Page 76 of My Demon Neighbor
"I'm sorry, I just needed the confirmation. Now that we have a name, we'll do our best to track him down."
I nodded, then squeezed Pythor's hand. "Can we go now?"
Officer Bailey nodded, then paused. "Just one more thing. Their phones had pictures that revealed you might not be the only person they hurt," she said, and my eyes widened as I squeezed Pythor's hand impossibly tight.
"What?"
She nodded, a frown on her face. "None of the other men came forward, but we're still investigating. There were no pictures of you, though. It's strange they only confessed to hurting you."
Yeah, that would be because we didn't know there were other people those bastards had hurt. Fuck.
"Are you trying to imply something?" Pythor asked, his voice low but growly.
Officer Bailey shook her head, her eyes flicking between us. "Not at all. Just wanted to know if you might have any ideas who the other victims were. If I showed you their pictures—"
"No." I cut her off, knowing what kind of pictures she probably had. Even if all I could see was their faces, I'd know. "We don't have a chat group, if that's what you're asking. I didn't know any of the men who attacked me, and I won't know these people either."
Pythor wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close, and I sank into him as he spoke.
"Could you email me the pictures? I work at a community center, and it's possible someone who works there may know some of them."
Officer Bailey hesitated, then nodded, and Pythor handed her a card.
"Can we go now?"
"Of course," Officer Bailey said. "Thank you for coming."
She walked us to the exit, promising to call me as soon as she had an update.
Pythor and I were quiet as we walked down the steps, out of the parking lot and to the street, and I turned to him only once I was sure I could speak without being overheard by a cop.
"I didn't think she would send you the pictures so easily," I murmured, and he glanced over at me.
"She wouldn't have," he said, and I realized he'd used his magic to convince her. "But a part of her wanted to, so I just needed to give her a little nudge. I'll ask Xin to find these people, if only to let them know the bastard and his cronies won't bother them again."
"Will they find his body?"
"They might. I'll make sure it's nowhere near our place."
I nodded, then gave his hand another squeeze as I leaned into him.
"Would you like to take the short way or the long one?" Pythor asked, nodding toward the alley.
I pursed my lips, then asked, "Could we fly?" I'd been wanting to do it again since the first time, and Pythor looked delighted by the request. Hopefully, it would make me forget everything we'd just talked about, especially the fact that I wasn't the only one they'd hurt.
"Sure. Come on."
Leading me into the alley, he teleported us to the roof of a building, then wrapped his arms around me as he took his true form.
"Ready?"
I nodded eagerly, and he jumped, falling for a few feet before he spread his wings and started going higher. I was sure his magic was keeping us hidden from the view of the people below, and I let out a loud whoop, my eyes roaming over the city and the people who looked so small from up here.
From this height, I had absolutely nothing to fear because no one could get to me.
Clearly sensing how much I was enjoying it, Pythor didn't head straight for home. Instead, he took a few laps around the city, showing me all the things I'd never noticed despite living in this city for years.
When we finally got home, it was past four, and we were both too tired to do much more than climb into bed for a cuddle session. Hella was nowhere to be seen, but Pythor assured me she was probably just hanging out with one of the others because she hated being alone.
