I stayed home that evening after having been heavily bandaged by Hailey and fussed over by Patrick who made me soup and biscuits while I lay down on the couch in the living room.

I popped a couple of Advil and when the pain was had finally subsided, I managed to send them home with assurances that I was going to be fine. 

When they were gone, I finally called Jack who I knew would’ve already been at work.

“It looked like a lizard?” he repeated with a tone that suggested he was frowning deeply. 

“Yes—a big, scary, man-shaped lizard,” I told him as I swirled what was left of my green tea in the cup. “It had green eyes and not the pretty kind.”

“Sounds like a demon,” he finally said, exhaling sharply. “It might regenerate its arm but it’ll take a while. I’ll look into it and see if anyone else knows about it.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“And what did Tristan say about it?” he asked after a brief, hesitant pause.

I leaned back against the couch and sighed. “Nothing. I didn’t give him the opportunity to say much. I just told him to deal with it because it’s likely his mess.”

Jack didn’t say much after that.

He knew I haven’t been in speaking terms with Tristan lately but I never explained why and he never asked. He probably didn’t want to know.

We said goodbye after he assured me he’d come see me right after he got out of work but that he might be running late because he had a pack meeting right after dawn too. I didn’t tell him about my injuries.

I had just slowly dragged myself to the kitchen to put away my cup when there was a knock on the door.

I glanced at the wall clock. It was about seven-thirty and I wasn’t expecting anyone.

I carefully shuffled towards the door, surprised that no pain pinched the soles of my feet anymore as they had an hour ago when I went to boil a pot of water for my tea.

“Who is it?” I called out, reaching for the shot gun I kept in the front hall closet.

In a matter of seconds, the front door opened and in strode Tristan.

“Don’t even think about it,” he said, glancing at my outstretched hand.

His eyes were a dark, almost denim-blue color and his mouth was set in a tight line. His blond hair was casually brushed back, a few locks falling right above his brows. In an all-black outfit, his towering frame of about six feet and five inches looked more menacing.

My heart raced but I quickly put on my angry face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, crossing my arms in front of me, more in an effort to conceal the thin tank top I was wearing with a pair of baby blue cotton boxers.

He didn’t answer that question.

He glanced down at my legs and studied the bandage that pretty much covered my right shin and the ones Hailey wrapped at the bottom of my feet.

“Did those heal already?” he asked and before I could answer, he was down on his knee, peeling off the bandage.

“Hey, stop it!” I exclaimed in surprise, trying to take a step back but he quickly grabbed me by the hips and sat me down on an arm chair.

The rest of my protest died in my throat when the bandage came off and all that I saw were fading trails of red on the parts of my leg where the skin had been scraped off.

“You’re healing on your own again,” he said in a curious tone as he lifted both my feet and peeled the bandage off of them as well. I shivered when he brushed his fingertips along the soles but I noticed the absence of pain there. 

“Well, whatever Hailey used on me must’ve been one hell of an ointment,” I said dryly, uncertain what to say next. I moved my feet away from him and pressed them flat on the hardwood floor.

Tristan pulled himself back up to his feet, setting down a small bottle on the corner table. “That was an AIdezard demon you came across with based on Stigger’s description. They’re not poisonous and I thought you’d want something to make the nicks and cuts go away but it looks like you didn’t need Ara’s healing potion after all.”

“Guess not,” I answered with a casual shrug. “You can leave now.”

“It’s probably better to keep the bandages on until there’s been enough time for them to have normally healed,” he said, slowly pacing around. “I’m starting to think it’s not just the were-demon blood in you anymore that’s causing these things to happen.”

About a month ago, I got bitten by a were-demon and the poison in my blood caused me to attune to their thoughts and later on, allowed me to access the mind of their pack leader Houdin who was brought down to his knees by something inexplicable that I was doing with his brain.

The day after having been badly injured during the were-demon attack, my bruises and injuries went away on their own without the slightest help from Arabella’s magic potions that I’ve used before to heal at a faster rate and without any scars. We attributed that as well to the poison left in my bloodstream.

Momentarily forgetting my apathy towards Tristan, I told him about the glow while I was under water and he listened aptly, the crease on his forehead deepening in thought.

