lust when you’re already half-fucking har?—”

I dart forward, reaching up and slamming my hand firmly over his mouth before he can finish. “I do not need to hear you talk about your brothers’ erections, semi or otherwise,” I inform him. While I’m far from a prude, the words coming from Rio’s lips in particular has my cheeks burning. It has to be the shock. Really, it’s hardly my fault. He should stick to his usual irritated grunts and idle threats.

“I…ill…ite...ou,” he replies with a glare. His words are muffled by my palm, but I get the message just fine. I yank my hand back, a little embarrassed I’d succumbed to such a childish tactic.

“No need for biting. You’re so rabid, who knows what I’d catch off you?” I say jokingly, stepping back and making the decision to lead us into the park in order to find a more private spot to finish this conversation. Not at all because I suddenly need another excuse to look away from him for a few minutes. That the distraction gives my face a chance to return to its normal shade is simply an unintended bonus.

About halfway to the secluded spot I’d decided on heading towards, something odd makes me freeze in place. My brain empties of all thoughts as a bizarre sensation swishes inside of me. It’s more intense than the uncomfortable twisting and flutters I’d attributed to anxiety earlier. I press my hand onto my small bump through my shirt, feeling like I can’t breathe as I simply wait, everything and everyone else around me all but entirely forgotten.

Suddenly, there’s a hand on my shoulder, squeezing, but I can't bring myself to move or say anything, too focused on not missing this…whatever this is. I need to feel it again to be sure. I mentally plead with the universe for a moment, desperate to know, for confirmation, and yet I still gasp when the swishing returns a few seconds later.

Why does it feel like something is swimming around my tummy, gently bumping into my insides? It’s like I swallowed a damn goldfish whole, and now it’s trying to find a way out. I giggle at the bizarre thought, the sound of my laughter cutting off as Rio’s fingers settle under my chin and tilt my head up. There’s concern written all over his face, and I'd laugh more if it wasn’t truly so unnerving to see it there.

Did my giggle really sound that manic?

“Eden. What’s wrong? Are you—are they…?” he asks, words trailing off awkwardly.

“I’m fine. We’re fine. It’s, uh, I think they’re moving ,” I answer, feeling surprisingly awed. I knew that babies moved, that they kick and turn, but this? I had no idea it could feel like this .

“Is that normal at this stage, for them to be moving already? Do the kicks hurt—should we call Suvi?”

“I think so.” I shrug, his hand falling off my shoulder at the movement, making me notice how the other’s still touching my face. “We probably don’t need to call her. They don’t hurt, and it’s not really like kicking. It’s more like…” Struggling to find the words without resorting to weird fish analogies, I take his hand from my face and place it where I’d felt the most intense of the movements.

His hand is slightly wet under mine as I hold it there, and I realise it’s my tears that have caused it. Of course, I’m crying. Again. The only upside is that this time I’m not sobbing at my own ineptitude.

As if sensing the presence of another, my tiny demon makes the most intense of their movements yet. There’s a twirling sort of flutter, followed by what feels almost like a gentle poking prod right where our hands are. I feel Rio jerk in surprise at the movement, but by the time I glance back up to his face, he’s smoothed away any sign of being startled. If there ever had been any.

Almost abruptly, I realise that it’s Rio here with me, not Torrin, Daion, or any of my friends and family. I drop my hand, allowing his to fall away. I’m mortified. I manhandled him into feeling my baby move. My demon baby. The one he’d called an abomination not too long ago…

“I—”

“Eden!?” a bright and cheery, yet clearly confused, voice calls my name.

Unfortunately, it’s a voice I know, and it’s not someone I want seeing this. I’d flee, but I doubt I can convince her later that it was my doppelganger or secret evil twin who ran from her. I don’t really have much of a choice but to deal with this head-on, to try and convince her there’s nothing weird happening here. It shouldn’t be too hard to reframe this situation and avoid suspicion. It’s just a grouchy hunter who hates me feeling the movements of my unborn demon child.

I’m so screwed.

