Page 65 of Their Promise

“I tested it earlier,” I said quickly when his mouth popped open.

He closed his mouth and nodded. “Okay.”

I stood and walked around the desk.

He stood and before I could open the door, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his nose against my hair, inhaling deeply. “Did you have fun on our date last night?”

Turning around so I could look up at him, I smiled wide and nodded. “Thank you for taking me somewhere fun.”

“Want to get some dinner after this?”

“I don’t have any courting dates tonight, so that should be fine,” I said and nodded.

“Now you do,” he said, kissed me on the lips quickly, and opened the door.

One kiss and my body was on fire. I needed a cold shower.

Recomposing myself, I climbed the shelves, shifted, and got into position. I had my head in a perfect spot to see people as they approached the register, but without them able to see me.

Kayden triple checked that I was hidden before he shifted and hid under the table.

Emily, the one working today, would give us the signal when the person entered.

Thankfully, we only had to wait for an hour.

My scales warmed just below my jaw, making me worry that a demon portal had opened, but I didn’t have time to check.

The door to the shop opened, the bell over it jingling in welcome.

“Good evening, sir. Are you here for your normal order?” Emily asked, the question our signal.

Peering over, I looked at the man walking up to the counter.

He was very unassuming, brown hair, brown eyes, no alpha aura, nothing remarkable about him. Yet, there was something, a feeling, that he was a hybrid or someone I should know. Something … familiar about him.

After getting his order, paying in cash again, he turned and headed out the door. For a split second, I thought he’d looked up at me, but his steps never faltered. His lip did quirk up as he pulled open the door.

Kayden suddenly rushed outside in fox form, just before the door closed.

I shifted as I slid off the shelves, landing on human feet.

Hurrying outside, I had to dodge people that were running away, down the sidewalk and lost his trail.

Worry made my heart race as I continued down the street, head on swivel as I tried to find Kayden and the source of all the people’s fear.

The necklace warmed on my chest and I gripped it in one hand, following the pull into the next alley.

Kayden, still in fennec fox form, struggled in the grip of a huge boar-headed demon covered in shaggy gray fur. The demon was riddled with wounds and panting heavily.

Jumping forward, I drove my clenched fists down onto the bend of the demon’s inner elbow, forcing him to release Kayden.

Kayden fell on human knees, sucking in a deep breath.

With a hard side kick, I sent the demon flying back through the portal right before it closed.

“Well, that was embarrassing,” Kayden said after shifting into his human form.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I turned to face him.

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