17. Rowan

17

ROWAN

" H ow fast is too fast?" Rowan asked from her spot at the kitchen table, her chin resting on her crossed arms as she watched her grandmother putter around.

Granny plonked a square of coffee cake and a fresh cup of green tea in front of her granddaughter. "What are we talking about? Driving, sex, or love?" she asked, a teasing sparkle lighting her faded blue eyes.

Rowan snorted and poked at the cake. "Did you make this?"

"Hell, no. I rarely bake anymore." The chair creaked as she settled into her seat, the window behind her showcasing the fading colors of the sunset. "Why should I when Sir Bakes-A-Lot down the way does it so much better than me?"

"Good choice," Rowan said, accepting Granny's light swat with a laugh.

Lifting her cup to her lips, she blew on the steaming liquid as she eyed Rowan. "You've got quite a glow for someone who was on an unplanned camping trip all weekend. Had a nice time, did you?"

A hot flush swept up her neck. "Granny," she groaned.

"What? Like I don't know about sex?" Granny sipped her tea. "I'm not at all surprised that things moved quickly between you two. The sparks were certainly flying by the Beanie Babies the other day."

"Granny." She banged her head on her arms, regretting ever asking the question that led to this incredibly embarrassing path.

"That demon of yours is very attractive. I'd have a hard time resisting if he looked at me the way he looks at you." Her gaze grew wistful. "You know, your grandfather looked good in a suit, too. I made sure his pants were tailored to cup his backside the way I liked."

She had to stop this before Granny went any farther. She didn't think she could handle hearing about her grandfather's ass. "Okay, yes. I slept with Leith. Are you happy?"

Granny's mouth pursed. "Only if you are. And might I add, this is a judgment-free zone. Your sex life, who you choose to partner up with, and how quickly you fall into bed with them is completely your choice. I support you no matter what."

Her cheeks burning, Rowan managed to croak, "Thanks, Granny. Appreciate your support."

"Of course, sweetheart." She forked a piece of strudel-covered cake into her mouth.

Rowan cleared her throat. "Actually, I was talking about falling in love. I think…" She cleared her throat again, swallowing hard. "I think I love Leith."

She'd come to the realization partway through their surprise weekend together, as Leith determinedly worked to start a fire the way she taught him. When the flames caught, he'd looked up at her with such wonder and excitement, her heart melted into a giant, gooey puddle. Any reservations she'd had about him crumbled.

Her grandmother's eyes rounded.

"It's been less than a week since I met him, but I don't know. It feels right." She lay a hand over her heart, its beat slow and steady beneath her palm. "It feels like we belong together. We fit."

Granny took another sip of her tea, savoring the light flavor. "I knew the moment I saw your grandfather that he was the one for me, and he felt the same. Love at first sight."

This time, Rowan's eyes rounded. "Really? All the stories about you and Paw-Paw and you never mentioned the love-at-first-sight part."

"I liked having that small part of our love story all to myself," she said with a wistful smile. "However, since you're following in my footsteps, I wanted to share it with you."

Rowan got up and wrapped her arms around her grandmother. "Love you."

"Now, now," Granny said, giving her a light pat. "You go to your young man and tell him you love him."

Giving Granny a squeeze, she kissed her soft cheek. "Thanks, Granny. For everything."

"Always, my precious granddaughter."

Rowan and Leith stepped through the portal he made onto the gravel of a familiar crossroads. She bent over, gagging.

Leith rubbed circles on her back. "Breathe through your nose. Let the crisp night air clear your senses."

"That was awful," she groaned, her head spinning. "We could've taken my car. That was how I got here last time. So much better than this." Her stomach heaved, spit gathering in her mouth.

"My way is faster and better for the environment."

She swallowed hard. "Yeah, but my way doesn't make me see double or worry that I'm going to be lost in the void." She stood and did some deep breathing and staring at the stars overhead.

"At least you didn't throw up." He pulled items from his bag and set them in front of him at the center of the crossroads. "That's better than most who first travel through a portal." He handed her four candles. "Set those at the cardinal points, please."

"Well, that's encouraging." She set stubby white candles at the eastern and southern point and a red candle to the west, then held up the last candle. "Chai latte and cinnamon?"

"I like the smell, okay? It makes me feel cozy," he said with a sheepish shrug.

She bit back a grin and placed it at the northern point before stepping out of the circle and moving beneath the shelter of a tall oak. Before they stepped through the portal, he'd made her promise to stay back, out of the way, and to run if it looked like things were headed towards violence. He'd looked so worried, she'd reluctantly agreed. But she wouldn't abandon him. She'd jump on the demon's back and claw his eyes out before she let him hurt her man.

Leith placed several items, including Seymour Myles's business card and the DownHome brochure that had Myles's picture on it, in a shallow bowl on top of an unfamiliar sigil drawn on the gravel in flour.

"So, you're going to summon him here?" she asked, noting how he walked clockwise and lit the candles before lighting a stick of incense. "And he's going to come?"

"He'll have no choice," Leith said, planting the incense stick in the ground and pointing at the bowl. A flame flared, immolating the items within to a fine ash.

Moments later, a tall man with flowing black hair and peachy-colored skin in popped into being at the center of the circle. Dressed in mint green silk pajamas, he held a glass of amber liquid in one hand and a cigar in the other. A wide, sharp-toothed grin split his face when he spotted Leith.

