Page 6 of My Demon Husband
How did I miss such an important detail about Lucian’s past? But, surely, if there was anyone important in his life, he would have mentioned them by now, wouldn’t he?
CHAPTER THREE
“DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH. LUCIAN IS MINE.”
“Brim! Get off!”I tug the blanket under Lucian’s hell-cat, but she won’t budge.
Instead, she purrs even louder and doesn’t bat an eye at my gull of interrupting her sleep.
“If you scratch it, I can’t sell it!”
It’s not like she understands—or if she does, she doesn’t care—so I let go of the velvet blanket she’s settled on and open another box of magic-laced fabric.
It’s a new trend in the magical community, and I’d be a fool not to deliver, considering I run a business now.
I still can’t believe it. I get to run my mom’s shop. No one else. Kevin can’t infect the place with his negativity and toxicity. He’s not here to tell me what to do, how to do it, and when to get home. It’s mine. All mine. Just like Mom intended.
Despite Kevin’s influence in the apothecary, I’m glad it never got more intense. I’m glad the Taylors kept their perversions at home. Because that means I can enjoy the store without memories of their abuse infiltrating my head.
Brim rouses from her sleep when she sees the red silk dress I’ve pulled out of the box. She sets her course for it, but I put up my hand and, with a sharp voice, tell her no.
My tail and wings come out, making me larger than ever, but even that doesn’t deter Brim. Only when I wag my tail in front of her face does she get distracted and start chasing it.
“I swear. Sometimes I think you’re just a giant cat and not a demon animal from hell,” I tell her while quickly packing the dress away, out of reach.
It’s been so long since I bonded with the eldritch creature from the night Ryan took advantage of me that we’ve become one. There’s no longer a consciousness inside talking to me. But I also know I’m different now. It became part of me and my new identity.
I remember how much my mom changed over the years the more creatures she bonded with. She became more confident, cheeky, and unforgiving.
It still begs the question of what on earth she saw in Kevin and how she couldn’t stop him before he took her life, but I don’t like lingering on those. Beating myself up over a past that isn’t mine is not healthy. Mom was her own woman, and only she knows why she made the decisions she made.
We all have our weaknesses, after all.
I do too. Lucian.
I sigh and admire the ring he gave me for the millionth time, and I can’t help the smile that crawls up my face.
He’s changed my life in a way I could have never imagined.
I shake my head, check the time, and continue checking the delivery. By the time I open the store, I have a pretty good idea of my backroom stock in addition to the rack of clothes on display.
There’s already a line when I unlock the doors. Even though I’ve adjusted opening hours to fit my schedule at the academy, no one has complained or been too hard on me. The only thing I wish I could avoid is the constant questions and concerns about my missing family.
Even after telling so many people they just upped and left because they’re bastards and never cared about me, the occasional client still offers their sympathies for being left behind.
As if I care.
As if I’m alone.
As if I don’t have Lucian. Or Jace. Or Brim.
I work through the influx of customers—a bunch of witches, some shifters, and a few other creatures I can’t quite determine. Everyone seems to know I’ve got a new stock of magic-laced clothes, and they’re here for all of them. So, naturally, I upsell spells that would go well with them, sell a few spell books, and soon, it’s time to close again. I’m pretty sure I’ve made more money today than I ever made working for Kevin.
“Who’s useless now, dickhead?” I mumble while locking the door, and when I turn, I jump.
A tall, beautiful woman with long, blonde hair and striking blue eyes stands in the middle of my store.
“Am I the dickhead?” she asks with an amused chuckle.
