Page 22

POE

I t took me some time to think of what I’d like to do on my date with Beau. My first date in centuries. I told Beau to dress comfortably and I’m going through every outfit in my closet like I’m a teenager in an 80s movie montage. Nothing feels right.

I finally settle on a pair of jeans that hug my ass in the right ways, black leather boots, and a dark violet henley with the sleeves rolled up. Sure, I might look like I’ll sweat buckets, but I’m a demon, I’m comfortable.

I shoot a text to Beau that I’ll be there in about five minutes, giving myself time to let the nerves work their way from my system. I hope he enjoys what I have planned.

When I pop into Beau’s living room, he’s sitting at this table, knee bouncing. His hair is wet, accentuating his curls. He’s dressed in a nice pair of black slacks, his gym shoes, and a baby blue button-down shirt where he rolled up the sleeves. His headphones are in place and sunglasses clutched in his hands.

Beau bounces to his feet and launches himself at me. I catch him and breathe in his scent. He doesn’t smell like me, but apricots and honey, which must be his shampoo or soap. I’ll have to snoop to find what he uses.

“It’s silly to miss you when we don’t even know each other all that well.” Beau rubs his head on my chest and I keep hold of him. I want to always be comfortable for him, someone safe. Someone to want.

“I missed you too. The council meetings have only been bearable because I knew we’d see each other today.” I kiss the top of his head before letting him go.

“I’m sorry about the meetings.” He blinks up at me. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

I shake my head. “We have everything we need underway. The covens have agreed to make a new barrier, but they need a few things, then they’ll start a brew that goes around the entire town. It takes time to make.”

“But everything’s okay?” He clings to me.

“Perfectly fine.” As far as I know, anyway. “None of my Hellhounds or the griffins have alerted me otherwise.”

“But what about that weird feeling I got at the Welcome sign?”

“The griffin investigating the area said he didn’t find anything, but I have another doing a follow up investigation just in case.” I won’t put Beau or anyone else in danger ever again, not if I can help it.

“Okay.” Beau squeezes my hand.

“Ready for our date?” My heart soars. Our first date.

“Yes.” His cheeks turn that pretty pink and I lift his chin to look at me.

“I hope you like dancing, sweet.”

His eyes go wide and I don’t give him time to answer before we’re in front of the cultural building. Every shifter type, demon, born witch, etc. is allowed to use this building to share their culture in any way they see fit and many shifter types use it for dance lessons to share their joy with others. It’s one of my favorite places in Hex.

I release Beau, and he takes in the unassuming brick building. It’s two stories with many huge rooms, so several activities can happen at once. Most of the time people schedule so others can attend all activities.

“Ash, one of our dragons, has weekly dance classes for couples. This is a beginner’s class, so it shouldn’t be too hard. I’ve always wanted to come, but not by myself.”

Beau squeezes my hand, probably because he’s held back from doing things for fear of being alone, too.

“Ash, that’s such a good dragon name.” Beau grins up at me and I grin back.

“He’s a great guy. Single father. His mate left him a few years ago, leaving him to hatch their egg alone.”

Beau’s smile falters. Why the fuck did I tell him that?

“Ash is an excellent teacher, I hear.” I squeeze Beau’s hand and open the door. “He works nights as a trucker, bringing us supplies when we need them.” We’d teleport everything, but that looks suspicious after a while, so we employ people to work between the humans and us when needed. Mostly people we can disguise as human, but Ash has a few assets that make him hard to disguise.

I lead Beau up the stairs and to the right to a room with half a dozen other people ready to learn whatever Ash has planned. Chairs line the perimeter of the room, but everyone chats away in the center. Ash isn’t here yet.

Beau clings to my arm as we make introductions. I don’t recognize everyone in the room, but I’ve never been overly social. That makes me uneasy, though. I should know most if not everyone in Hex and make a mental note to get out more. To learn the people. I realize I want people to know me too. Me, not Poe, the king of the crossroads demons, but me .

