Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Mira walked down the lush carpet to the only door on the entire floor, and rang the ornate doorbell.
Phoebe answered almost immediately with a wide grin as her brows rose.
Mira felt her face grow hot. “Don’t say anything.”
“Mating looks good on you,” Phoebe murmured. She looked over Mira’s shoulder. “Where is your mate?”
“Finishing up his farewell celebration at the Council,” Mira told her as she shrugged out of her coat. “When he submitted his resignation, they insisted on holding him a huge party. Candice made him some kind of keto cake that he’s probably being forced to eat right now.”
Bastian’s penthouse was just as over the top as Mira had expected. One wall was entirely made of glass, overlooking the Chicago River.
The sight of the river still left Mira tense. She’d expected to be afraid of heights after her fall. Instead, what she remembered was the sight of the Chicago River as she’d rushed toward it.
At least, until Dominic had caught her, and saved her.
Bastian was nowhere in sight. Soft music played, and Nikhiv was busy preparing the party’s food in Bastian’s fancy kitchen, which looked like it belonged in a gourmet magazine.
Mira blinked to see Laara seated at the bar island, sampling a platter of appetizers. “Wow, you even got Laara to show up for Bastian’s party? That’s progress.”
Phoebe waved a hand and shushed her. Mira allowed herself to be tugged over to a patio which fortunately didn’t face the riverfront.
She crossed her arms and waited as Phoebe drew the heavy glass door shut. The music from the speakers disappeared, leaving just the city sounds below.
“Bastian spent the entire week asking Nikhiv about all of Laara’s favorite foods,” Phoebe said, her voiced still pitched low to evade sensitive demon hearing. “Then he made Nikhiv promise to talk about the menu when she was around. Loudly, and often.”
Mira grinned. “Sounds serious.”
“It is,” Phoebe whispered. “Bastian changed his shirt twice before she arrived. He must have been really looking forward to this. He’s kept himself scarce so far tonight. Probably to keep her at ease, so she’ll relax.”
“She’s already loosened up around him, I think. I remember when she’d flee the second he’d arrived at your place.”
Flee was a strong word, and they both knew it. More like vanish.
There was definitely something more to Laara. But if she didn’t want to talk about it, they agreed they wouldn’t press her.
Mira knew all too well how heavy the burden of carrying a secret could be. She’d kept her DFC activities from Phoebe for years. As a result, their friendship had almost faded away entirely while the weight of Mira’s secrets only increased.
Phoebe was the one who never seemed to have secrets. Only her intimate bond with Nikhiv, and the private, introspective smile she’d sometimes have when thinking of her baby growing inside her.
Mira sat on the patio’s couch and patted the other cushion. “I brought something for you.”
She took out her new phone as Phoebe sat and scooted close. Mira opened a file on her phone and handed it to Phoebe.
Her friend read the book’s title and gasped. “ The Complete Demon Physiology?”
Mira smiled and nodded. “Way better than those few pictures you took of the old one. There’s a bunch more, too. Even that demon nutrition book. You’ll probably need it for your baby.”
Phoebe shook her head. “How did you get a full digital copy?”
Mira glanced down at her lap as a mix of sadness and wistfulness washed over her. “Max,” she said quietly.
It’d taken her several days, but she’d finally opened up to Phoebe about the DFC, and what had happened to Max.
She’d thought it’d be too stressful, but Phoebe was stronger than Mira gave her credit for. Mira had cried the most during her confession, and part of it had been from lifting the burden of her last secrets off her shoulders.
“He was one of the DFC’s archivists. They were working on recovering digital copies of every book banned by the Council they could find. It was like a Project Gutenberg for banned books.”
Mira paused as a lump rose in her throat. “Max had a sort of… dead man’s switch.”
Phoebe frowned. “What’s that?”
“A process that would run if something happened to him. Like, if he didn’t check in at a determined interval. After he was gone, it was triggered. It sent a copy of his banned book database to me, and deleted his original server.” Mira swiped at a tear. “It was probably set up to go to some other people, too. I’m just happy he thought of me.”
Phoebe pulled her close. Mira leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder and stared out into the night.
Five minutes later, she sniffed and sat up. “Dominic’s here.”
“How can you tell?” Phoebe glanced behind them into the house.
“I don’t know. I can just... feel him when he’s nearby, since we became mates.”
“That’s incredible,” Phoebe whispered. “I love how every bond is different.”
Inside, Bastian had finally made a cautious appearance, quietly slipping into the kitchen to speak with Nikhiv.
The penthouse doorbell rang once more, and Dominic appeared on the doorstep. He pulled Mira into his embrace, and closed his eyes.
Mira glanced up at him. “Are you okay?”
“I need food,” he announced.
At his quiet words, Nikhiv and Phoebe sprung into action. Soon, they were setting fresh platters of appetizers on the dining room table as Dominic sat down heavily.
Laara followed the path of the food, and drifted over to inspect the latest additions. Mira contemplated the young woman, wondering if she imagined that Laara had grown quieter in recent weeks.
Even her usually voracious appetite seemed to be waning. However, Mira’s mate was shoving food into his mouth steadily.
“What happened to Candice’s keto cake?” Mira asked curiously.
Dominic looked traumatized. “You didn’t see it. The stuff of nightmares.”
Phoebe hid her snort behind her hand.
“I’m happy to put my fitness buff fake identity behind me.” Dominic selected a cheesecake tart, and chewed it with obvious pleasure. “May I never hear of keto ever again.”
Mira struggled to put her growing worry into words. “Nikhiv and Bastian have the same calorie needs as demons. How come they never crash the way you do?”
