Chapter 3

Mac was beyond frustrated. His demon was clawing at his insides trying to go see Viv. She was cute, he’d admit that, but she had the misfortune of being a human. He had vowed never to get involved with another human again, and other than when he had to deal with them for work, he had kept that vow for hundreds of years. He wasn’t going to break it now. He didn’t care why they had paired him with another human for a mate. He was doing pretty well avoiding her, but he didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on him when they were near the same area.

His phone started ringing.

“Hey. How’s it going?” he asked, seeing D’s name on the screen.

“Alright. I thought I’d check in on you. It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve seen you. How’s the case going?”

“It’s not,” he sighed. “It’s hard enough to collect evidence left behind by a Shadow, but then there’s the problem with any witnesses. As in there’s none. If I talk to one or set up a meeting, they end up dead. I’m starting to wonder if he has an accomplice. I can’t pinpoint anything, just this feeling I have.”

“Go with your gut. It’s never been wrong,” D advised.

“Except for the time it was,” Mac pointed out.

“The mate pull and your excitement led you to not paying attention to it. I guarantee it was there. You know now to be more cautious and to listen to it harder,” D told him.

“D. I was almost killed. The person who was supposed to be my mate set a trap for me. They bound me, shot me, dosed me in salt and holy water, and she tried to stab me through the heart. The only reason I didn’t die was because she was off by an inch. Those were all humans. I get that your mate is human, and he seems decent but I’m not willing to accept all humans just because of one.”

“You’re willing to write them all off because of one,” D countered.

Mac rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. It was an old argument, neither side having gained ground for over a hundred years. “The most important one. The one meant to be my mate. And there were other humans there as well.”

“Okay. I just worry about you. You might miss out on something wonderful if you keep hold of this hatred.”

Mac snorted. “I’m fine and I’m not missing out on anything.” A face popped in his mind, but he shoved it back in a box.

“I’ll let it go for now. Call if you need anything, even just to talk. I’ve got to run. Viv has a date picking her up in a couple of minutes and I told Thomas I’d look him over to make sure he wasn’t on track to show up at our jobs.”

“I didn’t know she was dating anyone,” he said, aiming for a casual tone.

“She just started. She said she wanted to have someone special in her life too. I guess there wasn’t anyone she thought was interested in her, so she joined a dating app.”

“That’s not safe,” Mac protested. “We get a lot of those guys brought to us.”

“That’s what I told her! It’s why I’m here to at least make sure they’re not evil. Can’t do much more than that, but I can at least make sure they’re not killers or abusers. Gotta go, that’s the doorbell. Call if you need me.”

Mac sat there for a second, staring at his phone. He didn’t know why the thought of Viv dating was making his stomach sour, but it was. He didn’t want her, remember? he told himself. If she wanted to date other people, good. It would keep her away from him.

His demon growled, unhappy with the news. Mac blinked and somehow found himself outside of her apartment. He stayed in the shadows, using his abilities to blend and hide. The door opened and she walked out next to another human. Mac snorted. This guy couldn’t fight his way out of a sack. He was scrawny, with tiny little facial hair trying to grow into a goatee. There was no way this puny human could protect his—his friend’s friend. He didn’t even open the doors for her. Maybe he should follow just to make sure the guy didn’t try anything. He knew Viv by scent so he could follow and port wherever they went. Not that he didn’t trust D, but there was a big difference between killers and rapists and the average asshole. If the guy started to become an asshole, Mac could step in, he decided. It was to help a friend of a friend, after all.

Grinning, he opened a portal and followed the car until it stopped at a restaurant. It was okay looking, nothing impressive. It was like this guy wasn’t even trying. Sliding into the restaurant, cloaked in shadows, he followed them to their table. As he passed by her chair, which the guy didn’t pull out for her, her head came up and she looked around the room. Did she sense him? When she didn’t see anything, her shoulders drooped, but he watched as she put a cheerful smile on.

“Thanks for picking me up. Did you grow up here?” she asked.

“No. I was transferred for work. This wasn’t my first choice. I’m transferring back out as soon as possible,” the man complained. “I hate this town.”

“Oh. What do you do?”

“Finance type of stuff. What do you do?”

“I’m a librarian,” she replied.

“Really? Those still exist?”

“We do. There are many of us.”

“Don’t you want to do something better with your life?” her date asked, a snotty tone in his voice.

“No, I enjoy it and I think helping people is very important,” Viv replied. Mac could tell she was trying not to lose her temper.

The entire dinner seemed to go that way. What a loser. Mac couldn’t have been happier when the guy corrected the waiter and asked for separate checks.

“I just don’t see this going anywhere. I want someone with ambition and who wants to leave this loser town. Plus, you don’t seem like the type to put out on the first date, so I’m going to say no thanks.” He threw a few dollar bills on the table and left. When the checks came, Viv looked at them and swore.

“He didn’t even leave enough to cover all of his bill and a tip. What a douche,” she muttered.

As she walked outside, she stopped suddenly. Ah. He had driven and then left her at the restaurant. Mac would make sure she got home safely and then pay the man a visit. When the Uber arrived, Mac slid into the car before her, keeping himself cloaked in the shadows. He followed her to the apartment, making sure she got inside safely. She kept checking her surroundings and he wasn’t sure if she always did that or if she sensed him.

“How was your date?” he heard Thomas ask as the door opened. He stood by the door, waiting for her answer.

“Horrible. He said I had no ambition staying a librarian, he hates this town, he split the bill but didn’t even leave enough money to cover his part, and then he left me there,” she said. It sounded like she was crying.

“What do you mean he left you there?”

“He threw some money on the table after telling the waiter to redo the bill and split it. I didn’t look like the type to put out, so he wasn’t paying for me. Then he left.”

“Why didn’t you call me to come get you?” Thomas asked.

“I didn’t want to take you away from your alone time with D. I Ubered home. I could use a glass of wine, a snuggle, and then bed.”

He heard a few sniffles and ported to the man’s home. He was already on the app, looking for another date. He may not want a human for a mate, but that didn’t mean someone should treat her badly. Maybe it was time to teach this man some manners.