Page 36 of My Demon Neighbor
Fourteen
Pythor
I glanced down atthe box of cookies—I'd asked Eshim for an emergency batch—I'd brought, and wondered if it was enough. I was having dinner with my mate's best friend and her daughter, and I wanted to make a good impression. They were the two most important people in Codie's life, and their opinion of me mattered a lot.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on Codie's door, and heard his familiar footsteps draw close as he opened the door, a smile on his face.
"Hey," he murmured, and I smiled back at him.
"Hi, thanks for having me. I brought cookies," I said, shaking the box, which made his smile widen.
"I won't say no to cookies," he said, stepping back so I could come in.
I waited for him to lock the door before following him inside, feeling unusually nervous. I'd lived for centuries, and yet I couldn't remember ever feeling as nervous as I repeatedly did ever since meeting this man. I wondered if the other demons with human mates shared my experience.
"Hello, Vanessa," I greeted when we reached the kitchen, and she glanced up, giving me a smile. Her pink hair was in a ponytail, and her blue eyes sparkled as they met mine.
"Hey, Pythor. Glad you could come."
There was no way I'd ever say no to an invitation from Codie, but I'd been trying not to come on too strong about our bond, so I didn't say it out loud.
A girl poked her head around Vanessa, and I smiled down at her, assuming she was Alia, Vanessa's daughter. I'd gotten pretty good at guessing the ages of children since I started working at the center, and I estimated she was somewhere between eight and nine years old, with eyes the same color as her mom's and warm brown hair.
"Thank you for inviting me," I said, then nodded at Alia. "Hello, you must be Alia. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too! You're big," she commented, making me smile.
"That I am. Does it scare you?" I asked as she approached me, going to my knees so we were closer in height.
She shook her head, then reached up to tug at my hair, a curious look on her face. "Nah. You're like a big teddy bear."
"Oh?"
"Uncle Codie said you make him feel safe," she said, as if that cleared everything up, which it did, at least to me. Her teddy bear must make her feel safe; ergo, I was Codie's teddy bear. I didn't mind one bit.
Codie's cheeks were pink, and he was glancing anywhere but at us, telling me he hadn't said those words to Alia and hadn't realized she'd heard them.
"Well, I'm glad, because I want him to always feel safe."
Codie's eyes slid to mine, and I hoped he knew I meant every word. He swallowed hard, then glanced away, while Vanessa watched with an unreadable expression on her face.
As we ate dinner, Vanessa asked me all kinds of questions, and I fielded them all to the best of my abilities, making sure to remember the backstory I made up for myself in case she brought it up at a later date. I didn't enjoy lying to someone who meant so much to Codie, but I couldn't tell her the truth.
By the time two hours had passed, we were in the living room, and Alia was close to falling asleep curled up against Hella.
"We should go. It's getting late," Vanessa said, eyes on her daughter, and Codie hummed.
"Okay. Be safe."
"We will be," Vanessa assured him, but I could still see the worry lining his face.
I followed them to the door, and once the two were in their car, I snapped my fingers, putting a ward around their car that would keep them protected.
"What did you do?" Codie murmured, and I glanced over to find his dark eyes on me.
"Just making sure they have a safe trip."
He gazed at me for a long moment as we stood there in the doorway, Vanessa's car already gone, and I let him, unsure what he was looking for but knowing I'd happily bare my soul to him if that was what he asked for.
