Chapter 29 Chapter 29
“Are you not getting along with Maxwell? I thought you were close to each other despite the occasional bickering. If not, I’m sorry,” Esther answered, sounding dejected.
“It’s complicated,” she replied, not wanting to speak about it right now, and therefore she was relieved when Esther changed the topic.
“What have you been doing this past week?”
“I’ve been busy with work. There have been several missing person cases recently, and I wrote a few news articles about them. It seems like the culprit isn’t human, so we can’t leave this to the police,” Valerie explained.
“I see, sounds dangerous. Always be careful, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I am,” she said, remembering something else. “By the way, I can see supernatural creatures now… and it’s quite a shock. How have you been dealing with this since you were a child? For me, only a single day is already enough.”
“Seems like your bond is getting stronger, huh? I didn’t think it would happen so fast,” Esther said. “You will get used to it soon. It usually helps to just ignore the creatures—if they notice you can see them, they might go after you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Valerie answered.
“Good. And if you ever want to meet up, let me know. I’ll make time for you,” Esther offered.
“That’s nice of you. We should do it soon,” she said, smiling. “How is Ivor doing?”
“Oh, you know. Same old demon. He’s still a coffee addict and gets hyper when he drinks too much of it. Earlier in the China restaurant, he discovered his love for fried chicken,” Esther giggled.
“Are you gossiping about me?” Ivor asked in the background. His voice was muffled, but Valerie nonetheless heard it.
“Yes,” Esther replied. “No, just kidding. I’m daydreaming about you, sweetheart.”
Valerie could imagine Ivor rolling his eyes at her, but he didn’t say anything. “You’re so cute,” Valerie commented amusedly.
“Thanks,” Esther giggled.
They kept talking for a while until Esther ended the call, telling Valerie she would go to sleep soon since it was late. Valerie put her phone on the coffee table, her eyes checking the clock on the TV stand.
It was 1 AM now, and Maxwell hadn’t returned yet. He’d already told her he would be gone most of the night, but she still worried about him, hoping everything was fine.
After she unintentionally chased him out earlier, he probably didn’t want to be near her. Frowning, she lay on the sofa and rolled on her side, her eyes glued to the ticking clock.
She wanted to stay up and wait for him to return, but her plan was thwarted when the exhaustion became overpowering. She fell asleep on the sofa. Mochi took it as an invitation to join her and huddled against her chest.
---
Maxwell had been searching the streets around and in the park for hours, keeping his eyes open, but he hadn’t encountered any suspicious people. The strange man from the CCTV footage didn’t show himself.
The white-haired demon was frustrated and angry because the night had been a disaster, and he hadn’t achieved anything. The earlier pain in his heart was gone, and he assumed Valerie had fallen asleep.
He couldn’t explain what triggered her strange reaction to his kiss. It puzzled him since they had kissed before, and she never complained. However, she had been close to a panic attack this time, and he had felt helpless when it happened. He hated not being in control of a situation.
Taking a decision he might regret later, he left the park and headed to Nicholas Clarke’s home, not too far from his workplace. Maxwell rang the doorbell a thousand times until the other demon finally opened, his hair messy and eyes brimming with annoyance. A low growl left his throat at the sight of Maxwell on his doorstep.
“What are you doing here? It’s 4 AM.”
“Not like you need any sleep. You’re a demon, remember?” Maxwell answered and simply walked past him into his apartment without caring to wait for an invitation.
Nicholas Clarke shook his head in disbelief at his rude attitude, not that he was used to anything else from him. He closed the front door and followed Maxwell into the kitchen, where he leaned against the counter.
Maxwell stood in front of the window and watched the dark cityscape, illuminated by a faint light. The apartment was high above the ground and provided a majestic view of New York.
“I’m here to ask you about something.”
“Then go ahead,” Nicholas Clarke grumbled and folded his arms.
“Who exactly is Uriel, and what happened between him and Valerie?” he asked without turning around to look at the other demon.
Nicholas Clarke swallowed after hearing the unexpected question, his eyes widening considerably, flashing neon green.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“She told me.”
“She wouldn’t just randomly throw that name at you. What did you do?” Nicholas Clarke asked persistently, and Maxwell’s annoyance grew.
“I kissed her.”
“You… you did what?” Nicholas Clarke sputtered. “Why? No, wait, I don’t want to know. Did you force yourself on her?” The demon was livid, his magic manifesting as greenish streaks that swirled around his body.
“Who do you take me for? Of course not! I may be a demon, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have principles,” Maxwell snapped, finally turning around to meet his eyes. His lips formed a thin line, and he leaned his back against the window.
Nicholas Clarke narrowed his eyes at him, not yet convinced. “Did you harm her in any way? Hit her?” he asked with a steely voice, cold as ice.
“No, I did not,” Maxwell hissed, his temper getting the best of him.
“You’re not exactly the gentlest demon I know,” Nicholas Clarke grumbled. “Her ex was an abusive bastard. He often hit and cornered her whenever he got angry or when she did something he disapproved of… whatever you did, it must have triggered her fear somehow. She probably felt trapped.”