Page 9 of Knotty Bargain (Monster Holidays #3)

CHAPTER 9

CORDELIA

M y eyes flutter open to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains. Stretching languidly, I sit up in bed, my blonde hair tousled from sleep. The faint sounds of chatter and laughter drift from the living room.

I’m in Miranda’s home, in my old bedroom. Syl and I are visiting. There’s an entire month ahead of books and coffee and dinner with the only two people I love in the world. There is nothing wrong with my life.

Yesterday was a bad dream. There’s no way none of that happened. A weirdly long dream, but it’s over now.

I slip out from under the covers and get up. There’s no chalk circle on the hardwood floor. I scoff. Just a crazy dream. I leave the bedroom, aiming for the kitchen.

Rounding the corner, I freeze. There, sprawled on my couch in all his demonic glory, is Leviathan. His dark red skin gleams in the sunlight that pours from the windows. A pair of curved obsidian horns crown his head. Two of his four powerful arms are crossed behind his head as he watches the screen, utterly transfixed.

My heart skips. Apparently, it wasn’t a dream.

Leviathan glances at me, then turns his head to stare. I don’t know why he does this. His dark eyes are impossible to decode.

“What are you doing?” I blurt out.

He tilts his head, his gaze traveling down my body, for some reason. “Watching TV. Miranda showed me how to use it before she went to bed yesterday.” He turns away, his expression empty.

I sneak closer, peering at the TV.

“90 DaysFiancé?”A smirk tugs at my lips. This massive demon who could rip off my head with one hand, captivated by trashy reality TV. “You spent the whole night watching 90 DaysFiancé?”

“Have you ever watched it?”

“A few seasons. I heard this last one was especially cringeworthy.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Cringe?”

“Embarrassing.”

“Oh. I believe you then.” He narrows his eyes at the TV. “It’s a fascinating study on cross-cultural relationships. And if cultural differences weren’t enough problematic, you have language barriers. I’m amazed at how people can fall in love without understanding each other.” He shrugs. “Well, the ones who do fall in love. The power imbalance between some couples just reveals that humans still have unrealistic expectations.”

I stare back at him. “That’s... a way to put it.” And I only watched it to mock people. Gee.

Levi’s black eyes flick to me, a glint in their depths. “Well, I wasn’t about to spend all night staring at the ceiling. We demons don’t need sleep like you fragile mortals. We exist between planes. Besides,” he gestures at the TV, “what better way to learn about human relationships than watching this compelling drivel?”

I roll my eyes, stifling a chuckle. “Alright, then. Since you’re not a dream, I’m going to shower, then head out to grab some coffee.”

He narrows his eyes at my dream observation but drops it without a second thought. “Excellent idea. I’ll go with you.”

Levi springs up from the couch with inhuman grace the moment I walk back into the living room. I showered and changed into leggings and an oversized hoodie. That’s my usual go-to: comfortable and oversized enough to keep attention away from my body.

Levi still looks. His eyes grow hooded when he does a double take.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him, looking down. The first time we met, I was wearing my Juicy Couture pants and a revealing tank top. This is nothing like that.

Levi shrugs and sticks his hands into his pants pockets. “Ready to go?” he asks, ignoring my question.

I arch an eyebrow. “Take your human form.”

“I’m wounded by your lack of faith.” With a dramatic sigh, Levi’s form shimmers and shifts. In a heartbeat, he stands before me in his human guise—all 7 feet of muscle, tousled black hair, and piercing obsidian eyes. A tight black T-shirt and dark jeans hug his frame. He spreads his two arms. “Acceptable?”

“That’s impressive,” I tell him, making my way to the door. “I wish I could do that.” I glance over my shoulder. “Can you, like, change your body, too? Grow taller, shorter, or thinner?”

“Sure. Any disguise. I prefer to keep it simple.”

Lucky bastard. I would love to change my body here and there. It would be great to have a different hairstyle every day. No more regretting a bob the second I cut it.

Together, we step out of the house and start down the block. I aim downtown, but not to The Golden Cup. They’re too expensive and I prefer smaller cafes. Also, they’re owned by Marcus’s family and I don’t want to give his family more money. They surely don’t need it.

The weather is perfect again. Blue skies, crisp cool air. A few leaves have started to fall.

Levi and I walk in silence for a block, then pause to cross the street. A couple passes us, fingers intertwined, their smiles wide. They peek at Levi, then move on.

“So,” Levi glances at me sidelong, “care to explain yesterday’s little charade with those weirdbrothers?”

I frown. “Brothers?”

“Yeah. Outside the cafe.”

I snort. “They’re a couple.”

He arches an eyebrow. “I thought you humans had ruled out incest.”

I can’t help but laugh. “We did. They’re not brothers. Why did you think that?”

“They look a lot alike.”

