Chapter 8
Milo
I'm so happy that she's back. The words keep running through my mind on repeat as I watch Esme walk beside Duske, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm like it belongs there.
She's currently pointing at something in one of the store windows, her animated features making everything brighter as Duske listens with that intense focus he gives to everything.
It's beautiful, really, watching the way he looks at her like she's the only thing in the world that matters.
Vesper tugs on my arm, pulling me away from them, and I resist for a moment, my feet dragging against the pavement. I don't want to leave her. I've barely had any time with her since she came back, and every second away from her feels like a waste.
"Hey, breathe," Vesper purrs as he pulls me to the side of the walkway.
I blink at him, a frown etched onto my face. "I am breathing. Why did you take me away from her?"
Vesper's hazel eyes search my face, and there's something soft in his expression, something knowing.
"Because I know what happens when you get obsessed with something.
Like pumpkin." I open my mouth to argue, but he leans in and kisses my nose, the gesture so sweet and unexpected that the words die in my throat.
"And I know you've been obsessed with Esme since maybe the day we met her. "
My chest tightens, and I look down at our joined hands.
He's not wrong. From the moment I saw her, with that wild orange hair and those bright blue eyes, I was done for.
She was different from anyone I'd ever met, human or otherwise.
She didn't have a scent, didn't fit into the neat little boxes the world tried to shove Omegas into, and she was so unapologetically herself.
I wanted her then, and I want her now, maybe even more than before.
"She's perfect," I say quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.
"She's always been perfect, and then she let me kiss her and taste her and hold her hand.
" My eyes light up at the memory, the way her lips felt against mine, the way she tasted like vanilla and honey and something uniquely Esme. "I can't believe it's real."
Vesper's hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing across my skin. "I know, babe. It's surreal and amazing, and I love having her back, but I also don't want to terrify her. I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen, but I do know that she wants us."
I swallow hard, my throat tight with emotion. "I just don't understand why it never happened when she was alive. You and her happened. You got to have her, to be with her in ways I never did. Are you sure she wants me?"
The doubt swirls in my mind, making me wonder if I’m not enough.
Vesper and Esme had their thing, their friends-with-benefits arrangement that turned into something more even if they never labeled it.
But me? I was always on the outside looking in, catching glimpses of what could be but never quite getting there.
We had our nights when Vesper pulled me in or Esme specifically asked for me but it never became a thing.
And now that she's back, I can't help but wonder if she really wants me or if I'm just.. . there.
Vesper smiles, his expression softening. "Yes, she's mentioned you more than a few times after the three of us were together. But she's always believed something was wrong with her, and then there's Liora."
I grimace at the mention of Esme's sister, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. "I still don't like her."
"None of us do," Vesper muses, pressing his lips to the side of my head as he wraps an arm around my waist. "But she's a very persistent thorn in our sides. And now we have to figure out why she killed her sister."
I look up at him, my green eyes narrowing. "Can't we just kill her, bring Esme back, and call it done?"
Vesper lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Sure, if you want Lucifer to fucking throw us into some hellfire. We'd never be able to be with Esme. She'd be confused and alone, and knowing Lucifer, he'd wipe her memories."
The thought makes my stomach churn, and I let out a low growl. "I've always wanted her, but in her room, it's like I needed her. Like I can't breathe without her. No one is throwing me into hellfire, Vez."
Vesper's hand slides up to thread through my curls, his fingers gentle as he plays with the strands. I lean into the grounding touch, loving that it’s exactly what I need.
"Because she's going into heat, and biologically, we're hers.
I'm not even sure how that works when we're from different planes. "
I tilt my head, my brows furrowing as something clicks. "But we aren't."
Vesper pauses, his hand stilling in my hair. "Huh?"
I meet his gaze, my voice steady despite the uncertainty swirling in my chest. "She died. She's technically no longer human. Neither are we. Which means she's our mate now."
