Page 16 of My Demon Neighbor
Six
Codie
It'd been a weeksince Pythor gave me Hella, and he'd come over twice since then to teach me. Nessa joined us for the first class, but she hadn't been able to make it for the second one. I hadn't minded.
We still hadn't gotten to any physical training, but I now had a small pepper spray hanging off my keyring, and a taser Pythor had gifted me. They wouldn't be of any use to me until I managed to get out of this house, but just having them made me feel like I was taking steps toward that end goal.
Pythor still didn't scare me, and we'd even talked outside of class. He'd given me his number after the class with Nessa—and I'd ignored the way she'd waggled her brows at me from behind him—and we'd been talking. It was nice. Nice to have a friend other than Nessa, nice to know that if something happened, I had someone close by who could protect me.
I knew it was strange how quickly Pythor had gone from a 'potential danger' to a 'protector' in my mind, and I couldn't make sense of it myself. There was something about him that told me he would never hurt me, and I was inclined to trust my instincts.
I just hoped they weren't leading me wrong.
My phone buzzed, and I wiped the paint off my hands before picking it up, trying not to smile when I saw Pythor's name.
Pythor: What's your plan for the day?
Me: Painting. Playing with Hella. More painting. Exciting, I know.
Pythor: It does sound fun
I scoffed, then shook my head.
Me: Does it really? I wish I could just get out of this house, but I'm too scared to. Isn't that stupid? I'm almost thirty, and I'm scared to leave my house.
I had a whole year before I'd turn thirty, but close enough.
Pythor: What if we started small?
My brows furrowed, and I gave Hella—who was curled up in the corner far away from my paints—a raised brow. She merely huffed before closing her eyes, and I smiled as I typed my reply.
Me: What do you mean?
Pythor: You could try sitting out on your porch. I'll join you on mine, and we can play with Hella for a bit. It'll be nice. You can get some sun on your face.
Fuck, that sounded so damned good.
Me: You'd do that?
Pythor: Of course. It'll be fun!
I shook my head, wondering just why Pythor was so nice. People weren't that good, right? At least, they never were in myexperience. Nessa was the only exception, but could Pythor be another?
Me: I'll try.
Pythor: You got this. I'll see you outside.
"Fuck," I mumbled, making Hella peer at me. "You wanna go outside?"
Hella shot to her feet instantly, making me grin, and I walked into the attached bathroom to wash the paint off my hands before removing the paint-stained t-shirt I wore and hanging it over the towel rack for later.
I grabbed my overcoat from the door and shrugged it on as I padded my way to my bedroom, then pulled on a full-sleeve hoodie. It wouldn't be too hot outside, so I shouldn't get sweaty.
"Come on," I said, palming my phone as I made my way to the front door, then stopped as Hella danced at my feet, clearly eager to go outside.
I eyed the locks on the door, willing myself to open them, to step outside, and yet my hands wouldn't move.
My phone buzzed, and I glanced down at the preview of the text from Pythor.