“Do they? Well, they exercise a lot, so they’re both athletic. Marcus has hazel eyes, but Vivian’s are green. No, I don’t think they’re that much alike.”

“Perhaps all humans look similar to me,” he says, but he’s grinning.

So, I grin back. “Perhaps I would think the same of other demons, but I don’t care about meeting others, sorry.”

Levi takes a beat. “The charade?”

“What charade?” I look straight ahead, but heat creeps into my cheeks.

Of course I remember what I said. I’ve been changing the subject since that happened, avoiding it, but I’ll have to face it. The reason I did the spell was to get a boyfriend, even if a fake one, for the wedding.

“You said I’m your boyfriend.”

My face is on fire. I tuck a stray curl behind my ear. “It’s stupid, really. See, Marcus and Vivian are getting married soon. Marcus was my boyfriend all the way back in high school and Vivian is my cousin. She just... she makes me feel so inadequate sometimes. Like I’m failing at life because I’m still single. So I might have fibbed and said I was bringing someone...”

Levi’s brow furrows. “I don’t follow. Why lie? What does it matter if you attend this wedding alone? Is it forbidden?”

I sigh, watching a maple leaf flutter down toward us. How can I make him understand? Even I think it’s stupid and I’m human. “It’s not that simple. Vivian’s always been the golden child, you know? Pretty, popular, successful. And here I am, 26 and single. Am I failing in life because of that? No. I have good friends. Miranda and Sylvia mean the world to me. My job is great and pays well. But sometimes, it feels like society will consider any woman a failure if they don’t have a man and kids. No matter who they are. I just... I wanted to show Vivian I’m doing fine. That I’m not lacking.”

Levi says nothing. We make it to the cafe in silence. When I look up, he’s staring at me.Something flickers in Levi’s eyes, there and gone too fast to decipher.

We make it to... The Witch’s Brew, I guess. It used to be called Jimmy’s, after the owner’s grandfather, but I guess they also changed the name.

The Witch’s Brew occupies a charming corner building on Main Street.As we step inside, the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans mingles with a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. It makes me smile. They revamped the place, for sure, but I quite like it.

The soft glow of LED candles casts flickering shadows across wooden tables adorned with small potted plants. The gentle hum of chatter blends with the soothing sound of an enormous fireplace in the back. Shelves lined with old books, more potted plants, and small cauldrons take the walls.

Levi tags along as I order two pumpkin spice lattes and an assortment of muffins. We take a table in the back.

The moment we sit, he says, “I could accompany you. To this wedding.”

I whip toward him so fast I almost drop the cup. “You—what?”

He shrugs, nonchalant. “Why not? You need a partner, and it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do while I’m stuck topside with you.” A hint of a smirk. “Unless you’d rather endure your cousin’s smugness alone...”

Indignation flares, but suspicion douses it. I narrow my eyes. “And I’m supposed to believe you’re offering out of, what, the goodness of your shriveled demonic heart? What’s your angle here, Levi?”

He presses a hand to his well-defined chest (not that I noticed) and blows a wounded scoff. “You wound me.” Then, more seriously, “No angle. It simply seems a mutually beneficial arrangement. You get to one-up your vexing relative, and I get some much-needed entertainment. Besides, I’ve never been to a human wedding, and 90 Days Fiancé taught me they can be very amusing.”

I chew my lip, turning it over. Is it crazy to even consider it? Bringing a literal demon as my plus-one? Then again... the thought of Vivian’s face when she sees me with this unearthly gorgeous man on my arm...

Because there’s no way around it. Levi is very handsome. Both in his human and his demonic form.

I’m trying to ignore the fact I find his monstrous form sexier than the human one.

“Okay,” I say. “Okay. We should establish ground rules.”

“Rules? For pretending to be your boyfriend?” He gulps his latte. I still can’t believe he’s a fan of pumpkin spice lattes.

“Of course. No funny business. No hurting anyone...”

“You still think I’m some animal.”

“...No kissing or touching.”

Levi arches an eyebrow. “No kissing or touching? How do you expect them to believe it? People kissed in90 Days Fiancé.”

“Because they’re in real relationships.” I take a beat. No touching might be too much. He’s right about that. “Okay. No overt touching. I guess handholding is fine.” He opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him in. “And no sex, obviously.”

Levi’s face transforms with a smirk. I just know he’s thinking of the icon and how I masturbated with it.

“Anything else?” he teases, his voice slightly lowered.

It sends warmth straight to my core. “No. Do you have something you’d like to add?”

Levi hums, his hooded eyes still on me. “No falling in love. I’ll have to return to Hell and I’d hate to break your heart.”

I laugh. “That’s easy.” I offer a hand. “So, we’re fake dating until the wedding. Deal?”

Levi takes my hand in his. He’s so big his fingers encapsulate mine. Warmth seeps into my very bones. He has a smile when our eyes meet. “Deal.”