Page 11 of Tall, Dark & Horny

When a demon found their one, it wasn’t a question. It was a reckoning.

Mine had arrived in the form of a soaked and exhausted woman with freckles and a wary smile—utterly unaware that the moment she stepped through my doors, the world as she knew it had ended.

I stood and circled the table, pulling her chair so she faced me. Then I crouched in front of Calliope, taking her trembling hands in mine.

The moment our skin met, the faintest flicker of power pulsed through the floor. The Abyss continued to respond as though it recognized her, which made sense considering how deeply embedded my magic was in this land.

“There are shifters who share their body with a beast. Witches who draw power from the elements. Beings made of shadow…or born in flame.”

“Like in fairy tales?” she asked, skepticism clear in her expression.

My lips curved into a slight smirk. “Sometimes, it’s true that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

Her eyes narrowed. “If you’re telling me the truth, which of those things are you?”

“A demon.”

Her incredulity turned to astonishment as I let my other half push to the surface, my eyes bleeding to black.

“Whoa,” she breathed, her fingers clenching around mine. “Either the whiskey went to my head more than I realized, or you’re not lying.”

I pushed my demon down and tightened my grip on her hands. “You can count on me to always be honest with you, Calliope. Even when I’d prefer not to.”

“I appreciate that,” she whispered.

“Supernatural beings don’t let humans see their true faces unless there’s no other choice. And demons are the most private of all.”

She shifted nervously in her chair. “Why?”

“Because we have more to lose.”

Her brows drew together again. “You’re not all in it together to keep the secret from us?”

“To a certain extent, yes,” I conceded with a shrug. “Except demons have more enemies to make if we’re careless. It’s not only the humans we have to worry about but also others who view some of our kind as abominations because they were born in hell and didn’t stay there.”

Including me, but I wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to learn that bit of information yet when what I’d explained so far was already a lot to take in.

Her gaze searched mine. “Why are you telling me any of this?”

I leaned back slightly, the shadows of the room curling around my shoulders. “Because hiding it from you would be impossible while you’re here.”

She was understandably quiet for a long moment after my confession, processing the information I’d shared with her. Then she gave a short, breathy laugh that was forced around the edges. “It’s not as though I’ll have much of a chance to see anything else. I’ve already eaten dinner here with you, I’ll probably pass out pretty soon, and I’m leaving in the morning.”

My demon surged in protest, the wordnoechoing like a drumbeat behind my ribs. It took every ounce of my control to keep my expression calm while tension curled low in my gut, wrapping around my spine like smoke.

She thought she was leaving.

But I wouldn’t—couldn’t—let that happen.

I stared at her for a long moment, letting the silence stretch just enough to make her shift in her seat. “You’re not going anywhere in the morning.”

Her voice was thin as she whispered, “What?”

My eyes locked on hers, quiet and steady as I repeated, “You’re not going anywhere, Calliope.”

Her face paled, but she didn’t move. I watched her pulse flutter at her throat, delicate and unguarded. There was a freckle at the edge of her jaw, barely visible, and it took everything I had not to press my mouth there. Especially with my demon pushing hard to claim her.

I leaned in slightly and lowered my voice to a mere rasp. “Not until you understand who you are to me.”

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