“It’s okay,” Nathan said. “He won’t be able to hurt anyone else ever again. That’ll definitely be enough. And that’s what I care about. That’s why I’m making the request.”
“Favor,” Talon said, pointing at him. “You asked for a favor. Generally, if you ask for a favor, it means you owe that person in the future.”
For the first time, it struck Nathan that he was making a deal with a demon. “You want me to owe you a favor?”
Talon’s shark-like grin brought to mind blood in the water. “I do. You never know when it might come in handy.”
“Don’t worry, Nate,” Luke said, stretching his legs out and laying his plate on his lap. “Whenever Mal or I owe Talon a favor, he usually winds up asking us to cover one of Alex’s shifts so they can have some, uh, quality time together.” He cast a covert glance at Zachary and Angela.
“I’m fifteen,” Angela deadpanned. “I know what ‘quality time’ means. None of you are subtle about what you get up to.”
Malachi snorted out a laugh.
Storm leaned over, smoothing a hand up Nathan’s back to curl around his neck. “Are you finished eating? We should head home.”
Nathan agreed, draining his soda and picking up his trash.
“I’ll handle it in a few days, after the guild’s had time to let their guard down some,” Talon promised. “I’ll text you when it’s done.”
Gratitude filled him. Talon was the only one who could teleport into the guild and back out—besides Shadrach, who likely wouldn’t be inclined to help. While the wards were down, Talon would be able to get in easily and take care of Weston quietly.
“Thank you, Talon.” He’d feel much better knowing Weston wasn’t out there with the potential to hurt anyone else.
He let Storm lead him from the group. It was only when they were ensconced in the truck, with the moonlight shining down on them, that he asked, “Why’d we leave so early?”
“I’ve got a little surprise.” Storm started the engine, shooting him a smile.
Nathan grinned, sliding into the middle seat and curling a hand over Storm’s thigh. “A surprise? Really?”
“Yep. It’s kind of a tradition.”
“A tradition?”
Storm chuckled, patting his leg. “Just wait. You’ll see.”
Nathan settled beside him, leaving his hand to rest on Storm’s leg. The route home was a familiar one by now. He watched the houses and storefronts pass by with idle interest, content beyond words. This was what he’d been missing. He’d had companionship, friends, certainly, but nothing like this. This was a bone-deep satisfaction like he’d never known before. His eyes drifted closed, and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to the curve of Storm’s shoulder and then resting his head there.
When they pulled up at the apartment, Storm shook him awake, and Nathan blinked, raising his head and yawning.
“More tired than I thought, I guess,” he said, following Storm out of the truck and toward the building. When they reached the top floor, Nathan used his key to open the apartment door.
“Do you want to go to bed?” Storm asked, flipping the living room light on.
“No, I want my surprise.” He sat down on the sofa and smiled up at him. “You’ve gotten my hopes up. I’ve got to know now.”
The fondness in Storm’s eyes took his breath away. “Okay. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Nathan waited, watching Storm retreat upstairs to the bedroom. While he waited, he kicked off his sneakers and tucked them under the coffee table.
When Storm returned, he sat down beside Nathan, perching on a knee and facing him sideways on the couch.
“We haven’t really talked much about the future,” Storm said, “other than that we want to stay in each other’s lives.”
Nathan nodded. “That’s the priority, yeah.”
“Well, to that end, I have something for you. We discussed you taking my blood, and if that’s something you still want, I’d like that, too. I want to spend eternity with you.”
Nathan stared, unable to formulate a response. Storm reached into his pocket and tugged out a small, velvet box.
