Page 14 of Truth Revealed

It kind of sucked, since all he wanted to do was be in bed with Daria. He hated the thought of her sleeping alone, but it truly was for the best. The decision she had to make needed to be made while she had a clear head. And her head wasn’t very clear when she was around them.

Humming to himself, he grabbed the snack bag from the passenger seat and rooted around until he found the familiar shape of a piece of candy.

The wrapper crinkled in the quiet of the car as he popped the hard candy out of the plastic and into his mouth.

His mouth watered from the tart sourness of the taste and he—

Almost swallowed his tongue as the door to the apartment they were watching flew open. Instead, he coughed out a breath and sunk low in his seat, observing the young, blond demon as he got into his car. It was the same one that’d stepped on Daria’s wrist when she’d been going for the blade. The one whose actions ultimately caused Daria’s death… that time.

Youth.

“What are you up to?” Truth murmured as the brake lights flared to life on the car.

When the demon had pulled out into the street, Truth followed behind at a much slower pace. The last thing he wanted was to tip the guy off and send him running to Pandora. Shoulders tense, hands tight around the wheel, candy crunching to pieces between his teeth, Truth followed. It wasn’t long before they ended up in the center of town, a few blocks away from Daria’s workplace.

Brake lights lit up, casting the pavement in a wash of red light as he parked on the side of the street. Truth continued past, and took the next right, sliding into a parking space quickly and shutting the car off.

The keys were in his pocket and he was carefully shutting the door as quietly as possible. He hopped up onto the sidewalk and hugged the brick wall of the building. Steps silent, he stalked to the corner of the building before pausing and tipping his head around the corner.

Light washed out onto the street, lighting up Youth’s car as he sauntered inside the… YCM. Youth Center of Maleston.

Huh. How about that?

Through the glass doors and windows of the building, Truth was able to clearly take note of the way the demon went up to the donation window and slipped a big, white envelope inside.

Youth stood there a moment longer, studying the wall of pictures and awards Truth couldn’t make out from across the street. When the other demon turned on his heel, Truth only had a single second to study his face before he was straightening up and crossing the street.

Youth didn’t catch sight of him until he’d come out of the building, the glass door shutting behind him with a soft hiss.

His eyes grew wide and he froze, only seconds away from running in the opposite direction. It was fear shining out of his bright blue gaze just then, not the desire to stand and fight.

And that alone made Truth’s stomach flip in a way that told him he was making the right decision.

“Wanna talk?” he asked simply.

The other demon didn’t answer, still frozen to the spot, his throat working in a swallow.

“Not here to interrogate,” he continued, “or seek revenge, or hurt you, or whatever else I’m sure Pandora has told you to expect. Just talking.”

His tongue darted out to wet his lips before he gave a barely discernible nod. He stepped toward his car, but Truth jerked his chin in the other direction.

“Would you care if we talked in mine? In case she’s listening.”

His eyes grew even wider, and the sight would have been comical if Truth wasn’t so afraid of scaring the kid off.

Youth nodded again, still without having spoken a word, and Truth led him across the street, around the corner, and to his car. He dug his keys from his pocket.

“Heads up,” he called, and tossed them at the kid.

He flinched, but his hand came up and he snatched the keys from the air. When he turned an inquisitive stare on him, Truth shrugged and headed for the passenger side. “I’m not kidnapping you. You’re safe with me. Take the driver’s side.”

Once the car doors closed, the car quickly filled with tension.

“What business does one of Pandora’s demons have donating to a local kids’ center?”

And why had he looked so terrified during the fight in the warehouse?

Still, he didn’t speak for a long moment, but Truth waited him out. He had to say something eventua—