The Prince’s Mate (Fate’s Gambit)

Sixteen

Walker

"Tell me about the demon we're going to see," I said, and Caelan pulled his tablet out, scrolling through it as Ajax drove us to our destination. While we could've gone on our own, I didn't want to take any risks with Caelan's safety, and since demons were immune to dark magic—they'd built up the immunity by spending so much time around dark souls—it seemed like a good idea to keep Ajax close.

"Her name is Elva," Caelan said. "She's enrolled in cooking school and works as a barista at a coffee shop. She did a baking class before, and she wants to open her own restaurant."

"She sounds wonderful." I was glad Dad had decided to give the demons a second chance at life, so to speak. They'd spent decades doing the grueling work of punishing evil souls, and they deserved a chance to live for a change. Sure, they could've gone to Afterworld, but it just wasn't the same. Hopefully, they were enjoying their stay in the human realm.

"Elva is a good demon," Ajax said, and I glanced at him from the rearview mirror.

"Are you two friends?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Elva is everyone's friend," he said, and I hummed. She sounded like Nox, who was also an expert at befriending everyone.

"I'm looking forward to meeting her, then. What about the third demon? Where do they live?"

Ajax answered before Caelan could. "Kali lives with Elva. They're together."

Caelan nodded, referring back to his tablet before adding, "She's a mechanic. They share a house with two human women."

I nodded. "Do we visit them both or just Elva?"

"We'll talk to Elva and then go from there. It won't hurt to talk to them both."

"We're here," Ajax said, and I peeked at the coffee shop. It wasn't one of the chain stores, but a cozy-looking small business instead.

I hopped out of the car before Ajax could open my door for me, and I winked at him when he frowned.

"Do you drink coffee, Ajax?" I asked, and he nodded as Caelan came to stand beside me.

"I like cappuccinos," he said, and I grinned.

"Okay, let's go have some coffee."

I took Caelan's hand, and he shot me a startled look. Raising a brow, I squeezed his hand, and he smiled at me before squeezing back.

I breathed in the aroma of coffee and chocolate as we stepped into the warm coffee shop, and now I wanted coffee and maybe a slice of cake.

There were two women behind the counter. The taller one had short brown hair, thick mascara lining her dark brown eyes, and was dressed in black. The other one was short, barely 5'3", and had black hair with pink tips, big blue eyes, wore bright pink lipstick, and was dressed in a colorful floral dress. They were complete opposites, and I wondered if it was some kind of gimmick of the shop or if that was really how they dressed.

"Which one is Elva?" I asked, glancing over at Caelan as Ajax hovered at our backs.

"Uh, the tiny one," Caelan replied, apparently just as stumped as I was.

No one in all the realms would look at this tiny woman and think 'demon.' Talk about the perfect disguise.

I walked over to her side of the counter, and she smiled brightly at me. Then, she spotted Ajax and her eyes lit up, big blues that stared up at him as if he was exactly what she'd been looking for.

"Jax! I haven't seen you in a while. Why did you stop visiting me?" she asked with a pout before her eyes flicked to us.

She tilted her head in an almost bow. "Hello, Prince Walker."

"Just call me Walker, please," I said with a wince, and she nodded happily. "This is my mate, Caelan."

Elva smiled at Caelan, and he returned it, his hold on my hand tightening slightly.

"I'd love a dark roast, and a cappuccino for Jax," I said, before raising a brow at Caelan. He shook his head, and I turned back to Elva. "Also, a slice of chocolate cake, and anything you'd like. I was hoping you could join us at the table."

"I'll take my break with you," she replied with a cheery grin. How was this woman a demon? Or a better question was, how had she managed to hold on to her brightness after dealing with the dark souls of the Chasm for lord knew how long?

Caelan and I took a seat in a corner booth, and when it looked like Ajax intended to hover behind us, I waved him over to the empty seat across from us.

I placed my hand on Caelan's knee, and he glanced over at me, brow raised. I shrugged. I didn't need a reason to touch him now, did I? Unless he asked me to stop, I was going to touch him as much as I could.

Caelan stared at me for a moment before his eyes flickered away and he pressed his knee into my touch.

"When we get back to the apartment, we should watch a movie," I said.

"As long as it's not a Disney movie," he said, making me laugh.

"What are your views on action movies?"

"Too many car crashes, not enough plot," he said, and I grinned.

"How about...sci-fi?" I asked, and he scoffed.

"Aliens? Really?"

Oh, this was fun. "Thrillers?"

"Don't we have enough of that in our lives as it is?" he challenged, and I couldn't argue with that.

"So what do you like?" I asked, giving up on guessing correctly, and he grinned.

"Horror."

"Huh. Didn't expect that. Any particular reason?"

"They're funny," he said, and I stared at him. "It's not like any of those things can hurt us , right? So they don't scare me, but it's funny to see how the human characters react."

