Page 13 of My Demon Neighbor
Eshim: Oh wow, I must tell Jerry
Lux: Damn, this is funny
Fressia: You deserve it. Just wait till we meet him. We'll tell him all about your whining
Me: Oh fuck off
Eshim: We're happy for you, Pythor. Really
Me: Thanks, Eshim. You're my only friend.
The others chimed in with more teasing, and I shook my head, feeling calmer after talking to them. I debated sharing what I knew about Codie with them, but decided against it. I didn't want to blab about Codie's past without his permission, and it wasn't like I knew enough anyway.
My phone beeped as I was putting it away, and I realized it was the social media app. I was about to ignore it when the username caught my eye, and I clicked the message open.
MochNessa: Hey, it's Vanessa. I just wanted to check in. Codie seemed off when we talked, but he didn't say anything. How did your session go after I left?
I debated over how much I could tell her, but she was close to Codie and clearly cared about him, so I went with the truth.
Me: He had a panic attack. I helped him recover, and we decided to reconvene another day, though we haven't set a date yet.
MochNessa: Shit. I shouldn't have left.
Me: It's not your fault. Your child needed you. How's Alia?
MochNessa: Happy as can be. She wants to see Uncle Codie, so I think I'll go over this evening.
Me: I think he'd like that. Please let me know whenever you're both up for another session, and I'd be happy to come over.
MochNessa: Thanks, Pythor. You're a really good guy.
Since I wasn't heading to the community center—I'd been ordered to take a day off—I decided to go out and roam the city. I did it every few days to search for the dark souls. After one of them had been captured, he'd admitted the others were sticking close to Mammon since he was a powerful demon. He'd managed to somehow form a pseudo-summoning bond with those dark souls so he could exist and use his magic in the human realm, and he seemed to have a mission of his own.
The trajectory the Otherworlders—the people responsible for collecting and helping souls through the afterlife—had predicted said Mammon would pass through here at some point, which had me on high alert, especially now that I knew my mate was here as well.
I may not have found him early enough to protect him from whatever happened in his past—and I was going to demand answers from Fate about that if I ever came across them—but I'd be damned if I let him get hurt again.
When I returned home a few hours after sunset, Vanessa's car was parked in front of Codie's place. I was glad Codie had a friend like her, and I hoped her presence would alleviate some of his fears.
I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to help Codie. I'd teach him to protect himself, but I'd also make sure he never had to.
What could I do to make him feel safer in his home? He already seemed to have all the locks he could need, and I'd also seen a fancy security system setup. He seemed to have everything he could need, and yet I wanted to do more.
It hadn't seemed like he was interested in me, which meant I would need to take this slow. If a friend was what he needed right now, then that was what I would be. If that was all we ever were, I'd be okay with that too.
All I truly wanted to do was make him feel safe, to remove the fear haunting his life in any way possible.
Codie
Spending time with Nessa and Alia last night had been fun, and it'd helped me recover from the after-effects of my panic attack. While they weren't as frequent as the months after that night, they were still just as intense when they happened, and it took me a while to feel 'normal' again, whatever that meant.
It was Sunday morning, and I was flat on my back on my couch as I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Pythor.
I rubbed the thick material of my coat sleeve between my thumb and finger as I thought about yesterday, about the way Pythor had helped me out of my panic attack.
He clearly knew the right way to do it, and he'd been so careful with me, so considerate. He hadn't pressed into me, hadn't crowded me, and still made sure I heard every word he said.
His warm, confident voice had been like a beacon, pulling me out of my dark memories as I followed its tug.