“Alina!” I call back, turning around to face the approaching witch. I put as much upbeat friendliness as I can manage into the one word, hoping that my tears have dried by now. The last thing I need is for our entire coven to know I was crying like a weirdo in the middle of the park. And as our coven’s resident princess, Alina is sure to have no end of people happy to listen.

“It is you,” she replies, clearly relieved not to have been yelling at a stranger as she reaches us.

Fuck. Maybe I could’ve gotten away with running and denial?

“I haven’t seen you in weeks, I swear,” she adds, giving me a weird look. Likely because conversations require actual responses, not just panicked staring like a deer caught in headlights.

“I guess I've just been a little busy,” I force myself to reply, trying to think of the last time I had seen her. Probably at the festival. She’d actually been a part of the group I was supposed to meet afterwards for drinks at Midnight Masque the same night I met Ash. While some of them bailing wasn’t that surprising, given my lack of progress at making coven friends, I thought Alina was too nice to go along with that sort of mean girl shit. She’d always been one of the more welcoming and friendly members. I smother the urge to frown at the reminder of being ditched.

“I can see that,” she says with an excited smile, obviously not picking up on my thoughts. She tucks her long hair behind her ears, glancing between me and Rio. “I can’t believe you’ve managed to keep this a secret!”

“Secret!?” I blurt, practically feeling the panic blazing through my nervous system, setting off every single alarm along its way.

What does she know?

“It’s not a secret, then? So how did I not know you were pregnant? I didn’t even know you had a boyfriend!” she exclaims excitedly, gesturing at Rio.

Boyfriend?

Rio?

Oh Goddess, those two things cannot be in the same sentence. Still, it’s hardly as if I can tell her that the real baby daddy is a fucking demon. Shitting fuck. What do I say then? I can’t think of anything; it’s as if my brain has lost all capacity to think rationally, and now she’s looking at me weirdly. It’s been too long without me saying anything, so I need to think of something, anything . I’m about to open my mouth to speak, still clueless as to what I’m actually going to say, when Rio leaves me questioning if I’m having a brain aneurysm. Again.

He moves up next to me, arm curving around my back to cuddle me close into his side. “Must have been the baby brain making it slip her mind. Right, Eden?”

I’m dreaming. It’s either that, or I must have slipped into another universe, for real this time. Is Rio really going to pretend to be my boyfriend? To pretend to be the baby’s father?

He squeezes me gently, and I force myself to relax into him, realising how weird it would look for me to be frozen stiff as a statue. As far as Alina is concerned, the two of us are apparently a couple. If I don’t want her to start asking even more questions, I need to make her believe the act Rio’s set into motion. I’ll worry about whatever problems this lie might cause us later. One damn crisis at a time.

“Right, it’s totally the baby brain. It uhh…didn’t help that the baby was also such a surprise, so I haven’t known about them for long myself,” I say, praying silently she’ll attribute the awkwardness to being caught off guard.

“A happy surprise though, right?” Alina asks brightly. Her cheery expression then quickly morphs into one of flustered panic, as if realising the potential negative implications of her words. She rushes to continue, her words speeding up almost like someone hit a button to play her at two times the regular speed. “I just meant that you two looked so cute and happy is all. Were you feeling them kick? You definitely don’t look pregnant enough for that yet, but you could be like my cousin, Raya. She stayed tiny for like nearly eight months of her pregnancy, I swear. Then suddenly, bam! Huge belly! The whole family was stunned.”

I feel some of the tension leave my shoulders at her anxious rambling. She probably won’t notice our weirdness if she’s too busy worrying about her own words.

“You know, I don’t know whether that sounds like the best outcome or the worst,” I reply, seizing the opportunity to redirect the conversation away from Rio. And from our supposed love child—Goddess, help me.

“No idea, but it was strange to see. Her baby is so cute, though. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much cute aggression in my entire life. His toes are so tiny, I could bite them. I bet yours will be super adorable too, what with how you two look,” she says with a little waving gesture at the pair of us. “Oh! Do you know if you’re having a boy or a girl yet?”

