Page 31 of My Demon Neighbor
Twelve
Pythor
Nothing had ever causedme more pain than watching Codie cry and knowing there was nothing I could do to make it better.
I held him close, my wings tight around his small body, and he sighed between hitching sobs as he clung to me, face hidden in the crook of my neck as he cried and cried.
Something caught my eye from the periphery, and I turned my head to look at the painting we kneeled in front of. It was still wet, telling me Codie must've been working on it. It was red and black and so full of pain it made me want to look away. It seemed abstract, but the longer I stared at it, the more I saw. Like that brown speck near the top, ringed with red. Was that my eye?
As I stared at the painting, Codie slowly calmed down, losing steam as his exhaustion caught up with him. It was two inthe morning, and I had no idea how long he'd been working on this. Had he eaten dinner after I left? Or had he been here the whole time?
My eyes were drawn back to the painting as he stayed silent, seemingly unwilling to pull back, not that I wanted him to.
The red and black streaks almost looked like wings as they surrounded the splash of black in the middle. Was that us? Was that how Codie saw himself? All those black marks with streaks of red like someone had torn him open.
Codie had no idea how bright he was. I could see his soul, and it was as pure as they came, struggling and beaten down, but still so damned bright and brave.
As Codie's body went lax in my arms, I slowly magicked us to his bedroom, not wanting to jostle or wake him by doing it physically. Once there, I laid him onto his mattress, took off his slippers, then covered him with a blanket after removing—with magic—his paint-streaked apron.
Hella climbed onto the mattress and curled up beside him, and he turned in his sleep, wrapping an arm around her as he buried his face in her fur.
Smiling, I took my human form again, then snapped a finger to move the armchair closer to the bed.
Before settling in, I turned on his sound system, leaving the voice low as the first song started playing. He'd told me how the noise kept his nightmares at bay, and I wanted him to get some rest.
Codie had asked me not to leave, so I was going to stay right there by his bedside, watching over him as he slept.
When I woke up, Codie was still asleep, so I left Hella to watch over him as I went to the kitchen and debated about trying to cook for two seconds before magicking up some breakfast from a bakery I liked. I spelled it so it wouldn't get cold, then got some fancy coffee and did the same to it just as I heard Codie start to stir.
Not wanting him to panic over strange noises in his home, I went to his bedroom, lingering in the doorway.
"Good morning," I greeted softly as his eyes opened, and they widened as he stared at me.
"Uh. Good morning?" He said it like a question, and I smiled.
"May I come in?"
He nodded quickly, sitting up as Hella tried to climb into his lap.
"How are you feeling?"
He made a face, then shrugged. "Better, I suppose," he said, voice throaty, from sleep or last night's crying, I wasn't sure.
"I'm glad. I have coffee and breakfast in the kitchen if you want to freshen up."
He blinked owlishly for a long moment before nodding, and I watched as he clambered out of bed, leaving Hella to demand cuddles from me. I gave her some belly rubs as I waited for Codie, and when he came out of the bathroom looking a bitmore awake, Hella and I followed him to the kitchen, where his eyes widened at the food set up on the counter.
"Did you rob a bakery?"
Was it robbing if I'd made some donuts, croissants, and cupcakes disappear from the oven right as they finished baking? Probably. But I also added more than enough compensation in their tip jars, so that should make up for it, right?
"Of course not," I answered rather unconvincingly, and Codie shook his head, a slight curve to his lips.
We feasted on the baked goods and the fancy coffee—which I thought was okay but Codie clearly loved—and I took another day off from the community center because I didn't want to leave unless Codie kicked me out.
Neither of us brought up the mates thing again, and I was perfectly fine with that. I just wanted to spend time with Codie, and if not talking about our bond made things easier for him, then that was what I'd do.
"I want to go outside," Codie declared as I was putting away the leftovers, and I glanced over at him.
