Chapter 5
Five
Pythor
The moment I stepped into my house, I snapped my fingers, setting a silencing ward around my place. Not to keep sound from coming in, but to keep it from escaping.
Then I shifted—I'd picked this house especially because the ceilings were high enough for me to do it comfortably—into my true form and let out a screech that would've sent terror through the whole area without my ward.
I'd been able to feel the panic that'd washed through my mate, and it'd driven me crazy.
Sensing auras was an ability demons had, though we usually kept it shut off because it could get overwhelming fast. But my mate's pain had been strong enough to reach me despite that, which meant whatever had happened to him had been truly terrible.
I'd held on to my composure in front of him because I hadn't wanted to terrify him further, but now I wanted to rage and destroy and hunt down whoever had hurt him, which I couldn't do because I wasn't fucking allowed to hurt humans.
Fuck, how did the other demons with human mates do this?
Then again, I didn't think any of the other demons' mates had been hurt the way Codie had. I knew Calux's mate's baby was almost kidnapped at one point, but other than that, I didn't think any of the demons had had to deal with their mate being in pain.
Was there really nothing I could do for Codie?
Feeling a little calmer, I folded up my wings, then shifted back, removing the silencing ward as I slumped on the couch.
If I focused hard, I could hear the familiar scritch-scratch of brush against canvas. It was harder during the daytime since there were a lot more sounds around, but I could still hear it, and it made me smile.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I opened the group chat between all demons, and started typing.
Me: You remember the neighbor I mentioned?
Star: You mean the one you talk about every fucking time?
I snorted, then typed a reply.
Me: Yeah, him.
Lux: Yes, Pythor. We remember. What about him?
Me: Well, I met him today
Nico: And?
Me: And...
Ryk: Oh my god
Really? How was he the one to clue in first? I'd have thought it would be Elva. Or Nico.
Eshim: What?
Ryk: OH MY GOD
Star: Ryk!
Ryk: Fuck, this is rich ROFL
Ryk: His neighbor is HIS MATE
Star: Holy fuck
Eshim: Really?
Me: Yeah
Eshim: Oh wow, I must tell Jerry
Lux: Damn, this is funny
Fressia: You deserve it. Just wait till we meet him. We'll tell him all about your whining
Me: Oh fuck off
Eshim: We're happy for you, Pythor. Really
Me: Thanks, Eshim. You're my only friend.
The others chimed in with more teasing, and I shook my head, feeling calmer after talking to them. I debated sharing what I knew about Codie with them, but decided against it. I didn't want to blab about Codie's past without his permission, and it wasn't like I knew enough anyway.
My phone beeped as I was putting it away, and I realized it was the social media app. I was about to ignore it when the username caught my eye, and I clicked the message open.
MochNessa: Hey, it's Vanessa. I just wanted to check in. Codie seemed off when we talked, but he didn't say anything. How did your session go after I left?
I debated over how much I could tell her, but she was close to Codie and clearly cared about him, so I went with the truth.
Me: He had a panic attack. I helped him recover, and we decided to reconvene another day, though we haven't set a date yet.
MochNessa: Shit. I shouldn't have left.
Me: It's not your fault. Your child needed you. How's Alia?
MochNessa: Happy as can be. She wants to see Uncle Codie, so I think I'll go over this evening.
Me: I think he'd like that. Please let me know whenever you're both up for another session, and I'd be happy to come over.
MochNessa: Thanks, Pythor. You're a really good guy.
Since I wasn't heading to the community center—I'd been ordered to take a day off—I decided to go out and roam the city.
I did it every few days to search for the dark souls.
After one of them had been captured, he'd admitted the others were sticking close to Mammon since he was a powerful demon.
He'd managed to somehow form a pseudo-summoning bond with those dark souls so he could exist and use his magic in the human realm, and he seemed to have a mission of his own.
The trajectory the Otherworlders—the people responsible for collecting and helping souls through the afterlife—had predicted said Mammon would pass through here at some point, which had me on high alert, especially now that I knew my mate was here as well.
I may not have found him early enough to protect him from whatever happened in his past—and I was going to demand answers from Fate about that if I ever came across them—but I'd be damned if I let him get hurt again.
When I returned home a few hours after sunset, Vanessa's car was parked in front of Codie's place. I was glad Codie had a friend like her, and I hoped her presence would alleviate some of his fears.
I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to help Codie. I'd teach him to protect himself, but I'd also make sure he never had to.
What could I do to make him feel safer in his home? He already seemed to have all the locks he could need, and I'd also seen a fancy security system setup. He seemed to have everything he could need, and yet I wanted to do more.
It hadn't seemed like he was interested in me, which meant I would need to take this slow. If a friend was what he needed right now, then that was what I would be. If that was all we ever were, I'd be okay with that too.
All I truly wanted to do was make him feel safe, to remove the fear haunting his life in any way possible.
