Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

TEN

Unknown: Please don't evict me. I swear I'll pay the rent soon. Or I could pay it some other way, if you want? Just please don't kick me out.

I blinked at the text, then blinked some more, as if that would make these words make sense.

The thing was, a) I was nobody's landlord, and b) this text was making me feel things. Annoying things.

I could only imagine what 'other way' this person was referring to, and I had no doubt it wouldn't be good.

Why was I feeling concerned over some damned human?

Sure, my job in the human world was to protect them, but from the dark souls and the evil demon running around, not asshole landlords or money problems.

The human had probably blown his rent money on drugs or something equally human , and they'd get what was coming to them.

Yeah, there was no point in me wasting energy wondering who this human was or why they couldn't pay rent.

Especially when my phone buzzed again with a second text from the same number.

Unknown: sorry, I got the number wrong. Please ignore the message and sorry to bother you!

Well, that was that. Now I could push the human firmly out of my head and go on with my day. I probably wouldn't think of them ever again, and I was just fine with that.

I gazed around the bare room, frowning at the few pieces of furniture that looked like they'd been rescued from the trash.

The human—a young man in his twenties with brown hair and smooth, dark brown skin and tiny stature—currently lay curled up on his mattress in the corner of the room. The whole apartment was just the one room, with a small bathroom attached that must've seen better days at least a few decades ago.

I walked around the room, sifting through the papers scattered on a rickety table. Credit card bills and bank statements.

He'd had a fair amount of savings—enough to pay rent for this shithole at least—until a few days ago, when his account was drained and his credit card charged to the max with all kinds of things that weren't in this house. Handbags, makeup, clothes...clearly, someone had gone on a shopping spree, and I got the feeling it wasn't this man. Who had stolen his money?

The human snorted in his sleep, making me jump, and I rubbed my palm over my face, growling into my skin.

What the hell was I doing here? I'd told myself I wouldn't think about the human again, and instead I'd not only kept doing that, but I'd also tracked him down. Now I was lurking in his house like a creep while he slept on, completely unaware.

There was something about this human that wouldn't let me go, and I couldn't figure out what it was.

I knew some of my demon friends had found their mates in a human, but I'd know instantly if this human was mine, right?

Then again, Star, Nico, and Ryk knew just by looking at their mate, while Calux hadn't known until he'd touched his.

I'd tried both—and felt like an utter creep after brushing the very tip of my finger against his arm—but maybe I'd recognize mine some other way? Or maybe this human just wasn't my mate.

Shaking my head at my circling thoughts, I pursed my lips as I tried to decide what to do.

While it would be very easy to find the person who'd stolen from this human, I doubted they'd have the money to pay him back. I also wanted to keep my involvement hidden if possible, since I wasn't sure if this was within the rules I was given by the people who gave me this mission, the rulers of Otherworld.

It'd be easier to pay the landlord the rent for a few months and give this human some breathing space. I wasn't going to ask myself why I was doing this, since I had no answer.

I should probably turn around and go home, but instead, I snapped my fingers, turning the rickety table and the single chair into a sturdier dinner table with two chairs instead.

I added a small, not-too-expensive-looking pale white couch, and switched his mattress to a more comfortable one. I wanted to add a bed, but that could wake him, so I resisted.

Glancing around the room, I found it much more appealing than it'd been when I first walked in. Sure, it was still a shithole, and I would much rather take this human back to my place?—

I cut my thoughts off before I could get any more nonsensical ideas, and flicked a hand toward the bathroom to make sure he always got hot water.

Then I used some magic to send some "money" into this human's landlord's account. I didn't need pesky details like his account number if my intention was clear enough. My magic would do the rest.

Once that was done, I spent a few moments just staring at the human. Somehow, those few moments lasted until dawn arrived and the sun started lighting the sky.

Still, I stayed, mesmerized by the way the sun fell on his skin, giving the dark brown a subtle golden glow. I wondered if I'd be able to tell if he was blushing with his skin that dark, then wondered why I wanted to see him blush in the first place.

The human mumbled in his sleep as he stirred, and while I wanted to wait and see his reaction to my gifts, I knew that if I stayed, I might never leave.

So, I took one last look at his pretty face before disappearing from his apartment and returning to mine.

Even after leaving and doing all I could for him, he still didn't leave my thoughts. What was this damned human doing to me?

Matthew

I groaned as I came awake, my body still aching.

Work had been brutal last night, and with the rent due and with the still-healing bruises my ex had given me when I broke up with her—it was the only time she'd ever been violent around me, and even though I was physically stronger than her, it'd scared me—I'd been too stressed to fall asleep until much later in the night.

