Chapter Thirteen

Poe

"All right, Salem. I've got my clothes. My toiletries. My laptop. My chargers. My favorite blanket. Shoes. You and your food and your bowls. I'm so damned excited."

Salem meowed at my list and got into her crate with no fussing at all—a first.

When Grendel and Hemlock told me how close they lived, I was shocked. Those demons, my demons, were less than three hours away from my house. If I had taken a road trip, as I'd planned to, or they had, or we'd gone to the city on the same day, we would've met before, I was sure of it.

Fate sure made a way when she wanted to.

I cranked up the music, since listening to podcasts felt more like work than fun, and pushed the button to start the engine.

Singing at the top of my lungs, I jerked in my seat when my phone rang, cutting into the music spilling from my dash speakers.

"Hello?" I answered, knowing who it was from their names running across the screen.

"Did you get on the road? I still think we should've come to get you." Grendel. He was quieter than Hemlock, but not in a brooding way. More like, he actually thought about his words before he spoke. A rarity in this life.

"I'm on the road. GPS says three hours and twelve minutes, worrywart."

"I could think of a lot worse qualities to have, Poe. How is Salem?"

I laughed. They asked about my cat. Of course, I made some seriously inappropriate jokes about it, but what kind of males asked about my cat? None that I'd experienced. They already cared about me, and I had to admit, I cared about them as well.

"She's not as pissy as I expected. Hissing a bit, but she'll be okay once we stop. Are you two at the shop?"

The shop. That was what they called their workshop.

"No. We had some errands to run. Have a cute girl coming over later, so we need to get some supplies." Hemlock's voice made me shudder as it came through the car speakers.

"Is that right? Well, I don't want to be a downer. I can turn around if you two are busy."

"Don't you dare, Poe," Grendel barked. "If you turn around, I'm coming to get you. Don't think I won't."

My core fluttered hearing him speak like that. He would too. I believed he would come get me if I didn't show up.

He and I had a long, late-night talk the night before. He'd read one of the books I told him about, and we talked about it. He wasn't impressed. I hadn't been either.

He would be the first to read my book if I ever ended up writing one.

"I'm on my way. I swear. I suspect you can tell if I'm being honest." Most paranormals could. "And don't forget the coffee creamer."

They'd confessed to drinking their coffee black. Demons, I swear. A crime, if you ask me.

"I've got the acceptable flavors on my list, Poe. Please, be careful. We will be home soon. If you have trouble or something happens, we can be to you in no time—"

"Grendel," I interrupted. "I'm going to be fine. My car isn't a junker. I'm a big girl. I'll see you two soon."

I hung up the phone before he could fuss any more about my safety. While I fussed right back at him, it was nice to have someone worry about me. My parents were the turn-eighteen- and-you're-out kind and only checked on me once every six months or so.

Hearing the demons' concern about me made my face heat.

They called me once more, asking questions about bread preferences and silly things like chocolate chip cookies or snickerdoodles.

The answer, of course, was, all cookies are welcome.

All of them.

When the GPS told me I'd arrived at my destination, a thrill buzzed through my body. My wolf arose from her place within me and howled loudly.

"Here we are. At a house of demons. First time for everything."

I got out of the car and released Salem to roam around, stretch her legs. The place was huge and almost had a menacing feel. Brick construction with black shutters and a large black door. Asters and lilacs bloomed in rounded beds, giving a pop of color and a bit of welcoming.

My tummy fluttered with anticipation as I walked up the cobblestone walkway toward the door. There were two trucks in the driveway. One was for work and the other for show, it seemed.

Honestly, I expected them to live in a dark cave or some haunted house-type place. Maybe some headstones in the front yard.

Hell, I was as bad as the zealots who touted everything paranormal as evil.

Salem approached me and twirled her tail around my calf before meowing her approval. I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath. Everything had moved so fast. One day, I had a match. The next, I was talking to them on chat. And now, a few days after the first encounter, I was here. On their doorstep.

On the doorstep of demons.

I raised my hand to knock but opted for the doorbell instead. Once I pressed it, my stomach knotted in nervousness.

Two males were on the other side of this door and my life was about to change.

If my instincts, and my wolf's instincts, were correct, inside this house were my mates.