“I already have Arabella looking into these symptoms you’ve been manifesting and I’ll let her know about this too,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “For now, I suggest we keep this among ourselves. You never know what others can use against you.”

I laughed sardonically and got up. “Don’t worry. I’ve had my share of getting burned. I know better than to trust people so easily.”

His eyes held my gaze steadily. “Sometimes, you have to trust what you can’t see. It’s called faith.”

I raised a brow. “Sometimes, you just have to learn from your mistakes and never make them again. It’s called self-preservation.”

He took a step towards me and I had the urge to back away but I reminded myself that this was my house—my life—and it was Tristan who needed to back off.

His blue eyes gentled as he gazed down at me. “I miss you.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Go to hell, Tristan. I really mean it this time.”

One corner of his mouth turned up in an ironic smile. “I can assure you I’m already there.”

My heart thudded against my rib cage.

Tristan’s really good at this, I told myself. Don’t let him get under your skin.

And it was true. 

Tristan was real talented with women and I was certain I wasn’t the first to pay for letting him sweep me off my feet.

I just had to remember that no matter how much I ached to touch him or kiss him again.

“I think you need to leave now, Tristan,” I ground out, finally tearing my gaze away from him. I stepped back and swept an arm towards the front door. “Go. It should be easy. You’ve done it before after all.”

He just stood there, looking at me.

“Go!” I snapped, stomping my foot. “What are you waiting for?”

A hint of amusement flickered on his otherwise somber expression. “I’m trying to decide whether I should do the right thing and walk away or throw you over my shoulder and take you home.”

My cheeks flamed and my eyes narrowed. “You’re quite appalling, you know that, Tristan? You have the nerve to make fun of me?”

He cocked his head to one side. “Believe it or not, I was being honest.”

I opened my mouth to bark at him one more time but he quickly snaked an arm behind my waist and pulled me against him, my toes grazing the floor.

Before I could react, his mouth was on mine, kissing and prodding as if we’d been doing this just yesterday.

His lips tasted and felt familiar and his tongue was teasing that for a minute, I kind of got lost in the thrill of having him so close like this again.

I kissed him back. 

Good Lord, did I ever kiss him back.

I hung on to his neck and shoulders like a drowning person would to a life raft.

He cupped my butt and lifted me off my feet, my legs wrapping around his hips.

He staggered towards the couch and the moment he put me down and pulled away for a bit, I got a good look at his face and the room around us and I came crashing back down to reality.

“No!” I cried out with a groan, scrambling back to my feet and jumping away from him. “You’re not doing this to me again, Tristan. Do you hear me? I’m not going to be your damn booty call or whatever it is you call them. Get out!”

He exhaled sharply as if in pain and straightened up. “Ollie—“

“Not a word, Tristan!” I interjected angrily. “You haven’t managed any in the last month so I imagine that wouldn’t be too hard now. Get the hell out of my house!”

He walked towards me and afraid he was going to grab me and kiss me again, I slapped him hard on the face.

Pain bloomed on my palm but I bit the inside of my cheek and took a step back nervously.

He moved his jaw testily and sighed in resignation. “I deserved that.”

“You deserve more than that but that’s all that I have the energy for tonight,” I muttered at him, walking to the door and yanking it open. “Please leave now.”

He gave me one lingering look before stepping out.

I shut the door quickly after him and waited until I heard his car pull out of the driveway.

I sagged against the door, pressing a hand to my chest as if it would help slow my racing heart down.

I took a minute to collect myself. I cleaned up the bandages that were now useless to me and went upstairs to change into a pair of cotton pajamas that would hide the fading marks on my leg and feet. 

I was just sitting in front of my laptop at the study desk in my bedroom, writing an email to Jesse whom I haven’t heard much from in the last couple of weeks, when I heard a knock on the door again.

I glanced at the time at the bottom of my screen and knew it couldn’t be Jack. He would’ve phoned if he left work early.

“Maybe he didn’t get the hint,” I grumbled as I thought of Tristan before grabbing my robe and making my way down.

I peeked through the curtain on the front window and spied a blond head.

I opened the door and smiled up at Devon.

“What are you doing here late in the evening?” I asked, stepping back to let him in. He was wearing jeans and a light gray, zip-up sweater.

“Are you okay?” he asked, touching my arm and peering at me. “I heard about what happened at the lake earlier.”

