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THIRTEEN

willow

I woke up in a panic. There was something on top of me, something warm, and—I kicked, trying to get it off of me.

“Willow!” A smooth, rich, angry voice grit out. Oh no.

“Damien?” I peeked over the bed and instantly regretted it.

“What the fuck was that for?”

“I… I can’t…” I blinked.

He was naked. Completely nude, and gloriously bare, and—“I told you to sleep on the couch!” I practically yelled. “And can you put some clothes on, please?”

I was trying not to stare. Luckily, it was dark, and I could only see the outline of his chest and… other regions. There was no mistaking that.

Damien’s voice was full of humor. “Why, like what you see?”

I threw a pillow at his face. “No!” Yes. I was glad it was dark enough in here to hide the flush on my face.

Damien placed the pillow over the lower half of his body, and I swallowed roughly. I was trying not to think about the shape of it. He was a large male, and even the impressive size of his package… Woah .

This was not good for my health.

“Why didn’t this happen before?”

“Because I wasn’t asleep when I transformed before.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “And I certainly didn’t expect to be kicked off the bed while I was sleeping.”

“You were supposed to be on the couch.”

“Maybe I don’t like the couch,” he huffed, a lock of dark hair falling onto his forehead. “Besides, perhaps I just wanted to keep an eye on you.”

“To what? Make sure I don’t curse you too?” I rolled my eyes. “You can relax, Damien. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

He ground his teeth. “Maybe I’m not worried about myself.”

I blinked. Me? He was worried about… me? “ Why ?” I asked, nothing more than a whisper in the night.

“There are worse things out there than me, little witch. Things you can’t even imagine.”

There was more he wasn’t saying—it was obvious in his tone, in the fear that crept into his voice. Was that why he’d been so freaked out when I’d lost him in the maze?

What could such a powerful demon like him be afraid of?

I frowned. “Nothing’s going to happen to me. This is Pleasant Grove.” The name was fitting for our town. It was a happy, friendly place. Pleasant. “Not here. Our wards and spells are exceptional.”

Except… if they were so good, how did Damien get here in the first place? They should have warded off other magical species as much as they did non-magical beings. If a regular human did somehow end up in our town, then they would see whatever their brain would make them believe.

Normally, it was people who thought we were putting on a show, living some recreation of a witch town in the 1700s.

But there was a reason I’d never seen a demon before him. They had taught us they were bad. To fear them.

Yet I knew Damien wasn’t like that. He’d given me little peeks into his life, his mind—his heart. He wasn’t a bad person. Nor was he out here trying to get me to sign over my soul to him, or agree to some other contract.

And then… there was the way he’d kissed me.

So softly, and then with such intensity.

There’d been no mistaking the way he wanted me. Right? I’d felt it when he’d had me pinned up against the straw. Except we’d come home, and he’d… stayed away from me. Waited until I fell asleep to come in here—in cat form—and do the same.

So he might have wanted me, but he didn’t want to act on those impulses.

Which was worse?

“Damien…” I breathed, but I didn’t know what to ask. What to say.

I just turned over, facing the other wall. “I’m going back to sleep,” I murmured, not looking back at him as I heard him clamber up off of the floor.

As he padded away into the other room.

There was one thing I knew for sure: Damien might not have been a dangerous demon, but he was dangerous for my heart.

Because I wanted him.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get back to sleep, and the rest of the night was spent tossing and turning. As the first light of dawn appeared, I quickly showered and dressed before rushing out of the house.

Maybe I didn’t know what was going on with Damien, why I was feeling this way, but it was okay—I had my sister, and she always had good advice for me. Sometimes I forgot I was the older sister, because she seemed wise beyond her years. Damn precognition skills.

It was a windy, rainy day, so I took my car, pulling into a spot right off Main Street and bundling my raincoat tighter to me as I walked to the bakery.

The moment I stepped inside, I could hear the familiar sound of my sister’s mixing bowl clattering against the counter. She normally beat me here since she rented out the apartment overtop of the bakery.

She’d piled her blonde hair high in a bun, with a pretty pink scrunchie holding it all together, matching her overall dress and turtleneck perfectly.

One of these days, I was going to find it in me to be annoyed that she always looked this cute so early in the morning. It had taken all of my energy to throw on a pair of jeans

“Mmm. Smells good in here.” It always did, without fail.

“I hope so,” she smiled. “I made doughnuts.”

My mouth watered. “Doughnuts? What’s the special occasion?” I was always trying to get her to add them to the regular menu, but Luna insisted they were too much work. Despite that, our customers loved them.

