Page 74 of Galen

Her gaze moved to me again. “Demons are your enemy?”

I nodded.

Distrust shone in her eyes. Simon offered her a kind smile before standing and going over to the coffee machine. He rinsed out three mugs before filling them with coffee, adding cream and sugar to his before asking Clara how she liked hers prepared.

“Black is fine,” she answered, relaxing a little more.

Did Simon have the same effect on her that he did on me? He seemed to calm those around him. Probably his kind nature.

Simon placed a cup in front of her before handing me mine. I thanked him and pressed my face against the side of his head, the tightness in my chest dissolving at the smell of rain in his sandy-brown hair.

Clara regarded us, touching the place over her heart. “I feel your connection. It’s strong.”

“Our connection?” Simon asked.

“Two souls who belong together,” she said. “Sorry if that sounds weird. I’ve always been attuned to those around me and can pick up on things like that.”

Simon sat back down at the table, smiling up at me. There was sadness in his eyes though. Our conversation last night put a lot into perspective for him, for both of us. He understood why I didn’t want a relationship. Why it was dangerous for me to have one.

“Okay.” Clara blew out a breath and sat forward in her chair. “I still don’t know if I can trust you, but I don’t have another choice right now. As I said earlier, the box has been passed down in my family for generations.”

“Why?” I asked.

“To keep it safe. More specifically, to keep it hidden.” She wrapped both hands around her mug of coffee and stared at the table. “My grandmother put up warding all around her mansion too as extra defense. I never saw the ring inside, but she told me about it. Centuries ago, probably longer, one of my ancestors was asked to create the ring.”

“For who?” I leaned against the small counter.

Clara nibbled her lip. “A group of demons led by a fallen angel.”

Belphegor.

“I never learned why the angel wanted the ring, but supposedly, it was meant for someone powerful,” she continued. “My ancestor realized she’d made a mistake by helping them create the ring, so in an effort to atone, she vowed to spend the rest of her life keeping it far away from them. Demons have been after my family ever since.”

Someone powerful.Unease trickled through me.

“Why did your father sell it?” Simon asked.

She scowled. “My father isn’t a witch, and he’s always been cynical about it all. He fought with my grandmother all the time, saying she was a silly, superstitious old woman. Now all of her things are sold. Priceless items I’ll never get back. I should’ve never left home.”

“What happens if the demons get a hold of the ring?” Simon asked.

“Other than the end of the world as we know it?” Clara released a humorless laugh. “I guarantee demons stole the box from you. And now they—”

“The demons didn’t steal it,” I interjected. “I did.”

She narrowed her green eyes at me. “Youstole it?”

“It’s kind of how we first met,” Simon said, his cheeks darkening. “I attacked him with a baseball bat.”

“Youtriedto attack me. But the fight left you when I pinned you to the wall.”

His blush deepened.

“Look, guys. I don’t want to hear about your kinky bedroom fun. Where’s the box? If you took it, I need it back.”

“I can assure you it’s safe.” I took a sip of my coffee before placing it down. “That’s all you need to know.”

“Like hell it is.” Clara stood from her chair. “The ring is my responsibility. Not yours. It’s my duty to protect it.”