4. Riley

Chapter 4

Riley

M y night with Will was magical. The man knew his way around the bedroom and exactly how to make me laugh.

Any normal bloke would have been thrilled. Not me though.

I was terrified.

I liked Will. He was the kind of man that, in another lifetime, I could see myself settling down with. That there was the crux of the matter—I didn't want a relationship. I'd vowed long ago that I wouldn't be one of those idiots who opened themselves up for heartbreak. It was a path I'd watched my mum walk down time and time again.

There was no way I was following the same path. No fucking way.

So when I found myself grinning up at Will like a fucking idiot, I'd made my excuses and slipped into the kitchen. I'd needed space. A minute to breathe and remember why I didn't want to be with anyone.

Only I hadn't got that space. Instead, I'd found Danny.

Drinking.

Instant alarm bells had gone off. Firstly, Danny drank on one day a year. One. Sure, he drank human alcohol, but that didn't affect him. For three hundred and sixty-four days a year, he didn't touch Adamanthea.

I'd only ever seen him drink on the fifth of September. It was a day I think I dreaded as much as Danny did. I didn't know why the date was significant to my best friend, just that every time it came around, Danny would break.

The first year of our friendship, he'd behaved oddly for the first few days of September before vanishing. When he'd reappeared two days later, he'd looked like he'd literally been to Hell and back. It had taken weeks before I could see my friend beneath the turmoil he was clearly going through.

When it happened again the following year, I paid closer attention to the dates.

The third year, I was ready.

As I'd suspected, September came and Danny's mood took an instant downturn. He still showed up to my place, but there was no chatting, no gaming. Just him staring into space while I tried to get him to open up.

I failed every time.

On the fourth of September, I couldn't stop myself from asking, " Are you going to leave tomorrow? "

Danny stiffened. " How d'you know about that? "

" I pay attention. "

He was silent for so long, a muscle jumping in his jaw, that I didn't think he was going to answer me. " It doesn't matter. "

" I think it does. " I squeezed his thigh. " You don't have to tell me why this time of year makes you so sad, but it's okay to let me be there for you. Whatever you're going through, you don't have to do it alone. "

" I can't ask you to do that, " he said eventually. " It's my pain. I don't want anyone else having to go through it too. "

" It's what friends do. "

He didn't speak again after that. We fell asleep on the couch, his head on my shoulder and my legs over his lap.

When I woke in the morning, Danny was gone.

I paced my living room for an hour before coming to my decision. I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that Danny was suffering.

I wasn't letting him go through it alone. Not again.

Grabbing my phone, I called Mori and asked for a favour. I could've called any of the supes in my contacts, but I'd chosen Mori for three very good reasons. Firstly, tracking was his speciality. If anyone could track Danny down, it was him. Which led to my second reason—Mori could fly me to his location faster than any car could get me there. I had no idea how far Danny might've travelled. If shifted, he could cover ground faster than the demons could fly.

But really, it was the final reason that had me hitting call. Mori wouldn't ask questions. The rest of them might have been helpful, but their brand of help came with a tonne of unwanted interference.

Mori tracked him quickly, and within an hour, we were landing in some woods in Scotland. He pointed silently through the trees to where a small log cabin waited.

I didn't move until I could no longer hear Mori's wings. Taking a deep breath, I made my way to the front door. A twinge of guilt hit me as I stared at the handle. Was this the right thing to do? Danny hadn't said I wasn't welcome, just that he didn't want me to go through whatever it was with him.

That wasn't his decision to make, as far as I was concerned. Danny was my best friend. If he needed to cry, my shoulder was free for him. Still, I couldn't help but wonder if this was the right thing to do.

That's when I heard it.

A quiet sob.

The door was flying open before I even realised I'd twisted the handle. It was a small room — just an empty fireplace surrounded by two large wooden rocking chairs. A miniature version sat between them, with a dusty, aged rag doll on the seat.

I didn't think about it too much, my attention going straight to Danny. Leaning back against the wall with an empty bottle beside him, he had his head buried in his hands. His whole body was shaking with the force of his sobs.

I raced over, falling hard to my knees. Wrapping my arms around him, I tugged him close to my chest, rocking him gently.

We stayed like that while the sun moved from one side of the room to the other. All my limbs were screaming at being in the same position for so long, but I refused to move. Not while Danny needed me.

Eventually, Danny lifted his red-rimmed eyes to mine. " You shouldn't be here. "

Something hit me then, a terrifying realisation. Something that had been drilled into me after spending so long around supes. You protected your space as a supe. You stayed aware of your surroundings. You kept your wits about you because you never knew when danger might strike.

Danny hadn't reacted to my arrival. A demon had flown me here, and he hadn't even gone out to investigate. Was this place warded? Or was Danny just so lost in his grief that he didn't care if someone stumbled across him?

Filing that thought away for later, I ran my knuckles over his chin. " Actually, I'm right where I should be. Supporting you. You don't need to go through this alone, Danny. I'm right here."

