Duncan got out of the car and leaned against the side of it, his gaze roaming over the forest. He couldn’t see anything or anyone, and after ten minutes he was starting to worry. Just as he reached for his cell phone, Duncan’s eyes caught a weird shimmer in the air to his right that looked a lot like what happened when a Nix shimmered.
He ignored his phone and squinted his eyes, and sure enough, after a few seconds he saw a car coming his way. He didn’t know where it had come from, but he was sure it hadn’t been there only a minute ago.
The car parked next to Duncan’s and he smiled widely at his mate as he climbed out. Noah looked edible. He was dressed casually, with jeans and a green T-shirt that complimented the dark-blue swirls on his skin. His hair was braided again and the two small horns were visible just above his temples. Duncan wanted to touch them, to feel them, but he wasn’t about to ask and risk their afternoon together.
“Should I have dressed more elegantly?” Noah asked.
Duncan looked down at his dress shirt. “No, don’t worry. You’re perfect just the way you are. I’m the one who’s a bit overdressed.”
“Why did you do it if you knew it?”
Duncan shrugged. “I wanted to look nice for you.”
Noah looked at Duncan from head to toe, then back to his face. “You got it right then.”
“Glad to hear that.” Duncan reached for Noah’s wrist and took it, using it to drag the other man a bit closer. Noah looked a little wary, so Duncan limited himself to pressing a soft kiss to his mate’s forehead. His wolf whimpered at the contact, wanting more, but Duncan kept it in check.
Noah stepped away as soon as Duncan’s lips left his skin, but he didn’t move his wrist away from Duncan’s hand. “So, what do we do now?”
“Can we leave your car here? Is it safe?”
“It should be. No one comes here usually.”
“I’m sure you guys have something to do with that.”
Noah smirked. “We might.”
“Do you need anything from your car?”
“Yes, the brown leather bag.”
Duncan nodded and let go of his mate. He stayed next to his car and watched as Noah grabbed his bag and locked the car before walking closer again. He took a beanie out of his bag and put it on, even if it was too warm for it. “I’m ready.”
Duncan nodded and steered his mate to the passenger’s seat of his own car. He opened the door and waited until Noah had climbed in before closing it, then walked around and got in his seat. He turned the car on and began driving, feeling Noah’s gaze on him the entire time.
Only when Duncan was back on the road did Noah ask, “So, what are we doing?”
“We’re going to Whitedell.”
* * * *
Noah trusted Duncan, but it didn’t mean he didn’t want to know what they’d be doing for the entire afternoon. “And what are we going to do in Whitedell?”
“Remember my brother?”
“The guy in the club with you.”
“Yeah, that was Derick. Well, he doesn’t live with me in Gillham anymore, since he met his mate. He lives with the pride in Whitedell instead, and that’s where we’re going.”
“Oh. How come?”
“They have a pond behind the house with a few benches. The alpha told me we could use it for today—that way you’ll be outside, but even if someone sees you it won’t be a problem. Everyone in that house is either a shifter or mated to one.”
“Really? Does that mean there are normal humans there?”
Duncan chuckled. “Well, I don’t know how normal Keenan can be considered, but yeah. There are several kinds of shifters, humans, some Nix and even a wendigo and a half harpy.”
Noah knew he was gaping, but he’d never heard of such a mix of different creatures living together. “That’s... all?”
“It was the last time I went there, but since the mansion houses part of the Council’s enforcers, there might be even more people now.”
“Enforcers? Council?”
“Oh, right. I guess you don’t know anything about that. Dominic will probably want to talk to you, now that I think of it.”
“You’re frustrating, you know? What would your Dominic want to talk to me about?”
“Don’t let Ani hear you when you say my Dominic. The guy is tiny, but he won’t have problems nailing my balls to the wall if he thinks I’m trying something with his mate.”
Noah huffed and glared at Duncan until he finally explained, “Dominic created the council. Every paranormal species we know about has a seat and all the leaders make decisions together. I didn’t know demons really existed until I met you, and I don’t think Dominic did either, but now he’ll want to have a demon in the council too.”
Noah was horrified. “You don’t think he’ll want me, right?”
Duncan laughed. “No, I don’t think so, but since you’re the only demon we know, he’s probably going to ask you if there’s a way for him to contact your people.”
Noah chewed on his lower lip. He was worried because he knew that getting a demon to even only talk with a shifter was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever do. He didn’t think even his father would say yes to that, and his father had every reason to trust Noah because he knew him. How was Noah supposed to convince the mayor of their town? They’d met only briefly at a few parties, and they’d talked even less.
“What’s wrong?”
Noah looked at Duncan. For some reason he didn’t want to hurt the guy. “I don’t know how to say this.”
“Just say it, like ripping away a bandage.”
“Okay. Demons are very isolated, for obvious reasons. Our towns are hidden by illusions, and only demons live there. We don’t mingle, be it with humans or any other paranormal creature, which means we don’t know how they are. I was taught... I was taught that most other paranormal creatures, but especially shifters, are little more than animals. That they act on instinct, are cruel and blood thirsty. If I have to try to convince another demon to come out and socialize with you guys... I’m not sure I’ll be able to, to be honest.”
