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SIX

damien

F uck. That was the first thought that had sprung to mind as Willow released me from the cursed prison I’d been in.

I’d barely been able to make it to her as her body fell to the ground, practically lifeless. If it hadn’t been for my demon abilities—that superhuman speed—I would have lost my shit. Maybe I still was.

Because my heart was racing, even as she gave me a small smile from her bed. I couldn’t help myself. That was the only explanation for what slipped out of my mouth.

I’ve got you. Nothing will happen to you as long as I’m here, Willow. I vow it.

Why had I said those words? Maybe I’d been thinking them, but they slipped out before I could stop myself.

The second I’d gotten my form back, when all of my powers had drawn back into my body, the truth had clicked in place.

Her scent hit me like a lightning bolt to my system. Mine .

She was—mine.

How did I not see it sooner? How had that curse clouded my thoughts so fully?

Especially when I knew what it was like to find your?—

“You’re really fine?” Willow’s question interrupted my thoughts. Her eyes were wide, the green hue so bright.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered, thrusting my head into my hands. Willow was concerned about me? Even though I’d been the one to carry her weak body to this room? “You’re the one that was hurt, and you’re asking me?”

A small smile curled upon her lips. “You’re not a cat.”

“I told you I wasn’t.” My lip twitched. It was hard not to give her the same expression back.

“Still, I couldn’t be sure. Who would believe a talking cat?”

I chuckled. “Nothing gets past you, little witch, hm?”

Willow yawned, stretching her arms out. “What time is it?”

I glanced at the clock that sat on her bedside table. “Three AM.”

“I was out for that long? Gods.”

“Yes.” My head tipped down in a brief nod.

I’d sat by her bedside for hours, terrified that her breaking my curse had caused some irreparable damage to my witch. What I would do if it had, I didn’t know, but… I didn’t leave. Even though her scent was intoxicating to my system. I wondered if I was already addicted to it. If the way I craved her, down to my being, was normal.

I needed to keep my distance. To stay away. To not let my primal instincts take over.

I cleared my throat. “Now that I know you’re awake, I should let you sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”

“Mmm.” Willow’s eyes drifted closed once more, the ghost of a smile still carved onto her lips.

Stay. The voice crept into my mind, soft and sweet. Hers.

Rolling my head back, I let out a sigh of relief. Willow was okay. It would be fine.

And… it was good to be back in my proper form. I flexed my hands, staring at my fingers.

Touching her was bad. I knew it as soon as I had picked her up into my arms, carrying her limp body back to her bedroom, laying her under her comforter and making sure she was comfortable.

Because touching her… was going to make me want more.

And I couldn’t give her that. I wasn’t worthy of it.

What business did I have coming in here, messing up her life, anyway? She’d adopted a cat, expecting a lifelong feline friend.

Instead, she’d gotten me.

A tricky, conniving asshole who wasn’t even honest with his purpose here. And yet—I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t force myself to part from her. Fuck, but I didn’t want to.

Maybe I didn’t need to come to terms with the truths I’d realized today, but I’d think about those later. About what they meant.

Instead, I’d stay here, just like this—watching her sleep.

* * *

“Good morning,” Willow said with a yawn, tightening the robe around her waist.

When she saw me standing at her fridge, looking at its contents, she raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“Making breakfast?” I answered. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You… you can cook?”

“Of course I can cook. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, after all.” I smirked.

“Huh.” She blinked, as if taking in my form for the first time. Taking in me.

I’d never been insecure about my appearance. From a young age, even in the demon realm, they had praised me for my looks. My dark hair and pale skin. But to have Willow’s eyes on me, tracing over every inch of my six-foot-six frame, was something completely different.

When I’d shifted back into my form, I’d had half a thought to conjure clothes before scooping her up. I was still wearing that same tight black t-shirt and pants. In all the heyday with making sure she was okay, I hadn’t changed this morning. But watching the way her eyes trailed appreciatively down my body, I was almost glad I didn’t.

No one had ever looked at me like that before . It was a curious stare, like she couldn’t believe who stood in her kitchen.

Closing the refrigerator doors so the food wouldn’t spoil, I moved to stand in front of her.

“You did it,” I confirmed, willing myself not to touch her. To take a step back. I couldn’t think straight with her this close to me. Not with her scent invading all of my senses.

How had I not noticed before just how lovely she was? Even with her hair tousled from sleep and in hardly more than pajamas, she was beautiful. I towered over her, and it struck me how much smaller she was than me when I was in this form. Little was fitting. In every sense of the word. I had to be at least a foot taller than her.

Maybe it was because it had been so long, but for the first time in my life, I felt like having access to my full powers had completely overwhelmed my senses. Or maybe they were just flooded with her . Especially when she was so close to me and looking at me like that.

She hummed in response. “I guess I did.” Her eyes focused on my face. “How do you feel?”

Even now, Willow was more concerned about me than herself. I didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Normal.” My powers thrummed through my body again, my access no longer limited. I let a sliver of darkness weave through my fingers before turning my attention back to her. “What about you?”

Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “I’m okay. Really. I didn’t know using that much magic would overwhelm me. But I feel fine this morning. Thank you.” She bobbed her head. Shook it. “You didn’t have to stay, you know?”

“What do you mean?” I murmured, my hand moving to cup her jaw. How could I not?

“Damien…” Her voice was quiet, but— sweet .

I removed my hand from her face. Fuck. I couldn’t keep touching her like this.

Distance. I needed distance from her. Clearing my throat, I changed the subject. “What do you want to do today, little witch?”

She looked surprised. “Today…?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Well, after feeding you, I was thinking maybe you could show me around town.”

