Page 10 of The Genie’s Wish (Harmony Glen #10)

Chapter Ten

ARMAN

The bell above the store door chimes as I enter, drawing the attention of the shadow demon whose name I’ve learned is Orie. She narrows her eyes, but the corners of her lips curve up.

I already know that she’s probably aware of everything, or damn close to it. When I reach the counter, I lean on it.

“I just wanted to say thank you for all the help,” I tell her, making her eyes revert to their normal size.

She crosses her arms. “No problem. I see it’s paid off.”

“Absolutely.” I nod. “Raya is perfect. I knew that from the moment I saw her.”

Orie grins, her sharp fangs on display. “I hope you continue to treat her right.”

Do I test my luck and see if her best friend will tell me anything? I think I do.

“Is she…okay?” I gently press, watching her reaction closely.

Her lips thin as she smushes them together. I can see her eyes shift slightly, but I hold her gaze, hoping she can see my true intentions.

She shakes her head. “It’s not for me to tell you, but…she’s okay. It’s nothing to do with you, if you were worried about that.”

I respect that she keeps Pinky’s private details safe, and it does make me a bit less worried knowing it isn’t something I’ve done. I’m working hard to gain Pinky’s trust.

And man, is it ever hard sometimes to resist the trickery in wish granting. A few of the wishes I’ve granted after penis-pants man could have so easily been twisted up.

But I didn’t.

“Okay, I’ll take your word for it—thank you.” I stand up straight, pushing off of the counter.

Before I turn to leave, I can’t help but ask, “How did a shadow demon end up here, in Harmony Glen?”

She tilts her head, smirking at me. “How does a genie end up here?”

“Touché.” I nod at her, turning and leaving the store.

While I don’t know much about the innerworkings of shadow demons, I do know there aren’t many that live normal lives amongst humans. They come from another realm and generally use their abilities to do any number of bad things.

Shadow demons are known to be assassins for the higher-up demons in the other realms. They can travel quickly—both across realms or within one.

The coolest—or scariest—thing? They use shadows to do it all. So, you’re only truly safe from a shadow demon if you’re somewhere that has no shadows.

Which I don’t think exists. Not that I’ve seen.

As I stroll around the town, I take in more of the details. When I arrived, I didn’t care to look at things closely. Seeing now that it very well will become my new home… I appreciate the finer details.

This town is as diverse as the city I just came from, New Bria, but with fewer problems. Here, there isn’t any sort of power imbalance between monsters and humans.

It’s one of the reasons I think it’ll be easy to call this place home.

There are monsters and humans of all kinds here. I’ve seen two gorgons, both with vastly different looks, and a giant. Down by the marina, I saw a glashtyn, which I haven’t seen anywhere else in my travels.

Gods, maybe the sign at the entrance to town really isn’t lying. I might just be staying for my happily ever after.

I pull out my phone, texting Raya, whose contact name is my preferred name for her—Pinky.

Hey, what’re you doing tonight?

The message shows as read right away, and the sight of typing bubbles brings a grin to my face.

I have a stream scheduled from 6 until 9ish, why?

Just want to see you, but another day then, Pinky.

Well, you could come over for a bit afterward? I’d like to see you too :)

I’ll be there :)

Now that I have something to look forward to, I just want these next few hours to fly by. To do that, I’ll see who else around town needs a wish granted—with no tricks.

Gods, please don’t let there be any wishes that tempt me to abandon my newfound sincerity.

As I knock on Pinky’s door, I hear her voice call out from somewhere in the distance. “Out here!”

She didn’t sound like she was inside, but where is she? I turn around and walk off her front porch, glancing around. I don’t see her anywhere.

“Back here,” she calls again, and I walk around the side of her house that I think it’s coming from.

Bingo.

She holds open a gate to her backyard, waving me over with a smile. I waste no time approaching her, giving her a grin when I get close.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be, well, not inside.” I place my hand on the gate, allowing her to lead the way into her yard.

She lets out a laugh as we round the back corner of her house. “I had an idea for our evening together, which is this…”

Once around the corner, she gestures with her arms. I follow the direction she points and see a blanket set up in the middle of the grass and a radio sitting on a stool next to it.