“Do you think I’m cruel?”
Noah shook his head. “I don’t. I know I don’t know you, but you’re obviously just as normal as I am.”
“Yup. I don’t have insane longings to drink blood or kill.”
“It’s not funny, you know. This is going to make accepting you hard on my people.”
Noah said the words before he was able to keep them in. He’d basically just said he wanted Duncan in his life, even if he never actually made that decision, not yet anyway. He peeked at Duncan and wondered how the man was taking his slip. He was smiling widely, and Noah felt relieved. He didn’t want to push things when he was the first one unsure about them. He still had so much thinking to do, never mind the talk he needed to have with his parents.
The rest of the drive was spent in silence. It wasn’t awkward, though, so Noah was content. He knew the peace would end when they started talking about their situation, but there was no way to avoid doing just that.
“We’re here.”
Noah leaned forward to take a better look at the house behind the gate. More than a house, it was a mansion, nearly as big as Noah’s home was. “It’s pretty.”
“Yeah, a pretty circus.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
Duncan parked in front of the house and got out. Noah followed suit, his eyebrows rising high when he heard the music blaring from the inside of the house. He looked at the front door, then at Duncan. “What’s going on? Is there a party?” He really didn’t want to be one of those guests who invited themselves to a party.
“No, this is normal administration for the pride. Most of the members are noisy brats, including my brother. They talk too much, ask too many questions, and are nosy. If you ever need to know anything about any one of the pride members, go to Keenan. He can probably tell
you whatever you need to know, including what shoe size someone wears or how much they weighed when they were born.”
“Do we really have to go in?” Noah asked, hopeful. The feeling withered and died when Duncan nodded, though.
“We do. I have to thank Dominic for letting us use his pond, and I already told you he’ll want to talk to you.”
“Can’t it wait until after our date?”
Noah smirked. “I hope the date will be so good you won’t be able to think about anything but me when we’re done, so we’d better do this now. Come on, I swear I’ll protect you from nosy twinks.”
Duncan grabbed a basked from the car and locked it, then walked to the door, glancing behind himself to check if Noah was following and smiling at him when he saw he was. He paused by the door and turned to Noah. “They’re probably going to ask questions, lots of questions. You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to, and if anyone makes you uncomfortable, just say it and they’ll back off.”
“You make those people sound like feral beasts.”
“They’re not. Well, Keenan and Nysys might qualify as feral sometimes, but they’re not beasts.”
Noah knew he had to look worried, because Duncan reached over and took his hand, smiling when Noah didn’t even try to pull away. He squeezed it. “You’ll be fine. Everyone is nice, they’re just... a little too much sometimes.”
“You’re not helping.”
Duncan laughed. “Sorry. Really, don’t worry too much. You’ll be fine.”
“If you say so.”
Duncan gave him one last encouraging smile and opened the door. The noise level immediately rose to almost painful. Noah didn’t recognize the song that was playing, but it was a far cry from what his parents played at their parties. Instead of elegant classical music, the fast rhythm of a pop song made Noah want to cringe, not because of the song itself but because of the high volume it was played at. And that wasn’t even the worst part.
Someone was singing along with the song, so loud that Noah was able to hear it above the music. It would have been fine if that person was able to actually sing, but it sounded more like he was butchering the song.
Duncan gave Noah an apologetic smile and tugged him toward an open door. As they walked closer, Noah could tell that was where the music came from. He was curious to see what was happening, so when they reached the door he peeked inside.
A blond guy was standing on top of a coffee table in the middle of the room. He had a hairbrush in his hand and was using it as a mock mic, his eyes closed and his head thrown back as he belted the song. Two other guys were standing in front of him and dancing, one of them sporting shockingly pink hair that clashed with his apple green jeans and his ocean blue T-shirt.
There were other guys sitting on the couches, all of them talking and laughing, and Noah felt like an intruder, especially when no one noticed them standing there. He vaguely recognized Duncan’s brother before Duncan dragged him next to the sound system and pressed the pause button on the MP3 player nestled in it.
The silence was shocking after all that noise. Noah looked away from the player and wished he could run when he saw all eyes were riveted on him and Duncan.
* * * *
Duncan stifled a laugh when all the heads in the room turned to look at them as if they were one. He felt Noah stiffen at his side and squeezed his hand, hoping it would be enough to reassure him.
“Why are you wearing a hat? It has to be eighty degrees out there,” Keenan asked, not bothered in the least by the fact that he’d never met Noah before and that it was a rude thing to ask. He wouldn’t have been Keenan if he had.
Noah looked at Duncan, his eyes wide and asking him a question. Duncan couldn’t be sure, but he thought he knew what his mate wanted to know. “You can take it off, they won’t say anything.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah.”
Noah nodded and took his beanie off with his free hand. He looked around the room, his back straight, his stance steady as he silently challenged the people in the room to say anything about his horns.
“Cool! Are those real?” Keenan exclaimed. He was already clambering down the coffee table and coming toward them while the others had started whispering.
