Hazel sits at my side on the bed.
The silence is awkward, and it goes on for so long I’m tempted to say something silly just to break the tension.
Hazel finally collects herself. She tells me all about how she came to be and a little about growing up in Haven. That leads to her tracking down Greer when the siren went missing after her boyfriend illegally turned her into a vampire.
For being friends with Novak, Reign, and Seiran, I had no idea any of that took place. I assumed Novak turned Greer because they’re mates, but the truth is much more gruesome.
After that, Hazel covers how she devoured an angel rapist, which led Zephyr and two of his sentinel friends to start hunting her. They tracked her to her hometown, and she needed somewhere else to settle. That led her to rent a room from Greer in the house that the newly turned vampire inherited from her grandmother.
Hazel pauses and sighs before going on. “I was talking to Greer when my monster picked up someone’s fear. The shifter was already dead, but I found the female siren pinned to the wall. I siphoned her and Greer to Novak’s office and went to deal with the attackers, but Zephyr interrupted.”
“How does that even work? You said he’s been hunting you, but he didn’t attack you tonight or that day in Spellbound.”
“It’s confusing to me too, but I think he can only sense my soul vibration when I’m actually devouring.” She shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. He partially sensed me when my monster tried to take over in the alley. Honestly, I’ve kinda been waiting for him to pop in here to try to kill me.”
“Gods,” I mutter, shaking my head. “What do you plan to do now? Are you going to run again?”
I don’t like the thought of that.
If she leaves, I’ll go with her.
There’s nothing specific keeping me in Black Cove. Not outside of the small favor I needed to repay to Reign and Novak, but I could continue it even if I ended up leaving with her. Well, at least the second part of the marker.
The first thing they asked was that I come take over Rut a few nights a week so it wouldn’t fall completely on Seiran to fuel the club with the lust.
It was mild in comparison to what I was expecting to owe for that marker, but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Only they added a caveat once I was already here.
They asked me to keep an eye on Hazel and to help ensure she wasn’t lonely. I assumed they didn’t want Hazel hanging around and cramping their style while trying to enjoy their honeymoon stage with Greer.
Thinking back on that conversation, they did hint there was more to Hazel than meets the eye, but in no way would I have expected it to be something like this.
The first time I sought Hazel out, it was with the intention of honoring the favor, but as soon as I set eyes on her, I had a new purpose. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by awitchwith more power than I’ve ever felt a supernatural being possess? Knowing she’s a demon makes so many things click into place.
At some point, I’m going to have to come clean with her about how we originally met. None of the time I’ve spent with her since has felt like honoring the favor to Reign and Novak, but I worry she won’t believe that.
“I’ve thought about leaving Black Cove, but wouldn’t that make me look guilty?” She sighs. “I mean, I am guilty. I did kill his friend, but he really deserved it.”
“Hey.” I toss my arm around her shoulder. “I’m not judging. The universe created you for a specific purpose. You shouldn’t feel bad for fulfilling that destiny. Plus, you’re kind of a badass. Even your species sounds killer—devourer—it just sounds powerful. By the way, I’m sorry I flung you into the wall.” My head bobbles up and down awkwardly.
“Sorry I tried to eat you,” she whispers, sounding mortified.
Twisting to the side, I lift her and bring her to kneel over my lap. Her small hands come to rest on my chest, and I wrap my wings around her back. “I don’t think you really even tried. If you had wanted to devour me, I would cease to exist. It’s that simple. You were just hungry, and at the very least, we now know something we didn’t before.”
“What’s that?” she asks, tilting her face up to mine.
“Okay, we know two things.” I laugh at the adorable way her nose scrunches. “First, we learned you can feed without alerting the angel dick as long as you only siphon off the sins and don’t actually devour the person’s soul. I assume you’re satiated? Like you’re no longer starving?”
Her head tilts, and she blinks repeatedly. “I’m in much better shape than I was, but I also wasn’t in control of my monster. I could have eaten you.”
“Nah, I bet I can win over your monster. She’s already fond of me.” I chuckle, shaking off the embarrassment of my reaction. “I think she even woke me up to ensure I was okay after she sucked off all those lingering sins.”
“Annex,” she chokes, slapping my chest. “You made that sound really sexual.”
“Incubus here, baby doll. Everything we do is sexual, which brings me to the second thing we learned.” I tease my hands down her hips to caress her arse. “Okay, the second thingIlearned.” I smirk, fluttering my lashes. “You’re a total fucking badass. I have a hell of a crush on you. How’d you like to be my girlfriend?”
Chapter Twelve
Hazel
