Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
“Demons?” Matteo blinked. “You mean like demon demons? From Hell? Fire and brimstone. Fallen angels. Minions of the devil. Those demons?”
“Well, I’ll admit that I don’t know all the details of their origins and jobs, but to keep it simple, yes, those demons.”
Matteo let out a laugh that sounded forced as he pulled his hand from Luke’s light grip. Luke’s heart sank as Matteo distanced himself. Could he blame Matteo? He sounded insane.
“I…I…don’t…”
“Think about it? We were both tied up and hurt. We had concussions and broken bones. How else would we be perfectly fine now unless magic was involved?”
“Yeah, but demons? It would be easier to believe if you told me you were living with angels. Angels are supposed to be loving and care for people. Demons…demons are evil, right? Wouldn’t they have helped those assholes instead of saving us?”
“True. Sort of. I think maybe it’s more complicated than that. I…” Luke reached for Matteo’s hand out of habit to reassure himself, but stopped before he could touch him, pulling his hand back.
Matteo’s hands shot out and snatched up Luke’s, squeezing it. “Look, I’m trying. It’s so hard to wrap my mind around it. I’ll give you that I can’t think of any explanation that doesn’t involve magic. I was sure my arm was broken. Last night, I thought…” His voice trailed off, and he sucked in a ragged breath. “I thought you were going to die. I was so scared.”
With his free hand, Luke cupped Matteo’s cheek, tipping his face up so that he could meet his eyes. “I was scared too, but my friends rescued us. Forget the demon part for now. My friends saved us. They would never hurt me, and they promised they would never hurt you because you’re so important to me.”
Matteo nodded and turned his face into Luke’s palm, brushing a kiss against his skin. He lifted his eyes, wincing. “Magic I can almost believe. But demons? That’s so…so…weird.”
Luke mentally rolled his eyes. It felt too perfect. “Would you expect anything less from me? Bird Boy?”
His boyfriend scowled. “Don’t call yourself that. They made that something evil. You’re more than your love of birds. Plus, I adore your fascination with birds. You’re so sweet and gentle with them.”
Matteo’s words helped to give Luke a flicker of hope. He was trying so hard to meet Luke halfway, but the whole thing was so preposterous. There had to be a way for Matteo to wrap his mind around it.
“Oh!” Luke gasped as an idea hit him. “Do you remember when things were so strange in the restaurant? You asked me if I’d performed an exorcism.”
Matteo sat up straighter, his eyebrows jumping higher on his forehead. “Did you really?”
“No. That was Ogos. One of my roommates. The demons have been trying to help me get a date with you.”
“What?” The question escaped him half gasp and half laugh. “A demon dating service?”
“Yeah, they got bored and decided they wanted to help with my love life since it was so pathetic. I told them I had a crush on you, so they offered to help me get a date with you,” Luke admitted, willing to confess everything. To throw it all on the line if it meant winning Matteo over. “Ogos was the one to make sure no other patrons visited the restaurant until we showed up. He wanted to make sure we got the best table. He was also trying to scare people away so that we would have the best service while we were there. In the bathroom, I convinced him to leave because I didn’t want him freaking you out.”
“And the attack…”
“They had nothing to do with that,” Luke stated. “When we returned to the house, I asked them to leave so we could have privacy. We were lucky they discovered we were in trouble and saved us. Like I said before, they would never hurt me or you.”
Matteo sat quietly, gazing at where he was still holding one of Luke’s hands in both of his. “So…they helped us to go on a date, and they saved our lives?”
“Yes.”
Matteo shoved a hand through his messy hair. His eyes were wide, but there was a distance to his stare, as if he couldn’t really see the room. A boulder sank into the pit of Luke’s stomach. He’d been afraid this would be too much for him to handle. Demons? A demon dating service? Vigilante demons who saved their lives from evil bullies? It was all too much.
“Luke…”
“You’re overwhelmed. I understand,” he murmured.
“I think…I’m going to need some time to think about all this.”
“If you’d rather…” Luke paused and licked his lips. “Az said that he could wipe your memory. You wouldn’t have to remember what happened last night.”
Matteo’s haunted gaze snapped up to his face. “All of it? Does that mean I’d have to forget about us?”