It was obvious Chloé sensed something wasn’t quite right about him. It was smart to be afraid of a demon, so he didn’t go to great lengths to put her at ease. And frankly, he just didn’t care.
Today, she glanced up at the sound of his voice, and when she saw Sunshine, her mouth dropped open. Her eyes went as round as saucers, and she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Or an angel.
He could relate. He’d had a similar reaction the first time he’d seen Sunshine too.
“This is Sunshine,” he told Chloé.
“Hello.” Sunshine lifted a hand and smiled.
Chloé didn’t wave back. She continued to stare open-mouthed. Raum gave up and tugged Sunshine through the lobby toward the entrance to the kennels.
“Is she all right?” Sunshine whispered as he opened the door.
He started to reply, but a cacophony of barking assailed their ears as they stepped from the hall into the echoey room. Apparently, the dogs were worked up today.
“My goodness!” Sunshine cried, releasing his hand to cover her ears. “These poor creatures.” She went to the first cage and held out a hand to the dog within. It immediately quieted.
She went to the next cage and the next, calming each animal. Exactly as Raum did. He followed, watching in disbelief.
In just a couple minutes, all the dogs were silent.
“There.” She turned to him with a smile. “Poor things were in such distress.”
He stared. “How…?”
She shrugged. “Most angels have the ability to communicate with animals. It’s a skill that comes naturally.”
“But you— I—” He broke off, not even sure what he wanted to ask.How do I do it?He’d never heard of anyone with the same ability as him, and now Sunshine had it? And claimed it was normal for angels?
But that couldn’t have anything to do with him. He wasn’t remotely angelic. He may have lost three centuries of memory, but he still had plenty of memories before that of being one hundred percent demonic. He cringed when he thought about some of the shit he’d done back in his day.
So how had he gotten the ability? The dream he’d been studiously ignoring prickled at the edges of his mind.
“Sunshine, did we…” He trailed off.
What was he going to ask? If she’d known him in the past and justforgottento mention it? If they had some fucked-up romantic history? If she’d somehow gifted him with the angelic power to communicate with animals? It sounded ridiculous in his own mind, and he couldn’t force himself to verbalize it.
Sunshine frowned and opened her mouth, but at that moment, Caro appeared at the end of the row. “Figured you were here when the dogs went quiet.”
Raum and Sunshine were still staring at each other, but he forced his gaze away to greet Caro with a nod. He wasn’t going to explain that he wasn’t the one who’d quieted the animals.
“You brought a…friend.” Caro’s eyes bugged when Sunshine turned around.
“Greetings,” she said with that radiant smile.
“Wow.” Caro’s eyes flicked between them.
“This is Sunshine,” Raum said.
“I— Yes, hello, nice to meet you, Sunshine. I’m Caro.”
“Are you the owner of this establishment?” Sunshine asked.
“In a manner of speaking, yes.”
“Your work is very honorable. In my…job, we watch over others with similar professions. You’re important to the upliftment of all humankind.”
Caro’s eyes were wider than the frames of her glasses. She opened and closed her mouth but didn’t manage to make a sound.
