Another amused snort. “I know you could.”
The doorbell rang before they could argue, and they fluidly rose to their feet, their earlier nerves swarming back to life in their belly. Tad had offered a distraction from the day’s upheaval, but the chiming of the bell erased the momentary calm.
Zef was getting a new roommate. A human roommate.
Bryce was an animal healer, a veterinarian as humans called it. Zef had made his acquaintance in September when they had visited the human world with their coworkers from the Passing Through Cafe. Oliver, the most recent hire at the cafe and a human himself, had invited their group to Montana where his parents owned a dude ranch.
Since they had never been to the human dimension before, the experience had been eye-opening. They had even ridden a horse during theirvisit. Queen Charlotte was a gentle, noble creature, and they had liked her immensely. They had thanked her profusely for allowing them to sit atop her back during their “trail ride.”
But one of their favorite moments from the weekend had been observing Bryce as he tended to a wounded bull. The human had graciously allowed Zef and Willow—their Dryad coworker—to watch as he sanitized, stitched, then wrapped the injured leg. They had done their best not to overwhelm him with questions the entire time, but Bryce had been most accommodating with his answers.
Only a few weeks later, Oliver had announced that Bryce would be taking part in a study-abroad program here in Hellia. He was in need of temporary housing, and Zef happened to have an extra room. So they had offered to rent it out to Bryce, and the human had agreed immediately.
And now, Bryce was here to officially move in. Other than Oliver—and to a certain extent, Oliver’s friend, Jude—Zef had not spent much time with humans. They had certainly never cohabitated with one. Hence the flurry of nerves cramping their stomach as they approached their front door.
It would be fine, they reasoned. From the limited time they had spent with him, Bryce had proven himself to be kind, friendly, and polite. Their temporary living situation could prove to be beneficial and educational for them both. What better way to learn about humans than to live with one?
Yes, it would be fine. Zef was sure of it. As long as Bryce did not drink the last of their favorite tea without replenishing it. Or move the furniture. Or rearrange their mugs. Or change the condo in any way.
Though that was an unfair request, they supposed. If Bryce did change things, Zef would take it in stride. They would respond how they always did, with poise and grace.
Unless Bryce rearranged their mugs; that really would be a dealbreaker.
Chapter two
Traveling Through a Black Hole
Bryce
The train jolted, andBryce knocked Jude’s shoulder hard enough the smaller man squeaked and braced himself on the wall.
“Crap, sorry,” Bryce said, pressing harder into the arm rest on the other side to give Jude space, stretching his long legs into the aisle.
“No worries,” Jude said with a reassuring smile, the skin around his whiskey-brown eyes crinkling. “Passing through the veil is usually a little bumpy.”
Bryce nodded, glancing around their train car. There weren’t any windows, giving him the impression of being trapped in a Pringles can. Claustrophobia skittered icy fingers over the back of his neck, and he faced forward again, studying the back of the seat in front of him.
“You okay?” Jude asked, and Bryce swallowed thickly, nodding again.
“Yeah. Just never traveled through a black hole before.”
At that, Jude cocked his head. “Black hole?”
“The veil into the Hell dimension,” Bryce said, eyes still trained on the zig-zag pattern of fabric in front of him. “I read about it. It’s less of a barrier or a portal to push through, and more of a wormhole you fall into. Kind of like a black hole in space, but less gravity. So you can’t accidentally get sucked in against your will or anything, but… like the physics of it is kinda similar, but with more magic involved, I guess. I didn’t understand everything in the article, but…”
He trailed off after a glance in Jude’s direction, not wanting to annoy him with his nervous rambling about stuff he probably didn’t care about. “Anyway, turbulence when traveling through a black hole seems logical.”
“Right,” Jude said, casting a wary look over the train car. “I think I prefer not to know the details. As long as the train gets me there in one piece, I’m happy.”
“And you take the train a lot?” Bryce asked, more as a distraction than anything. He’d never been particularly good at small talk, but sitting here alone with his thoughts and his nerves was more dangerous.
“Less now that school has started. Most of my classes are online, so I stay in the Pentagram with Toni more often than not.”
Bryce had met the eccentric group of demons that worked at the cafe with Oliver back in September, but he didn’t know for sure which one was Toni. “And Toni’s the big one with all the arms?”
With a snort, Jude shook his head. “No, that’s Gem, Toni’s best friend. Toni is the Elas. The… shark one.”
“Ah, fins and blue stripes?”