“They are.” Noah nodded.
“Can I touch them?”
“Keenan! Don’t be rude!”
Duncan mentally thanked his brother for intervening and smiled at him. Derick smiled back and kissed Duncan on the cheek before turning to Noah. He gave their still linked hands a glance and smiled again before offering his hand to Noah. “Hi, we met in the club.”
Noah shook Derick’s hand. “I remember. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Derick.”
Noah had gone from a bit confused to overly polite. Duncan had expected it, but he kind of missed the real Noah, even if he was proud of the way Noah had seemingly pushed his worries away and was standing proud and strong, his head held high as he was greeted by everyone else.
Keenan wasn’t the only one who noticed Noah’s horns, of course, but most of the other guys seemed to find Noah’s swirls even more interesting.
“Did they hurt?” Derick asked.
Noah shook his head. “They’re not tattoos. I was born with them.”
Derick sighed dramatically. “I wish it was that easy for me. I so want one, but I’m scared of the pain.”
Duncan saw Noah give Derick an incredulous glance. “But you have piercings. Those must have hurt.”
“And you can’t even see all his piercings!” Keenan butted in. “He even has one in his dick!”
Derick waved their words away. “Those hurt only for a moment, but a tattoo takes a lot longer to do.”
“What are you?” Jayden asked. Noah looked a bit overwhelmed by all that attention, but he answered anyway. Duncan nearly told him to not do it, because he knew how Jayden would react to new the information, but he stopped himself. Noah had to get used to those guys anyway, and they would soon leave to find Dominic.
“I’m a demon.”
“Oooh, what kind? I mean, I’ve done some research, but you guys have to be even more secretive than shifters are because I could hardly find anything on you. I did find out that there are several types of demons, though, and maybe you’d like to talk to me about them a bit, or maybe you’d rather wait. Why are you here anyway? Not that I don’t like you, even if I can’t really say since I’ve just met you, but I’m sure you’re nice, and—”
Noah gave Duncan a helpless look. Duncan wanted to laugh, but he tugged on his mate’s hand instead and guided him toward the door. “We have to see Dominic, guys.”
“Will you pass by later?” Derick asked.
“We’ll try. Depends on how late our date runs.”
Duncan didn’t wait for an answer. He pulled Noah along as he walked to the alpha’s office and knocked on the door. He looked at Noah and smiled. “Better?”
“They’re very...”
“Yeah, I know. You’ll get used to it, don’t worry.”
The look Noah gave him made Duncan want to ask what he was thinking about, but the office door swung open in front of him. “Dominic, hi.”
“Duncan. I didn’t think I’d see you today.”
“I wanted to thank you and to present my mate.”
Dominic’s eyes went to Noah and his eyebrows rose on his forehead. He didn’t say anything, just stepped aside, and gestured them inside. “Come in then.”
The alpha closed the door behind them. “Dominic, this is Noah Newcombie, my mate. Noah, this is Dominic Nash, the pride’s alpha.”
Noah held his hand out to Dominic and they shook. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Nash.”
“Call me Dominic.”
“Only if you call me Noah.”
Noah looked like the perfect gentleman, making small talk as Dominic directed them to the couches in his office’s corner, and it made Duncan wonder if Noa
h was like this in the everyday life with his parents. He was so different from when he was alone with Duncan, and seeing him look so polished made Duncan a bit uncomfortable. He felt as if Noah was out of his reach, too good for him, and he couldn’t help but wonder how he would feel if he ever had to attend one of the posh parties Noah had told him about.
“I hope I’m not coming around as too pushy, but do you mind telling me what you are? Duncan didn’t mention what species of demon you’re part of.”
Duncan drew his attention back to Dominic and Noah just as Noah answered. “I’m a Qiaran demon. Duncan already told me about your council, but I’m not sure I can help you with that. We are very secretive and a closed group. For me to be here, outside the town I grew up in, is a very rare occasion.”
Dominic smiled. “Mates can do that.”
Noah nodded once. “It appears so. I don’t think I would have left my home if it wasn’t for Duncan.”
“Hey, you were at that club the day we met. That had nothing to do with me.”
“No, but it also happens very rarely. Demi goes out more often than I do, but it’s not easy to hide what we are.” Noah’s smile was sad. “I think I could actually get used to living with shifters. Everyone did look at me, but no one ran away screaming or started to tell me I was cursed.”
“That really happened to you?”
“The first times we got out, yes. Then we learned there were some places where we could be ourselves up to a certain point without scaring anyone, and we stuck to those.”
“Like night clubs.”
“Exactly.”
Dominic cleared his throat. Duncan knew he wanted to talk about the council, so he archived any talks about Noah’s private life for later. He took Noah’s hand in his and stroked his knuckles with his thumb while Noah gave Dominic his attention again.
“So you don’t think you’ll be able to convince someone to talk to me?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry to say this, but demons think of the other species, humans and paranormal both, as inferior. I could maybe try to convince my father, but I don’t think he’ll take it too nicely, since I shouldn’t know any of you. It would raise questions, and I’m not sure I’m ready to answer yet.”
Noah Page 7
