Page 16 of My Silent Demon

Onyx rummaged through some boxes in the closet until he found what he was looking for. “Aha,” he said. He pulled out a pair of spectacles and turned around.

He saw I was awake and said, “Hey, sleepyhead. I went to pick up your girlfriend, but she slammed her door in my face. Apparently, she can see the supernatural world now. But someone didn’t prepare her properly.” He raised his eyebrows. “So I’m going to give her some glasses to make everything look normal until I can talk to her.”

Wait, why are you picking N up? I signed.

Onyx grinned mischievously then disappeared without saying a word.

I made the ultimate sacrifice last night. Something practically unheard of for a demon. I performed a selfless act. I deserved to sleep in. My head fell back onto the pillow, and I closed my eyes.

* * *

Magdalene

Onyx rapped his knuckles on the door. “N, open up. Just a crack. I brought something that will help,” he said.

I hadn’t moved from my seat by the wall.

“Please crack the door. I’m going to slide something through. It’ll help.”

I drew a deep breath. I had to face the supernatural, right? This was something I’d have to deal with seeing the rest of my life. Damn Osian.

I stood and breathed to calm myself. Then I opened the door and looked Onyx in the face.

He looked surprised but quickly said, “I’m the same Onyx you’ve known all along, I only look different now. I won’t hurt you.” His black gaze studied my face.

My hands hesitantly went to his cheeks. He closed his eyes as I ran my fingertips over his features. His haircut remained the same, even if now little horns poked out of it. His skin felt normal and alive. If I closed my eyes, besides the missing nose and the horns, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

But I had a demon’s face in my hands. A demon!

Suddenly Wynn’s comments about Osian and Onyx being like monsters came back to me. Her veiled speech made more sense. She trusted them, though, right? She’d said Osian was a good guy. Both demons had said they wouldn’t hurt me. Maybe I could trust them, too.

I drew my hands back. Onyx opened his eyes and leveled that unsettling gaze on me.

I said, “This is going to take some getting used to.”

Onyx nodded. “It will.” He gestured to a pair of glasses in his hand that looked like ancient spectacles. “These glasses make everything look ‘normal.’ If you want to use them, you can.”

Hesitantly, I shook my head. “I think I need to see things as they are.”

Onyx nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind. The glasses are always available. Do you have a bag packed?”

“Oh. Yeah. I’ll get it.” I’d completely forgotten about my duffel bag. I went back inside and grabbed the bag off the floor. One last quick look around showed I hadn’t forgotten anything essential. I left the room and locked the door behind me.

I shuddered when I looked at Onyx again, but I braced my shoulders to follow him.

His eyes said he saw the movement and appreciated that I still moved forward.

“May I take your bag?” he asked.

“No, I’ve got it.”

Onyx nodded solemnly. He walked beside me as we made our way down to the parking lot.

Onyx gestured to a sleek but not flashy black Dodge parked out front. “You can put your bag in the backseat.”

I nodded and approached the car. As I glanced around, I noticed none of the other students in the lot even looked twice at Onyx.

I tossed my bag into the backseat then climbed into the passenger seat. Onyx put the spectacles in the middle console.

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