I’m still here.
Harper:
*devil emoji*
Dex:
Gotta get back to work. See youtonight.
Dex arrivedat the restaurant right on time in a button-up shirt he couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn. He was lucky it fit.
He’d walked to the Arts District, hoping to clear his head, and had only gotten sweaty for his trouble. The restaurant was intimidating, to say the least. Everything screamed expensive, from the brushed silver door handle to the upholstered chairs and elegant light fixtures.
Dex smoothed his shirt and gave the hostess Onyx’s name. She smiled and led him through the mood-lit room and up a set of stairs to a rooftop patio, where an honest-to-god harpist sat in the corner, plucking at her instrument.
Dex hurried to close his gaping mouth. Good thing he was selling his condo if he was buying dinner here.
The hostess showed him toward a round table overlooking a garden where Onyx was seated alone, focused on the music. Dex shouldn’t have bothered dressing up. He looked like he’d come for a job interview, and Onyx looked like he’d walked out of a magazine.
The demon’s blue hair was perfect, his posture reminiscent of Luc’s easy grace. He wore a sheer white blouse and a silver choker, looking every bit the influential gallery owner.
Dex’s stomach flipped. He should have met Ollie and Harper at their place and ridden with them so he wouldn’t have been caught alone with Onyx.
“Here we are,” the hostess announced.
Onyx’s attention snapped toward them. “Thank you, Claire.”
She nodded and left.
“Um. Hi.” Dex pulled out a chair. “Thanks so much for inviting me.”
Onyx waved off his thanks with a careless hand. “My pleasure. Ollie tells me you’re a bit of a foodie.”
“Yeah?” Dex sat, trying to ignore the twist settling in his gut. He didn’t knowthatmuch about food.
“Me too.” Onyx leaned in conspiratorially. “This place has one of the best tasting menus in the city.”
“Great.” Dex glanced at the menu. There were no prices.Fuck.
Should he ask Onyx about the cost? He took the glass of water closest to him and sipped, wetting his rapidly drying throat.
Onyx had apparently already ordered a bottle of red wine, which sat on the table next to three glasses. The demon lifted the bottle. “Do you like pinot noir? Claire went ahead and opened it so it could breathe.”
Dex shifted in his seat, folding his hands on the table, then on his lap. “Sure, thanks.”
Onyx deftly poured what seemed like a tiny amount of wine into Dex’s admittedly massive wineglass. “We need to go wine tasting to nail down the others’ preferences. Harper had never even heard of pinot noir or pinot grigio, bless him.”
Dex laughed shakily as Onyx set the wine aside. “Don’t you want any?”
Onyx wrinkled his nose. “I don’t drink human beverages. Wait…” He leaned in once more, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Has anyone told you about the blood drinking?”
Dex swallowed. “No.”Blood drinking?He would not panic. Not in front of Onyx. He would remain still and calm.
“Don’t fret. No one is asking you for a sip. We demons require blood to maintain our immortality in this realm, but we source it all ethically these days.”
Dex had a large gulp of wine, choking slightly. “Immortality?”
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