“No special occasion,” she shrugged. “I just felt like it.”

Using my magic, I moved my hand like I was going to levitate one out of the pan, but she smacked my hand away. “Later. They’re still too warm. Let the icing set.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Why are you here so early this morning, anyway?”

Damn, I thought as I braided my hair back and tied my apron around my waist. Busted.

“No reason,” I said, busying myself with prep for the day. “I was awake, so I thought I’d come spend time with my sister.”

“Mmm. Sure .” She said it like she didn’t believe me, but at least most of that was true. I did want to spend time with her.

“Yup,” I said, popping the p as I got everything out to make myself a coffee.

“So, how’s your cat?” Luna asked, looking up from her bowl of dough she was working on.

“He, uh… Ran away?” I could already feel my cheeks pinking, thinking about Damien and how glad I was that he wasn’t a cat.

My sister gave me a knowing smile. “Sure. And that has nothing to do with your new mystery man, hm?”

I ignored her question, instead voicing one that had been bouncing around my mind all morning. Or maybe it had been longer than that, something I didn’t want to admit. “Luna, I… Do you believe in fate? In destiny?”

Luna blinked. “Where is this coming from?” She moved over to the mixer, where she was mixing up more frosting.

I shook my head. “No reason. Just…” I sighed.

How did I explain to her how I was feeling? Or maybe that was the problem itself—that I didn’t want to put these thoughts into words. To verbalize my fears and hopes, because then they’d be real.

“I believe the Goddess gives us the paths we can follow, but the rest is up to us.”

Biting my lip, I turned to face my sister fully. “But like…Twin Flames, Kindred Spirits, Soul Mates . That stuff. Do you believe there’s someone out there who you’re fated to be with? To fall in love with?”

She tilted her head. “You’ve always told me not to look into your future. That you didn’t want to know. But now…” Luna raised an eyebrow.

“No!” I exclaimed a little too quickly, the question clear in her face. “I still don’t want to know.” My voice was barely audible as I lowered it to a murmur. “I was just wondering.”

Luna turned off the mixer, setting the bowl on the counter in between the two of us, and leveled a stare at me. “Willow, what are you really asking me?”

“When Mom met Dad, she knew, right? Do you think that’s possible?”

She blinked and then nodded her head. “I think anything’s possible, Willow.” Luna moved the spoon in her frosting bowl with her magic. “Especially in a world where magic exists.”

Maybe she was right. Nevertheless, that didn’t explain why these thoughts were running through my head.

Even if it was real, it wasn’t Damien . It couldn’t be. He was an immortal demon prince, and I was just a witch.

“Hm.” I swiped a finger through the rim of the bowl of frosting, getting a glob of the cream cheese mixture she’d made. “Yum. My favorite.”

“Probably why I make it so much,” Luna said with a smile. “There’s a fresh batch of spice cake cupcakes to frost.”

“You’re the best sister ever.” I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“And you still owe me that bar date soon. I bought a new dress that I’m dying to wear out.” She poked me in the arm.

“Okay,” I agreed. Because we both deserved to have fun. And maybe it was time I finally lived my life, like she kept telling me. And maybe just a small piece of that had to do with Damien. The man who had been sleeping on my couch when I snuck out. “This weekend?”

“You’re on. And not just because Friday is Ghoul’s night at the bar.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Attire?”

“Spooky. Naturally.”

Gods, I loved Halloween time in Pleasant Grove. The way everyone got so into it, with themed nights and decor. Somehow we stretched All Hallows’ Eve into an entire month of festivities.

“I’ll be there.”

* * *

“Where are you going?” Damien asked, leaning against the doorframe as I attempted to zip up my dress. It was Friday night, Luna and I’s big night out at The Enchanted Cauldron.

I turned to look at him, and my mouth dropped open.

Abs. Muscles. Towel around his waist.

Oh, Goddess.

My mouth went dry. I’d seen him shirtless before, even if it was in the cover of darkness and mostly just an outline of the ridges to his body. But this was… I shut my eyes.

“Did I adopt a demon, or a damn God?” I muttered under my breath, eyes still focused on his muscles. Those abs I wanted to trace my tongue over—multiple times, if I had my way. Especially after that kiss last week. It wasn’t enough—I wanted more.

No being should be allowed to look like that. Especially when I was trying so hard to be good. There was a part of me that felt like a sex-crazed beast every time I saw him. One look from him was all it took, and I was wet. Dripping . It was unfair, really.

But he was basically my roommate, my friend , and he was leaving. He’d only promised me a month, and how much of that did I even have left?

But I couldn’t ask him to stay.