Not much longer and Ash strolls in. His shirt pulls across his big chest. And those jeans strain against his huge thighs. Beau’s eyes grow wide. Ash is huge, and he has horns that rival mine, scooping back before rising to the sky. His canine teeth are fangs and instead of nails, he has claws.

“Good evening, everyone,” his deep voice rumbles through the room. “I hope you’re having an awesome night. Please make use of the charcuterie board in the kitchen.” He waves to the door in the far corner. “And there’s wine, water, tea, and juice for anyone that wants it. I’m Ash and if you haven’t met me, I’m a dragon shifter, which is different from a true dragon and if you’re curious, I’m happy to create a class on the differences. But that’s not why you’re here today.”

“Awe, where’s Misty today?” someone asks.

Ash chuckles and presses his palms to his chest. “My sweet baby has a playdate because tonight’s class is a mating dance.”

Heat drains from my face and Beau looks at me with big eyes. I pull him close and whisper, “I swear I didn’t know. We can leave if you want?”

He shakes his head. “I want to stay. It should still be fun, right?”

“Right.” I just hope I don’t want to take him back to my place and do naughty things if we’re both not ready.

Ash paces the room as he explains the night. “The mating dance is sensual. You’re trying to seduce your partner. That’s why you’re here, right?”

Everyone nods, even Beau, but I have to wonder if he’s caught up in the atmosphere or if he actually wants to seduce me. I know I want to seduce him.

In any case, he’s endearing as he watches every step Ash takes, even if the dragon is just talking right now. I’d be content watching Beau take in the information. I can practically see his brain working.

Too soon Ash shows us the moves, and Beau copies the actions as Ash does them. It takes everything in me not to either chuckle at how just utterly adorable and awkward Beau is in his movements, or moan when he’s stunning, nailing the move.

We all work our hips, undulating even though it feels weird as fuck to me. But Beau is throughly enjoying himself, from what I can tell. His hands perch on his hips and he wiggles one way, then the other. He laughs every so often when he gets a move wrong and it’s my favorite sound in all the world. In all the realms.

When it’s time to work with a partner, I realize this is where I’ll be in trouble.

Ash borrows someone’s partner who has obviously been here before with how comfortable they are with the teacher. They demonstrate step-by-step how the couple dance works after learning the solo actions.

I’m totally fucked. Beau’s face is flushed from practice. His lips so kissable, but I’ll refrain.

“Do you want to lead?” I ask, not wanting him to think it needs to be me.

Beau shakes his head and I follow Ash’s directions, wrapping my right arm around Beau’s back. We’re so fucking close. His breath ghosts my throat, making my dick take notice even more.

We press our right hips together, just like Ash says. Ash even comes around and presses our hips even closer. Beau sucks in a breath and looks up at me before he rubs his head along my chest. He does that a lot and I take it as approval.

Ash runs us through the rest of the steps. Pressing one hip, then the other over and over, swinging so our groins don’t touch. There are a few bits of footwork, but Beau and I are both so concentrated on not touching dicks, we can’t get our feet to work.

Beau swallows and the scent of arousal fills the surrounding air, his and everyone else. He’s so pliant in my arms. I spin him out and pull him back for a dip, making him squeal.

“Yes! Improvise, make the dance your own,” Ash says from the corner as he observes us all. This breaks the tension between Beau and I. He bursts out in a laugh.

“I thought I had to follow the instructions.” Beau grabs my shoulders and pulls himself upright before again rubbing his head against my chest. I drop my hands to his hips and he sways, keeping eye contact as if to search if he’s doing okay.

Everything he does is like a balm to my soul. Beau chirps and Ash’s head snaps towards us again.

“Yes! Use your voice. Take the steps and make them your own. This is your time.” Ash shuts his eyes and dances with himself in the corner for a few beats.

I only have eyes for Beau. His eyes are so expressive and in different light changes color from deep brown to golden honey. Right now they’re dark, with a darker ring around them, making them even more stunning than I remember.

