QUINN #2
Dan was already at the restaurant when Quinn arrived, and Quinn smiled thinking that his date was perhaps equally eager. “You look very nice.” He took in Dan from head to toe. Dan’s collared shirt, nice jeans, and sporty loafers looked preppy-casual and suited him.
“So do you.” Dan returned the once-over. “Let’s eat, I’m hungry.”
Quinn felt his mood lighten just from having Dan nearby.
“What’s good here?” Dan asked as they looked over the menu.
“Pretty much everything,” Quinn replied. “At least, everything I’ve ordered. They specialize in home cooking, so larger portions, not fancy, but very satisfying. Been around for a long time, so they’re doing something right.”
Quinn settled on the beef roast, while Dan chose a pasta dish. Quinn reached over and took Dan’s hand once the server left.
“How was your day?” he asked. Dan didn’t look like he had slept well.
“Still trying to figure everything out,” Dan confessed. “Frustrated that we haven’t been able to find the bounty hunter, and worried about that dragon people are talking about. There’s too much going on, and I feel like I’m somehow smack dab in the middle.”
He paused. “And the move-in is delayed because of a water leak, so I’ll be at the hotel a while longer. At least they hinted that they might adjust the first month’s rent when I pointed out that hotel stays aren’t free.”
“Sorry about the delay,” Quinn said. “I hope it gets fixed soon.”
Quinn gave him an abbreviated version of how he had spent his day, hoping that Dan would take some encouragement from their overlapping agendas.
“The wurm and the missing hikers and the bounty hunter are affecting what I do as well, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” he told Dan. “I’m going to talk more with Liam and Jeffries. There’s got to be a solution.”
Conversation paused as the server brought their meals and they dug in. The entrée was just as good and filling as Quinn remembered, and despite Dan’s obvious worry, he still ate with gusto.
Quinn did his best to keep the conversation light as they awaited dessert, with celebrity gossip, speculation about the weather, and the unfolding plotlines of several popular shows. Dan chimed in, although he seemed distracted.
They walked out hand in hand and got into Quinn’s truck. He thought Dan seemed even more fidgety.
“What’s wrong? What’s on your mind? Maybe I can help, or at least, I can listen,” Quinn offered as he started the engine.
“When we get to your place, I’d like to shift to my daemon so you can see my other half,” Dan blurted. “I just think that you should know the real me before we go any further, so you know what you’re really getting into.”
Quinn kept driving but gave Dan’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not worried about your daemon, but I would love to meet him. I appreciate you trusting me with all of you.”
Dan stayed quiet as Quinn drove, clearly preoccupied. Quinn didn’t know of any other reassurances he could give beyond what he had already said, and hoped that when the big reveal happened, his reaction would be helpful.
“Is it okay if we get this part out of the way first?” Dan’s nervousness broke Quinn’s heart.
Quinn leaned in and kissed him. “Of course. I want to see that side of you. But it’s not going to change how I feel.”
Dan’s gaze held old hurt. “Don’t make promises until you know for sure.”
Quinn managed a reassuring smile. “Where do you want to shift? Living room or bedroom? I can go in the kitchen if you don’t want me to watch the whole process this time.”
“That would help,” Dan admitted, and Quinn guessed that his partner had been afraid to ask.
Dan looked around, taking in the big windows. Even with the curtains drawn, there was a chance that someone outside might at least glimpse strange shadows.
“Bedroom,” Dan said. “Fewer windows. I’ll just keep the lights off and come out when I’m ready.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Quinn promised. “In the meantime, I’ll pour drinks for once you shift back.”
Dan vanished into the bedroom, while Quinn went to the kitchen and poured wine, figuring they could progress to cocktails later if they wanted to.
He strained to hear anything, unsure if Dan would be able to call out to him when the transformation was complete but didn’t catch any new sounds.
Can he open the door in his other form? Quinn wondered, wishing he had thought of his question beforehand. He left the drinks on the counter and went back to the living room, but the bedroom door remained shut.
On a hunch, he knocked. “Dan? I’m guessing you don’t change inside often.
Can you open the door?” Two muffled knocks told Quinn he had guessed right.
“I’m going to turn the knob and unlatch the door, but I’ll leave it for you to pull it open.
I’ll be on the couch, waiting. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Quinn didn’t anticipate anything negative, but now that the moment was upon them, he found Dan’s nervousness contagious.
Will it change anything? What if I’m seriously grossed out?
