Page 29 of The Jorogumo

Liam's touch, his scent, his skin, his arousal...he'd enveloped my senses so completely I probably wouldn't have noticed if the building came crashing down on us.

I pulled back from him, turning to look at the newcomer as I tried to figure out how we'd keep whoever it was from freaking the fuck out. My wheelchair was nowhere close, and the headmaster would not be happy that I'd revealed myself to another human.

"Diego," Liam said, and there was something like relief in his voice.

I realized why a moment later, when Diego came closer and I noticed the cane in his hand. Oh, he couldn't see.

"Sorry," he said, his cheeks slightly pink as his eyes slid to Liam, though it was clear he wasn't actually looking at him. "The door was open, so I walked in. You weren't at the counter, so I followed the sounds. You're probably busy, so I'll come back later."

That jerked Liam out of his stupor, and he stepped forward hurriedly. "Oh no, it's okay. I was just taking my lunch break, but I'm done now."

"Lunch break, huh?" he teased with a small smile, and he must've heard enough to know what we'd been doing.

Liam's cheeks turned red as he glanced between us before clearing his throat.

"Uh, Haruto, this is Diego, my friend," he introduced finally, and Diego held his hand out. "Diego, this is Haruto, my..."

"Boyfriend," I finished smoothly as I leaned forward and shook Diego's hand.

"Whoa, you're tall," he murmured as I shook his hand, and I shot a wide-eyed look at Liam. Diego's senses were too sharp for his own good.

"Ah, he's actually sitting on the desk," Liam said, his brows wrinkling at the lie.

"Yeah," I hurried to add, since I could tell he didn't feel comfortable lying. "I needed a few moments out of my wheelchair."

"Oh! Was that what I stumbled into? Makes sense." Diego nodded slowly, clearly accepting our lie.

Thank fuck he was blind. I'd have been in a lot of trouble otherwise. Not that I felt good about lying to a blind man, but it was better for him that way.

I really needed to be more cautious in the human world. I'd gotten away with revealing myself to Liam because he was my mate, but it would land me in big trouble if anyone else found out.

Liam asked Diego to wait at the counter while he 'helped' me get back into my wheelchair, and then we both went back to the front.

It turned out Diego was a good guy, and I already liked him because Liam did. I knew he didn't have a lot of friends because most humans were unnecessarily judgy, but the ones he did have seemed to understand, just like me, what a good man he was.

Liam helped Diego with something on his phone, and I stayed back, watching them interact. The smile on Liam's face was different than the one he gave me, but no less happy.

Unlike me, Liam was a people person, an extrovert. I knew that meant we'd have to compromise sometimes to balance the scales, and I was honestly looking forward to it. Even though I wasn't as social myself, I liked watching Liam around people. I loved the way he brightened up when he had people to talk to, and I wished he hadn't been so starved for company.

Luckily for him, though, I knew a Sanctuary full of people who were eager to be friends with him.

Diego left after twenty or so minutes, and Liam switched the signs on the door, shooting me a glance. "Next time, remind me to double-check I've locked the door."

"Yep. We're lucky it was him."

Liam bit his lip, then walked closer, leaning his back against the counter as he watched me. "What would happen if a human found out? Me knowing is okay because we're mates, right?"

"Yes. If someone else finds out, well, I'd have to tell the headmaster. He's a sorcerer, and he has spells that can make someone forget things. He'd use it to make the human forget what they saw."

Liam hummed thoughtfully, then tilted his head. "But not all supes have that magic, yes? So what if they can't erase the memories? What then?"

"That's why most supes are very, very careful. Supes who live in the human world are skilled at keeping everything unusual hidden. I'm just out of practice because I don't have to worry about it at the Sanctuary," I said with a sheepish shrug. "Also, even if it happens, almost always no one believes the human. Like the guy Silas showed his true form to."

Liam's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, almost tripping in his haste. "Silas showed someone his true form? Isn't he a troll?"

"Half-troll, yeah. The human was hurting Touya, and Silas lost control."

I explained how Touya had ended up at the Sanctuary because he could see supes and people thought he was crazy because of it, and how this particular human had been the worst of the lot.

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