Chapter One Hundred Nine

Panic took over me when I heard footfalls for the third time. The first two times, it was Becky, but the steps felt heavier that time. I huffed and closed my hands into tight fists, almost piercing my skin with my sharp nails.

“Cass, we’re back,” Desmond’s voice confirmed my fear.

I turned around with partially opened eyes, prepared to face the wrath of my mother. Mom was unconscious in Desmond’s arms, and Becky was shocked beyond words.

“Oh my God!” Becky’s jaw was almost touching the floor, and her eyes were twitching in a concerning way. “Am I magic now? Do the rules of the real world apply to me anymore, or am I now a boundless spirit floating in this never-ending universe we call life?”

“None of that. You flew here at an extraordinary speed with me. The rules remain the same.” Desmond burst Becky’s bubble.

Becky stared at Desmond like he was an alien or an unbelievable illusion. “I still can’t believe you are real. Cassidy must be hallucinating. He can’t be that good-looking and powerful was a soothing thought.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Desmond smiled lopsidedly.

I ran to Becky and squeezed her in my arms. “Thank you so much for looking after Mom. I am so glad you two are okay.”

“Anything for you, Cass.” Becky hesitantly patted my back, resting her chin on my shoulder. She brought her mouth closer to my ear and whispered. “Your incubus is indeed the most handsome man I have ever seen. You should have seen how heroically he entered the house, explained the situation to me, and brought us here in a flash.”

“Thank you.” Warmth increased in my cheeks, and I smiled. At least someone acknowledged Desmond’s kind efforts and his jaw-dropping looks. “What about Mom?” I asked in a low voice. An earsplitting shriek made me shudder, and I accidentally bumped heads with Becky, and somehow, she made us fall onto the floor. “What the heck, Becky?” I complained, rubbing my aching head and back.

“Put me down.” Mom screamed bloody murder. I turned to the source and found my mother running away from Desmond. She was wide awake and extremely terrified. I looked at Desmond with only one question in mind. How did Mom wake up when I specifically asked him to bring her there unconscious? Had she suddenly become immune to demon magic? I hope not because she would tear the apartment down when someone utters the word magic. “Where am I? I was sitting at home. How did I get here?” Mom frantically moved back, shielding herself with a couch cushion. “Mr. Demetri?!” She squinted and widened her eyes in disbelief. “What are you doing here? Is this a kidnapping? Cassidy, has your crazy ex kidnapped us three?”

“No, Mom. Absolutely not!” I immediately shut down her wild assumptions. “Mr. Demetri is here to help. Don’t you remember? I sent Becky a text telling her to come and meet me in the city. You must have passed out before she told you. Mr. Demetri came to your house by chance. He drove you two here. We are standing in Becky’s apartment right now.”

“I passed out? But_” Mom appeared utterly confused.

“No buts,” I grinned nervously. “That’s exactly what happened. Help me, Becky and Mr. Demetri.”

Becky instantly agreed with me, but Desmond remained silent.

Mom calmed down a bit and nodded in realization. For a moment, it felt like she had bought our lies, but her eyes widened again. “No, I distinctly remember a man. He had enormous wings. His face was a blur. However, it looked similar to someone I know. He told me he had come to save me. He then picked me in his arms, and my eyes closed. I heard the flapping of his wings. I believe he was flying.”

What kind of magic did Desmond use on Mom? She remembered everything so correctly.

“People usually hallucinate moments before falling unconscious. It’s common. Angels aren’t real, Mom. Or at least they don’t come to Earth to pick up alive humans. Get a grip on reality,” I said.

Mom stared at me with a haunting, blank stare. “Angels may not freely interact with humans, but demons have free will and permission to invade our lives and homes. Could it be a demon?”

I was preparing my next lie when Desmond moved forward and gestured for me to let him deal with it. I gladly took a step back. Only more magic and clever lies could put Mom’s mind at ease now.

“Mrs. Black. You claim to have seen that before passing out?” Desmond asked. I wasn’t sure where he was going with that, but undoubtedly, he was the most intelligent person in that room.

“Yes. A demon. I am sure. As a demonologist, you must have sensed a negative energy around me,” said Mom. “I request you to tell the girls I am telling the truth and that I still have a grip on reality. I am so tired of being called and seen as the crazy widow since my husband’s funeral.”

It hurt me so much to hide a disturbing truth behind Mom’s grief and pain. I had to do it for her good. She wasn’t ready to hear who her daughter was really in love with. It would break her soul and heart into a million pieces.

“No one thinks you are unstable, Mrs. Black. You saw what you saw because it was the truth. It was a demon with wings, and I am that demon,” spoke Desmond, shocking everyone in the room.

My shock was the greatest. Instead of helping me divert Mom's mind away from what she saw, he admitted his true identity to her. Had Desmond lost his freaking mind?

“What is wrong with you?” I grabbed his arm and shook him to stop him from opening his mouth more.

“It’s the truth,” Desmond continued, completely disregarding my objection to his words. “I am a spirit, not a human. Not any spirit, but a demon. Sorry to hide this from you. My feelings for your daughter, however, remain the same. I am madly in love with Cassidy_”

“Desmond, stop!” I covered his mouth with my hand. It worked until he ran to another part of the room and started speaking from there. “I didn’t cheat on your daughter. She made up that lie to hide my truth. I am a demon who isn’t evil. And I can help you take revenge on the Astors and anyone else you want. My power is at your service.”

Desmond had said everything by the time I reached him. His revelations had caused everyone else to go completely silent. Mia and Becky were shocked, too, because they only knew him as an incubus. Why did he have to say demon?

Mom had gone white with fear. “What? Is this a sick joke? I will not tolerate any more lies here. What is he saying, Cassidy? You said he was cheating on you. Did you break up with him because he is delusional?”

“Yes, Mom. Mr. Demetri has lost his mind working with demons. Constant exposure to negative energies did some serious damage to his brain. He now thinks he is one demon. It’s painful and hilarious. That is why I broke up with him,” I shamelessly lied again.

“Send him to a mental hospital, then. My heart almost stopped because of what he said. Someone, please call them right now,” Mom exclaimed.

“I have not lost my mind,” Desmond interrupted. “Cassidy, darling, let her know the truth. She ought to find out about it one day. If we tell her now, we can work together to end the Astors’ reign of terror over your family. Your mother is more than capable of surviving the truth. She is just not informed enough.”

Desmond had a point, but I was in no mood to listen. The coward in me could avoid this for centuries.

“Cassidy. Call the police or the mental asylum right now!” Mom ordered me.

“You leave me no choice.” Desmond gave me a look of disappointment.

He vanished and appeared back in another part of the room. For everyone to panic and my mother to have a heart attack, Desmond revealed his wings, too.