Page 35 of How Not to Date a Demon

With a huff and a shake of her head, she grabbed her bag and rested her hand on the doorknob. She knew the puppies were in there, just waiting for her to leave. Their whines were echoing around the apartment, making her heart and head hurt. But in the end, they were just puppies. Even if they were demon dog puppies.

She could simply walk past them and leave.

Maeve sucked in a deep breath, dried her tears, and pulled the door open.

The puppies rushed in right past her where she was hiding behind the door.

Even better.

The three of them tripped over each other as they slowed down, but before they could redirect themselves, Maeve slipped out and slammed the door behind them.

They went to yelping and barking on the other side, and it broke her heart a little to leave them there.

But that was Galen’s problem now! He shouldn’t have brought home three demon dogs in the first place.

With a grunt of frustration, she turned her back on the bedroom and marched across the living room, eager to get in her car and leave this all beh—

The lock on the door rattled only once, not even long enough for her to do anything but freeze, before it opened.

Galen stood on the other side, face and forehead sweaty like it had been that night he’d had a nightmare.

So had he run off to the alley and grown wings then too? Was that it? He’d lied about that as well?

The alarm ringing through her was echoed in Galen’s expression as he saw her, his grin wilting and gaze dropping to the bag in her hands.

“Maeve?” His voice was soft, innocent. Confused.

She rocked the bag behind her legs, gripping it with both hands behind her back. She couldn’t tell him she knew.

Lie.

“I was going to go stay with, uh... Amanda for a few days.”

He lifted those dark eyes to hers, and they were filled with suspicion.

She swallowed, stepping back from the door. From him.

“Amanda? Haven’t heard that name in a while. Is everything okay?”

Galen wasn’t buying it. It was in his tone, his expression.

Maeve came up with the quickest lie of her life. “She’s having marital problems. Requested a girls’ day.”

“For like a week?” he asked, nodding at the full duffle bag. “And at four in the morning?”

He stepped into the apartment and shut the door, leaning back against it.

The ball in her stomach grew spikes.

“A girl’s gotta have options, y’know?” she said with a laugh that didn’t sound like herself at all.

Galen studied her for the longest moment, his expression hardened like a cement block. He gave nothing away, and Maeve did her best to hide everything.

She huffed. “Besides, not like you can talk, Mr. Long Walks in the Middle of the Night!”

Galen lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck,” he said, paired with a bang as he knocked his head back against the door. “How’d you find out?”

The question caught her off guard. Not just the words, but the tone. As if she’d ruined her own surprise party. Not as if she’d found…