“That’s because he’s been trained to eat like a human from a very young age,” Bastian replied from the living room, where he was fiddling with the TV. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work for a demon.”
“He isn’t eating often enough, or heartily enough.” Nikhiv’s expression was thoughtful. “I may try my hand at designing a nutritional menu, just for Dominic.”
Dominic slowed in eating. “I’ve been thinking about it, too.”
His pensive voice drew everyone’s attention.
“I’ve spent nearly my entire life pretending to be human. Acting like a human. For the rest of it, I’d like to learn to live like a demon.”
Laara glanced up at his words, her face unreadable.
The gruff note in Dominic’s voice belied the simple statement. Mira caught his free hand under the table, and squeezed it.
“Not before some time off,” Dominic added, with a heated look at her. “I need to explore my new mate first, before I explore anything else.”
Nikhiv sighed. “I’ve also joined the Unemployment Club.” He smiled wryly. “It seems Le Prestige is remaining closed indefinitely while they reconsider their branding. Both the elitism, and the fact that the restaurant’s name is now synonymous with a violent protest.”
Mira met Phoebe’s eyes, and winced.
It was still difficult not to feel like it was all her fault. Logically, Mira knew otherwise: The Demon Freedom Coalition had chosen Chicago and Le Prestige for their grand annual event without any of her input. Yet, it was hard not to feel guilty when her friends were caught in the repercussions.
“I have a proposition for you, Nikhiv,” Bastian said as he turned on the TV in the living room. “How do you feel about teaching? You seemed to have a knack for it with young Mario.”
He frowned at Bastian. “Teaching?”
“A Chef Professor. At a new culinary school exclusively for smoke demons. One where we can showcase our extraordinary palates, and place graduates in respectable restaurants.”
Nikhiv regarded Bastian silently. Which, considering how forthright he normally was, could be considered an endorsement.
“Not just a culinary school, either. I’m thinking of funding the full range of our talents. Music, art, even perfumery.”
Caught by Bastian’s vision, Nikhiv wandered into the other room, soon followed by Phoebe. Mira scooted closer to Dominic at the table.
His nostrils flared when he looked down at her, still working his way through appetizers.
“You always seem angry when you’re really hungry. Or turned on,” Mira whispered.
“I guess because the sugar crash drags me down to my basic instincts, as a demon.”
Dominic’s eyes heated. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Feast, fight, and fuck.”
Mira’s core clenched.
“…now that the newly-elected Secretary of the North American Council has revealed himself to be a so-called air demon, many people are now asking: What exactly is an air demon?”
Mira looked immediately toward the TV. Dominic shoved to his feet.
“What the fuck did they just say?” she demanded, following Dominic into the living room.
“The new head of the Council is an air demon,” Phoebe whispered, her eyes wide.
“Many humanitarian and demon rights groups have made statements in support of the Secretary and the opportunity for more progressive Council laws, including the controversial anarchist group, the Demon Freedom Coalition.”
Mira glanced away in disbelief. “Oh my fucking god,” she muttered.
“The North American Council owns the Demon Control Authority,” Nikhiv mused. “Which means we’ve just handed a private military force to an air demon.”
“The Council is also basically its own government,” Mira added angrily. “It answers to no one.”
“Cooper kept mentioning that it wasn’t time... yet ,” Dominic said slowly. “Perhaps this was the grand plan they were working up to.”
Bastian remained silent, sitting quite still on the couch. Quiet anger gleamed in his eyes, but not surprise. He looked over at Laara.
“There he is,” Phoebe said. “They’re showing part of his public announcement.”
A man in a finely tailored suit, perhaps in his late thirties or early forties, was now on the screen. Mira blinked at him without recognition.
“For the Council to thrive and advance, demon inclusion in its governing is essential—”
Laara moaned in anguish.
They all turned to where she stood at the table, gripping the back of one of the chairs like she needed its support.
Maybe it hadn’t been anguish, Mira decided, when she saw the wild fury on Laara’s face.
“Laara.” Bastian rose warily from the couch.
She swayed on her feet.
“She’s about to drop,” Dominic warned.
Bastian appeared in a cloud of light purple smoke at her side, and caught her as she began to fall.
Laara sagged against him. Her eyes grew wide, and her reflective dual-tinted glasses didn’t quite hide their glow.
Bastian drew a sharp breath. She touched his face, and his own eyes glowed purple in return.
With another moan, she fainted. He scooped her fully into his arms.
“Oh, god.” Phoebe jumped up and arranged the couch pillows. “Bring her over here.”
“No,” Bastian snarled. He spared a hostile, glowing glare to everyone in sight. “She’s mine.”
With that, they both vanished.
Mira gaped, and exchanged looks with Phoebe.
“Well, okay.” Mira grabbed the remote and paused the TV. “Anyone know what that was about?”
For once, Nikhiv looked clueless, and happy to stay that way. He glanced at Dominic. “You’ve known him the longest, of anyone here.”
“Wait.” Phoebe drew closer to the TV, and peered at the date on the paused display. “This is a playback recording. According to the timestamp, it first aired this morning. Is it possible that Bastian played this just to see how Laara would react?”
“After purposely luring her here, with all her favorite foods.” Mira looked at her mate crossly. “Dominic, do you have anything to say to redeem him?”
Dominic spared her a hot glance that she knew meant he’d gladly pay back her sauciness, in spades.
“I’ve known Bastian since I left Briarworth. He’s always been driven. Goes after what he wants relentlessly, even if his tactics can get a little morally gray. Sometimes, he misjudges what he thinks he actually wants. I don’t think he quite knows, currently. But he’s sharp. He’ll figure it out, eventually.”
Dominic looked at all of them in warning. “Until then, just don’t get in his way.”