Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Codie
Pythor loved me. He loved me, and he didn't care if I said it back.
I didn't know how I felt about him.
Well, that wasn't true. I knew I cared about him a lot. I knew I didn't think I could live without him. I knew he was the best part of my day.
Did that mean I loved him?
I'd never been in love before, and after that night, I'd thought I would never feel safe enough. Yet here I was, trusting Pythor more than I'd ever trusted a man.
Before that night, I'd always thought I would have a typical love story: meet someone, fall in love, spend our lives together. Maybe he'd be an artist like me, and we'd spend our days creating.
I'd never thought I'd be dating a demon who could teleport and who'd promise to always keep me safe. I'd never thought I'd want or need someone like him.
Yet here I was, and I wouldn't want it any other way now.
I snuggled deeper into his chest with a happy sigh, and he tightened his wings around me.
He'd wrapped them around me like a blanket when we started cuddling, and they were angled so I could see the flat screen over them.
Not that I was paying much attention to the movie we were supposedly watching.
It'd been two days since he'd told me he loved me, and it was still all I could think about.
He hadn't said it again, and I wondered if it was because he felt like he'd be putting pressure on me to say it back.
I wouldn't because I knew him well, and I knew he'd never want me to say it unless it was true.
Was it true? Did I love Pythor?
Maybe, but I wasn't ready to say it yet. I wasn't sure what exactly I was afraid of, but I was going to keep these feelings close to my chest for now.
"Are you hungry?" Pythor asked, and I turned my head to look at him.
"I could eat."
"Any preferences?"
Thinking about it for a moment, I settled on, "How about some Indian? Maybe kofta curry and butter naan?"
"You got it," Pythor murmured, and he snapped his fingers, filling the room with scents of spices and warm butter as a bowl of curry and a dish stacked with naan appeared on the coffee table. He snapped his fingers again, and dishes from my kitchen and two glasses of water joined the food.
"That smells delicious," I said as Pythor folded his wings back and took his human form so he could eat easily.
"That it does," he said as he served the food on a plate, then handed it to me before taking one for himself. He did it so easily, like he didn't even have to think about it.
Hella stuck her head up, eyed our food, then went back to her nap.
"She really doesn't need to eat, does she?" I asked, still a little wonderstruck about that fact. Pythor had told me soon after he told me the other stuff, and I'd stopped 'feeding' Hella the food he'd given me for her, but it was still strange to see her non-reaction around food of any kind.
"Nope. She's just here for company. I think she'll move on to whatever afterlife animals have once all the demons move on from the demon realm."
I thought about that, then realized I really didn't know much about the whole afterlife thing. He'd answered my questions and told me some things, especially the dark souls he was looking for, and the dark demon, but I didn't know what afterlife would be like for him... and me.
"Is that something you can do willingly? Move on?" I asked as I scooped up some gravy with a piece of naan.
"Yep. A lot of demons moved on to Afterworld after Underworld was closed down and we 'retired.' Most of the ones still here are from the last batch of demons created, and three were from the second-last. Mammon belonged to the second-last batch."
"Are the other two bad demons as well?"
Pythor shook his head. "Kor is a bit of a hermit, but he's still good. I think. Star has three mates, and I don't think he'll be going darkside anytime soon."
I nodded, then asked the question I actually wanted to know the answer to. "So what happens to us? You won't grow old like I do, right?"
"Right," Pythor agreed with a nod, and I tried not to feel disappointed about that. "But I can make my human form look like it's aging, so I'm going to be right here for as long as you live. If you'll have me," he added a touch sheepishly, and I smiled.
"And when I die?"
He frowned, like he didn't like thinking of my death. "When you die, we'll both go to Otherworld together, and then you can decide if you want to stay and be a soul collector, or if you want to move to Afterworld."
"And you?"
He shrugged, chewing for a moment before answering. "If you decide to be a soul collector, I'd stay a demon until you were ready to move on, and then we'd go to Afterworld together, at which point I'd stop being a demon and just be a soul like you."
"Do you want that? To stop being a demon?" I asked curiously, and he shrugged again.
"I don't know. I've been a demon for so long, and all my memories are of my life as one. But the idea of a peaceful afterlife is also tempting, and it's not like I'd lose the memories I've made."
I nodded, then shook my head. "We have years to think about this, don't we?"
"We do," he agreed with a smile, and I turned my focus to our meal, which I should've already been doing because this curry was awesome and deserved all my attention.
