Page 39 of My Demon Neighbor
Fifteen
Pythor
Rage.
It was the only thing I could feel as Codie finished his story, and I wanted to leap to my feet, hunt down every man who hurt him, and make them pay.
"Were they caught?" I asked once I could speak without letting on just how angry I was. The last thing I wanted to do after he'd opened up to me was to scare Codie.
His eyes were still on Hella, as if he couldn't bring himself to look at me. Was he afraid of my reaction?
"No. Which makes no sense because I told them one of them was at the gallery, and I was sure they had cameras there. I don't know..."
I nodded, knowing there was no way I'd let those bastards go free after what they did to my mate. I didn't care if I brokemy contract with my summoner; I would make those humans pay.
But right now, Codie needed me more, so I pushed my anger and determination to the back of my mind, giving him my full attention.
"Thank you for sharing this with me, Codie. It mustn't have been easy." He nodded, still not glancing up, and I gave his hand another squeeze. "Can you look at me, please?"
He hesitated, then glanced up at me, his dark eyes searching mine.
"I'm so sorry those bastards hurt you."
Codie shrugged, then glanced away again. "I should've tried fighting them off. I gave up too easily."
"Don't even think like that," I growled, some of my anger slipping through, and he glanced up at me, brown eyes wide with shock. "You do not blame yourself for what those monsters did to you, okay? You'd have struggled to fight off five men by yourself even if you did know how to defend yourself. Hell, I would struggle against five men if I was human. What they did to you was nobody's fault but their own."
Codie's lips were parted as he watched me speak, and he nodded slowly, his brows furrowed as if he was surprised by my words. Had he expected me to agree with him? Or had it been a test of some sort?
"Codie, I don't know how or when, but I'm going to make them pay for what they did," I vowed to him, knowing I would keep my promise, whatever it took.
His eyes widened, and he shifted closer to me. "You mean it?"
I nodded, and I could see the weight lift off his shoulders as some of the tenseness, the fear he'd carried for months, dissipated.
When he met my eyes again, there was something different in them, something new. Determination? Or was it hope?
"Pythor, would you... would you like to date me?"
I blinked, surprised by his question. "Is this because of my promise? Because I'll do that either way, Codie."
Surprisingly, he laughed. "No, it's not. I was going to ask you last night, but then I decided I wanted you to know everything first, in case that changed your mind. I... I have feelings for you, and I know I said I wasn't ready for a relationship, but I didn't think I was ready to leave this house either."
"Are you sure?" I questioned, not wanting to take this step with him if he felt like hehadto do it.
"I'm sure. But I can't—I can't have sex with you. I don't know if I'll ever want to. If that's a dealbreaker for you—"
"It's not," I assured him, and he smiled at me.
"Okay, then yes. What do you say?"
Smiling, I tugged his hand up and pressed a soft kiss against his knuckles. "I'd love to date you, Codie."
"Do you... do you have feelings for me? I know you said you're recipromantic, and I read up on it a little, and I'm not sure."
"That is the closest label I could find to describe how I feel," I admitted, "but yes, I do have feelings for you. I don't know if it's because I subconsciously sensed your feelings for me or suspected them, or if it's a natural result of our bond growing stronger, but I don't care. I wasn't interested in expressing my feelings unless you felt the same, though. Now that I know you do, well." I shrugged, and Codie nodded thoughtfully.
"And you really wouldn't have minded if we'd stayed friends?"
