“Look, I’ve wanted my dad to stop working for a while. He’s not getting any younger, and gardening isn’t easy on the body. I know his back hurts more often than not, and working is not helping,” Demi explained. “Besides, I’m moving here. My dad would be alone back there, and he couldn’t handle everything on his own anyway.”
“You could ask Kameron if your dad can come and live here,” Reed proposed. “If he wants to, of course.”
“He won’t have any choice. If he loses all his jobs, he won’t be able to stay in Starhaven anymore.”
“We could always ask Selena,” Noah pointed out.
“We could, but would she really go against the Esslemont family just to save a gardener’s job?”
Reed could read the answer to that question on both men’s faces. “It’s no use in worrying before you’ve talked to Kameron and your father, Demi. You can’t plan anything without them.” Reed needed to distract his mate. “So, have you thought about the house?”
“The house?” Demi asked.
“You know, the one where you and I will live someday. It looks like it’ll happen sooner rather than later, so I was wondering if you’d thought about what you wanted from a house.”
“You do realize you just told me we’d live together, right?”
Reed shrugged and kept his eyes down. “What can I say? You’re irresistible.”
Demi barked out a laugh. “That’s nice to hear, but does it mean you’ll move in as soon as the house is ready?”
Reed pressed his lips together. As far as he knew, Kameron would offer Demi one of the extra houses he was having built in pack territory. That meant it wouldn’t take that long for it to be ready, since the last time Reed had passed by they were working on the finishing touches.
So what did he want? Was he ready to move out of Kameron’s house, a place he knew was safe enough for him to fall asleep in, to go live in a place he didn’t know? How could he be sure before he actually tried?
“You don’t have to answer me now, you know,” Demi whispered. “And if the problem is you not feeling safe, we can work on that. We can have an alarm system, maybe take in a dog.”
Reed’s eyes widened. “You want to get a dog?”
“I have nothing against them, and if having one makes you feel safer, I’m all for it.”
“I’ll think about it, okay? We should talk later, when things aren’t so... crazy.”
Just then Kameron’s voice came from the entrance. “Where’s everyone?”
“Kitchen!” Duncan answered.
Kameron came in and sat heavily in the only free chair at the table. “So, what is it now?”
Reed felt sorry for the alpha. It seemed like he could never have a moment of respite. If it wasn’t the Glass Research Company, it was the creature in the woods, or the council, or even some of the pack members who weren’t happy about Kameron opening the pack to include other races and sexual orientations.
Everyone looked at Demi, and Kameron followed their lead. Demi looked uncomfortable, but it didn’t stop him from explaining what had happened. “Larsen was here. Nothing happened,” Demi hurriedly said before Kameron could worry. “But I’m pretty sure he’s going to have my father fired.”
“Okay. So, where do I come in, in all this?” Kameron asked.
“Well, I was going to come and talk to you soon anyway.” Demi glanced at Reed, who still was flushed against his side, and smiled tenderly. “You know I’m Reed’s mate, and I’d like to move into Gillham, if it’s possible.”
“Of course it is. I was actually wondering when you were going to come talk to me about it, especially since you mentioned a greenhouse.”
“Oh, okay. So, I can move?”
“Come by the house tomorrow and I’ll ask Zach to show you the houses that are already finished. If you don’t like any of those, you can see the ones still in progress. Reed, will you be living with him?”
“I don’t know.” Reed bit his lower lip. He wished he had a more definite answer.
“You’re welcome in my house for as long as you want,” Kameron said gently.
Reed just nodded. What could he say to that?
“There’s something else,” Demi declared, and Reed could’ve kissed him right then and there for taking the focus away from him. “My dad will probably find himself without a job soon, if he’s not losing it as we speak.”
“Do you want me to talk to Selena Higgins?”
“No. I don’t think she can do anything, not unless she wants to antagonize the conclave, and she can’t afford to do that. Me and my father aren’t exactly the lowest demons, but we’re definitely not on top, either, and the conclave will listen to Larsen rather than me.”
Kameron shook his head. “I don’t understand your society. It’s... medieval.”
Demi shrugged. “That’s when it was born, so to speak. The problem is that since demons are isolated, it stayed that way.”
Kameron snorted. “They’re isolated only for what’s convenient for them. I don’t see you guys turning down cars and cell phones.”
“Yes, well. I can’t do anything to change that. My father will need to move, and he’ll need a job.”
“And you want him to move in Gillham.”
“He’s the only family I have, and he won’t be able to survive without me and without a job.”
“He can move here. Will he need a house?”
“We’ve always lived together, but I don’t think he’ll be comfortable doing it once Reed moves in with me. He doesn’t need a house, though. It would be too big for him alone.”
“Tell him he can come, and we’ll sort everything out once he’s here.” Kameron sighed, “Anything else? Please say no.”
Duncan laughed. “Nothing we can’t handle. The only thing that worries me is that Larsen was able to get here without anyone noticing him. Who do you have checking the entrance road?”
Kameron and Duncan started discussing security and Reed felt he could slink away without anyone missing him. He got up and noticed the little frown Demi gave him. He acted on impulse, reaching out and taking his mate’s hand. He pulled until Demi got up. “Come on, the laundry room is waiting for us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah. Us.”