"This is my territory, after all," Leith said.

"Well, it's about damned time you admitted it. I've been poking and prodding at your territory's boundaries for nearly a year now, baby brother," the demon said, blowing smoke circles as he dropped his human glamour. "Took a full incursion to get your attention."

This is Leith's brother ? Rowan cocked her head, studying the man who'd been hounding her grandmother these past months. As a human, Seymour Myles looked similar to Leith but was nowhere near as handsome. He had the same broad-shouldered swimmer's build and patrician nose, but Myles had a much darker aura that made her skin prickle and not in a pleasant way.

As a demon, she could see the resemblance more in the way his horns twisted in his black hair, the deep red shade of his skin, and the way the shadows seemed to pool at his feet.

"Draig, you ass," Leith said, glowering at his older brother. "Did Mother send you here?"

Draig shrugged and puffed on his cigar. "It's possible."

Leith gave him a dark look.

"What? She's worried. We all are. You come up here, play at being human, barely manage the crossroads, ignore your responsibilities. What was she to do?"

"Well, I'm claiming my territory now, which means you and your scummy private equity bros need to get the hell out of it. You're no longer welcome to conduct your business of ruining people's lives within my borders, and especially not within my town."

Draig held up a hand, the glow of the cigar casting eerie shadows over the sharp planes of his face. "Not a problem, little Leithy. Plenty of fish in the sea, as the humans say. Mother will be so pleased you finally claimed the territory she gave you."

Rowan blinked. Did Draig say their mother… but Leith said the demon queen gave him this territory. Does that mean their mother is… Her breath caught in her throat. Draig's head whipped in her direction, his void-dark eyes narrowing.

"What are you doing over there in the shadows, little human?" he crooned, stalking towards her. "Don't you know the crossroads are dangerous for your kind?"

In a blink, Leith was at her side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hauling her up against his strong body. "She's mine."

His brother stopped. "Yours?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Mine," he said, dropping a kiss on her head. "She's my mate."

A wide grin cracked Draig's countenance. "So you found your mate. You lucky bastard." He hooted and raised his glass, toasting the pair of them. "Congratulations, baby brother!" Slurping down the rest of his drink, he tossed the leaded crystal over his shoulder and bounded over to them, wrapping the pair of them in a bear hug that made Rowan's bones creak. "Welcome to the family, little human." He planted a smoky kiss on her cheek before releasing them from his grasp.

"Um, thanks?" she said, curling closer to Leith. He named me his mate and in front of family, no less . Her entire body flushed as she absorbed the implications.

Draig beamed at her, puffing away at his cigar. "I cannot wait to tell Mother and the rest of the family," he said, giving her a wink. "Think of the delicious chaos this announcement will bring."

"Wait," Leith said, putting out a hand to stall his brother.

Draig hopped back out of reach, his grin widening. His smoke circles coalesced into a larger circle, a familiar void swirling at its core. "Gotta be faster than that, baby bro," he said with a husky laugh before stepping backwards through the portal and disappearing.

Leith tugged at his horn. "Shit."

Rowan snickered. "So. That was your brother, huh?"

"Yep." He shook his head. "Should've known my family would come poking around sooner or later. Not surprised it was Draig. That demon loves to rock the boat and sow chaos."

"And your mom is the queen of your people?"

"Yep."

"So that makes you…"

He grimaced, his entire body tense, braced for her reaction. "A demon prince."

"Holy cats," she whispered. "I had sex with a demon prince."

He laughed, the tension draining from him as he rested his forehead against hers. "Yes, you did. Though, to be fair, there are a lot of us, and it takes a lot more than bloodline to stay at the top of the demon hierarchy. I'm nothing special."

"You're special to me," she said, breathing in his scent, grounding herself.

"Leith… Rowan…," they said at the same time. Both huffed out awkward laughs.

"Please," Leith said, tipping her chin up with a gentle finger, "let me go first."

She licked her lips and nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.

"When I told Draig you were my mate, I was speaking the truth. I meant it from the very bottom of my heart. From the first moment I met you at this very crossroads, I knew we were meant to be together. Your bright spirit, your joyous impulsivity, the love you hold for your grandmother and friends, and everything that makes you such an amazing person, it makes my soul sing." He ran a finger down her cheek and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Rowan Burnay."

Her breath hitched. "I never believed in love at first sight. Not until I met you, my demon at the crossroads. I love you, too, Leith Mamon, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

He picked her up with a whoop and spun her in a circle, his mouth crashing down on hers. She parted willingly for him, her tongue tangling with his as their breath mingled.

With every stroke of his tongue, sparkles exploded throughout her entire body. Her knees grew weak, and she tightened her grasp, drawing in his strength and warmth as the cool night air swirled over them.

"My mate," he whispered, stroking her hair. "My always and forever."

"Hey," she said, resting her chin on his chest, "does this mean if we decide to make this human-legal, I'll be a demon princess?"

"That's not quite how it works in the demon realm," he said, "but you'll always be my princess."

"Aw, how sweet." She wiggled her hips suggestively against him. "Why don't we take this somewhere warmer? Maybe somewhere with a nice, soft bed? We haven't tried that yet."

"Excellent idea," he said, sweeping her up into his arms. With a snap of his fingers, he extinguished the candles and opened a portal.

She groaned as she peered into the swirling void. "Not another portal."

"Don't worry, love," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I'll make it worth the trip."