Page 5 of Demon

“Call me Callan.”

“Then please, call me Lonnie. I’m pleased to meet you. Hopefully, your presence won’t cause such a rumble from here on out. I’ll be telling my students you’re an auditor, so it should be fine. Though I’m sure you’re used to stares, as big as you are.”

Callan nodded. And yes, auditor. That was the word. Though he’d thought that term had to do with taxes, something he let one of his brothers take care of for him. Taxes made him feel ragey.

Lonnie’s head tilted as he studied him. “So, you’ll be staying with me at my home?”

“To protect you, yes.”

“Wow, you’ve got the deep voice to go with all that muscle, don’t you?” Lonnie popped a hand over his mouth, then chuckled. “Sorry, I tend to say what I’m thinking, so you’ll have to get used to that, too. I also tend to ramble a lot, and since I’m used to being alone, I’m sure I’ll go on more than usual.”

“More than usual. You mean when you’re alone?”

“Yep. I talk to myself even. Whole, long conversations.”

Callan barely liked speaking to others, so he couldn’t imagine talking when alone. And he was normally alone, since he no longer lived with his brother, Rafe. Now that Rafe had moved in with Shia, Callan’s house was overly quiet. Lonely as hell, too. “I can stay outside at your house if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Oh no, it’s way too cold for that. Or does your kind even get cold?”

Callan blinked at him. “My kind?”

That hand went over his mouth again. “Was I not supposed to ask that?” Lonnie mumbled from behind his fingers.

Callan narrowed his eyes and stood to stare down at the teacher. “What did you mean,my kind?”

Lonnie held up his hands. “I meant no insult, and I’m so sorry if I was rude. I just meant that I didn’t know if you feel the cold like humans.”

“Like humans,” Callan muttered as realization dawned. This human was like Bain and Alaric’s partners. He could see throughCallan’s glamour. His jaw-drop made a lot more sense knowing that.

“I know that others can’t see what I see,” he said with a quick smile as he fiddled with his glasses. “I’ve asked people in the past if they see the differences in supernatural beings and have always been treated like I was crazy, so it’s obvious you have some kind of mechanism that allows you to blend in. Whatever that is, it doesn’t work with me.”

“Glamours. We use magical glamours.” Wasn’t this interesting? Callan had only just learned about these special humans, and here was one right in front of him. He didn’t exactly know how to compute that.

“Oh! I’m familiar with that term, of course. How wonderfully fascinating. I’m just so excited to meet you and talk with you. I’ve never had the nerve to approach and ask any of the others, though I’ve always wanted to. And you’re all so different. I’ve never seen one with horns like yours. They’re so beautiful.”

Callan preened. A compliment about his horns was the best kind a demon could receive. And he was proud of his. They jutted out a full two feet, curling up and back in perfect curves.

“How do you not hit those on doorways?” Lonnie asked, staring up at them.

“Often do. Doors should be taller.”

Lonnie threw back his head and laughed, and he looked so damn pretty doing that, Callan’s mouth went dry. He liked those wide lips stretched into a happy smile. They were just so pink, and when Lonnie licked them, they glistened under the overhead lights. Callan’s belly went tight.

“Well, that was my last class, so we can leave. Do you want to follow me to my house in your vehicle? I don’t live far—just a couple of miles away. And like I said, I’d rather you stay inside. I already fixed up the guest bedroom for you, though I’m a little worried the bed will be way too small. It’s a twin. Sorry.”

“Will be fine.” Most beds were too small for him. He’d gotten his own custom made from another demon who built big beds for preternaturals. He didn’t relish the idea of sleeping in a twin bed, but he didn’t need much sleep. Most demons didn’t.

“Let’s go, then.” Lonnie walked to his desk and gathered papers, placing them in his briefcase along with a laptop. “I have a lot of grading tonight, so I won’t be able to keep you entertained, but I do have streaming channels and a huge television. Anime looks so much better on a big screen.”

Ani-what?Callan wanted to ask, but he didn’t. There was a lot he didn’t understand, and after four hundred years of life, he’d learned to accept his own shortcomings. But he hated looking stupid, so he often just ignored his own questions and stayed silent. It was easier that way.

Chapter Four

Lonnie

Lonnie had never been more excited in his life. When his sister had hired a bodyguard, he’d expected some buffed up, normal guy, and instead he was driving home with an actual demon following him.

A demon!

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