Page 62 of Higher Demon

“Fuck me, Ian, are you dating someone?”

My mouth snaps closed. “How did you…?”

Liam laughs. “You forget, I deal with people stuttering about their love lives all the time. I know how to recognize it. Butyou… I thought you didn’t do relationships?” he teases.

“I don’t,” I say glumly. “And listen, you can’t tell Matt about this.” I hesitate. “Can Charlie keep a secret?”

“I won’t tell him,” Liam assures me. “He can keep secrets, but it’s better not to test him. I never tell him the names of my clients, anyway. So… what do you need? A date planned, or advice?”

“Advice. There’s this guy…” Shit. How to word this without giving away that Marc’s a demon? “My whole family hates him,” I improvise. “It’s like… generational hate. A feud between our families.”

“Is this more weird cult shit?”

“It’s not a cult,” I say automatically. Matt and I didn’t share many details about our lives and upbringings, but some things slipped through the cracks—how we grew up in a compound, for one. Plus, Liam’s a wicked gymnast, and we were trained in gymnastics because it sometimes comes in handy when fighting demons. But our training was obviously different to his, so when we shared gym time, he noticed.

“Whatever. Okay, so you’ve got the wholeRomeo and Julietforbidden love situation happening.”

I snicker. Can’t wait to tell Marc that one. “It’s more complicated than that, but kinda.”

“I need details, Ian. More complicated how?”

“Well… one time he almost killed my brother. Accidentally,” I add hastily, because in the normie world, almost killing someone is grounds for prison. “Connor was completely fine after, but for a few minutes, it was kind of touch and go.”

“DefinitelyRomeo and Juliet,” he mutters.

“And he’s not… that is…” I’m struck with inspiration. “It’s actually more of a remake version. ThinkWest Side Story.”

There’s a brief silence. “Is he in a gang? Ian?—”

“I swear he’s not, but there are some things he’s involved with that aren’t, uh, strictly… legal. I’d probably lose my job if it came out that we were together.” I’m sure there’s a law against being a demon somewhere.

I can almost hear Liam’s confusion. “Why would an archivist job—Wait, is this anIndiana JonesorTomb Raidertype of situation?”

Huh? Oh—he thinks Marc’s some kind of artifact thief. “Not exactly, but the organization I work for wouldn’t want him to have access to some of our records.”

“Okay.” He clearly still doesn’t get it, but then, he’s not supposed to. “The fact that you’re thinking of these things tells me that this is more than casual.”

“It was only supposed to be sex,” I admit. “We were both attracted, we decided to act on it—in secret—and get it out of our systems. But I think I’m…” I can’t finish the sentence.

“Falling for him?” Liam suggests, and it’s such a romantic, grown-up way of phrasing it that it makes it real.

I swallow hard. “Yeah.”

“How does he feel?”

Good question. “I’m pretty sure he’s gone beyond just sex too. I don’t know if he’s going through the same mental acrobatics I am. He’s not the type to talk about his feelings.” He’d scoff at the very idea that he had any.

“So the way I’m seeing this situation, getting involved with him would be a huge risk for you. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be worth it, but before you endanger your job and strain your family, you need to find out if he’s on the same page. Because if he’s not, there’s no point upsetting the status quo.”

“Yeah.” That’s a conversation I’m not excited to have, but he’s right. I do need to talk to Marc. “Let’s say he is, though. Would we be idiots for wanting more? Should we just…” What? Walk away? I can’t do that. Even if I asked to be reassigned, maybe to the Chicago compound, there’s no way I could ignore the fact that Marc exists. No way I could forget how natural it feels to be with him. I never thought I’d be able to sleep, defenseless, beside a higher demon, but with Marc, I never even hesitated. If Marc doesn’t want us to end, there’s no way I could leave him. “Shit.”

“Can’t end it, huh?” Liam’s voice is quiet and sympathetic.

“I don’t think so.”

“If he’s invested like you are, look at what you’ve got to lose. You’d need a new job—start looking before you get fired. It looks better to prospective employers if you move on because you choose to. Your family…” He hesitates. “I only met your brother a couple of times, but I know Matt. He’s not cutting you out of his life, ever. If this family feud is as bad as you say, he’ll be mad, and you guys may not ever be able to all hang out, but he’ll still be your best friend.”

The words don’t cheer me the way he intends. There’s just so much nuance he doesn’t understand—which isn’t his fault. I can’t tell him everything. Can’t tell him that a relationship between me and Marc has the power to literally destroy any chance we ever have of peace between demons and humans.

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