Page 31 of My Saintly Demon

“Are you two getting along, okay?”

“X was telling me you found him and brought him here. What is this place, Mike?”

Mike settles with a weary sigh at the table with us.

“To put it as simple as possible, it’s a place for misfits. Those from other worlds and sometimes humans with special circumstances.”

I scrunch my nose at his description. “We’re not misfits. I don’t like that word at all. There’s nothing wrong with us.”

“You never told me what brought you here.” X nudges me under the table with his foot. “I’m not stupid. I know you were trying to distract me.”

Biting my lip, I peer into the cup before me. A mere forty-eight hours ago, I was in a completely different world. I had a family. I was in a comfortable space. It wasn’t a perfect existence, but I thought I belonged there.

Now I’m not so sure I was meant to be there at all.

“How do you know my father, Mike? Let’s start with that.”

“Sure. So much time has passed. I can’t tell you how long ago it’s been, but he was there when I needed a miracle.” He sips his coffee and a small smile plays at his lips. “It was worth it and I don’t regret it.”

“So you made a deal with him, then?” I keep my voice soft. Mike’s wistful demeanour is noticeable and a glance at X confirms he senses a shift, too.

“My wife was dying. There was no cure. I was working for a farmer at the time doing mainly manual labour. It paid well enough, but it took me away from her. I couldn’t bear being away when she had so little time left, but we still had bills to pay.” Rubbing at his eyes, it draws my attention to permanent dark circles there. “I got drunk one night after we got the news. It was a pity party. I was so furious. It wasn’t fair, you know?”

Swallowing, he huffs out a breath. “We had just moved to this tiny town called Hope. We only wanted a better life, but it got worse.” He shakes his head, as if to toss the sad memories away. “Anyway, when I was drunk, I met your father and made a deal. At the time I thought it was just a joke, but right after she died, he showed up at my doorstep.”

“Dad is nothing but punctual, especially if souls are involved.”

He left family events to collect. Dad was serious about his job.

“Indeed, he was. I said I’d give my soul to just have her a little longer. To see our first Christmas together in this new town. She died two days after Christmas and after her service, I disappeared. He gave me the time and money to be with her for several months and in return, I gave him my service for eternity.”

“Wow, you really loved her. That’s a hard deal. And I’m sorry for your loss.”

Mike toys with his coffee cup as he assesses me.

“Your dad’s not as bad as you think, Dave. I know it sounds awful but there are other things at play with my deal with him. And I like to think there’s good in it. Besides, I like what I do, mostly.”

I’m wondering about how horrible my father really is as well. He’s testing me, but I don’t know why. I mean, I know why. I’m horrible at being the evil, tyrannical monster I’m supposed to be. My brothers are good at it. Dad is obviously good at it, and yet he’s shoved me into the path of Mike. Someone who is in my father’s debt for eternity and made a deal for love.

And Mike thinks he’s doing a good service. Clearly I’m missing a lot of this story.

“Good morning, everyone. Was there a party, and I wasn’t invited?”

Charles shuffles into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His blond hair is a dishevelled mess, and he’s wearing a pair of shortcut shorts with a tank top. He might as well wear nothing at all. The shorts barely cover his ass and the top shows a lot of skin. Like a lot.

X hums in appreciation as Charles turns his back to us and helps himself to the coffee pot. I growl and flare my eyes in his direction. X laughs, a knowing smirk in place as I hurry to help Charles.

“Let me get that for you. You should have slept in. You had a long night.”

Dipping my mouth closer to his ear, I whisper, “Do you own shorts that maybe cover more of your ass?”

Looking over his shoulder, he nods to both Mike and X.

“You took my sleep pants, and I wasn’t about to go commando in a pair of jeans to breakfast.”

“Don’t let us stop you! Wear anything you like. I know I don’t mind.” X laughs into his coffee cup, but Mike punches him in the arm.

“Behave. We have things to work out. Don’t cause any unnecessary tension.”

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