I shook my head in amusement. “You supernaturals are sure nosy. I’m all better now.”

He studied me for a moment before relaxing into a small smile. “I’m glad it wasn’t so serious. I’ll talk to Tristan about that. It tried to attack a young boy but he couldn’t tell us much. He was too disoriented by the panic of it all. All he remembers is jumping into the water to swim a little and then he started drowning. He said you saved him.”

I shrugged. “Nah. I just felt like dipping in, that’s all.”

“I would tell you not intervene when an otherworldly creature is attacking but you wouldn’t have known it was that so I’ll let it go,” he said, his smile reaching up his blue-green eyes now. “Next time, be very careful, Ollie.”

“I know,” I conceded, clasping my hands in front of me like a child admitting guilt. “I’m sorry. It was almost instinctive for me to just jump in.”

“You’re not hurt too bad, are you?” he asked, his brows drawing together in question. “I heard you got scratched up.”

I shrugged. “Nothing major. They’ll be gone before I notice.”

He studied me for another minute as we stood by my foyer.

“I guess I should go then,” he said. “I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay.”

I watched him turn towards the door and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “Do you have plans for the rest of the evening?”

He raised a brow at me in puzzlement. “Um, not really. Why?”

I smiled up at him. “Do you want to hang out?”

His brow arched higher in more puzzlement. “Hang out?”

I nodded eagerly. “Yeah, hang out. You know, spend time together. Talk. Watch TV. Play board games. Eat junk food.”

Devon didn’t look like he knew what to say.

“I just don’t feel like being all by myself tonight,” I added helpfully. “But only if you’ve got nothing better to do. I don’t want to take you away from your nightly angelic rounds if you have such things.”

He smiled. “No, we don’t really tuck little kids in bed at night.”

“No! Say it isn’t so!” I feigned horrified shock and he laughed.

“Alright, we can hang out,” he said and I almost sighed in relief.

Do you know when you get to know someone and you just have a feeling you’re going to get along really well and be great friends? That’s kind of how I feel about Devon except that he’s also very cute and protective and seems like take a little more interest in me than he probably should.

“I probably should change into something more presentable,” I said as I looked down at my robe and pajamas.

“No, don’t worry about it,” Devon said with an amused smile. “You look great. I like those little stars on them.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Okay, fashion critic. Enough about my pajamas.”

I gestured to the living room couch. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you something to drink and eat. Any preference?”

More than half an hour later, Devon and I were by the large kitchen island, cutting out different shapes for the sugar cookies we were making. 

This ancient angel, about six-hundred years old, give or take according to him, has never baked in his entire lifetime.

Unable to resist, I dragged him into the kitchen where I was determined to immerse him into the art and joy of baking. He didn’t protest and seemed to be paying attention.

“You really love what you do, don’t you?” he asked all of a sudden as he eased off a cookie cutter off the soft dough. He looked up at me and smiled. “Baking. Cooking. Running your Mom’s bakeshop. Living in Willow.”

I grinned. “Yes, I do. I’m luckier than most people so I can’t really complain. I had great parents and even though they died early, they made sure we didn’t go without. My brother’s living the high life in California and I chose to stay here where I had a great time growing up. I can’t really say I want more.”

He put down his cookie cutter. “Don’t you wish to see the rest of the world though?”

I shrugged. “Sure, I’d like to travel a little bit. See Paris and taste all that French cooking. Maybe somewhere tropical with a crystal blue beach, white sand and palm trees. I want to see Venice. I want to see the Buckingham Palace. And the pyramids of Egypt. Oh, and I want to see the Great Wall of China!”

I burst out laughing and Devon just shook his head in amusement.

“See, I want to see all these things I’ve heard and read about,” I continued on a more serious note. “But I want to come home to Willow at the end of it all. This is my home.”

He looked at me for a moment, as if struggling to say something before he finally shrugged it off. “I think we all want to come home to where we’ve always felt safe and surrounded by happy memories.”

I leaned forward curiously. “So where’s home for an angel like you? Heaven?”

