Mate to the Demon Kings by Lacey Carter Andersen
9
We couldn’t goto the school during the day. There were too many people around, and there was no way that the teachers and staff would fail to notice the massive Ryder beside her. So as much as it killed her, Sharen told the demons that they’d have to wait until nightfall to save her friend.
They didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she watched them as they explored life as… human-like people again. She followed them to the backyard as they breathed in the fresh air, and even stopped to pick flowers and smell them. Within a few minutes, Sharen felt better than she had in years. It was like all the things that she’d forgotten to appreciate were suddenly impossible to ignore.
“Are you a gardener?” Ryder asked, kneeling down by some wild flowers.
She shook her head. “I have someone who tends the garden. With how much I work, there’s no time to do anything. Actually, I’d normally already be at work, offering to tutor students and going through research about the realms.”
Ryder frowned, his gentle blue eyes onto her face. “But surely you can’t work all the time?”
She shrugged, feeling strange.
Suddenly, Alec lifted her chin. “Do you like working so much?”
It took a minute to remember to speak as she looked up into his handsome face. “I don’t know. Sometimes. But a job like mine, filled with training constantly to keep my body in shape, training with my students, teaching classes no one appreciates, and diving into dangerous realms… it’s draining.”
He nodded and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I worked a lot in life too. I barely made time for my brothers, or even… even my sister. And I regret it more than I can ever say.”
“Regret sucks to live with,” Ryder said, touching the petals of a flower.
Alec moved away from her, staring out at the cloudy sky at her side. “If you don’t want to work all the time, don’t. Life is too damn short.”
Kade breathed in deeply and spread his arms at his side, tilting his face to the sun.
She couldn’t help but smile. “You guys really missed this realm, huh?”
Ryder set the flower down and ran his fingers along the grass. “You have no idea. But now that we have a second chance, we’re not going to waste it. As long as we don’t use our powers, the angels won’t be able to find us. We can live a peaceful life, and this time enjoy as much of it as we can.”
Wow. They’re pretty damn excited just about my boring backyard. I wonder how they’d acted if we did something that was actually fun?
Suddenly, a strange idea hit her. “Do you guys want to go to the fair? There’s one in town that I’ve been passing, and I kind of wanted to--”
“Yes,” Ryder said, not even letting her finish.
She laughed, along with Ryder and Alec, and even the stoic Kade gave a smile. So, even though it seemed crazy, she loaded the demons into her car and they headed to the fair. There, she bought them a ridiculous amount of tickets. Being a demon-hunter paid damn well, but she’d never had the time or the energy to spend money on anything, so today she didn’t hold back.
Like kids ditching school, they raced around as if it was the best day of their lives. They ate cotton candy, hot dogs, and a bunch of unhealthy things that tasted amazing. The guys played games and won her prizes. They went on rides and laughed like idiots.
And it was strange, because she learned so much about them so quickly.
Alec and Kade were competitive with the games, which she wasn't surprised by, given that they were twins. She and Ryder exchange a lot of looks that said they both thought Alec and Kade were being ridiculous, and it felt amazing to have secret looks with a person. Since she and Elaina had drifted apart, Sharen hadn’t had that with anyone.
Not even with her ex-husband.
A strange memory came to her as she rode in a bumper car with Kade. Kade was driving, chasing his brothers around, and she was so happy that it felt like a strange dream. So strange that her thoughts wandered to long forgotten places. Two years ago she’d tried to convince her ex to go to the fair with her. He’d scowled at her and said he had better things to do with his time.
Sharen looked at Kade. The giant man was stuffed into a little bumper car, his teeth gritting together as a little boy crashed into their car and pointed, laughing at Kade. Would I ever have to convince these guys to do anything with me? I doubt it.
When they’d ridden every ride, and eaten everything they could eat, they made their way back to the car. The sun setting in front of them.
Ryder put an arm around her shoulder and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on her cheeks. “Thanks, sweetheart, for the best day of our lives.”
She looked at him. How is this man a demon? How is there anything bad inside of him?
She wanted to ask him who the men were that he killed. She wanted to ask him why he and his brothers had killed them. But she didn’t. Because even though he thought this was the best day of his life, she was pretty damned sure it was the best day of her life too.
As they sat in the car, Kade spoke, his tone gentler than before. “How dangerous is it to sneak into the facility?”
She switched the engine on and grabbed the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening. “This time of night, it’s not very busy. I go in and out all the time, barely spotting a soul, and everyone is used to seeing me. I’m not worried about it.”
Maybe she was nervous, a little. But worrying the guys wouldn’t do any good.
Ryder stretched his hand out and took one of my hands off the steering wheel, then squeezed it gently. “I got you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take care of you, I promise. And when your friend is safe, every day can be like this, if you want.”
Three demon men had stumbled through her dreams and into her life, and everything felt too perfect. Maybe she was still dreaming. Maybe there was a dark side to them she couldn’t imagine. But the truth was that somehow all of those possibilities felt less painful than being alone, or even feeling alone with her ex.
It’s a fact. I’ve officially lost my mind.
