Chapter Twenty
Lulu
When this all began—when I moved back to Salus Glen—I’d been convinced there would be nothing there for me. Another dead-end job. Another failed attempt to prove to my grandparents that there was no future for me in that town.
I had no idea what my future actually held.
But now, as I held my demon mate’s hands, our fingers entwined, as we stepped through a portal created by the literal son of Lucifer, I realized my life would never be the same.
And I had imagined it all wrong.
Maybe there won't be a big-city job in my future. Maybe there would be something else entirely. A life with this male. A life full of love and adventure and magic. Real magic.
That was what I wanted.
I wanted to see everything. Every part of his world I had never even imagined. And I wanted to show him parts of mine too—things I’d never shown anyone else. I wanted that to be my every day.
And, maybe, there would be kids in our future. Maybe they’d be red like him, or pale as a ghost like me. Either way, I knew they’d be loved.
“Are you ready?” Zadi asked quietly, lifting our joined hands to his lips and kissing them.
“I’m ready.”
I looked at Arafel, then Lucia. “Thank you,” I said, my throat closing before I could say anything else. I wasn’t even sure how to put it into words. Thanks for creating the world that let me find him. I hoped they could see it in my eyes or hear it in the thoughts I couldn’t quite voice.
Lucia waved briefly. “Come back soon.”
Arafel nodded to Zaldi, then gave me a quick smile. “Tell your brother I expect that report soon.”
“I will,” Zaldi promised.
Then, we stepped through the portal. Cold air rushed over my skin for a heartbeat, like the first sharp bite of winter through a coat, and then it was gone. We were standing in an empty parking lot beside the Cup 'o Joe Coffee Shop.
I looked up at Zaldi, more than a little shaken. “That was real, right?”
He leaned down and kissed me.
Even now, white-hot electricity burned through my blood as I kissed him back, standing on my tiptoes so I could press into his mouth. When we pulled away, he leaned down just enough to bump his nose against mine.
“Yes, mate,” he murmured. “It was real.”
We turned, looking out over Salus Glen’s quiet main square as the setting sun painted the sky in beautiful hues of pink and blue, streaked with flashes of gold as it dipped below the horizon.
“You know,” I said quietly, biting my lip as I tried to hold back the last of the emotion bubbling up inside me.
“What?” he asked.
“I think we’re going to need a place to live,” I said casually, a small giggle sneaking out.
“You mean you don’t want to live with your grandparents?” he asked.
For a moment, Zaldi’s face went very serious as he studied my expression, clearly trying to decode whether I was joking.
Then my composure cracked—followed quickly by his, our laughter echoing through the evening air.
We laughed until it hurt, or at least until I could get my next thought out without giggling.
“So, what should we do, then?” I asked.
“We could stay with my brother a little longer,” he offered.
I considered it. Honestly, it was a much better option than staying with my grandparents, where every move we made would be carefully watched and judged by my family. They might mean well, but that didn’t mean it would be any more comfortable.
Suddenly, though, I had an idea.
“Do you trust me?” I asked softly. All I got in response was a raised eyebrow as he laced his fingers with mine again. I stepped off across the parking lot, down the curb, and headed toward the Salus Glen newspaper.
About halfway there, I started talking. “When my grandfather and grandmother first moved to Salus Glen, they were completely obsessed with starting the newspaper. So obsessed, actually, that they didn’t even look for a place to live before they arrived.
Luckily, the old owners of the print shop kept a small apartment above the offices.
Mostly, they rented it out to passersby or casual guests, and eventually the editor used it as storage.
But, when my grandparents moved into town and needed a place for all of us—something comfortable, easy, and close to work—they stayed there. ”
I shot him a quick look. “And, honestly? That apartment still exists. It’s right above the newspaper. It’s definitely not big, and I’m sure it’s dusty; I also know for a fact that it’s empty.”
My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for him to answer. I looked up at his face, giving him time to take it all in. As overwhelming as the underworld had been for me, I knew this was a lot for him too.
Even with the human glamour, he was still stunning—but, now, I loved seeing the hints of a demon beneath the magical mask.
The way his eyes flickered gold when he looked around Salus Glen.
The way one of his incisors seemed just a bit longer than a human’s, a quiet promise of the fangs hidden beneath the illusion.
My belly warmed at the thought. He still hadn’t bitten me, and I knew that as much as he wanted to, he wouldn’t—not at my grandparents’ house or under his brother’s roof.
Another idea surfaced as I waited for his answer. “I have the keys,” I added. “We could go see it.”
“See it?” he repeated.
“Yeah. The paper’s apartment. I know exactly how to get to the keys. We could go right now.”
A wicked grin stole across Zaldi’s face, sending butterflies scattering in my stomach. This male, this beautiful, delicious male, was mine.
“Trying to get me alone, are you?” he asked coolly, Zaldi’s eyes raking over me, then tossing me a wink as he started walking again. I noted quickly that he was moving at a much faster clip now.
“Oh, absolutely,” I confessed without a drop of shame, easily keeping pace with him while licking my lips.
What I now knew was the effect of the incubus venom making them tingle, along with all the other eager parts of me.
The trembling under my skin, a combination of his closeness and the awareness that we were about to be alone, left me panting.
Zaldi must have thought he was moving too fast, because a moment later he turned, slowing, his eyes worried for only a moment before his nostrils flared and I saw the white of his eyes as they rolled back in his head.