“I missed you so fucking much.” Again, I wrap my arm behind his back and pull him in. Our hips connect like magnets and we start from the beginning of the dance Ash showed us. Beau’s heart pounds and he chirps a whine before slapping a hand to his mouth. His eyes plead with mine and I can’t help it.

I cup the back of his head and press my lips to his, needing to taste him, breathe him, feel him.

“Mmmmm, yes,” Beau says against my lips. “More.” He tugs at my shirt, and before we can make an entire scene, I transport us to Beau’s bedroom, dropping to his futon, squishing pillows, blankets, and plushies beneath me.

Beau writhes on top of me as our lips connect. I can’t get enough of him in my arms.

“I tried not to get horny, but it didn’t work,” Beau says. “You were too sexy and so close.”

“And you were perfect.” Just perfect.

Beau leans down and presses his forehead to mine. His hips still and he breathes me in.

“What do you want, Beau?” I whisper, rubbing a finger over his cheek, memorizing every inch of his beautiful face. I know the question drops a bucket of ice over us all, but I need the answer and we can’t go further, not with both of our hearts on the line.

“I don’t want to be left behind.” Another head rub and he sinks into my chest, clinging to me. His finger circles over my clothed skin as he talks. “If I don’t have friends, no one can leave me behind. That’s why I stayed in the human world for so long. Among humans, there wasn’t really a place for me, so I couldn’t really get close to anyone when Edward died. But I was so lonely.” He slides down my body and wraps his arms around me, to burrow his head against me. “Now I have Hex and friends.” He pushes up to look me in the face. “I didn’t know how much having friends changes things. I’m not alone anymore. But…” He flops back again, staring at the ceiling I just now notice has fairy lights stapled to it.

“Having friends means you can get left behind.”

“Exactly. I know in Hex, most of us live long long lives, but we’re not immune to death. What if—” He shakes his head so fiercely I grab his chin and kiss him to make him stop. “What if Sparkle dies? Or even Wren. Randy?”

“Sweetness, we can’t live our lives like that. Sparkle, Wren, and Randy are all young. And demons live, well, some of us live until we’re killed.”

“And that’s another worry.” He nibbles that poor abused bottom lip of his. “What happens if your curse ends? Will the others come to kill you? I don’t want to lose you, I’m too attached already.”

“Sweetheart, is that what you’re worried about?” I’m attached already, too. That’s the problem with us demons. We decide on a person and they’re ours. It happened with several of my crossroads demons, and I’m not surprised it’s my fate as well.

He nods and I kiss his forehead, then his nose.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen if my curse ends.”

“ When. When it ends. I don’t know how to create love in chaos and I’m sure manufactured chaos doesn’t work, but…”

I kiss him again and again. “Don’t worry about me.” It’s probably better if I’m never freed, so I don’t have to face the wrath of everyone that’s been affected.

“But I do.” We lay in silence before Beau turns the question back on me. “What do you want, Poe?”

“No one’s ever asked me that, and I’ve never thought about it once I got cursed.”

“Think about it. Please?” His endearing head rubs come with purring now.

I cup his cheek and kiss him more. “What if I moved to Hex?”

“You don’t want to live in the demon realm?”

“No. I realized that earlier. I’m tired of the politics in the demon realm. Hex is a much quieter life. That’s what I crave. The council is a little chaotic, but Hex herself is wonderful.” And I could get a place big enough for the both of us and we’d never have to be apart. Technically, I could take him to the demon realm and live there, but I’d never dream of taking him away from his friends. Plus, there are way more interesting people around here to satisfy my chaos cupid nature. Demons get boring so fast. But I could match a certain dragon with someone that would cherish him and his daughter for all their days. And a certain Fae would go so well with a certain griffin baker. The possibilities are endless.

I smooth a hand over Beau’s flat stomach. “The date isn’t over unless you want it to be, but I planned on feeding you, too.”

“I love food.” He grins just as both our stomachs rumble.

I tug him to his feet and away we go on our next adventure of the night.