Page 15 of The Succubi's Choice

He shakes his head, quick, then hesitates. “He heals me when he does. Accidentally.”

She’s never heard of demons being able to heal anyone, but she knows that demigods can. More information for Lundy later.

“What’s your roommate’s name?”

“I don’t know,” he says, then his eyebrows furrow. “What are you doing?” His hand stays firmly in hers, though, gripping as if she’s the only landline to the world.

“I’m just making sure everything’s okay,” she says, calm, rubbing her thumb over his hand, marveling at the smoothness of his skin. “What does your roommate do?”

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out, and a briefly tense look crosses his face before Miri steps closer. “You’re making me say things?” He asks, his voice small. “I usually, I’m not here when my roommate does things and I don’t know.”

“You’re not here?” She pitches her voice down low. “Where do you go?”

He jerks away, aborted, before gripping her hand hard, as her charm soothes him down, but… “It’s like I’m asleep,” he whispers. “It’s like I’m asleep and I figure out what happens later.” Again, panic crosses his face.

“What’s the computer for?” She changes the subject, trying to keep her voice down and calm, and he relaxes again.

“I built it for him,” he says, quick. “What are you?”

“I’m just asking questions,” she all but purrs, but her heart is racing, and her hand sweats a bit in his. “What does your roommate want?”

“I don’t know that,” he says, his lips parting briefly, as if he wants to lie but just can’t. “I’m not...I’m not important to it. All I do is the computer, he connects with people, connects with everyone with it, but he’s useless with it.”

And he falls silent, a small and helpless look on his face, and guilt floods her. She drops her charm like a brick.

He recoils away, snatching his hand back like she burned him. “What the fuck?”

She attempts a smile. “Sorry about that, we won’t be bothering you,” she says, wiping her hand briskly against her khakis.

As if she slapped him, he stares at her, jaw slack in shock, as she turns towards the door. “What the fuck did you just do?” He calls after her, his voice strangled. “I didn’t do anything, what the fuck...”

Something in his tone prompts her to look back at him. “Thomas,” she starts, as gentle as she can make her voice without any additional effects, “You’re not the only human caught up in this strange world, it’s bound to be confusing.”

Emotions, quicker than she can track, flit across his face, before it settles on wary. “You did something to me,” he declares with a lift of his chin. “I don’t just talk like that.”

And that anger is warranted, very warranted, but it strikes something deep in her, some sort of pity, some sort of regret. “If you have questions, feel free to text me, here.” She pulls out a business cards, one of the ones with her number, the ones she gives to other non-normal people in this weird situation. The ones without Katya’s email. “I know what it’s like to go through the system and the bureaucracy.”

Careful not to touch her, he takes the card, glancing at it before setting it down on his counter next to his hot plate. The guarded look never leaves his face. “You...probably shouldn’t have come here,” he says, slow. “I don’t know who tipped you off but...”

“Your ‘roommate’ into some weird shit?” She supplies, and he gives her a half-crooked smile, seemingly despite himself. She continues, “Yeah, I hear that sort of thing a lot. It’s my job.”

Not that her job is even remotely close to dealing with stuff like this, but…

So she gives him another small, professional smile, then walks out the door. She can feel him watching her on the way out, but she leaves anyways.

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