“How convenient,” he replied.
“More like how unsurprising. It wasn’t until I moved in that I realized how unbearable living with her was. But that’s also how I met Sophia. She and I immediately clicked. Even though we have very different personalities. She’s a Teflon, where I’m a doormat. She comes in, does what she needs to do regardless of how toxic and unpleasant the situation is, then walks out and washed it off unscathed. I just get stuck with everyone else’s dirt digging into every fiber of my being.”
“You’re not a doormat,” he said sternly. “You’re an empath. And people take advantage of it. We’ll just need to work on you setting and enforcing your boundaries. But fear not. You have me now to remind you and run interference until you own the inner strength I see clearly in you.”
My chest warmed for my demon. If I hadn’t been driving right now, I would have given him a bone crushing hug.
“You’re giving me whiplash,” I mumbled to hide my embarrassment.
“Whiplash?” Vazul asked, slightly confused.
“You can be such a jerk sometimes with your blunt brutality. And then, you turn around and say something so incredibly sweet.”
He gave me an odd look before shrugging. “In all instances, I’m merely speaking the truth as I see it. It isyoumisinterpreting my intentions as being a jerk. Whatever my actions or words, know that where you are concerned, they will never be fueled by malice or cruelty. I exist to improve your life and make you thrive.”
“Like I said, whiplash…” I repeated, while melting from the inside out.
He snorted.
“Anyway, it was Sophia who got me into magic. I didn’t even know it was a real thing,” I continued. “Angie only invited me to share their apartment because she could feel my latent talent. It also made it easier for her to have unfettered access to my ideas so that she could appropriate them.”
“Naturally,” he replied, his voice thick with sarcasm. “But she seems quite wealthy. Why did she need roommates?”
“Because we had a fancy apartment on campus. Sadly for her, that specific one required three people. Once their former roommate left, they needed a replacement or they would have to relinquish the place and downgrade instead. It’s far more convenient to live on campus rather than deal with the nightmare traffic every day.”
“Then I’ll just rejoice that you had to deal with it long enough to hatch me,” he said teasingly.
I snorted and playfully elbowed him. Still, it gave me warm fuzzies whenever he spoke like that.
“I guess it wasn’t such a bad thing after all, despite what an aggravating experience it had been,” I concurred.
“So how come you’re not part of their coven?” he asked, genuinely intrigued.
“Honestly, I considered it. In fact, I really enjoyed discovering all the things that I could do with it. Magic is really cool. The camaraderie of a coven also appealed to me as I’d often felt like the odd girl out who didn’t really fit in any particular group. Even Myrtil, the Head Priestess, said I had great potential. But that entire crowd makes me feel uneasy.”
“Of course,” he replied in a self-evident manner. “They have very different values, morals, and ambitions. You are a sheep among wolves with them.”
That stung. Although I understood he hadn’t meant it in a derogatory way, it still made me feel less, and like the pushover I too often tended to be.
“You must buy me boring in comparison,” I said, immediately mentally kicking myself for sounding so pathetic and needy.
“Don’t be silly,” he said with a frown. “If you weren’t currently driving us—which I should be doing—I’d put you across my knees and give you a proper spanking. And not of the fun type. Everything about you tastes and feels better than those sharks. Stop comparing yourself with people who are inferior to you in all the ways that matter. Their magic means nothing. With proper training, you will by far exceed theirs. But no amount of effort or even therapy will make them emotionally even half as wonderful as you are. I’m glad you hatched me instead of her. I would never want to belong to any of them while I happily belong to you.”
Yep, my ovaries exploded again. It was a miracle I didn’t crash into some wall or run a red light I was so busy flying high under his sweet words.
“See! The emotions you currently feel taste divine. Stop ruining my snacks with irrational and unfounded feelings,” he grumbled.
The silliest grin stretched my lips as I beamed at him.
“Then just keep being this sweet to me, and I’ll continue to feel emotions that are tasty to you,” I deadpanned.
“Challenge accepted,” he said in a slightly menacing tone that had me tingling in all the right places.
Needless to say that as soon as we got home, I properly thanked him in the naughtiest fashion.
The next morning, I was examining my standard size coffee table showstopper. I’d spent an insane amount of time building the intricately carved, wooden table, leaving the interior hollow so that I could embed an alchemist lab. However, I builtan alternate miniature insert so that people could see the endless customization options. And I fell madly in love with the haunted Victorian street option instead.
The result exceeded all my expectations, especially after Vazul worked his magic, polishing the elements I hadn’t done as flawlessly as they could have been, or by replacing certain materials to heighten the realism.
