Onyx’s brows rose. “Ollie didn’t tell you?”
“No. He told me about magic and the afterlife,” Dex whispered, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.
Yeah, he’d had trouble processing everything yesterday, but no way he’d missed something this major. Ash and Dante hadn’t mentioned how much time had passed when explaining Luc’s story, and Dex hadn’t wondered, even though falling to Earth made him think of the Bible and things that would have happened a long time ago.
Fuck, maybe he had missed some important cues.
Was Onyx saying he, Dante, and Ash were immortal? Was Luc? Dammit, his name was Lucifer. Dex had to stop thinking of him as Luc.
And stop thinking about him, period.
Onyx ran a hand through his hair, his congenial expression cracking. “Sorry. I’m freaking you out. Revealing all this to a human is actually quite involved.” A furrow appeared on his brow. “I should have cut Dante more slack.”
Dex didn’t bother asking. “What do you meanimmortal?”
“Exactly what you think: demons live forever unless we’re permanently destroyed.”
“How do you destroy a demon?”
Onyx raised a brow. “Planning on becoming a hunter?”
Heat flooded Dex’s body. “No. Definitely not. Shit. Sorry. And sorry for swearing.”
“It’s all right. Relax. You can’t out-swear me. And I was teasing about hunting. There’s no way you could do anything to a demon that we wouldn’t bounce back from.”
Dex had another sip of wine.
Onyx’s expression sobered. “I’m sorry about yesterday. Dante and Ash said you were on a date with Luc when Ollie ran into you.”
Dex’s stomach sank so rapidly, it nearlyfled his body. He scrubbed a hand over his face as it grew hot with shame. “I can’t believe I let him fool me like that.”
Onyx gently tugged Dex’s lingering hand away and met his eyes. “Don’t beat yourself up. No one thinks you did anything wrong.”
“I betrayed Ollie.” Shit, he’d admitted it out loud. Forget this being any kind of art-related networking opportunity. Dex was coming apart at the seams.
Onyx’s grip tightened on Dex’s hand. “You didn’t betray Ollie. He doesn’t think that, and neither does anyone else.”
But Dexhadbetrayed Ollie. Going on a date with Luc and kissing him wasn’t the half of it. His attraction to Luc lingered. Dex hated Luc, but his hate was incomplete. Part of him regretted walking away from Luc without hearing him out.
“Whatever you’re thinking, don’t guilt yourself,” Onyx continued. “Everything to do with my brother is complicated. Give yourself a chance to process. Talk to Ollie. Talk to me if you want. It’ll all work out in time.”
Heat faded from Dex’s face. Onyx sounded so sure, but then, maybe everything worked out when you lived forever and time didn’t end.
“I can’t get rid of the feelings I had when I first met him,” Dex whispered before he could stop himself. There was no point trying to be professional, and he feared he’d explode if he didn’t admit it to someone.
Onyx squeezed his hand again before releasing it with a soft little smile. “That’s okay.”
But it wasn’t okay. How was Onyx not shocked by Dex’s feelings for his best friend’s would-be murderer? That was so far from okay, it wasn’t even funny. Dex’s stomach cramped, and he hated himself.
He desperately wanted to believe the Luc he’d met at Dorthy’s was the real Luc. Not the man who’d hurt Ollie andHarper. But he was wrong. It was a foolish, selfish thing to hold onto. He was a terrible person.
“Hey, sorry we’re late.” Harper pulled out the chair next to Onyx.
Onyx looked him up and down. “The wait was worth it. Look at you.”
Harper beamed. He looked stunning in tight pants and a flowy, vintage pastel blouse with pearl buttons. He even had glasses to match. “I kept ruining my eyeliner and had to use magic in the end.”
Onyx laughed.