I shifted on the mattress, grateful I didn't have a shift at the hospital today. I was so tired that even my lumpy mattress felt like the most comfortable one in the world, and I snuggled deeper into it. It didn't even smell like chili anymore from that time I'd spilled a whole bowl on it when I fell asleep mid-dinner. Maybe I'd sleep for a little longer.

You still need to figure out the rent thing , my brain reminded me, and I wondered again if my brain was a freaking adrenaline junkie. Why couldn't it let me have a few moments of peace?

Sighing, I pulled out my phone from under my pillow, squinting at the screen to check if the landlord had replied. I'd never had the need to text him before, which was how I'd ended up texting the wrong number last night when I'd been copying it from the eviction notice he'd slid under my door.

I wasn't sure if I wanted there to be a reply or not, but my stomach sank when I noticed there was.

Last night, in a fit of desperation, I'd offered to pay the rent some other way because I didn't want to end up on the streets again, but I regretted it now. I'd felt the landlord's eyes on me before, and I knew he'd most likely say yes. Why had I done that?

With shaking fingers, I opened his text, then stared.

Landlord: the fuck? I got ur rent fr 6 mos. Will take u up fr that nxt tym tho

It took me a few moments to parse his text, and when I did, all I could do was stare. What? Was I dreaming? There was no way I could've paid rent for six fucking months. No way. I had to be dreaming.

I sat upright, then pinched myself right over a bruise, wincing when sharp pain raced up my arm. Okay, not a dream.

Still staring at my phone, I shook my head. Maybe it was a computer glitch of some kind? Maybe someone else had paid rent online and he thought it was me?

Locking my phone, I dragged my gaze away, and then I found myself staring at something equally confusing. Where was I?

I glanced around the room, noting the two-person dinner table and the flashy new couch that most definitely weren't mine.

This looked like my apartment, but my furniture...how the fuck had my furniture changed?

I pulled the bedsheets off my suddenly comfortable mattress and stared at the brand-new one I was sitting on.

I had to be dreaming. Because how else would my furniture have changed overnight?

Since at least in this dream my rent was paid, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe I'd just stay here in this dream world.

Deciding not going back to sleep would be the best course of action, I nodded to myself, then got up and folded the blanket, placing it in the corner of the mattress before undressing and walking into my minuscule bathroom.

Turning on the shower, I waited for a few moments before stepping inside, and of course, the dream-shower never ran out of hot water. Usually, I got maybe five minutes of hot water, so I took my time enjoying this magical shower.

Once done, I stepped out, dried myself, and got dressed, picking my most worn pair of jeans, a soft blue t-shirt, and a frayed sports coat I'd owned for years. It was my comfort outfit, and seemed like the right outfit for a dream sequence.

Brushing my fingers through my hair to get it in order, I stuck my phone and wallet into my pockets before leaving my strangely well-furnished apartment. I made sure to lock the door, then took the three flights of stairs down to the ground. If this was a dream, couldn't I have just skipped down to the first floor?

The outside looked the same as usual, with people rushing about on their way to work, Big Jim sitting in his usual corner hunched over his most prized possession, a stuffed toy a little girl had given him a few months ago.

Since this was a dream where my rent was paid, I got a sandwich from the deli on the street corner before coming back to give it to him. He gave me a wide smile as he took it, his blue eyes lighting up for a moment, and I wished him a good day before making my way back down the street.

I headed to my favorite coffee shop to enjoy this break to its fullest, and ordered the most expensive and delicious-sounding coffee I could afford with the cash in my wallet. Maybe I wouldn't even run out of money in this dream, but I didn't want to risk it. Still, I'd more than earned the right to pamper myself after all the shit of last week, so I placed my order and then took an empty table as I waited for my coffee.

Scrolling through my phone, I mused at how realistic this dream was. If it weren't for the rent and all my new furniture, I'd almost believe I was awake. But there was no other explanation for it, so it had to be a dream. It wasn't like anyone could or would actually sneak into my apartment after midnight to give me free furniture and pay off my rent. Why would anyone do that? I wasn't in contact with my family, I didn't have any friends close enough to do something like that for me, and I'd just broken up with the girlfriend from hell. No one cared about me enough to do something like that for me, and even if they did, there was no possible way to do all of that with me sleeping in the same room.

The chair across from me shifted, and I glanced up, about to offer the table to whoever had arrived. My stomach sank as my dream turned into a nightmare when I realized who it was. My ex from hell.