Prequel
Familiar
The house that Zach bought
The height of summer had passed, but the days were still long and warm. There was a gentle breeze, and Drew Phillips hummed softly to himself as he walked down the wide, tree-lined street. He was walking home after his last class for the week, and he was looking forward to the weekend. Tomorrow was their anniversary, and he had plans. Big plans. But that was tomorrow. He still had several glorious hours of today left, and he planned to make the most of them. Zach would be home soon and they had plans to go for a hike through the Colliery Dam Park before ordering some dinner and then watching a movie.
Drew smiled as he thought of his boyfriend. When they’d first gotten together, they’d discussed what to call one another. He had worried that “boyfriend” was too frivolous to describe his relationship with an eons-old ex-angel. Zach had told him that “partner” made Drew sound ancient, and “lover” sounded like they were in a clandestine relationship that neededto be kept on the down low. In the end, they’d decided that “boyfriend” would make the most sense to everyone else, and so that was the term they used.
Drew was hopeful that from tomorrow they could change the wording to “fiancé.”
Was it too cliché to propose on their first anniversary? Probably. Was Drew going to do it, anyway? Yes, yes he was. He loved Zach more than he thought possible and he was going to put a ring on it.
Unable to help but feel giddy with excitement, Drew’s steps sped up, and he was soon walking up the neat path that led to their small house.
Their house. Drew had a house!
After Zach had been freed from the spell that bound him to the fallen angel, Oberon, Drew had thought his Hellish Amex card would stop working. It didn’t. In fact, Zach received a very hefty sum into a bank account from “upper management”—the term he used for the higher angels who ran Heaven like a well-oiled conglomerate. Apparently, it was some sort of severance, recompense, “sorry for abandoning you in Hell for 1400 years” payout. If they’d been human, Drew would have assumed the payout was to bribe Zach into not suing them. Given they were angels, maybe they really did feel bad about what Zach had gone through and wanted to give him the retirement he deserved? Who knew?
Whatever the reason for the payout, Zach had taken it and very quickly spent a good chunk of it. He’d purchased the house—insisting that it be put in both their names—paid for all of Drew’s university fees, and then bought Aunt Harriett a small apartment in Victoria. There was still enough left over that he didn’t need to work for a living, so he spent his time helping out at the Nightingale Collective and volunteering for several different organizations.
Even if he’d never come clean about his past, there was no way Drew would have continued to believe that Zach was a demon. He was just too damn nice.
He did, however, pass well as a Canadian.
The house was nicer than Drew had ever imagined he’d have. It was located in the university district, in a quiet neighbourhood, and was the first in a row of two-storey townhouses, with a small fenced yard at the front and a garage at the back. It had four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Three! What did people do with three entire bathrooms? Zach had pointed out that one of the bathrooms on the main floor was more of a “powder room” so guests wouldn’t have to either use their en suite or go downstairs to use the bathroom there. Drew still thought it was two too many bathrooms for one couple, but it’s not like they’d built the house from scratch. He hadn’t had a say in how many bathrooms the house came with.
He let himself in through the wooden gate from the road, then crossed the yard to the three steps up to the front porch. He couldn’t help but grin as he slid the key into the lock—it was his place. Zach might have paid for it, but he’d made it clear it was theirs, and holy fucking shit, Drew owned a house!
That was never getting old.
The downstairs consisted of two bedrooms, a laundry room that connected to the garage, and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms they had set up as a guest room for when Harriett came to stay with them. Zach had plans to turn the other room into a reading room, but they’d not gotten much further into that project than to buy some flatpack bookcases which were still in their boxes.
Drew toed off his shoes and then climbed the stairs to the upper storey, where he dropped his keys into a bowl that sat on top of a long wooden cabinet. The main living space was a large open-plan area with high ceilings and large windows that let in lots of light. The kitchen at the far end on the right had wooden countertops and shiny stainless-steel appliances that made Drew feel very grown up. Off the kitchen was a covered balcony that overlooked the park across the road, which made the place feel even more luxurious. Drew had never lived anywhere with a nice view before. It hadalways been the wall of the building next door, or if he was lucky, a parking lot.
They had turned the second bedroom upstairs into a study of sorts, with desks for both of them. Zach used his desk to work on various projects for Grand Master Bartholomew Kensington, who was the head sorcerer for the Nightingale Collective, and Drew used his space mostly for his university studies, but also his magical studies.
It turned out that Drew came from a long line of witches and he had magic in spades. Kensington had been awed when he’d gotten his first read of Drew’s magic, but he’d also been worried about so much raw power in an untrained individual. He had quickly agreed to teach Drew so he didn’t inadvertently injure someone, and they met once a week for magical lessons. The house that was used as the Collective’s headquarters in Ladysmith wasn’t exactly Unseen University, but Drew didn’t need a decrepit Tower of Art, a High Energy Magic Building, or a library full of L-space run by an orangutan. As Kensington’s only student, his education was catered specifically for him and he didn’t need an entire university of indolent and inept old wizards. The one-on-one learning could sometimes be a little overwhelming, but overall Drew was progressing in leaps and bounds.
Glancing at the fancy wrought-iron clock on the wall, Drew saw that he still had almost an hour until Zach would be home, so he headed down to their bedroom. He pulled open the top right-hand drawer of their shared dresser, where he kept his socks, and Drew dug through the pile until his hand found the small ring box. He pulled it out and then went to sit on the end of the bed before he flipped the lid open.
The band inside was simple, and it didn’t cost as much as most engagement or wedding rings did. Drew couldn’t afford anything pricey, but he’d put a lot of thought into what type of ring would suit Zach, and he was certain this ring was perfect. It was made from black zirconium and had a small ruby inlaid in the centre. The colour combination wasreminiscent of Zach’s beautiful wings. It was elegant and stylish, just like Zach himself, and the metal had been subjected to extreme temperatures and yet emerged transformed into something truly beautiful.
Just like Zach.
Drew knew his inexperience with relationships made him uncertain at times, but in this he was positive he had made the right choice. He couldn’t wait to get down on one knee and offer Zach this ring in exchange for forever with him. Marriage wasn’t for everyone, and Drew had honestly never thought he’d ever want to get married, but for some reason, it felt right to him now.
He heard the front door close and jerked in surprise. “Hey, sweetness. I’m home!” Zach’s voice drifted up the stairs.
Drew swore and snapped the box shut, then quickly shoved it back into the drawer, burying it under his socks. He hurried down the short hallway into the living area just as Zach appeared at the top of the stairs. He was looking gorgeous as usual, his dark hair perfectly styled, his golden whiskey-coloured eyes bright, and his tall frame draped in a tailored shirt and suit pants that clung to every muscle. His wings were hidden, but Drew knew they could appear at a moment’s notice whenever Zach wished. “Hey,” he said with a big smile, crossing to Zach and tilting his head up for a kiss.
“Hey,” Zach murmured against his lips.
“You’re back early,” Drew noted.
“Yeah. Kensington and Simon got called off to some sort of disaster somewhere, so I figured I’d call it a day.”
Drew frowned. “Is everything alright?”
