Not exactly the reassurance I was hoping for, but at least it doesn’t sound too dire. Knowing how to flip my magical ‘off’ switch will be useful, and who knows, maybe I’ll even be able to keep whatever powers I have locked down and live a normal life.Is that really what you want? Ignoring the little voice in the back of my mind that’s always longed to be a part of something, I refocus my attention on the conversation at hand. “OK. Tomorrow after work. Thank you.”
He waves me off. “Don’t mention it.” Huxley stands. “Are you good here? If I want to have a lesson plan ready for tomorrow, I should get going.”
Wow, he’s taking this even more seriously than I thought. “I’m fine. I’ll probably order some food to take home and finishthis while I wait.” Casually, I take another sip of my beer. The brand on the label isn’t one I recognise, but it’s good.
“Alright, see you tomorrow then.”
Watching Huxley weave through the crowded bar towards the exit, I chew over our conversation in my head. I didn’t get to ask even half of the questions I had for him. There will probably be time for that during these demon lessons, but I can’t help wanting more answers now. I’m not even sure what kinds of supernaturals exist outside of demons, witches, and gargoyles. Is that everything? Or are there more? This is the kind of information I need to know before I accidentally reveal my ‘raised as a human’ status to the town.
While Huxley made it sound like everyone here looks out for each other, I’m not sure that will extend to the new guy in town, especially not if they realise I’ve grown up believing I was human and came to town trying to expose their secret. I might be a demon, but against a town full of pissed-off supernaturals I may as well be a defenceless kitten for all the good it would do me.
Maybe the town library will have something that will help. In a magically hidden town, I don’t expect to find a ‘supernaturals for idiots’ guide but maybe there will be a section on magical history that could give me an overview of what species exist. Maybe I can even find more details on what it means to live in a sanctuary town.
After waving down a server so I can order a burger and sweet potato fries to go, I sit huddled in the corner people-watching—supe-watching? I scribble another note in my rapidly filling notebook. Add that to the long list of questions for Huxley. While my attention drifts between the patrons and staff, I take a couple more sips of my beer but don’t finish it. It’s good, but now I’m alone again, I’m more on edge. Drinking might dull the jittery unease creeping back in, but that’s a slippery slope and not one I want to put myself at risk of sliding down. Theback of my neck prickles with the sensation of being watched, but when I look around, everyone seems absorbed in their own conversations. It was probably someone gawking at the new guy—there’s been a lot of that over the past few days. I’ll have to get used to it until my novelty wears off.
After about twenty minutes, the little buzzer the server handed me goes off, and I head to the end of the bar to grab my order. Unsurprisingly, I’m feeling overwhelmed and eager to get out of here and back to the quiet of the house. It sure is busy for a Tuesday night, but I guess the options in a town this size are limited. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount on offer when I was out exploring on Sunday afternoon. Maybe living in London so long has warped my sense of judgement, but I wasn’t expecting a town this size to have more than one place to eat out, and there are actually quite a few. Now I know Crystal Lake is a sanctuary town, it makes more sense—if people are hiding out, it’s important to have everything they need inside the wards surrounding the town’s border.
“Oops, sorry,” a delicate voice apologises right after I take an elbow to the ribs. Wide blue eyes blink up at me while I stare like an idiot waiting for my brain to reboot.Selene. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but she’s somehow even more beautiful than I remembered.
“No worries. Are you picking up food?” I ask. Stupid question really since we’re both standing at the pickup point. For someone who works with words, I’m sure doing a shit job of trying to talk to this woman.
Her smile makes my breath catch. “Yeah, I didn’t feel like cooking tonight, and Garrett’s place has the best food.” She bites her full lower lip. “Listen. I’m really sorry about the other day. If I’d had any idea you didn’t—” she glances around, seemingly wary of our crowded surroundings. “I’m sorry you found out like that is all.”
“It’s OK. Like you said, you didn’t know. From what Huxley told me about the town, I can understand why you assumed I was… already aware. Wards and all that.” I shrug awkwardly and mentally smack myself.Wards and all that? Bloody hell. It’s been a while since I last dated anyone, but I didn’t think I’d completely forgotten how to talk to an attractive woman. Then again, attractive is far too mundane a word to describe Selene. She’s… alluring. Enchanting… And she’s waiting for me to respond to whatever she just said while I was busy daydreaming. I clear my dry throat. “Sorry, what?”
The corners of her eyes tighten with her concern. “I asked how you were doing with everything. You said you talked to Huxley?”
“Yes, yeah. He’s agreed to give me um,” I lean in closer to make sure nobody overhears, “demon lessons.” God, she smells good. What is that?
“That’s great. Um, not to overstep, but I’d be careless not to remind you to keep the dampener on for now. I know it’s probably tempting to take it off, but with an amulet that powerful, there’s potential for some major?—”
“Magical backlash,” I finish for her, unable to miss how uncomfortable she looks. “Huxley already warned me about that, but thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Seems like the least I could do after, well, you know.”
“I think you already made up for that by taking care of me after I dropped like a fainting goat in your shop.”
Her tinkling laugh sounds like wind chimes carried on an evening breeze. “Still. I feel bad. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“Here you go, Selene.” My gut twists in jealousy as the handsome bartender hands Selene a bag with the bar’s logo printed on it. His wide grin and bulging muscles make me irrationally angry. Only dickheads wear shirts that tight. Andwhat’s he grinning about? Nobody’s that happy to be at work no matter how much they like their job.
“Thanks, Mav. Isn’t this usually your night off?” The knot in my stomach tightens further at their obvious familiarity. Is this Selene’s type? If so, there’s no hope for me. At 6ft 2” I’m hardly short, but Mav here has at least a couple of inches on me. Warily, I eye his bulky, tawny-brown arms. I’m no slacker when it comes to fitness, but I’m more of a runner—this guy looks like he could bench press a fucking house.
“Yeah, but the boss offered me time and a half to cover tonight.” Maybe the extra pay is why he’s so cheerful. My eyes narrow at the way he leans over the bar towards Selene. Nope, pretty sure that’s not why the guy’s smiling.
“You Jared?” he asks, hazel eyes locking onto me.
“Yep,” I reply, edging closer to Selene’s side while reaching over the bar to accept the other takeaway bag. His eyes dart between us, then he smirks. “You two have a good night.”
“Thanks,” Selene replies brightly, oblivious to the little pissing contest we’re having. Just as well, really. I’ve got no right to feel so territorial over her. For all I know, Mav’s her partner. She fiddles with the handles of her takeaway bag for a moment, looking up at me with an unreadable expression before letting out a sigh so small I’d miss it if I weren’t paying such close attention. “I should head home. It was good seeing you, Jared.”
“Wait.” The word’s out of my mouth before my brain can catch up. “Did you mean it when you said I could come to you for help?”
“Of course. Did something happen?”
“No, nothing like that,” I assure her. “But I still have about a million questions, and Huxley and I barely scratched the surface earlier. Now that I’m aware there’s more going on here, I’m worried my ignorance will get me in trouble. Would you be open to filling me in on the basics?”
Selene’s worried expression brightens into a megawatt smile. “Of course. It’s pretty loud here, why don’t you come back to mine and you can ask away while we eat?” she suggests.