Pythor
It'd been a few days since we talked about the afterlife and everything it entailed, but it was looking a lot more tempting now as I waited for Vanessa and Alia to arrive. We were having dinner together, and after the last meal we'd shared, I was suitably nervous.
It wasn't that I thought she'd change Codie's mind about me. It was just that I had to make up so much crap when talking to her, and I didn't like it. I knew Codie also wasn't a fan of lying to his best friend, which just made it worse.
My phone buzzed, and since Vanessa and Alia were nowhere to be seen yet and Codie was busy puttering around the kitchen, I pulled it out.
Fressia: Anyone sense any of the dark souls or Mammon? They've been suspiciously quiet recently
Eshim: Probably because we caught one of them. They're being careful
While I'd been pretty caught up in Codie, I had been on the lookout for the dark souls, since it was my job. I hadn't gotten lax, though I also hadn't gone on many patrols around the city since I met Codie.
Me: I haven't sensed them either. What about you, Arnick?
He lived only a few towns away, so it was possible the dark souls had altered their route—the one Maximus had predicted—and hit Arnick's town next instead of here.
Arnick: Nah, I haven't sensed anything either.
Ryk: Arnie! What's the status with your boyfriend? Have you decided to find out if he's your mate yet?
Arnick: Maybe. We've gotten pretty close, and I feel like I need to know before I let myself fall for him, you know?
Star: Then go call Kym and do it dumbass
Arnick: Yeah...
I didn't understand his reluctance to find out if the human he was dating was his mate or not.
Why wouldn't he want to know? If the human wasn't his mate and he still loved him, there were no rules against him continuing to date the man as long as he didn't reveal his demon side.
And if they were mates, well, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it?
The doorbell pulled me out of my thoughts, and I put my phone away before walking over to the front door.
Vanessa grinned at me as soon as I opened the door, then surprised me by giving me a tight hug.
"Thank you. You've been so good for him," she murmured against my ear before pulling back, and copying her, Alia hugged my legs, making me smile as I patted her back.
"He's good for me too," I assured her, meaning every word. Codie made me feel lighter, more confident in everything I did. He made me feel like I had a purpose, like as long as I continued making him happy, I would be content.
"Nessa!" Codie hurried into the living room from the kitchen as we walked in, and the two friends hugged before Codie picked Alia up and gave her a little twirl, making her laugh.
Surprisingly, Vanessa had no prying questions for me this time, and Codie spent most of dinner telling her about his trip to the art store, reenacting his conversation with the old man much to hers and Alia's delight.
Afterward, the two friends cleaned up in the kitchen—I couldn't use my magic to do it around people, and they seemed like they needed some time alone—while I taught Alia some moves in the living room, which she figured out quite quickly.
When they realized it was already past ten, Codie convinced them to stay the night, and Vanessa put Alia to bed in the guest bedroom before joining us for a nightcap of hot cocoa—that I'd magicked from the best café in town while she was busy.
"You have no idea how glad I am to see that constant smile on your face, Codie," Vanessa said, and Codie ducked his head, as if embarrassed by his happiness.
The two of us were seated side by side on the couch, while Vanessa was curled up in the armchair, her body squished in with her legs hanging over the armrest and her cotton-candy hair hanging over the other side.
"Uh, thank you, I guess," Codie said with a shrug, and she smirked.
"Look at that blush. So cute," she teased, making my mate scowl.
"Fuck off."
Vanessa laughed, but she didn't push him, and I was glad for that. We chatted for a while longer before Vanessa retreated to the bedroom, and Codie turned to me, his teeth digging into his bottom lip as he debated over whatever he wanted to say.
"What is it?"
"Would you like to stay over too?"
I smiled, then magicked away our empty mugs before holding my hand out to him. "I'd love to."
Codie grinned, then took my hand and hopped to his feet, leading me toward his bedroom. "Could you... turn off the living room lights? And the ones outside?"
Nodding, I did just that, and gave his hand a squeeze to tell him how proud I was.
Once we were in his bedroom, he ducked into the bathroom to change into some sleep clothes, and we slid into bed once he returned.
Since there was a kid in the house, I magicked the bedroom door shut before shifting into my demon form. Codie snuggled into my chest as I wrapped my wings around him, holding him close as he gave a happy sigh.
It didn't take him long to fall asleep, and when his nightmares tried to cause trouble, I fought them off for him without breaking his slumber. Only once he'd fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep did I allow myself to doze, my mind drifting off to the lullaby of his beating heart.