Sure, we’d settled into some sort of normal routine over the last week. I’d go to work, stay at the bakery until the late afternoon before coming home and making dinner.

Damien—well, who knew what Damien did during the day.

But at night, we’d sit on the couch, a cushion between us, watching whatever Halloween movie was on the TV.

I still wasn’t sure what to make out of my unexpected houseguest in a lot of ways, after all. Especially after he’d kissed me.

But nothing else had happened.

Damien hadn’t kissed me again. We’d barely even touched since coming home from the festival. He hadn’t made another move.

Sometimes, when he was looking at me, I’d catch his gaze dropping to my lips. Or the heat in his eyes.

Yet the complete rest of this week we just… hadn’t talked about it. I was tired of dancing around the subject. Pretending there wasn’t some heat between us that I couldn’t explain.

“Out,” I said with a huff, giving up on the zipper. It might have been a themed night, but I still wanted to look good. Feel good. For no one else but myself. Definitely not for the man who currently stood behind me.

“Here,” he murmured, coming up behind me. “Let me.”

Our eyes connected in the mirror as he slowly zipped up my dress, his breath ghosting on the back of my neck. The whole encounter probably took only seconds, but it felt private—intimate—and I didn’t know what to make of that.

“Um.” I smoothed my hands over the tight black dress. “Thank you.”

His voice was rough. “Of course.”

Looping my dangly ghost earrings through my ears, I looked over my appearance. It was casually spooky for sure, but I felt cute. I’d add my favorite hat and a pair of heels and call it good.

Damien leaned against the door frame. “Should I be worried about where you’re going dressed like that?”

My eyes lifted in the mirror to his. “The bar. Luna wanted to go out.” I bit my lip. “Why? Worried someone else is going to sweep me off my feet?”

The way his eyes lit up… Maybe that was exactly what he’d been worried about. And for some reason, I liked that I’d riled him up with just the one comment.

“I’m going with you,” he said, his tone offering no room for argument.

I raised an eyebrow at his still naked body.

Maybe some clothes first?

He dressed in a flash—literally, with one snap of his fingers, and he was in a button-up shirt and a pair of slacks. One day, I needed to ask him how he did that. Where he stored his belongings that he could just retrieve them without blinking an eye.

I pondered that for a while, trying to ignore the truth bouncing around in my brain.

Somehow, he was even more handsome in dress clothes than just in the towel.

* * *

My eyes flickered over to Damien, who was sitting at the bar as my sister and I danced.

Maybe it was a little too on the nose to play The Monster Mash during Ghoul’s Night, but it was fitting.

“You know… He’s hot !” Luna shouted over the music. “Why don’t you see where that goes?”

I shook my head. “He’s not here forever. We’re just friends! Roommates!” I hated that thought. It’s just temporary. “And I… don’t want to start something that will end.” I hadn’t realized that was how I felt until I uttered the words, but maybe that was why I’d let the wall form between us this last week. Sure, he had stayed, but for how long?

Distancing myself was safe.

Kissing him again… That was not.

“Okay, but the way he’s watching you? Damn.” She fanned herself.

I was pretty sure she had some inkling of who he was , especially after her comment earlier this week at the coffee shop, but I wondered if she knew the full story. That he was the cat she’d let brush up against her legs just a few days ago. That he was living under my roof.

Sleeping curled up on the edge of my bed every night, even though I’d find him back on the couch every morning. Like he didn’t want me to find out.

“Luna, I should probably tell you—” I started, getting interrupted by the music changing. The crowd cheered around us.

“You just need to let loose, Willow! Get laid!” My sister said the last word with a singsong voice, and my body flushed.

“I… Luna. ” I groaned, even as we moved to the beat.

“What?” She frowned, giving me a little shrug as she shimmied on the floor. “I can’t have my older sister trying to take care of me forever. You have to live your own life, too, Wil.”

My own life… My eyes wandered up, connecting with Damien’s, who was still sitting at the bar, sipping his drink. Watching me dance.

But the heat in his eyes… I wasn’t mistaking it this time. Definitely not.

“Do you want to dance?”

The words were ones I wanted to hear—but they weren’t from the right person.

I turned around, and there was Simon from the library, his auburn hair combed back, and a bowtie that looked like a bat tied around his neck.

“Oh, I…” I looked back to the bar, but Damien was gone, his empty drink sitting on the counter. “I actually came here with someone. Sorry.” I winced involuntarily.

“Yeah,” my demon agreed, pulling my back flush against his chest. “With me.”

I turned my head to look up at him, my cheeks heating at the determination I saw there.