“We’ve decided to keep it as a surprise,” Rio answers smoothly, saving me from blurting out something stupid. I’m thankful for the save, but I’d be more grateful if the arm he wrapped around me hadn’t just slid down a touch.

“That’s great. I don’t think I know anyone else who decided to wait and see, but I sort of love the lack of expectations. So long as you get a healthy baby, what does it matter?”

“That’s what we thought,” Rio replies, and honestly, the level of polite friendliness he’s giving off is actually starting to scare me just a little. Who the hell is this confusing stranger, and what has he done with the real Rio?

When Alina’s eyes turn back to me, as if for confirmation of what he’d said, I blurt out, “So, you sound like you really love babies?”

“I really do,” she agrees without any hesitation.

“Planning on a lot for yourself then?” If she can ask me awkward personal questions, I can definitely ask them right back, surely?

“Absolutely not!” she exclaims with a wide smile, like she’s barely restraining laughter at the thought. “Love them. They’re super funny, squishy, and all that. Always happy to babysit and help out, but I could never . A night or two without sleep, I could survive, but months of sleep deprivation? Everyone’s always said I turn into a real demon when I haven’t had my beauty sleep, and I doubt even their cuteness would be enough to counterbalance it.”

She turns into a real demon?

I try not to choke on a laugh at the absurdity of her statement, of her making it to me, of all possible people.

“I haven’t thought much about the lack of sleep in my near future,” I reply lightly once I’ve finished my awkward laughter, hoping she’ll assume it’s just from amusement. It’s hard to keep my tone light, given there’s also a mild internal spiralling going on in the back of my head over how much more difficult a demon baby could end up being.

If regular witch babies cause such a lack of sleep, will I ever sleep again once they’re born?

“Probably best not to. Focus on getting all the sleep now that you can,” Alina advises. She startles slightly, quickly reaching into her pocket and pulling out her vibrating phone. “Crap, I gotta go. I was supposed to meet Mia five minutes ago, but congratulations! It was good seeing you, and I guess this finally answers why you never showed up for drinks after the festival!”

Why I didn’t show? What?

I’m so caught up in my thoughts for a moment that I barely pay attention to the hurried exchange of goodbyes, not fully aware again of the outside world until Rio lets out a long exhale.

“I thought she’d never leave.”

I turn my head up to look at him, realising in the process his hand is still clutching at an intimate part of my anatomy. It has been ever since his hand first slipped. “What, were you scared you’d have to keep up pretending to be my boyfriend forever?”

“Of course not, sweetheart ,” he replies, voice coated in so much sarcasm it drips off of his words like poison. It’s oddly reassuring to have his asshole personality back.

“Rio —darling?” I reply, dragging out the endearment in my sweetest voice and feeling him grow tense against me once more.

“What?” he grunts, apparently deciding he doesn’t want to play that game after all.

“Get your damn hand off my tit!” I snap, despite the lack of real anger in it.

“I’m not—” His eyes quickly dart down, confirming my words. “Fuck, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “I’ll give you a pass seeing as you possibly just saved me from revealing all of my secrets to my coven’s princess.”

It should be all kinds of awkward as he suddenly pulls away, but we both end up laughing as soon as we look at each other. I guess even the grouchy asshole has a sense of humour underneath all that grump and murderous intent. Who’d have guessed?

“Coven princess?” he asks after we’ve both recovered.

“Her mother, Zenith, is our coven’s leader. Alina’s also pretty universally loved by everyone, hence the coven princess nickname.”

“She knows about it, the nickname?”

“I’m pretty sure she wears it with pride,” I inform him with a roll of my eyes. “She’d introduced herself as ‘the coven’s favourite princess’ when we first met. She also has no sisters.”

He only makes a hum in response. I take a moment to try and reorder my thoughts, decide how best to pick up where we were in our awkward little chat before the interruptions.

Hopefully, that unexpected icebreaker will make the rest of this conversation easier…