Chapter 7
Simone
My mouth puckers to blow on the spoonful of soup poised in the air in front of me, as he watches me take the first bite apprehensively.
“Mmmm,” I say, smiling at him, gesturing to my steaming bowl. “This is delicious. What’s in it?” I take another bite as his face turns from one of worry to one of pure delight. My heart swells with the thought of making him happy, and I’m enjoying the food he made me.
“Just a simple dump-everything-in soup. I grow a few things out back, so there are potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, celery, a little egg in the broth, and some leftover sausage I had lying around. Then just a pinch of curry.” He’s seated on the couch, in his demon form, and completely naked.
“Egg in the broth? Like egg drop soup, or something different?”
“I use it to thicken the broth instead of cream. I didn’t have any cream.”
His eyes crinkle at me when he smiles, and it makes me want to lean over and brush my lips over them.
“That’s a great idea, I’ll have to remember that.” It’s truly delicious, but simple, and warming me up. While the soup cooked, he lent me a hoodie and some soft sweatpants to wear, so now every time I move or shift, I get a sweet waft of his scent.
We’re quiet for a moment, just the fire crackling in the hearth, the sounds of spoons clinking against our bowls, and the dogs lightly snoring in their beds.
The radio announces the town’s light jazz selections for the evening.
It feels cozy, like nothing enormously wrong could possibly be happening outside these walls.
I set my bowl down on the coffee table, tuck my feet under me, and pin him with a stare. It’s time to find out the truth.
“Alright, spill it. I need to know what’s going on, first of all. Magic? I barely saw you as a demon yesterday, and now you’re talking magic? And, what about you? I told you my story; it’s only fair I hear yours.”
He takes his final bite, chewing slowly, thoughts clearly rolling over in his mind. Ever since I came to this town, there was something weird about it, and now I just had mind-blowing sex…no, lovemaking with an actual demon. Plus, all the interferences on my tech can’t be a coincidence.
“Okay,” He blows out a breath, setting me on edge. “I’ve only ever explained this to one human before, and they weren’t a normal human, so I don’t want to scare you.”
“What do you mean ‘not a normal human’?” My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, and I feel my heart start to race. What else could be out there? My mind jumps to werewolves and vampires.
“She was a witch,” I state, matter-of-factly.
Should have seen that coming. “Ah. I see.” I pause to stare at the fire for a moment, gathering my resolve on whether I still want to hear the rest of this, before I turn back to him.
“I want to hear it.” I scooch closer to him, my knees touching his. He’s still watching me anxiously, those hazel eyes so different from his deep crimson coloring, tipped in sooty black. I can’t help but run my fingers over his ropey forearms, those bulging muscles doing things to me.
“I’m happy you’re in your true form telling me this,” I say, my left hand stroking the edge of his wing.
Now it’s his turn for his eyebrows to shoot up. “Really?”
“Really.”
He takes another deep breath. “Alright, here it goes, no take backs! I’m a demon, a very old one, and I was born into a line of demons that forged weapons for war and destruction. That’s what my kind did, waged war.”
He pauses, deep in thought, as though he’s suddenly thrown centuries back in time.
“But that wasn’t me. I’d always been fascinated by human inventions, their machines.
The more I thought about what we did and what I made, the more disgusted with myself I became.
I started to hoard parts and tried to build a communication tool so I could warn humanity about what was happening. ”
I wind both of my hands into his warm ones, gripping his fingers tightly. “That was very brave of you,” I whisper.
“I was caught, of course, and exiled.” He barks out a gruff laugh.
“To here? Coldwater Springs?”
He nods. “Which brings me to the other part of your question, something that I don’t think has been revealed fully to anyone mortal who lives here.
” He pauses, squeezing my hands. “Coldwater sits on a hotbed of magic, coursing so deeply all through this area, and it attracts all kinds of paranormal creatures, not just demons.”
I feel my face drain of color. “But…everyone seems so normal?” I’m protesting now, because even though he’s sitting right in front of me and I can see the wings, and the horns, and for crying out loud even the tail, I still see him as a man.
It’s hard to absorb that there are more than might be like him, or maybe vastly different.
He scoots closer to me, sliding me onto his lap, as though desperate to have me near me for this next revelation.
“That’s where the witches come in. Crescent Coven, they call themselves.
Long ago, they cast a spell on the town to veil anyone who wasn’t human, and will often help individuals who need a bit more help looking human. ”
“Like you,” I say, a crease forming between my eyebrows again. “Wait, Crescent Coven? Isn’t that the book club hosted by Merna?”
“Merna is one of the oldest of the Coven. It was her great-grandmother who gifted me my incantation to mask my true self, in exchange for me helping them strengthen the veil with some nifty gadgets I created.”
For some reason, my eyes become blurry with tears. He is so selfless, so brave. He risked everything for humanity, and risked everything to protect the people here, to make sure they weren’t scared or freaked out by who lives here, only to seclude himself at the edges of town, avoiding everyone.
“I didn’t realize…didn’t think…,” I trail off, tears sliding down my face, Dravik catching them with his thumb.
“That I wasn’t going to be a scary devil?” He grins, trying to lighten the mood.
“Yes, but, and don’t take this the wrong way, you don’t seem to like people very much,” I murmur, with a grin to keep it light.
He barks out a laugh. “Humans don’t really seem to like me either; they see me and run.
Keeping hidden in my human form is irritating, so…
” He gestures to his home. “But humanity as a whole, that I can get behind. They’re inventions, how you think, how you feel.
” His hand is between my breasts, just over my heart.
An alert screeches from the radio, making us jump apart.
“Alert, this is a transmission from the Coldwater Springs Emergency Alert System. This is a fire alert for residents near County Route 12 and the northeast woods. A fast-moving blaze has broken out under unusual conditions. Stay clear of forest trails and avoid the area. Emergency crews are responding. Keep your radios on for updates. This ends the emergency transmission.”
Jazz music drifts out once more, as if nothing just happened. My heart is thudding in my chest under his touch, wondering why I’m craving it again so soon when Missy and Tito perk up and bark in unison at the door.
“Someone is here, and I think I know who it might be.” He growls. Sure enough, a minute later, a knock rattles the door.