“But… I thought… Don’t you have to leave?” She trailed off. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes that I didn’t think that I’d imagined. Like maybe she didn’t want me to leave, either.

So I’d stay. Of course I’d stay. How could I leave her?

“Not right away.”

My body thrummed with the decision. With the rightness.

Maybe I was supposed to be here. There was obviously a reason I’d ended up here, in this town. I’d been tracking signatures of magic, looking for her. So maybe it was okay that I stayed.

She perked up. “Really?”

“I was thinking about staying for a month or so.” Clearing my throat, I finally moved away from her. “There’s still some… unfinished business I have here, actually.”

Something that started with a W .

Now that I was back in my form, I needed to focus on my mission. Not on the witch in front of me. But fuck if she wasn’t alluring. I didn’t want to part from her.

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Really? Here in Pleasant Grove?”

I nodded. “Yes. So, I’ll just stay with you. Lay low while I fi?—.”

“What? No.” Willow interrupted, suddenly flabbergasted. “You can’t stay here .”

But she hadn’t wanted me to go before, had she? Yet, she looked flustered; her face an even brighter shade of pink than before.

“It was fine before.”

“Yeah, well, before, you were a cat .”

Smirking, I leaned in closer towards her. “I can go back to being a cat if you want.” I didn’t want that, but I knew there wasn’t a chance I was leaving her. Not like this. Not after last night. “And I still owe you a favor.” For helping me. Freeing me from being stuck in that form.

“That’s not how this works. We didn’t make a deal. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Willow.” I sighed. She was so stubborn, and damn it, I liked that. It was joining my ever-growing list of things I liked about my little witch. “I just…” I looked around her house. What was it about this place that made me feel so at home? “Just for a few weeks, and then I’ll be out of your hair. We can be… roommates.”

“Roommates?” She raised an eyebrow. “What’s the magic word?”

I grit my teeth. You’ve got to be kidding me. What was I, a five-year-old? “ Please .”

Her light brown locks framed her face, somehow making that little scowl she was wearing look endearing. I liked it. More than I wanted to admit.

“Okay. You can sleep on the couch,” she finally agreed, crossing her arms over her chest, doing her best to look menacing. It failed, because no matter what she did, the little witch managed to look adorable.

The couch . I snorted. “Fine.”

Willow’s lips widened, her teeth peeking out as she gave me a dazzling grin. “That was easier than I thought.”

“What?”

“To have you begging me.”

You’d like that, would you? Me on my knees for you.

“All you have to do is ask, witch.”

“Mm. You’d like that, would you, demon?”

My hand curled around her bicep. “Be careful what you ask for.”

Something passed between us. Her eyes flickered from my hand on her arm, up to my face, and down to my lips. I didn’t think I missed the heat there, but as much as I wanted to… No .

It was too soon for that.

Prying my fingers from her skin, I turned back to her kitchen. “So… What do you want for breakfast? I’ve fried up a mean egg or two. As long as it’s not seafood. I don’t have much of a stomach for that. Not after so long as a cat.”

When I looked at her again, she was still standing frozen in the same place, her eyes wide. “You’re really staying?” Her words were quiet, barely more than a whisper.

“Do you want me to?”

Maybe that was the more important question.

Her eyes met mine, and she gave me a small, single nod. The movement was almost too slight to catch, but I couldn’t miss it. Not when I was so focused on her.

“Okay. It’s settled then.” I crossed my arms over her shoulders. “I’m staying in Pleasant Grove.” With you, I didn’t say .

Clearly unfazed by my statement, Willow just gave me another dip of her head to acknowledge my response before turning around. “I’m going to shower.”

“What about breakfast?” I shouted after her, willing my feet to stay put. Not to follow her into her bathroom. Not to think about Willow in the shower. Fuck me.

“We’ll eat in town!” She hollered back. “I have to go to the bakery, anyway!”

A moment later, I heard the shower water turn on, and I sank into the chair.

What the hell was I doing?

I had a mission to think about. Except any time I was near her, every thought of that slipped my mind, and it was just her .

Long, brown hair tumbling down her back. Bright green eyes staring into mine. There was a lightness in them I’d never felt before. I wanted to experience it, too.

Groaning, I looked down at my rumpled clothes. If we were going into town, I’d probably need more than this. Human temperatures didn’t affect me much, but people often looked at you strangely if you didn’t match the locals. Although in a town of witches, I wondered if anything would be odd to wear around them.

Was I really doing this? Sauntering into town on the arm of a witch, knowing I absolutely shouldn’t? Her kind hated me. And yet… I couldn’t imagine letting her out of my sight.

So if she was going to work, I’d follow her. Make sure she was safe. Protect her from anyone who looked her way.

It wasn’t the first time she was taking me into town, and yet this time, it was different.

Maybe because I wasn’t a cat—I was back on my own two legs, with my wits about me. Or maybe it was the way something had happened, changed between us.

Did she feel it too?

I exited that line of thought as quickly as I’d entered it. I couldn’t afford to be distracted from my mission. Not when so much was at stake.

Leave no rock unturned, brother, he’d instructed me.

I’d trekked through dozens of witch towns, but the identity of her remained elusive to me.

I snorted with the thought of how mad he’d be when he found out I’d wasted a month stuck in feline form. My brother didn’t share the trait, though he had other powers. His mother wasn’t a shifter like mine had been.

So deep in thought, it was her scent that startled me out of my stupor instead of the sight of her, her long brown hair down in a loose braid.

“You ready? I’m starving.” She asked, still tugging on the bottom of her boot. When her eyes landed on me, she froze. “You changed.”

I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

“Huh.” She peered up at me, a curious expression having settled over her face.

“What, Willow?”

“Do you… know how to glamor yourself?”