That unleashed another torrent of sobs. Once more, I rocked him until the shaking subsided and his tears slowed. " I can't talk about it, Ry. I can't. I'm sorry. "

" You don't need to, " I whispered, stroking his hair while I rocked him. " You don't need to do or say anything, Danny. Just let me be here for you. Please. "

If his head hadn't been resting on my chest, I might have missed the small nod he gave.

Danny hadn't spoken about it. To this day, I had no idea what horrors from his past chased him to that cabin every September.

But the following year, he'd taken me with him. I'd sat with him while he drank and cried, holding him in silence and letting him know he wasn't alone.

He wouldn't ever be alone again. Not while I was alive, anyway. I tried not to think about what might happen after my death. It wasn't like it was an imminent thing—well, hopefully it wasn't—but it was there. Lurking on the horizon. One day I'd be gone, and Danny would be returning to that cabin alone.

Why he was drinking now, on this balmy May night, I had no idea. He'd been fine before we'd left my place, but something must've happened in the intervening hours. Something that had him reaching for a bottle. That had him wanting to take a break from easy hookups.

But what?

I'd been planning on pushing him. Taking a seat at the table until he was either ready to talk or ready for bed. But then he'd made that comment, one so similar to what I'd said long ago.

" There's only a few hours until sunrise and your carriage turns back into a pumpkin. You should go make the most of them. "

Did he realise what he'd said? Was he trying to remind me of the night we'd once shared? If so, why?

I shook my head, putting my hand on the bedroom door. I was overthinking it. Danny had probably just said it without realising. I doubted he ever thought about that crazy time long ago.

I know I didn't. I didn't allow myself to. Danny was my best friend. Even if I did do repeats, I wouldn't with him. It was too dangerous, too much of a risk.

He'd be too easy to fall for. I'd join the long line of broken-hearted men Danny left in his wake.

Will sat up as I entered, the sheet falling away to reveal his muscled chest. Concern flashed across his face, probably at my frown. Danny did always tell me my face couldn't hide anything. "Everything okay?"

I opened my mouth, tempted to tell him I was worried about my friend. Then reality slammed into me. That was something you did with someone you saw a future with, not a one-night stand.

As lovely as Will was, we would never be any more than this. I didn't want a relationship. I never would.

"Everything's fine." I slid into the bed beside him. Before I'd fled the bedroom, we'd been working our way up to round three. Now I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do less. "I'm tired though. Mind if we call it a night?"

"Sure." He paused for a beat. "Want me to leave?"

"Nah." I pulled the sheet back over us. Usually I used a duvet, but Danny must've switched it out for a sheet because of the heat. He was annoyingly thoughtful like that. "You can crash here."

In almost no time at all, Will's breathing told me he'd slipped into a deep sleep. He'd mentioned that he used to be in the military, so maybe he was used to being able to fall asleep anywhere. It was a skill I envied. I could only do that if I was in my bed or in this one.

That wasn't happening tonight. I stared at the ceiling, trying to puzzle out what had upset Danny. The whole time, I strained my ears, waiting to hear his steps on the stairs.

They never came.

S leep must've caught up with me eventually, because the next thing I knew, I was blinking in bright sunshine. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the tattooed back beside me in confusion. It took me a moment to remember. Date. Restaurant. Will.

Danny drinking in the kitchen.

Fuck, there was a lot to process. I rubbed at my face, trying to decide what to do. I didn't usually spend the night with my hookups, but it hadn't seemed kind to kick Will out at four in the morning. Thanks to that though, I was left with a conundrum. Should I wake him? Or sneak out and wait for him downstairs?

Before I could decide, Will was rolling onto his back and stretching. He blinked a few times before finding my face and giving an easy grin. "Hey, you."

"Hey." I gave him a tight smile, not wanting to send any mixed messages. "Last night was great, thank you."

"No thanks needed." He sat up, studying my expression before giving me a rueful smile. "Let me guess—it was great, but there won't be a repeat."

For a heartbeat, I let myself wonder what it might be like to go there. To take a chance and ask Will if he wanted to grab lunch. Maybe he could make me happy. Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe I was the one of my friends who was missing out.

It didn't last any longer than a single heartbeat though. Happiness led to tears. Love led to heartbreak. Even Matty, who was sickeningly loved up, had had his heart broken first. I'd never forget how he'd looked during those months after Sebastian left him. Matty had been a washed-out imitation of who he once was, like everything that made him happy had left alongside Sebastian.

Matty might've forgiven Sebastian pretty fast, but I hadn't. I'd made sure to give Sebastian shit for months after. I had to give him his due, he always took it on the chin. Either because I was Matty's best friend, or because he felt he deserved it.

Which he did. Fucker had upset my bestie, so he had to pay.

"Sorry, hun. I'm a one-night-only man, and that's the way it's going to stay."

Will sighed. "In fairness, Danny made that clear upfront, and I thought I was fine with it, but you're just so…perfect."

I laughed, jumping out of bed and grabbing my towel from the cabinet where Danny kept them for me. "Listen, I am spectacular, so I get it. For what it's worth, if I was interested in a relationship, you'd definitely be the one I'd choose to explore that with."

Will pulled on his clothes with his easy grin still in place. "Well, if you ever decide to do some exploring, you know where to find me. I've been told I'm an excellent guide."

"I'll bear that in mind."