Page 17

POE

W hat the fuck is wrong with me? Beau is freaking out in his bedroom, silently talking to his stuffed bat, or Sparkle, or himself. I can’t tell which. I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage of him, or taking advantage of the situation. Last night I let my desire take over instead of using my head. Beau doesn’t need this confusion and now I’ve essentially rejected him twice. I’m such a fool. He’s practically throwing himself at me, and I stopped him. It was the right thing to do. If we weren’t in this situation that I conjured up, he wouldn’t be here.

The telltale energy of a demon teleporting shimmers beside my bed. I groan when Pike shows up with a very angry cat shifter standing next to him.

Pike holds up his hands and his tail shakes behind him. “Sorry, he insisted on talking with you.”

Sparkle’s green eyes glow, and he bears his fangs at me. “Where is he?! What the fuck did you do to him?!” He lashes out with claws instead of nails on his human hands. I turn just in time, giving the pair a flash of my ass before I get tangled in the sheets.

If I weren’t so annoyed with myself about the whole situation, I’d probably laugh at him hissing at me. My respect fo the cat shifter grows, he didn’t even hesitate to show up here in my home. Beau needs people like this in his corner.

My bedroom door cracks open and Beau pads in. “Sparkle?”

“BB.” Sparkle visibly relaxes and runs to Beau’s side, pulling him into a hug, making me growl. Sparkle whips his head around to glare at me. “No! You do not get to growl at me.” He turns back to Beau. “Did he hurt you? You sounded so bad on the phone.” He wipes away Beau’s tears with his thumbs.

Beau shakes his head, and he’s pink again. “I—I messed up. He never hurt me.”

“He made you cry and for that, he needs to suffer.” Sparkle hisses again, making Beau snort.

Beau’s eyes go wide and he slaps a hand to his mouth. “No. No. It was my fault. I?—”

“You did nothing wrong,” I say. “It was all me.”

“But I tried to…” He scuffs his foot in the carpet. “I tried to… advance things, and you weren’t ready. I don’t think I’m ready.” He looks up at me. “But it felt so good. And sleeping in your arms. And it felt natural at the time. But I think you were right to stop things.” He nods. “Thank you.” He turns to Sparkle. “And I’m sorry for making you think you needed to come defend me.” His head drops. “Sorry, but thank you.”

Pike runs a hand through his dark hair and his mouth twitches as he watches the scene. “Sparkle, why don’t we?—”

“No, I’m staying right here until I know BB is good or I’m taking him home with me and banning Poe from my house. I’ll get a witch to make a spell or something.”

Beau pulls away. “You can’t. He’s a good person. I messed up. I shouldn’t have called you.”

“You can always call me.” Sparkle squeezes Beau’s arm. “Do you want to come back with me? I know it’s still storming, but?—”

I push to my elbows. “I’d like it if Beau stayed. He made progress last night with the storm therapy.”

Sparkle shoots me a glare. “I—We can help him at home where it’s really storming.”

Beau trembles, making Sparkle’s eyes widen.

“I think… if Poe is okay, I’d like to stay. I’m not ready for…” He drops his head and his voice. “The real world yet.”

“Okay,” Sparkle says. “But send me a text if you change your mind.”

“I will.” Beau nods.

Sparkle pulls him in for another hug, all the while glaring at me. I’m actually impressed with his dedication to his friend. Beau hasn’t had many people like that in his life. They part and Sparkle eyes me the entire time until he has Pike’s hand in his and they disappear.

“Sorry,” Beau says for what feels like the hundredth time this morning. “I didn’t think he showed up. I called him and started crying, and it scared him. Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry.” I pat the side of the bed.

He hesitates before taking comically tiny steps towards me. “But I am. I didn’t mean to try and get you to do something you didn’t want.”

I hold up a hand. “The problem is that I do want.”

“Why is that a problem?” Beau whispers as he plays with the hem of his t-shirt. It’s too big on him, like most of the others have been.

“I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

Beau’s brows scrunch adorably. “If anyone is taking advantage of anyone, it’s me.”

“I freely give my help, Beau. You’re not taking advantage.”

“Then doesn’t that mean you also aren’t taking advantage since I was freely giving myself to you?” Again he fiddles with his shirt.

He has a point. “But you said you weren’t ready?”

A tiny tip of his head. “Right. It’s—” He waves towards me. “Intimidating and I have no idea what I’d even do with it, anyway.” He blinks up at me with his pretty brown eyes. “But…” He licks his lips. “I wouldn’t mind figuring it out.”

His words make my dick perk up and I try to will it down. Despite this conversation, I still feel like he’s off limits, that I’d gone too far. But what if…

I tap my bottom lip, and he watches the movement. “Five dates.”

He blinks again, no doubt confused.

“I want to take you on dates. Get to know you better. Then we can reevaluate the whole intimacy thing.” Because I’m a coward and don’t want him to regret it if he gives me his virginity and I end up not being the Prince Charming he sees me as.

To my delight, his eyes light up and he sucks in a breath. “Yes! I love that.” He plows towards me and wraps me in a hug. “Randy texted me my schedule and I go back in tomorrow night.”

“So soon?”

“Yep, the storms should clear up by midafternoon today and you can take me home or I can stay here until I have to go in?” He searches my face and I know what answer he wants.

“I’d like you to stay. We could do some more storm therapy, then I’ll take you right to work after you show me where you came in through the wards.”

He nibbles his bottom lip. “Thank you.” He does one of his endearing head rubs against my chest and I swear I melt. What is this sweetie doing to me?