He pursed his lips and studied me. I wasn’t sure if he found my Saturday routine weird like Bradley did. Bradley had never understood my love for “dirty, smelly” animals or my general dislike for being social with people. But that was to be expected, considering he was as social as a person could be. That fact always made people ask how we ended up and stayed together.
I sometimes wondered the same thing.
“That sounds nice,” Dante noted, pulling out his phone. After checking it, he slid it back into his pocket and met my gaze. “I won’t hold up your date with the animals. Feel free to send me pics.”
That fire on my face combusted as my voice rose. “P-Pics?”
Dante gave me a pointed look as he fought a grin. “At the zoo, Star. Pictures of the animals.” His brown eyes raked over me, igniting with their own kind of heat. “Unless you’re offering to send other kinds of—”
“Got it!” I cut him off, spinning on my heel. “Pictures of animals. Bye!”
I raced out of the library. My heart pounded, and the sound of Dante’s rich laughter followed after me.
One Year Ago
Diary Entry 7
Dear Twila,
Are you used to your name, yet? I really hope you’re liking it.
The release of my second book is just a month away. It’s been a struggle getting here, most of which you didn’t witness since we’re still fairly new in our relationship.
My family doesn’t believe in me.
I have no one to talk to about the worries, stresses, and doubts that come with forging your own tales. I bottle them up until doubt festers like an infection inside my body. I can’t write when that happens. Hell, I can barely get out of bed when that happens. In those moments, I think about how nice it would be to have someone there to listen and talk me through the imposter syndrome.
I guess it’s good that you and I have each other, Twila.
Anyway, even though they think writing is a joke, they agreed to come to my release day signing. I think that’s a step in the right direction. They may not read my books or think it’s a worthy hope to have, but they are still going to show up for me. That’s something, right, Twila?
Wish me luck, I guess.
Chapter 6
Dante
WAS I HANGING OUT WITH Serenity just to see my plan of ruining Bradley’s life come to fruition? Yes.
But did I also find the human woman interesting? Hell, yeah.
Especially after this morning.
When I’d woken up to that video, I’d damn-near ruined my bed sheets from the mere sight alone. The sight of her sweet pussy spread open with her finger sliding through the wetness was the sweetest kind of sin. I couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with her, not as a hidden entity in the shadows but real skin against skin.
This morning’s meet up had also been a coincidence. When I saw her in her car at the coffee shop, I was stunned. While I’d planned on visiting her today, I’d intended to do it later in the evening. But why wait when the gift had been presented to me on a silver platter?
I watched the human practically run away from the library, and amusement pricked at my insides, making it impossible to fight my grin. I thought about giving chase, but after checking the time on my phone again, I realized it was just past 11 a.m.
Zagan would be leaving everything we’d worked for behind today because of the stupid sacrifice he was determined to make for his human. I wasn’t sure if the deed was already done, but I figured I’d pop in to see. Maybe Babette would be dragging thefucker off the moment I appeared, and I could stand there and say, “I told you so.”
I jogged back to my car down the road to drop my new books in the passenger seat before stepping into an alleyway. Shadows erupted around me. I walked amid the darkness and appeared in the foyer of Zagan’s gothic home, nearly smacking into Iyla’s back.
“Coldin!” Zagan’s human bond screamed, oblivious to my sudden presence.
Her desperate plea echoed through the empty mansion, and I took the frantic tone to mean Babette had already come and taken Zagan away. Iyla clearly thought Coldin was still here and could offer some sort of help. Little did she know he was at my place, and even if he was here, the Letum demon wouldn’t help her.
Iyla’s little sister had apparently been dying, and because Zagan thought he loved this human, he’d decided to make a deal with Babette, a Bargainer demon. He’d offered himself up as Babette’s own personal sex doll in exchange for her saving Iyla’s sister.