It’s not like we’ll do anything intimate when he’s in that form, but I want to honestly say that I love all of him.
Quinn opened himself to his daemon whisperer senses, listening and feeling for unusual ripples in the energy.
He picked up an unfamiliar pattern like a strange, quiet song, and guessed it was Dan’s creature.
He had never been sure how much he could use his nature spirit to actually communicate with creatures, but now he would be able to ask Dan once he was back in his human form. He crossed his fingers on both hands as the door eased open.
“Oh! Wow, you’re amazing,” Quinn said when Dan’s daemon stepped out into the light.
Quinn had looked up Dover Demon online and seen the drawings of the creature.
That gave him a rough idea of what to expect, but the reality was so much more.
“You’re very handsome,” Quinn said, and meant it.
“I’m pleased to meet you.” He wasn’t sure how to interact with the daemon.
From what he understood, he was a separate entity who had existed and moved from one ancestor to another before coming to Dan.
Something else we’ll work through, Quinn thought.
Dan’s daemon side had spindly arms and legs ending in elongated fingers and toes.
Above his slender body and long neck was a large head, wider across the eyes than toward the jaw, with bug-like glowing eyes and no discernible mouth.
The head, like the rest of the body, was covered with a smooth gray skin.
When Dan’s daemon straightened from a crouch to his full height, Quinn could see the creature was equally as tall as the man himself. He stood still, clearly awaiting judgment.
“This doesn’t change a thing,” Quinn told him.
“I love you just as much as I did before. We’ve all got hidden depths.
Thank you for trusting me.” Inside, Quinn felt a rush of relief.
While he had never seen anything like Dan’s daemon, the form didn’t disgust or frighten him.
He doubted the creature was a predator, since it didn’t appear to have teeth or claws.
Quinn didn’t know how strong its arms and legs were, but they looked thin and almost fragile.
He hoped the daemon could run fast, since it appeared to lack other natural defenses.
“Can I touch you?” Quinn slowly moved closer, wanting Dan and his daemon to feel the reality of his acceptance.
The creature hesitated, then nodded, standing very still.
Quinn reached out with one hand and gently stroked his fingers down the daemon’s arm. It quivered at his touch but didn’t move away. He got the same tingle he did from Dan’s human form and smiled at the realization that the daemon was part of their connection.
Emboldened, Quinn skimmed the flat of his palm across the smooth chest, devoid of nipples or defined muscles. The body beneath felt toned, not soft.
Finally, Quinn let his fingertips brush the daemon’s face, a gentle touch like a whisper. The creature’s eyes pulsed a brighter yellow, and he made a sound like a purr from deep in his chest.
“Mine,” Quinn said quietly, hoping his tone, touch, and gaze conveyed the depth of his feeling.
Everyone has a monster of some sort inside, Quinn thought. Old hurts, unresolved trauma, failed expectations. Relationships that work out involve making peace with your own monster and accepting your partner’s. Dan’s doesn’t need to be healed, so he’s a big step ahead of the rest of us.
Quinn wasn’t prepared for the strong rush of protectiveness that washed over him, wanting to stand between Dan’s creature and the bounty hunters, photographers, or curiosity seekers who might harm him or reveal his secret.
He had never felt anything like that, and its intensity surprised him, although he welcomed the responsibility.
“May I kiss your cheek?”
The creature’s eyes flickered, and then it gave a solemn nod.
Quinn leaned in and pressed a light, dry kiss to the daemon’s face. He picked up a faint musky scent, unusual but not unpleasant.
The daemon didn’t move, but the intensity of the light in his eyes softened. Quinn stepped back, out of the creature’s space, and looked him over again from head to toe, this time walking all around for the full view.
“Marvelous.” Quinn felt a true sense of awe. “Thank you.”
The creature reached out a thin-fingered hand, and Quinn folded it gently into his. “I’m yours, too,” he said, guessing the silent meaning.
After a moment, the daemon stepped back, and their hands dropped away. He fixed Quinn with his bug-eyed stare as if regarding him in a whole new light as well. Then he turned and went back to the bedroom, bumping the door closed behind him.
Quinn let out his breath. That was intense. Good, but it’s going to take a bit to process. I think I’m ready for that wine now.
Despite everything Quinn had done to try to communicate acceptance and love, Dan emerged in human form looking scared and vulnerable.
“Come in the kitchen,” Quinn invited. “There are snacks. And alcohol.”