“Lu…” My name was a moan on his lips.
I opened my mouth, thinking I should apologize for my fragrant need to have my mate again, when, suddenly, I was being pressed up against a brick wall, the cool shadow of the building—the grocery store, I think—at my back.
I only got out a squeak before Zaldi’s lips were covering mine, kissing me long and slow and deep, his hips and body an unyielding contrast to the wall behind me.
I could only kiss him back and pray that no one had moved those keys. Because if I didn’t have my mate soon, I might very well go demon myself. When he finally pulled away, his cock was hard, pressing against the fly of his pants as he cocked his head again, scenting the air.
“Careful, sweet dream. Your body is asking for things I’m more than happy to give it.”
I wanted to laugh, but it came out as more of a whimper. “Zaldi! I’m not sure I can wa—”
His muttered “fuck” was muffled as he suddenly gathered me against him.
“Don’t you dare say that,” he said against my ear, twisting me around until he was carrying me across his body.
Moving rapidly toward the newspaper building.
“Because you smell like you’re ready for your male… like you’re dripping already.”
“Holy shit, Zaldi,” I said, wavering toward him a little as I clenched my thighs together. “You can’t say that kind of stuff.”
But, when he smiled again, the glamour was shifting, and those incisors were definitely looking a lot less human. “Well, I’d be happy to keep my mouth busy elsewhere, but I hear humans are a little nervous about public sexual encounters.”
I gasped but didn’t push him away. “As opposed to incubi?”
Zaldi leaned in. “If we were in the Underworld, my cock would be so far inside you that neither you nor I would know where the other began.”
I panted, my heart hammering in my chest.
“And not a soul would stop me… unless they were interested in joining.”
I whimpered, the ache in my core intensifying as I pictured Zaldi holding me up, pumping into me deep. Zaldi’s brow lifted. “Ah. You do like that, then?”
“I don’t know,” I gritted out. “I’m just… God, Zaldi. Please. Just take me home.”
Zaldi’s legs moved again, carrying me down the remainder of the block.
Mercifully, we didn’t run into anyone as we reached the darkened newspaper.
I fumbled a few times trying to find the hidden set of keys, completely rattled by Zaldi, who followed close behind, pressing strong hands over me until I finally had both keys and mate in hand.
I dragged us to the apartment entrance on the side of the main newspaper door.
The door creaked a little, but I knew Bruce had the cleaners go through the place often enough that it wouldn’t be in terrible shape.
The studio setup was wide open, a bathroom door at the back, lights bright save for one bulb flickering over the kitchen area.
A matching set of older couches greeted us, and beyond them a large quilt-covered bed and dresser with a mirror.
All that to say: it wasn’t fancy, but it was warm, cozy, and blessedly empty.
“Wow,” Zaldi breathed behind me.
“Wow is right,” I echoed, stepping in and listening as Zaldi closed the door behind us. I swallowed. “So… do you want a tour?”
“Of?” Zaldi approached, every step filled with delicious intention.
“The place?” I said, my voice quieting as he stopped directly in front of me, forcing my chin up to meet his gaze.
“Later,” he said gently, threading his hands into my curls. “We have unfinished business, mate.”
My entire body twitched with the need to be closer to him, to take him, to have him in a way only I could. I slid my hands up over his chest, feeling every muscle tense beneath my touch. “We do.”
And then, I was being walked backward toward the bed, but I barely noticed since he was kissing me again.
And fuck, it was so good. I could kiss this man—this male—every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. My lips curled against his. I guessed I could put that theory to the test now.
Zaldi broke away, his hands sliding down to my hips as he watched me questioningly. “Something funny?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Good,” he said simply. “Because, mate, it’s time…” He turned me, pressing my back to his front as I found myself staring into the mirror above the dresser. “To choose where you want my bite.”
“Zaldi, I—”
He shook his head. “My mate is a very serious reporter, and while I love the idea of putting it somewhere incredibly visible, to be sure that every male around knows just how off-limits you are to them, I understand that might not be ideal.”
I stared at the mirror, entranced as his glamour fell away, revealing the incubus I was so deeply in love with. “You’re beautiful,” I told him, not taking my eyes off his reflection.
His smile was wicked. “You’re staring.”
I looked at the woman in the mirror. The same one who, weeks ago, thought her future was somewhere far away.
But the woman smiling back now, her brilliant, kind mate at her back, knew exactly what she wanted.
I lifted my hand, tracing the skin of my throat, down to my collarbone, then out along my shoulder. Zaldi’s low rumble behind me only sharpened the need tightening between us. I watched my hand as it moved, Zaldi’s heavy cock pressing against my spine as he waited.
The location was so obvious I nearly laughed, but I was far too needy to enjoy it. I lifted my right hand and held it up between us.
“My hand.”
Zaldi frowned. “Your hand?”
“Yes. I want to look down every day—every time I write, type, or record—and see your bite there. A constant reminder that you’ve always been with me and always will be. A permanent mark in our story.”
Zaldi’s face softened. “Your wish is my command.”
I turned in his arms. “Good. Because I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
Strong hands slid down my thighs until I had to hop as Zaldi lifted me against his body. “Who am I to deny my mate anything she wishes?”
I was smiling when I leaned in for a kiss.