"I guess, that makes sense," I said as I realized there was a lot I still didn't know about Caelan, and I couldn't wait to find out.

Caelan

I had to agree with Walker. Elva was nothing like the demons I'd usually come across. I wondered what her true form looked like, if she was just as tiny in that form.

"So everything's good?" Walker asked, and I tuned back into the conversation.

"Yep! Kali and I are doing great. Our roommates are nice too. I'll be done with school in a few months, and I've been saving up to start my own eatery. I think I'll be ready to do that in a year," she said, and I smiled at her enthusiasm. I also found it inspiring that she was actually putting in the work when she could have whatever she wanted using a bit of magic.

"That's wonderful! We'll visit Kali later today, make sure she's doing well too, but it sounds like you two are set," Walker said, and Elva nodded as she took a bite of the cookie she'd brought for herself. Walker had already finished his cake and was sipping at his coffee now.

Walker's hand was still on my knee, his thumb rubbing soft circles against my skin. I couldn't begin to express how much I appreciated that little touch, how it made me feel grounded.

My eyes drifted over the patrons as Walker and Elva talked, and I stiffened when they latched on to a figure sitting at a table near the door. I could tell they were a vampire, and they were staring right at me.

"What is it?" Walker asked, instantly alert, following my gaze to the vampire who was now on their feet and casually strolling toward the exit.

"Was that one of them?"

"I don't know. They were staring at me," I said, and Ajax stood up.

"Elva, watch over them," he said, before taking off for the exit.

"I was probably just imagining it."

"The last time we ignored what you'd seen, you ended up getting captured. Trust your instincts, Kitty," he said.

"I know. I just can't believe this is happening," I said, and he squeezed my knee in comfort.

Ajax returned after a while, scowling. He hadn't been able to catch the vampire, and I could almost feel his annoyance. He convinced us to cut our trip short, and Elva handed a few more sweet treats to Walker before we left.

The drive home was tense, and I was itching to be back in the safety of the apartment, but when we finally got there, I had no idea what to do with myself. I felt antsy, like I should be doing something, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what .

"Come on," Walker said, tugging me toward the couch. "We're going to watch a movie, remember?"

It took me a moment to remember what Walker was talking about, and I let him lead me to the couch, where I sank into the cushions while he grabbed the remote and turned the TV on.

"Horror, huh? How about this one? It has a creepy clown," Walker asked, turning to raise a brow at me.

"Sounds good." My mind was buzzing with a million worries. What if Andras tracked us down? We'd sent Ajax home, and while we could take on a few vampires, we were vulnerable against black magic, and Andras already knew that. The last thing I wanted was to put Walker in danger.

Walker started the movie before turning to me. "Get up for a moment."

I frowned, but did as he'd asked, and he lay down on the couch facing the TV, then patted the space before him. "Come on. I want cuddles."

Shaking my head, I settled in front of him, and he quickly wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him. His body was warm and steady behind mine, and I sank into him, letting out a soft exhale.

The movie started, and as it rained on the screen, I let the sound wash over me and quiet the buzz in my mind. Walker's touch and his warmth kept me anchored to the here and now.

"Are you watching a movie without me?" Ro demanded, slithering into the room from wherever he'd been.

"You can join us if you want," Walker offered, and Ro hissed before sliding onto the couch. He slid over the armrest near our feet and reached the backrest, curling up on it so he could see the screen.

"Horror, nice. I thought you didn't like horror," he said, and I glanced back at Walker.

"You don't like horror?" I asked, and his cheeks turned pink as he glanced away.

"Uh, it's not that I don't like horror. I just haven't found the right movie yet, you know," he explained, and Ro'Shassz scoffed.

Something warm and pleasant filled my chest at the thought that Walker was only watching this movie because it was a genre I liked. People in movies made these grand romantic gestures, but I'd always found little things like these to be more romantic. What could be better than having someone who liked you enough to do something they didn't like just so they could spend time with you?

I was lucky to have Walker, and I was luckier still that he'd accepted our bond, accepted us so easily. I still didn't quite understand how he'd gotten over his dislike for me so quickly, and while I was curious, I was also irrationally afraid that asking would somehow remind Walker of how he'd felt about me before.

"If you say so," Ro piped up, and I smiled as I snuggled closer to Walker. His arm tightened around me, and together, the three of us watched the movie, Ro hissing delightedly every time Walker jumped at the scary parts. I sent up a silent prayer to anyone that might be listening that every day forward would be full of moments like this.

Ro'Shassz

Okay, so maybe it wasn't so bad, spending time with the new couple. They could manage to not be sappy shits every once in a while, and watching a movie with them had been fun. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Step : Decide if this plan needed any more steps, or if it could now be called Mission Accomplished .