Page 21 of My Demon Neighbor
Eight
Pythor
To say that Iwas surprised to find Codie knocking at my door would be an understatement. But when he gave me the sweetest, gentlest hug of my life? I just about lost my mind. I'd been hugged many times in my life, mostly by my demon friends. They were all very different people, and their hugs differed just as much.
Yet I'd never been hugged quite so sweetly before, and knowing how much Codie struggled with being close to people just made it that much sweeter.
Waving him into the house, I questioned whether he'd feel safer if I left the door open, and decided to leave it. It wasn't like anyone would just walk in in broad daylight, and even if they did, I would keep Codie safe.
Codie glanced around curiously, his arms crossed over his chest as he took in the bare walls and minimal decor. I'd copiedsomething out of a magazine so it'd look like a normal human home, but after seeing his place, I had to wonder if those magazines actually portrayed normal human homes at all.
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee?" I asked, and Codie blinked, then nodded. His stomach growled, making his cheeks go pink, and I smiled. "Breakfast?"
"I don't want to be a bother," he started, but I waved him off, though when he followed me into the kitchen, I was a bit stumped.
While I knew how to make coffee, I didn't cook. All my food came from restaurants and bakeries, and the odd cookie deliveries from Eshim since he'd discovered his new hobby. I had no skills in the kitchen, and no food in my pantry.
"At least let me help. That will make me feel better," he said, reaching for the cabinet above the counter and opening it to reveal empty nothingness.
"Ah, it's this one," I said, waving to the cabinet next to it as I snapped the fingers of my other hand.
When Codie opened it, he grinned at the box of cereal sitting front and center. "Hey, I like that one too."
Of course he did. In my rush, I'd just replicated his pantry. I hoped he didn't notice.
"We can have it then," I said, taking out the box and closing the cabinet before I started searching for the bowls I didn't know if I had.
After some looking, I found two bowls, and magicked up two spoons when Codie was focused on the coffee machine.
As he poured coffee into two mugs, I took a moment to absorb how surreal this felt. Codie was here in my house. He'd left his home, crossed the street, and walked up to mine all on his own.
Hella rubbed against my leg, reminding me she'd been with him as well. She was clearly helping him feel safer, and I was glad. While the idea had been mine, Hella had been such a good sport about the whole thing.
She wasn't a normal dog, and I'd lied to Codie when I'd told him I got her from a shelter. Hella was actually a demonhound, the only one of her kind. She belonged to all the demons, and spent her time drifting between all of us. I'd been worried she'd up and leave Codie if she got bored, but she seemed to understand that he needed her, and she'd stuck to his side ever since I introduced them.
"Here," Codie said, holding out the coffee mug, and I took it carefully, trying not to linger when our skin brushed. I loved this new closeness between us, loved knowing Codie trusted me, relied on me.
Placing the second mug on the counter, he walked over to the fridge like it was his house—and I treasured how comfortable he seemed in my space—and I remembered a second before he opened the door that I needed milk and other food in there.
I snapped my fingers just in time, filling the fridge with essentials as the door was half-open. I held my breath as I waited to see if he'd noticed, but he merely picked up the carton of milk before heading back.
While he doctored his coffee and added milk to our cereal, I gave Hella her special dog food, an illusion I'd created for Codie's sake since Hella was, like me, dead, and couldn't eat actual dog food. My summoning bond with Artemus allowed me to eat human food, and while Hella was able to appear in the human world by latching onto a demon's summoning bond, she didn't get enough powers off it to be able to eat. She didn't seem to mind much.
Codie and I settled on my small two-person dining table and ate our breakfast in companionable silence. I hoped his presence meant that he'd accepted my long-winded explanation regarding how I felt for him. I really would be perfectly content being his friend and helping him on this journey of his. Just watching him take each step toward his freedom filled my heart with joy, and I wanted to do everything I could to support him.
"You've been making some great progress," I said once I was done with my food and he was spooning up the last of it, and he glanced up at me, something like hope glowing in his eyes.
"You think so?"
I nodded, sitting forward in my excitement. I tried to keep my movements contained because I didn't want to startle him, but I also wasn't going to treat him like something fragile, because he wasn't. He was the strongest human I'd ever come across, and I was going to make sure he saw that.
"Yes! It's been, what, ten days since the first class? And in that time, you've learned the basics of self-defense, stepped out of your house, and even made your way here. That's amazing progress, Codie."
Codie pursed his lips, like he didn't quite agree but didn't want to say it. I wanted to reach out and take his hand in mine, to give it a reassuring squeeze. But since I didn't think it would comfort him at all, I resisted the urge.
"I've also had a bunch of panic attacks," he mumbled, like he couldn't just take the win, and I wished he could see the way I saw him.
Codie
