Chapter 10
TEN
Emilia
Chase hasn’t shown his face since the incident on Thursday and when Mark got back from break he had Mike go through the security tapes, resulting in an unflattering grainy black-and-white photo of him being posted in front. He shares space with the people who used fake ids, those who skipped out on the bill or took part in the fabled bar fight of October 2022, which was just a month ahead of my time.
It feels good that someone has my back.
Though it’s even more surprising that Chase hasn’t shown up at the apartment after Silas swiped his key. Even his buddies have been absent from their weekly visits to check up on me.
“Tall rocker guy is back.” Carly Beth whispers into my ear, poking at my side, “six o’clock.”
The fabled ‘tall rocker guy’ that I missed with Chases’ theatrics the other day. She’s imagined an entire back story about him being on tour with his band, stuck in our small town on his way to Madison.
“Six.” I nod, looking up in the mirror, catching his gaze.
He’s gorgeous, strong cheekbones and a slightly crooked nose, with a sharp jaw and long wavy black hair.
“Silas.” I gasp, turning around.
He gives me a lazy smile, his ears twitching, “Emilia.”
I do a double take, looking over my shoulder at the human version of Silas, the powerful glamour that everyone else sees. It’s strange how a few features can change the look of someone’s face, like finding Clark Kent when you’re expecting Superman.
Suddenly, I realize how easy it would be to slap on some thick glasses and become an entirely different person. The two bright blue stripes on his cheekbones enhance the beauty of them, and of course, there are the ears on the top of his head.
“You two know each other?” Carly Beth asks, I don’t miss the underlying bid for an explanation later in the back room.
“He is my houseguest. Carly Beth,” I gesture between the two, “Silas.”
“Are you in a band?” She asks, resting her hand on her hip.
“No,” Silas looks at me, a brow lifting, “I haven’t been for ages.”
“Told you, tall rocker guy.” Carly Beth whispers to me then turns towards him, “I gotta get back to work. It was nice to meet you.”
Silas shifts in his seat, his fangs peeking through his smile, “What is she talking about?”
“Do you have super hearing or something?” I roll my eyes and walk closer to the bar, “Don’t worry about it. What are you doing here, anyway?”
“You suggested I took an interest in sports and why not start with Sunday Night Football?” He leans across the bar, a teasing smile slowly creeping across his face. His eyes drift down, his lips parting as he takes me in.
I’m immediately reminded of the looks he gives me in the middle of the night, dazed and devouring as he strokes his thick cock. It might have become a nightly occurrence.
I tried to convince myself that the first time was a fluke, a mistake, but I’m the one that stood there touching myself to the gorgeous wolf demon. Completely taken with the sight of his human-looking cock with the round knot at the base.
He looked even more feral, his gold eyes glowing in the dark, almost reflective, and the blue striped markings crossing down his ribcage and waist, similar to the ones on his cheekbones.
“You’re going to have to order something if you intend on staying and watching the game.” I say, grabbing a small laminated menu and placing it in front of him.
“Very well,” Silas sits back on the bar stool, his eyes roaming over the selection, “Would you recommend the Roadhouse Barbecue Bacon Burger?”
A couple walks up to the bar a few seats down, chatting and glancing over at us.
“If you want to pretend to be human, yes.”
“Then I’ll have that and whatever beer you think would be appropriate.” He says, placing the menu on the bar and sliding it towards me.
“How are you going to pay for this?”
He reaches into his back pocket, and I feel a spark of magic as he pulls out a credit card.
“Is this legit?” I ask, plucking it from his fingertips and looking at the name, “Silas James Wolfe? That’s a bit on the nose, don’t you think?”
He grabs it, sliding it back in his pocket, “I was in a hurry. Do you know how difficult it is to pick out a name?”
“Fair enough. Where does the money come from?”
“Several high yield bank accounts and a bit of legal trickery.”
Smiling, I jot down his order and put it in with the kitchen and then go to wait on the other customers at the bar. I feel Silas’ attention as I work.
The logical side of my brain tries to convince me I’m only looking over to make sure he’s not causing any trouble, but I know that’s not the case.
Ever since that one night, his gaze holds the promise of something more. I would give anything to explore that, but the truth is I don’t know where to start.