“Ah. Of course, you’d assume that,” he said with a grin. “I hate to disappoint you but we’re a little more laid-back than you think. We mostly reside in the human realm because this is where our job is. We have houses and properties, we drive cars—we try to imitate a regular human life just to avoid standing out too much. We have elders we report to who mostly reside in the divine realm and we get our orders from them. It doesn’t have cloudy floors or pearly gates. There, the skies are blue, the grass is green and the waters are clear. I’m barely in there though. My mother brought me out to the human realm as soon as I reached my full adulthood and put me to work. I haven’t been back much since.”

“Do you see your mother much?” I asked, noticing the tender expression in his eyes at the mention of her. 

“Every now and then, she comes to visit,” he answered. “She’s among the original set of Stellars and has been very instrumental in how our entire unit has evolved but she mostly works in the background now. She’s a lovely person. You’d like her.”

I smiled. “I’m sure I would if she’s a lot like you.”

That got him smiling like a silly boy. 

I declared it was time to put the cookies in the oven and when that was done, I poured us each a glass of orange juice.

I rummaged through my freezer and triumphantly held up a bottle of vodka I opened last New Year’s Eve. “Do you drink?”

Devon scratched his ear as he watched me splash a little bit of it into my glass and poised the bottle over his. “Every now and then. It’s part of the human culture.”

I poured some into his glass and watch him swirl it around. 

I took a sip of mine and giggled. “I’ll warn you that I’m a cheap drunk but I’ll be fine with just one glass. After today, I need a drink.”

We finished the first glass in a quick gulp and poured ourselves a second one.

We walked back to the family room and I turned the television on. I sat on the couch and patted the spot next to me where he plopped down. 

I tuned into the middle of a Jeopardy episode and we spent the next ten minutes drinking our liquor and trying to guess the right answer, er, question. 

When the episode ended and an infomercial played on, I set my empty glass above my knee and looked up at Devon. 

I was getting warm from the vodka and feeling a little giddy.

“Are you having a good time hanging out with me or are you seriously regretting this?”

He smiled and stretched his arm across the back of the couch. “I’ve never had a more domestic evening but I am having good time. Thanks for inviting me.”

I rolled my eyes and playfully slapped him on the tummy. “You’re too damn serious, you know that? And formal. And always proper. And you always walk a straight line. And you—”

The rest of my words were cut off when he suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips softly against mine.

My eyes fluttered close and I tentatively kissed him back.

His hand cupped my face and tilted it up slightly to kiss me a more deeply. I clutched his shoulder to ground myself better against the undercurrents that were rumbling under the surface.

He pulled away a little and I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, looking more serious than ever.

“That wasn’t so proper of you, was it?” I joked to ease him back out of his stunned silence.

He moved away a bit more and shook his head. “No. Definitely not. I’m sorry.”

I put both hands on his arm. “Oh, Devon. It’s just a kiss. Surely you won’t get into trouble for that, would you?”

“More than you can possibly imagine but nothing you should actually be worried about,” he said, managing a pained smile. 

Relieved, I looped my arm through his and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll shut up now. You’ve proven me wrong.”

I thought he would propose to leave, knowing his tendencies to always do the right thing, but he relaxed back into the couch and rested his cheek against the top of my head and we stayed that way for a few more minutes, watching more infomercials before the oven timer started beeping.

He was quite impressed with our cookies and didn’t stop me when I started filling a small, parchment-lined tin box I keep handy for baked gifts. I tied a pretty bow around it and told him to take it when he left.

We munched on what was left of the cookies and by the time we were done cleaning up, it was a little past eleven.

“I should probably go and leave you to rest,” he finally said, a hint of regret in his voice. “You must be exhausted after today’s events.”

I wrapped my arms around myself and gave a little shrug. “I’m doing better than I expected but yes, you’re probably right. I should rest. You too. I didn’t mean to keep you here so late.”

He smiled and briefly touched my cheek. “I had a great evening. Thank you.”

I smiled broadly. “No, I should thank you for keeping me company.”

I stilled when he leaned forward and pressed a feather-light kiss on my cheek. “Goodnight, Ollie.”

Lowering my eyes, I gazed at his parted lips and stood on my tiptoes to kiss them softly. “Goodnight, Devon.”

His hands gently grasped my shoulders. “I wish this was easy but these things never are. I never meant to impose myself on you, Ollie. Please don’t let how I feel get in the way of my being your friend because that always comes first.”

