Page 65 of The Devil and His Goddess

“What made you start coming to me masked?”

“I read your fantasies,” I explained. “One of your many kinks is masked men coming after you.Safely, obviously. So I delivered.”

Her eyes widened, and the crimson splattering across her cheeks intensified. “Y-You know all of my fantasies?”

“Itiswhat I’m made for,” I quipped, tilting my head to the side. “I can read everyone’s fantasies, kinks, and what gets them hot, which then helps me to seduce and satisfy.”

The more I talked, the more her eyes glazed over with lust. Seeing the expression take over, I leaned closer. I wanted to sketch the picture of her desire into my memory, as if it wasn’t already embedded in my very being.

Suddenly, she blinked and looked at the pillow in her lap. “You wrote a demon romance ballet.”

I faltered at the abrupt shift in topic before realizing she was probably redirecting to safer waters again.

“It’s more than a demon romance,” I clarified. “But yes, I did. They say write what you know, right?”

She looked up at me with a small smile. “I guess demons and romanceareyour expertise.”

“Hell yeah they are.”

The night went on like that. Harper would ask whatever curiosity came to her mind, and I’d answer. She was particularly fascinated by demons and how the big man in Hell created us in an instant for whatever purpose he needed. Not all of her questions were about demons or Hell. She also asked about me—where I’d lived throughout my long life, stories from each time period, all of the ballets I’d seen in my lifetime.

I’d never talked about myself so freely and without having to hide anything. No one had ever asked or cared enough to want to knowme. Yet she nestled lower onto the bed and listened with rapt attention. Her warm eyes and soft smile spurred me to open the floodgates, confessing anything and everything she wanted to know—good times, hard times, and everything in between. She poked fun at me, got angry on my behalf, and laughed along with me.

The sound of her glee was like a blazing comet, crashing right into my chest and lighting me up inside. I soaked in the sound and watched every expression on her face, only going silent when her eyes fluttered shut and her lips parted in sleep.

I swallowed hard and couldn’t bring myself to move just yet. The longer I watched her, the tighter the lump in my chest grew, and that was when I knew.

I could never give her up.

I was stupid to think this was nothing—thatshewas nothing. All of the uncomfortable feelings floating around my chest when she was around meant something.

Did I know exactly what that something was?

I had a hunch, even if the rational part of my demon brain tried to dismiss it as impossible.

All I did know was that she was mine.

And even more important … I was hers.

I GATHERED AROUND ZAGAN’S KITCHEN with the rest of the band. Xander and I leaned against the island while Zagan and Dante rested their backs against the counter across from us. Coldin sat silently on the corner of the counter, leaning his head against the upper cabinets.

We were looking over the public’s reaction to our cover-up story of Iyla and Zagan’s rumored relationship. Thankfully, people seemed to buy it, and our popularity had skyrocketed in the day following the publication.

Bad boys caring about the sick?

We’d gained some new major supporters after that.

It had been two days since the party, which meant two days since Drake broke into Harper’s. He’d shown no signs of returning since then, but I told Harper that didn’t matter. The only reason I’d left her place this morning was because Addie, Iyla, and Eden had invited her to join them for a day of shopping. Apparently, they’d hit it off during the house party.

“One of Leo’s ideas panned out,” Xander noted with a snicker as he shoved his hands into the pocket of his dark purple hoodie. “Color me shocked.”

“Right?” Zagan said as he continued thumbing through the photos taken that night with a grin.

The lead singer paused every so often to study images, and even screenshotted a couple. Normally, I would’ve given him shit and asked to see what they were of, but I let it go. For once, I understood keeping some things close to the chest. It was easier to keep them safe there.

“What’s up?” Xander asked as he gently nudged my arm.

Plastering on a smile, I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”

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