Neither of us is exactly jumping at the chance to have a conversation about our relationship, whatever it may be.
Though each time I check, he’s on his best behavior. The glamour is holding in place while he’s torn between watching me and the game, but the latter is slowly winning.
It’s funny to see a nearly 240-year-old demon captivated by the sport, though I know the feeling. I wasn’t that into sports when I started working here, just a casual hockey fan, thanks to my stepdad, but having a pro football team so close really changes your perspective.
I grab his order from the kitchen and pour a pint of dark ale, and turn to see an older man explaining the game to Silas. Great, now maybe he can explain it to me. Carly Beth has tried a couple times, but I can’t get the hang of it past the basic concepts. Run the ball until you score or until you’re in range for a field goal. Conversions and all that other stuff are still a mystery to me.
Speaking of, Carly Beth stands at the other end of the bar, fiddling with her order pad. She gives me a nod, waving me over.
“What’s the deal with you two?” She whispers, loud enough that I can hear her over the game.
I glance at Silas, “He’s just staying with me while I figure all this Chase stuff out.”
“But you like him.” She pokes at my side, a smile on her face, “He likes you too. Geez, from the way he’s eye-fucking you, I’m scared I might get pregnant if I walk between you guys.”
“Is it weird? Because of the whole protecting me from my ex thing?”
“Chase really messed with your head, Em. If Silas is that into you and nothing has happened. He’s a good one.”
How can I explain to her that something did happen, and I was the one who initiated it? Sort of. She’s right, though. Silas hasn’t pushed. He hasn’t even brought it up. To think a demon is better at respecting boundaries than my ex.
“That man dropped everything to make sure you were okay the other night.” Carly Beth says, “I mean, it feels like he practically teleported. Who knows what kind of speeding ticket he could’ve gotten?”
Technically, he did teleport, but I can’t tell her that.
I look down at my bracelet. It wasn’t the spell. He used his own powers.
Silas came running without me asking. If he doesn’t feel bound to help me, then that means he’s doing because he cares. It also means he might be kind of playing me by pretending to be all subservient. I should be mad, but I think I could have a little fun with this.
Silas watches the rest of the game, more invested than I thought he would be. Carly Beth does another round and returns, she hasn’t taken her eyes off of us since the revelation.
“Did you find out anything about this weekend?” She asks, ripping off a ticket and shoving it across the window to the line cook.
“This weekend?” I ask, glancing at Silas, whose ears perk up, before I turn to her.
“Girl’s trip up to Madison,” she rests her hip against the bar, “us renting the hotel rooms.”
“Oh, I’m still trying to find someone to watch Poppy for the weekend.” I explain.
“I’m sure Mr. Jankowski could,” Silas says, “He offered to watch her just the other day.”
I turn to Silas, “What kind of conversation brought that about?”
“He said in the years he’s been your neighbor, he’s never seen you take time for yourself.”
He has offered to watch her a few times before, especially when I go over to feed his fish while he’s out of town. I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask him.
“Perfect.” Carly Beth claps, threading her fingers together, “Does that mean you’ll go?”
Silas raises his brow, almost like he’s daring me to say yes. It really feels like the two of them are kind of ganging up on me at this point.
I want to say yes, desperately. It’s been years since I’ve gone to an actual bar where I’m not expected to serve drinks. The whole Chase situation isn’t behind me yet and it feels like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I’ve decided that I’m finished with putting my life on hold out of fear when I gave my soul up for demonic protection.
Silas could have intervened, but he let me stand on my own two feet. He trusted I would be okay, so maybe it’s time I trust myself as well.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
Carly Beth squeals, grabbing my arm, “This is going to be amazing. We can drive out early on Saturday to beat the traffic and come back Sunday morning.” She turns to Silas, “You’re coming, right? Since you’re kind of Emilia’s bodyguard.”
“Wait, I thought this was going to be a girl’s trip?”
“It still is. Wouldn’t hurt to have a guy around to protect us. Just in case.” She shrugs, “What do you think? Unless you’re busy.”
“I’ll be there.” Silas nods, shooting me a smile, “Emilia knows I would drop everything for her.”
His wolf hearing is a lot better than I thought.