Page 73 of The Devil and His Sparrow

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“The day our little Incubus went soft. It’s cute.”

I quirked my pierced brow at her and turned so that I faced her with only one arm resting on the bar. “Excuse me? Soft?”

She nodded and tipped her chin back at our table. “For Iyla.”

For some reason, my stomach bottomed out at the suggestion, and I scoffed. “Please. You’re delusional. I’ve not gone soft.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Right. I’m the delusional one. You’re the one in denial, but don’t worry. I won’t tell the other demons that you care about a human.”

The uneasiness in my gut amplified, and now, any trace of humor left me. I stared at Eden, brow furrowed, and heart beating harder. “What are you talking about?”

She turned to mirror my pose, facing me with one arm leaned on the bar. “Come on, Z. I’ve known you for over a millennium. You’ve never treated humans the way you treat Iyla. It’s not a bad thing. I think it’s good that you have feelings for her.”

My heart had never pounded as hard as it did now, and for a second, I worried I was going into cardiac arrest. Until reason reminded me that demons couldn’t do that. “Feelings?”

I looked back at our table where Iyla watched her friends talk and throw back drinks. Her brown eyes pinched at the sides in a bright smile, and she threw her head back in a laugh at something Addie said. The beating in my chest stopped. The air in my lungs stilled. Time suspended until all that remained was Iyla and her gorgeous laughter. The delighted sound blanketed me in warmth, like a song written just for me.

I quickly remembered myself and turned back to Eden with a cough. “You’re wrong. She and I are friends because of our bond. That’s why I treat her the way I do.”

The bartender slid us our drinks, and Eden grabbed hers without looking away from me. She gave me a knowing smirk. “Really? Because I don’t look at my friends the way you look at her.” She shrugged. “Just some food for thought.”

She spun on her heel and left me standing there with my heart in my throat. Feelings? For Iyla? That was impossible. Demons couldn’t feel anything for people. At least, most of us couldn’t. Sure, there were a few instances where demons had fallen in love with people, but that was a rarity. And I wasn’t one of them. Iyla was just a human with whom I got along. That was all.

I made it back to the table with Eden’s stupid words still trying to till up my thoughts. Iyla’s big eyes found mine, and a smile was still plastered onto her perfect lips. I handed her the drink I’d gotten her and watched her taste it.

“Better?” I asked.

She took a few tentative sips and finally nodded. “Much better. Thank you.”

Nahla threw back a shot then grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Dance with me, baby.”

She and Iseul rushed to the dance floor below. Addie and Eden weren’t far behind, and they easily found partners to dance with once on the floor. Iyla and I slid out of the booth to watch from the balcony above. I rested my arms on the railing, and when I noticed how Iyla shifted restlessly next to me, I made sure my arm brushed against her. She shivered, and I fought a smile at the reaction. She was still teetering on the edge of trying to keep her head here and not on the desire to get railed. My straining cock begged for the latter, but it could wait. I didn’t need all these human eyes watching me fuck someone in public. That would be a shitstorm for the band’s PR team.

“What do you think Coldin’s doing?” Iyla asked like she was fishing for something to distract her from whatever she was really thinking about.

I shrugged, watching the bodies below. “Probably finding a dark corner somewhere in the house to hang out in. That’s all he really does as a snake.”

“Why didn’t you let him come here with us?”

I hesitated and raised a brow. “I didn’t even think about it, to be honest. I don’t really give much thought to him or anyone else.”

“That’s not true.”

I looked over to find her staring at me. The lust in her eyes had been replaced with a sudden seriousness. “You’re very thoughtful,” she argued. “Look at all you’ve done for me.”

Eden’s words tried to push their way to the forefront of my head, but I quickly shoved them back.

“You’re different,” I said.

A crease formed between her brows. “Why?”

I frowned. I didn’t know how to answer that. Eden seemed to think she knew the answer, but she was wrong. She had to be. So then, I was left asking myself: why was Iyla different? It didn’t make sense to me, either.

“Because I’m your bond?” she probed.

I chewed thoughtfully on the inside part of my lip ring, but no matter how I considered it, that answer didn’t feel right. “No. That’s not why.”

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