This was probably as good an indication as any that I should draw the line here but I was in too bubbly a mood to worry about it too much.

“I’m here for you too, Devon, even though I can’t do nearly half as much as you’re capable of,” I said with a smile. Then that smile quivered as I lowered my gaze away from his. “You probably don’t date humans but I almost wish I met you before I met Tristan.”

“How about Jack?” he asked gently.

I squeezed my eyes shut before my guilty tears could spring up. “I like Jack. He’s a great guy. He can be a great boyfriend. I’ve been telling myself that in the last couple of weeks. But I just can’t quite feel the same way he feels about me no matter how hard I try.”

I finally crumpled into tears and Devon pulled me into his arms, rubbing my back gently. 

“I’m such a horrible person, aren’t I?” I sobbed, brushing the tears off my face angrily. I was so good at holding them in that when they finally came, they were coming in currents.

“Why would you say that?” Devon asked.

“Because I want a guy who’s bad for me when I have good men like you and Jack who I’ll be better off with.”

He slowly pushed me away to look at my face and I looked up at him guiltily through a veil of tears.

“Tristan isn’t as bad as you think,” he said, surprising me with that statement. 

I blinked. “I thought you would say something like, I told you so.”

He smiled. “No, I wouldn’t. I’ve known Tristan for a very long time. He’s not the easiest person to put up with but he’s not as bad as others make him out to be. He can make the hard decisions and I think that’s what makes him unpopular sometimes but he’s not always doing it for himself. Most of the time, he’s doing it for other people’s sakes.”

I let that sink in for a minute before pouting. “He’s still an epic womanizer. I think he’s doing that for himself.”

Devon laughed. “I can’t speak much to Tristan’s relationships but he’s not an unfortunate-looking fellow so I don’t think he can help the attention. He’s a guy.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s such a lousy excuse, Devon, even coming from you. I know a lot of decent guys. You’re decent—well, given that you’re an angel and we know Tristan is far from one.”

His brows rose as if he was going to say something more but he caught himself. 

“Let’s not talk about Tristan anymore, okay?” I said, scrunching up my nose irritably. “I don’t want to be in a bad mood for the rest of the night.”

“Alright. I’m sorry,” he said, exhaling sharply. “What are you going to do about Jack?”

I shrugged sadly. “I’ll have to be honest with him, I think. He deserves someone better than me. I can’t give him what he needs. I was all for it in the beginning, you know? I guess I was desperate to make it work but I can only feign so much enthusiasm. If we don’t have it then we don’t have it.”

Devon squeezed my arm. “You’re a good person, Ollie, but you have to do what’s best for you.”

I snorted. “Too bad it doesn’t always match what we want. Don’t worry about me, Devon. I’ll be fine. I’ll manage.”

“And you’ll call me if you need me, right?” he asked, giving me a firm look. “I’m serious, Ollie.”

I laughed. “Too serious, if you ask me but yes, I will. Jeez, go home, Devon. I’ll have you on speed-dial if that makes you feel better.”

He grinned and nodded in resignation. “Okay. I’ll go now. Goodnight.”

We leaned forward at the same time, to hug goodnight supposedly, I guess, but we ended up kissing again. And again.

Holy moly!

It’s either the vodka or I’m seriously developing a crush back on Devon.

I giggled as I pulled away, clutching the sleeves of his sweater. “Okay, we’ve got to stop now. I have to sort this thing out with Jack and I’m a little worried if you stay any longer I’ll have a lot more explaining to do.”

He gave me a quick hug before disappearing through the front door.

As I lay in bed that night, I felt strangely alone.

Today, I’ve kissed three men: Jack, Tristan and Devon. 

The old Ollie would’ve been horrified by the fact. I’ve never gambled with my relationships before—I wasn’t that kind of girl—but I now felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled and I wondered if it’s always been there or if it was just because something had been recently taken away.

I cared about all of them—Jack, who deserved more from me; Tristan, who I cared about more than what was smart; and Devon, who I could lose as a friend if I broke his heart. Any way I see it, someone was bound to get hurt and my ultimate fear was that it was going to be me.

For a moment, I understood why love can be much like fire, which had been reappearing in my dreams lately—it devastated what was closest to it while it burned itself out until there was nothing left of either of them but ashes and smoke.