“When we shook hands,” I clarify. “That’s when she noticed the amulet and started talking about how that was likely the reason I had trouble finding the town—something aboutwards?” I shake my head. Enough getting sidetracked. There are too many things I need to know more about. “After we touched, that’s when she knew I was a demon. She said I should talk to you if I had any questions about that.”
“Hmm, I’m flattered the witch thinks so highly of me.” An irrational pulse of jealousy heats my blood. Huxley’s been nothing but good to me so far, but I don’t want this charming fucker anywhere near my Selene. Wait.Mine? We’ve metonce. Sure, she’s beautiful, and given the way she looked after me, she’s obviously a kind soul, but there’s no reason for me to be feeling so… possessive. Huxley’s smirk lets me know I’m doing a poor job of hiding my jealousy. I make a concerted effort to loosen the death-grip I have on my beer before taking a slow sip to cool my temper.
“Did Selene happen to mention what kind of demon you are?”
“There are different kinds?”
“A few, yes, but as long as you’re wearing that,” he waves a hand at my chest, “we won’t know what type or classification you fall under.”
“When will it be safe for me to take it off? Is there something I can do to limit the, er, magical blowback you mentioned?”
“I’ll give you some mindfulness exercises to start doing.” He shoots me a stern look in response to my incredulous expression. “I’m serious. I’ll help you with all things demon but only if you agree to do exactly what I say, starting with mindfulness exercises. Practicing the visualisation techniques for controlling your power should give you a better chance of coping with whatever surge happens when you remove the dampening amulet.”
“You’re the expert,” I concede, hands raised in acceptance. “I’ll follow your lead…”
“But?” Huxley asks, sensing there’s more on my mind.
“But I don’t want to hurt anyone.” I might be a demon, but I have no desire to wreak havoc. Huxley doesn’t seem like the ‘fire, brimstone, and torment’ sort, and he’s a demon, but we’ve only known each other three days. For all I know, he’s hiding an evil lair in his attic.
Huxley’s sandy-brown eyebrows tug together. “Glad to hear it, but I’m not sure what that has to do with anything.”
“Well, you’re a demon,” I say, my tone indicating the implications of that should be obvious.
“Yes.”
“And demons are…” I trail off, unsure. There’s really not an inoffensive way to tell someone you think they’re evil. “What I mean is you seem normal, and you’ve been very helpful. But aren’t demons supposed to be, er, the opposite?”
Huxley’s burst of laughter is so loud it makes the people at the next table over jump in surprise.
“Sorry,” he wheezes around another bout of hysterics. “Oh damn, I needed that.” He takes off his glasses to swipe away the tears forming at the corners of his eyes, grinning like a fool. “Sorry, sorry,” he says, putting his glasses back on while I frown. “I’m not laughing atyou, it’s just living here makes it easy to forget the wild theories humans have about us, about all supernaturals really. But you were raised human—it makes sense you’d have concerns.”
My jaw unclenches now I understand that it’s not really me he’s laughing at. “So not evil then?” I ask with a wry grin.
“Supernaturals, whatever the type, are a lot like humans in that regard as much as some hate to admit it. There are some good, some bad—most of us fall somewhere in the middle just trying to live our lives. Demons and some other supes get a bad rep thanks to a few bad apples using their abilities to hurt people. Luckily, here you won’t have to worry about that. Perks of being in a sanctuary town—the supes here are committed tobeing good neighbours and keeping the town safe for everyone regardless of their species or abilities.”
“That’s not the case everywhere?”
“No.” Huxley’s mouth flattens into a thin line. “If it were, there wouldn’t be a need for towns like this.”
Something he said yesterday pricks at my memory. “Before, when you said you were running from demons… I thought you meant some kind of internal struggle, but you meant it literally, didn’t you?”
Shadows darken his expression, and I instantly regret asking. “Yes.” His flat tone and closed-off look make it clear the topic isn’t open for discussion.
“I’m sorry,” I reply, unsure of what else to say. The last thing I want is to upset the one person who can help me, plus if I don’t screw it up, I could see Huxley becoming a friend. God knows I could use one of those right about now.
“Don’t worry about it.” He shrugs off whatever memories were plaguing him, his mischievous grin sliding back into place, although now I’ve seen the darkness underneath, I’m no longer convinced he’s as carefree and easy-going as he’d like people to believe. Huxley drains the last of his beer. “We’ll start your demon lessons tomorrow after work. The sooner you get a grip on your abilities the better. Now you’re aware of the amulet’s purpose, there’s a possibility it could become less effective at blocking your abilities—magic can be tricky that way. Better to start gaining control of your abilities now than have them leak out on their own before you know how to manage them.”
I swallow around the lump of dread in my throat. “That could happen?” My fear of accidentally hurting someone comes back tenfold.
“It’s possible but try not to worry about it. The magic on the amulet is seriously powerful. Even if it does start to fade now that you’re in on the big supernatural secret, my guess isit would still take at least a couple of weeks for your powers to start leaking out. We’ll get you to grips with the basics by the Halloween festival.”
Halloween’s just over five weeks away, and the festival starts on the 24thof October, exactly a month from today. “Will that really be enough time for me to learn to control my powers?” I lean forward, gripping the edge of the table tightly.
Huxley smirks. “No. Not completely. Supernaturals spend years learning to master their powers as they grow into them. You said you’re in your late twenties, right?”
I nod. “I’m twenty-eight.”
“Then you’re already past the age of maturity meaning once that comes off,” he gestures at the chain around my neck, “you’ll have access to your full powers. You’ll be in for a challenge, but I can at least teach you how to suppress your abilities naturally as well as safe ways for you to leak your power intentionally while you get used to it. We’ll work together every day for the next few weeks until you have a better grasp of things. You’ll have enough control to be safe around the humans by the festival.”
