The Demon's Half

Chapter 12

The garden was stunning—almost surreal in its beauty. Even when Moonvile was always cold, this garden was somehow warm.
I immediately regretted using my jeans and hoodie.

There were rows of vibrant flowers all around the pond, which mirrored the sky, rippling softly beneath the breeze, framed by ancient oak trees. And a huge blossom tree at the end. It was breathtaking.
For someone who worked in a department store, Elena wasn't doing bad at all.

As I paused to take it all in, Logan leaned closer, his voice low near my ear. "Something else, isn't it?"

"Yeah, how—" I started, but he cut me off before I could fumble my way through what was probably a very, very rude question.

"My dad has money," his tone was casual, like he was commenting on the most unimportant topic in the world. "But mom refuses to just sit around. She wanted something to do, so... the department store it is."

"If I had this kind of wealth, I don't think I'd be clocking in at a nine-to-five."

Ni de pedo trabajaría.

Logan's lips quirked into a smirk as he plopped down onto the nearby bench. "Well, rumor has it your own housing troubles have mysteriously resolved themselves." He made air quotes. "Bills paying themselves, food restocking out of nowhere... courtesy of some parasite, right?"

His teasing made me roll my eyes, but I couldn't fight the smirk tugging at my lips as I sat beside him. "Okay, someone's nosy," I nudged his arm. "Do you always eavesdrop?"

He laughed—Damn. When was the last time I'd heard someone laugh like that?

"Guilty," his eyes went to the pond. "But hey, you're an interesting case."

Interesting? This beautiful man that fought spirits and demons thought I was interesting?

"So, why do you keep working, anyway? You just said you wouldn't if you had the choice."

"I guess I needed a distraction." My fingers twisted together in my lap. "I couldn't stand being—"

"Alone," he finished in a grim tone. He wasn't looking at me anymore. His eyes stayed on the water. Aware that I was watching him, he pulled a knife from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. "First lesson. Ready?"

"A knife?"

"Not a knife. A dagger. This one's for protection."

"If I start carrying one of those around, people might assume I've lost it."

"So am I to assume you had it at some point?" Logan teased as he stood, offering me his hand to stand.
I laughed despite myself. It was annoyingly easy for him to make me laugh.

"You won't need to carry one of these, don't worry," he said, twirling the dagger once more before tucking it away. "You just need to know they exist."

I smiled, but my eyes squinted slightly. "You don't think I'm a complete idiot, do you? For... all of this?"

"No," he said. "I think you need to be careful. Smarter, maybe. You think he wants your soul for fun?"

"Well, yeah," I said with a shrug. "Isn't that what they do?"

"Demons have patience. They plan. They take their time. Maybe this has been his goal from the beginning—to push you, manipulate you, until you don't see any other choice but to make a deal. They're made for this, Morgan. They know how to play the game and who to play it with."

Even as the weight of his words settled over me, I couldn't stop the butterflies at the way my name sounded on his lips. That's when I fell to the ground.
Something pushed me.
A blur of fur, paws, and an overwhelming amount of slobber.