Maybe he would even prefer it.
But as Nix was the demon at hand, it wouldn’t do to let Matteo stew in his misery. He slowed down his stride, pleased when Matteo changed his pace to match.
“So,” Nix said conversationally. “I know I’m not as big and tough as Kai, but I promise nobody’s going to be able to hurt you with me here. I’m stronger than I look. And meaner. And faster.”
Matteo’s head jerked from under his hoodie, his gaze darting to Nix and then away again. He had absurdly large eyes, their size only emphasized by his short buzz cut, but he didn’t seem too fond of eye contact.
The fear emanating off him lessened, although not as much as Nix would have liked.
“Do you want to talk about what you’re so afraid of?”
Matteo shook his head forcefully, pulling his hood back up.
“Is it me?” Nix asked, only half-teasing. “I promise I don’t bite.” He pretended to consider. “Well, I bite Ivan, but he likes it, I swear.”
He caught sight of a blush on Matteo’s cheeks, but the young human shook his head again. “Not you,” he said quietly.
“You’re not scared of Kai, are you?” It wouldn’t quite make sense, with how much Matteo’s fear had increased when he’d left the house, but it didn’t hurt to double-check. Nix supposed it would be a shock to find oneself living with a seven-foot-tall horned demon all of a sudden.
“No,” Matteo told him, surprisingly fierce. “Kaisavedme. Him and Sascha.”
“Oh. Well, good,” Nix said, horribly awkward. He wasn’t too proud of his efforts here, but there was just too much negative in Matteo for Nix to get a read on the positive. Although, Matteo’s loyalty was clearly strong. Nix would just have to settle for notbeing the world’s best conversationalist, no matter how much it hurt his pride. “Where should we go while we wait?”
Matteo answered quickly, “There’s a bakery they like.”
“Doyoulike it?”
“The guy’s nice.”
“Is he hot?” Nix asked, wondering if he could get another blush from him.
But Matteo only nodded solemnly, leading him to a small bakery called—most apt—the Bakeshop.
They walked in together, and a round-cheeked young man, his brown curls pulled back with a cloth headband, smiled widely at their entrance. “Matty!”
Matteo gave a shy wave.
“Who’s your new friend?” the young man asked, eyeing Nix. Then, before Matteo could answer, “I’m Seth. I love your outfit. And your hair. And the tattoo.”
Nix grinned. He was never one to turn down a compliment or two. “Well, I like everything about you,” he purred. He was tempted to add, “And if you like me like this, you should see me in my demon form,” but he supposed that wouldn’t be very hush-hush of him.
“What can I get you?”
Nix had no interest in human food, so he turned to Matteo, but Matteo, for all that he’d suggested they go there, shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “Oh, um, I don’t—”
“We have some lemon bars I made today,” Seth told him kindly. “I was messing with a new recipe, and they’re absurdly sweet. Like, take the enamel off your teeth.”
Matteo gave a small nod. “Okay.”
Seth smiled at him, bagging up two of them and handing them over. “On me.”
Matteo didn’t seem to know what to do with that, bobbing hishead awkwardly and shuffling out the door. Nix gave a cheery, “Toodles, Seth!” and followed.
“You got a crush on him or something?” he asked Matteo as soon as they were out the door. He didn’t scent any desire or anything delicious like that, but crushes took all kinds of forms.
“What? No.” Matteo actually frowned at him, like Nix was being ridiculous. “He’s just…kind.”
Nix was distracted from any further teasing by the sight of Kai approaching in his human form. Matteo visibly relaxed more the closer he got, his shoulders no longer hanging out somewhere around his ears.