Some sort of radio station is already playing, and I think I hear the host call it Monster Tunes. Probably something local, which makes sense for this tight-knit town.

“I figured we could just stargaze and chat.” She stops, turning to face me with rosy cheeks.

Now, this is adorable.

Moving toward the blanket, I lie down, smiling up at her. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

She beams at me, scurrying over and lying so that our heads are next to each other, but our bodies point opposite directions. I turn my head, planting a kiss on her cheek, before turning it straight to look at the sky.

My eyes widen as I take in the view—I didn’t expect there to be so many stars. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars in the sky before. It’s almost magical.

“How was your stream earlier?” I ask, glancing over at her slightly.

She watches the sky, but still has a smile on her face. “It was good—we finished playing one of the indie games I started a few streams ago, and then I opened some fan mail.”

“So, all of those packages really were for you,” I remark, letting out a chuckle.

“Of course they were—did you think I stole them?” She scoffs.

Teasingly, I say, “Maybe.”

I can feel her shake her head against the blanket, creating soft wrinkles between us where it’s shifted. “Do I look like someone who would steal an entire bin full of parcels?”

Pretending to think about it, I don’t answer right away. Slowly, I turn my head, a smile taking over as I see she’s already turned hers.

She stares at me through big, intense eyes that make my smile turn to a grin. So wide that my cheeks hurt.

I laugh. “You don’t look like a thief—obviously. You do look cute, though.”

“ Cute ?” she repeats back quietly.

“Yes.” I watch as her cheeks turn rosy, and her eyes crinkle as she starts to smile. “That serious face was very cute.”

As her cheeks grow redder, she turns to look up at the stars again. I follow suit, staring into the endless night sky.

Somehow, it feels as if time is standing still for us as we lie here. The stars barely move, only the occasional twinkle.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about—but really, just listen.” Her voice wavers, the hesitation thick.

I nod, hoping she can feel it against the blanket, but stay silent. If she wants to open up to me about something, I’m not going to ruin it.

“Since I was a teenager, I’ve struggled with my mental health,” she reveals, her breath shaky. “I still struggle. It’s why sometimes I disappear for a bit. I’m just… dealing .”

Waiting in silence, I reach my arm above my head, playing with tiny bits of her hair. A small way to attempt to make her more comfortable in this moment.

“That’s really all the detail I want to go into right now, if that’s okay…” Her voice fades, only the music from Monster Tunes playing faintly.

After a few seconds—making sure she’s done speaking—I reassure her. “Of course that’s okay, darling. I’m glad you shared that with me.”

“I just don’t want to, like, scare you off, or something.” The waver has returned to her voice.

I stroke her hair with a tiny bit more pressure. “You could never scare me off, Pinky. Don’t you know that by now?”

She lets out a light laugh. “You’re right—I don’t think I could shake you if I tried.”

“Don’t try, please. I don’t want to be shaken,” I joke, watching her as she watches the sky.

Her cheeks go round as a smile takes over her lips. “And I don’t want to shake you, Bluey?”

“ Bluey ?” I repeat, taken aback.

What is this sudden nickname? She’s never called me that before—not to my face, at least. I don’t overly like it…

She turns her head, narrowing her eyes at me with that smile still plastered. “You call me Pinky, so I figured I’d give Bluey a try.”

I blink at her, hesitantly asking, “And?”

She winks at me before turning her head straight up again. “I don’t think it suits you.”

Thank the Gods .

Just as I’m about to open my mouth and agree with her, her eyes light up.

“Look!” she exclaims, pointing a finger up. “A shooting star.”

Turning my head, I watch as the streak of light paints the sky, disappearing of its own will. For as long as I can remember, people have wished upon shooting stars, though unlike genies, they don’t have actual magical properties.

“Are you going to make a wish?” I ask, turning my head to watch her reaction.

She has a small smile on her face, and she shakes her head before turning it to look at me. “No, I don’t wish on stars—or genies.”

Gods, she’s perfect.

“And how wonderful that is, darling.”