Page 81 of My Demon Neighbor
Epilogue
Two Weeks Later
Codie
I felt like theuniverse was paying me back for the shitstorm my life had been before Pythor. Sometimes, I got a little scared about just how happy I was because I felt like something would steal it all away from me.
Pythor was good at sensing my unease and comforting me, just like he was good at everything else. Well, except cooking, but he was a whiz at magicking up food from anywhere in the world, so that couldn't stop him either.
Sleeping was easier with Pythor around too. I no longer needed to have the lights on or play music to fall asleep unless I had a really bad day as long as I had Pythor's wings around me.
We'd gone to the mall last weekend, and while I'd gotten startled by a few things, I hadn't had a single panic attack. I'dfelt so proud of myself, and we'd celebrated by getting some huge ice cream sundaes.
I still trained with Pythor, though not every day. He worked with me at least three times a week, and we went for a run on the days we didn't train. I now not only knew how to defend myself, but also how to fight off someone bigger than me. The day I'd put Pythor on his back on the mat was still one of the proudest moments of my life.
Today we were doing something new, going somewhere extremely special, and I was very excited about this one. For one, it was guaranteed to be free of humans, and for another, it was Pythor's home.
He was taking me to the demon realm! He'd asked a few days ago, then been surprised when I'd said "Yes!" before he could finish his question. I had no idea why he was surprised. Why wouldn't I want to visit his home?
"Ready?" Pythor asked, and I shot to my feet, hurrying over to him. I was wearing tight jeans and a new top I'd bought at the mall last week, and I felt damn good about my clothes for the first time in months. I wasn't hiding behind long sleeves or baggy clothes today, and my coat hung by the door where it had for a few days now. I'd worn it to the mall, but I didn't feel the need to wear it when visiting Nessa or walking around the neighborhood.
"Ready!" I exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around his waist, and he glanced down at me with a smile.
"You look beautiful," he murmured, and I felt my cheeks heat up as I reached up to pat his cheek.
"You look pretty handsome too," I said, because I'd realized something recently. While Pythor loved dishing out compliments, he struggled to take them. While I couldn't see his blushas easily as he could mine, his flusteredness was pretty apparent from the way he ducked his head and glanced away.
Clearing his throat, he wrapped his arms around my middle, tucking me in close to his body as his magic stirred around us. It seemed to take longer than it did to go anywhere else—maybe because we were travelling to a whole different realm?—but still no more than half a minute.
I took a step back, leaving my hands on Pythor's hips as I glanced around with wide eyes and an open mouth.
It seemed like we were underground, the air filled with the scent of damp stone and smoke. It smelled like Pythor but more concentrated, and I wondered if all demons smelled similar.
We stood in what looked like a hallway, with dark stone walls on either side, above and below us. There were sconces on the walls, blue flames rising from their depths. With the amount of evenly dispersed sconces, I'd thought the hallway would be hot and humid, but it wasn't.
At various distances on either side of the hallway were openings. They were roughly the same shape, and some had curtains hiding what was behind while others lay open. Were those the other demons' living quarters?
"This way," Pythor directed, and I followed him to an entrance a few feet from where we'd appeared. I felt magic brush over me as we stepped through, and wondered if it was some kind of spell to keep people from entering without permission. It would make sense since there were no doors here.
I whistled softly as we stepped into the room, glancing around at the large, open-concept space. There was no need for a kitchen or bathroom of course, so the large room was split into a sitting room and a bedroom.
The bed was big enough Pythor could comfortably sleep in his true form, and covered in dark gray silk sheets. A million and one pillows lined the headboard, big and small and perfect for cuddling. A silk robe hung from the bedpost at the headboard, and I wondered if it felt as good as it looked.
On the far side of the bed was a bookshelf lined with all kinds of books. There were old-looking journals, some novels, and nonfiction titles. Pythor's tastes clearly varied, and I now also knew where the books he read came from and disappeared to. I'd assumed he was 'borrowing' them from a library or bookstore, but maybe they'd come from here.
Another bookshelf was lined with all kinds of knickknacks, including what looked like origami animals and even some clay ones.
"Did you make those?" I asked, pointing toward the crafts and wondering why I didn't know my mate had an artistic side.
"Ah, no. The kids at the center did. They put in a lot of effort, so," he said with a shrug, and I grinned. My boyfriend had such a kind heart.
He liked to say he volunteered and helped people for selfish reasons, but I knew better. He did those things because he was kind.
"You should display them in our living room. On the shelf above the flatscreen, maybe?" I suggested, and his eyes brightened.
"Yeah?"
"Of course. It'sourhome now."