Codie
Spending time with Nessa and Alia last night had been fun, and it'd helped me recover from the after-effects of my panic attack.
While they weren't as frequent as the months after that night, they were still just as intense when they happened, and it took me a while to feel 'normal' again, whatever that meant.
It was Sunday morning, and I was flat on my back on my couch as I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Pythor.
I rubbed the thick material of my coat sleeve between my thumb and finger as I thought about yesterday, about the way Pythor had helped me out of my panic attack.
He clearly knew the right way to do it, and he'd been so careful with me, so considerate. He hadn't pressed into me, hadn't crowded me, and still made sure I heard every word he said.
His warm, confident voice had been like a beacon, pulling me out of my dark memories as I followed its tug.
I'd never slipped out of an attack as easily as I had yesterday. Usually, it took me a lot longer to return to the present, and when I did, I was shaky and had to hide under the blankets for a few hours before I felt brave enough to face the world.
Yet he'd been so calm and collected, and somehow his calmness had rubbed off on me, giving me the strength to stay standing as he told me to breathe.
With his work at the community center, I supposed it made sense he knew how to deal with a panic attack, but it was more than that.
For a few moments, I'd felt like he actually cared about me. It was silly to think like that about someone I'd just met. I knew that. And yet...
Sighing, I sat upright, then chewed on my lower lip, unsure what to do. I could paint, but my hands were aching from all the painting I'd done over the last two weeks. I needed to take a break before I did permanent damage to my hand.
Ever since that night, I was terrified of losing my art. The few months I'd spent without being able to paint while I healed had been torture, and I didn't think I'd survive again. My art was the only outlet I had for this darkness inside me, and I couldn't lose it.
The sound of a bark made me perk up, and I walked over to the window, peering outside.
Pythor sat on his porch, a grin on his face as a large, black dog danced in front of him. The dog was massive, and I imagined he'd be good at fighting off anyone who tried to harm his human. Was he Pythor's?
Carefully, I did something I hadn't done in months. I opened my window.
Pythor's head shot up instantly, like he'd heard the soft snick despite my attempts to be soundless.
He gave me a wave, and I hesitantly waved back, my eyes flicking back to his dog. He followed my gaze, then hopped to his feet and jogged over, the dog close at his heels.
"Hey," he said when he stood at my window, his brown eyes practically sparkling.
"Hi. Your dog looks... strong," I said, and he grinned.
"She is. Her name's Hella. Say hello to Codie, Hella."
Hella barked, her tail going a mile a minute, and I grinned.
"Would you like to pet her?" he asked, and I blinked, then nodded. It wouldn't be possible for me to reach her from here, so I waved toward the front door.
"I'll open the door," I murmured, and he nodded, then stepped back as I closed the window.
I didn't hesitate at all as I unlocked the front door, even as a part of me questioned if I shouldn't be more careful.
Pulling the chain off, I drew the door open, then fell back with a laugh as Hella leaped at me. She towered over me with me on my ass, and took my momentary distraction to lick my face all over.
"Hella!" Pythor admonished, but I waved him off as I sat upright and scratched behind her ears.
"She's a sweetheart. Aren't you?" I asked, and she licked me some more.
"Would you like to keep her?" Pythor asked, making my eyes shoot to his.
"What? Isn't she yours?"
Pythor pursed his lips, then shook his head. "She's from a shelter. I take her out for fun days sometimes."
I frowned, then glanced down at the sweet dog. Hadn't I just been thinking about how nice it would be to have a dog?
"No, thank you. I can't take her on walks, and that's not fair to her," I said, though I desperately wished I could keep her.
She peered at me with dark brown eyes, though they seemed to glow almost red when the sun hit them.
"That's not an issue. I can walk her," he said with a wave of his hand, and I sighed.
"I couldn't ask you to do that."
"You're not. I'm offering. Hella and I are friends, so it would give me a chance to hang out with her too."
I glanced between him and the dog who was giving me some serious puppy eyes, and sighed.
"Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent. I'll take care of the paperwork and everything. I have some food for her, so I'll bring that over for you in a bit."
"Thank you," I murmured, still trying to comprehend this. I had a dog. A big, strong dog who could probably chew someone's arm off.
Pythor smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his warm brown irises sparkled in the sun. "You're welcome."
I had no idea how one man could flip my world around so much in the matter of days, but for once, it was the good kind of change, and I wasn't afraid of it. Or him.
Hella gave a soft woof, then settled herself in my lap right there in the half-open doorway as Pythor stood at the base of the stairs, an amused smile on his lips.
I almost invited him in before deciding against it, and after a few minutes, he went back to his place to get me the dog food before disappearing into the house and leaving me to befriend my new dog as I closed the door after him.
Clicking a picture of Hella with her tongue lolling out, I sent it to Nessa with the caption, "New dog in the house," knowing she'd call back with a million questions.
"Come on, Hella. Let me show you around."