Chapter Five
Demi put his hands on his hips and looked at his new greenhouse. He was very proud of it, and couldn’t wait to put it to use.
“You look like you just had your firstborn.”
Demi smiled at the happiness in Reed’s voice. Reed was coming around, slowly but surely. He was more relaxed in Demi’s presence, didn’t jump quite as much when he was startled, and his mood swings were smoother. He wasn’t completely fine, not yet, maybe not ever, but he was making giant steps forward, and Demi liked to think he was helping.
“I feel like it is, you know. What do you think of it?”
“I like it.”
The past two weeks had been a whirlwind of too many things happening, for both of them. Demi had chosen a house, and Reed had come with him to select it, even if he still insisted he wasn’t ready to move in just yet. It didn’t bother Demi, because he was still living at Noah’s, at least for another week. He was still waiting for part of his furniture.
Demi had also talked to his dad, but the stubborn man refused to come to Gillham. He’d told Demi he would wait until he really didn’t have any other option. Demi could understand him, up to a point. His dad still lived in the house he’d lived in with Demi’s mother. The house was full of memories Demi couldn’t understand, because his mom had died the day he was born, but he understood why his dad didn’t want to leave.
Still, he was convinced it was only a matter of time before his dad moved to Gillham. Demi knew—through Noah—that things weren’t going well in Starhaven. Larsen had spread his venom, and Demi’s father had been fired by three families already. Noah and his family had tried to help, but they were only the ones in a
group of people who didn’t care about what happened to two Steduna demons.
So now Noah’s father had hired Demi’s for all the hours he’d lost, but Demi knew his father wasn’t fooled and wouldn’t accept being supported that way for long. That was the reason he was scrambling to get everything ready.
He’d chosen a house that was ready, had reluctantly accepted Noah’s money to buy furniture, and accepted help building his greenhouse. He’d talked to Kameron about a room for his dad and a job, and Kameron had readily told him he’d already taken care of both things.
It would take a little while to get used to it—Demi and his father were used to taking care of gardens, not woods—but Demi was already studying, finding out what he could do and not do to keep the forest at bay. A few people had also come to him and asked if he could take care of their gardens, and Demi thought it would be a nice job for his dad. Those gardens were small, so they wouldn’t require long hours, and his dad’s back wouldn’t get worse too fast. It also wouldn’t leave him feeling like he was retiring, which was a plus.
“So what do we do now?” Reed asked, startling Demi from his thoughts.
“I need to start getting stuff ready inside the greenhouse.”
It really was a thing of beauty. Kameron had asked Demi to design his dream greenhouse, but Demi hadn’t actually thought the man would have it built exactly like he’d designed it.
It was attached to the house, separated from the kitchen by a mud room. The walls were made from glass, and the inside already contained everything Demi would need—heating, lighting, a ventilation system, drip irrigation, and everything else. The only thing Demi had to do was to start planting, so he’d gone to the nursery that morning and bought a sort of starter kit.
The roses he’d bought were pretty basic and in nine inches containers. There wasn’t much to do with them, really, but Demi had decided to dedicate a corner of the greenhouse to vegetables.
“Do you need help?”
“Not really, no.”
“Great.”
Demi looked at Reed and arched a brow, but his mate was already striding toward the greenhouse door to the outside and opening it. He closed it behind himself and Demi wondered what he was up to. He quickly followed Reed and found him right next to the entrance that led in the house. He was bare-chested, and Demi couldn’t help but stare.
It wasn’t something he’d seen often so far, although he hoped that would change. Reed was very private, and he always changed in his room or in the bathroom, when he was at Noah’s. So why was he taking his jeans off?
“What are you doing?”
Reed blushed and looked up. “You said you didn’t need help.”
“Uh huh.”
“It’s not a bother if I shift and stroll around, right?”
“Of course not.” To tell the truth, Demi was delighted. He’d seen Reed in his pangolin form only once or twice, and never on purpose. This would be the first time Reed had even shifted in front of him, and he was curious to see the pangolin, maybe even touch it if Reed allowed it.
Reed stood there, dressed only in tight boxer briefs, leaning his weight from foot to foot. Demi didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was staring. He knew Reed thought he was nothing special, but it wasn’t true. He might not have Jago’s flashy grace or Zach’s delicate beauty, but it didn’t make him ugly.
He was thin, with little visible muscles on his body. His stomach was flat and smooth, his legs covered in dark hair. There were some scars on both his arms and his chest, but they didn’t take anything away from his charm.
Reed looked strong, but not too much. He was cute, pretty in a way that didn’t intimidate Demi, but only made him want to push Reed on the ground and have his wicked way with him.
“So, umm, I’m going to shift.”
“Go ahead.”
“You’re not going to look away, huh?”
“No chance. I’m not going to waste this opportunity.”
Demi crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against the greenhouse’s wall. He let his gaze travel from Reed’s feet to his waist, then up his chest to his flushed face.
“I’m going to take my briefs off,” Reed warned.
“Are you trying to make me look away or look even harder?”
“Right.”