Vesper stares at me for a long moment, his hazel eyes widening when he catches onto the connection I just did. "That's some twisted shit if that's true." He pauses again, his expression shifting to something thoughtful. "Fuck, maybe that's why her scent never came in."
I nod, the pieces continuing to click into place in my mind.
It makes sense, in a weird, fucked-up way.
Esme was always meant to be ours, but she couldn't fully become ours until she crossed over into our world.
And now that she has, even if it's just in this transition state, everything is different.
She has a scent, she's going into heat, and she's ours.
I look up and twist around when Esme and Duske are gone, my heart racing a little faster until I see them through the store window.
I rush inside and sigh, my heart skipping a beat when I spot her again.
She's standing by one of the sample carts, her head tilted back slightly as Duske feeds her something from the tray.
Her expression is completely blissed out, her eyes half-lidded and her lips parted in a soft smile.
Her scent reaches my nose from here, sweet and intoxicating, and I can see the way Duske stares at her, his intense dark gaze wholly focused on her.
I grin, gesturing toward them, wondering when Duske will finally make a move on her. "How fast do you think that's going to happen?"
Vesper follows my gaze, his lips curving into a knowing smile. "Tonight."
That’s really fast. "What do you mean?"
A chuckle rumbles through the Alpha as he squeezes my shoulder, his lips finding the curve of my ear. "He's going to get all macho and start the conversation about how we're demons and our darkness isn't for her, and then it's going to end up in them fucking."
My eyes go wide, and I can feel the excitement bubbling up in my chest. "We can watch, right?"
Vesper laughs, shaking his head. "Next time. That has to happen first."
I sigh, leaning against his side and rest my head against his shoulder.
It's not fair. I want to see it, want to watch the way Duske takes her, the way she will fall apart under his touch.
But I know Vesper's right. Duske needs this, needs to claim her in his own way before we can all come together.
I twist around, my gaze scanning the rest of the store, and I freeze when I spot a familiar face at the other end of the aisle. "Isn't that one of Esme's kids?"
Vesper follows my gaze, recognition flashing in his eyes.
It's a little girl, maybe four or five, with dark curls and a bright pink dress.
She's holding her mother's hand, chattering away about something, and I can see the resemblance to one of the kids Esme used to talk about from her preschool class.
We picked her up a few times after work and the more I stare at the little girl, the more I'm convinced that she'll be able to spot Esme in a heartbeat.
There's something about kids, especially the young ones who haven't learned to filter their perceptions yet.
They see things adults miss, notice the shimmers in the air and catch the flicker of movement that shouldn't be there.
More often than not when a kid points out a ghost, they’re actually right. Which we can’t have here.
Vesper's eyes go wide, and then a devilish smile spreads across his lips. "Let me take care of this so Esme and Duske can continue having their moment. I haven't started chaos in a while."
My heart races, anticipation flooding through me.
This is Vesper in his element. As a chaos demon, his entire existence is built around disruption, around throwing the natural order into delightful disarray.
And watching him work, watching him unleash even a fraction of his true nature, always does something to me.
I grin, unable to hide my excitement. "And this is why I love you."
Vesper leans in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. "Wait here for me."
Ever since we came to Earth, we've had to conceal our desires, our true natures, to fit in with the humans.
We've been bound by their rules, their social norms, their expectations of what's acceptable.
For decades, we've played the part. Good neighbors.
Friendly faces. Normal men living normal lives.
Only following the rules, never stepping out of line, never letting our demon sides show through.
Unless of course, it’s someone’s time to go or we’ve been specifically given a task to disrupt nature.
It's been so long being on Earth that I don't really remember why I came up in the first place.
Was it an assignment? A curiosity? A need to escape the monotony of Hell?
The details have faded with time, blurred by the years of pretending to be something we're not.
But it's been fun, in its own way. Learning about humans, experiencing their world, finding joy in the small things like pumpkin spice and Halloween decorations.
But watching Vesper cause chaos? That always turns me on.