He hooked his thumbs on his hips and pushed the scrappy piece of fabric down his thighs. Demi followed its path until Reed straightened and folded it, obviously ignoring Demi.
Demi’s gaze went straight for the win. He was a man, after all.
Reed’s cock was soft and nestled into a trimmed patch of pubic hair. “How can you say you’re nothing special?” Demi breathed out.
Reed shook his head and Demi caught a hint of a smile before his mate shifted.
Pangolins were... interesting. Demi crouched and held his hand out to Reed, and Reed rolled his eyes. It was weird to see on an animal and Demi laughed. “You’re cute like this, too.”
Reed shuffled closer and flicked a very long tongue out to lick Demi’s hand. “Eww, Reed. That’s gross.”
Of course Reed did it again, and Demi cleaned his hand on his jeans. “Can I touch you?”
Reed pressed himself against Demi’s leg, hard enough to make him tumble down. He landed on his ass, fortunately not hard, and Reed climbed in his lap. Demi stroked a hand down Reed’s scales. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but the scales were smooth and warm. Demi knocked on them with his knuckles, laughing at Reed’s glare.
“Those are fucking hard, Reed.”
Reed flicked his tail, also covered in scales, and relaxed in Demi’s lap. Demi took his time stroking every scale he could reach, following the lines where they overlapped. Reed was big, even half curled in Demi’s lap. He had to reach forty inches in length, if not something more, and he felt like he weighted a ton, but Demi wasn’t about to ask him to move.
He didn’t know for how long they stayed like that, but Reed finally got up. He licked Demi’s hand again and walked away. Demi got up and started positioning containers and selecting seeds, and it was only when he got ready to plant them that he found Reed asleep, curled up in the smooth soil Demi had chosen for growing his vegetables.
* * * *
Reed woke up sometime later and looked around. He spotted Demi right away, crouched in the soft soil and working. Reed got up and stretched, then ambled toward his mate.
He had to have made some noise, because Demi turned and smiled at him. “Hey, sleepy head. I should’ve planted stuff in that spot, you know?”
Reed rolled his eyes and head butted Demi’s side. Demi laughed and scratched Reed’s head, and while Reed wanted to protest that he wasn’t a cat, it was nice enough for him to let his mate continue. He even closed his eyes, fully enjoying himself.
Unfortunately for him, it lasted only a few minutes. Demi patted him on the head and turned back to his plants. “Sorry, but I have to finish this today.”
He pressed a hand on the soil, the dark earth a stunning contrast with his pale skin and his green swirls. Reed watched with interest as the small bud that had barely peeked from the soil grew. It didn’t grow much, just enough that it was effectively rooted, but seeing it was amazing.
Demi repeated his magic with the entire row of buds he’d planted, and Reed avidly watched the entire time. Once he was done, Demi cleaned his hands on his thighs, leaving dark smudges on the denim. “I’m done for today. Want to go inside?”
Reed walked to the bench he’d left his clothes on and hesitated. He’d been naked in front of Demi just a little while ago, but he still felt shy. He looked behind, expecting Demi to be looking at him like he’d done before, but his mate was carefully avoiding it instead.
Trying to convince himself it was because he knew Reed was a bit uncomfortable rather than because he hadn’t liked what he’d seen, Reed shifted and reached for his briefs. He pulled them on and was able to relax now that he wasn’t comple
tely exposed.
Reed didn’t used to be like this. He’d never been shy about his body, even though he knew he wasn’t the most beautiful man on the planet, but something had changed while he was in the lab. The scientists had kept him naked to try to force him to shift, and when it hadn’t worked, they’d bullied him to the point that he’d started to believe what they were saying.
He’d never seen anything other than tenderness and affection in Demi’s gaze, though, and he knew sooner or later he’d fully trust his mate not to hurt him. Trying to keep distance between them was slowing that down, and Reed knew it. He just wasn’t sure he could push himself to trust.
“You better dress or you’ll get a cold.”
Reed startled at the sound of Demi’s voice, closer than it should’ve been. He turned and saw that his mate was standing right behind him, so close they could touch if only Demi reached out. He wasn’t even trying to do it, though, and kept enough distance that Reed felt more or less comfortable.
“I’m a shifter. I don’t get colds.”
“Right. You still should dress, though.”
Reed slowly turned to face his mate. “W-why?” The mood had shifted from playful to expectant, but Reed wasn’t sure what he was waiting for.
“Because you can’t expect me not to look when you put yourself on display.”
Reed gulped. He fought the instinct to cover himself, to hide the scars. He would have if he’d seen pity or disgust in Demi’s eyes, but they were burning with lust instead.
“Maybe I want you to look.”
“You do?”
Reed’s heartbeat sped up. He swallowed and gave demi a quick nod. “I guess... I want more.”
“More than what?”
“More than what we’ve done until now. I know you want me, and that you won’t hurt me. I know that. But sometimes, it’s hard to convince myself. I want to-to try, though. Now.”
Demi didn’t seem to take offense at Reed’s words. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at the challenge. He looked down at Reed’s body like he’d done earlier, his glaze roaming over Reed’s entire body, and Reed didn’t protest or tried to hide.
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