Chapter 20 Chapter 20
“I honestly don’t think it was him. He was never the kind of demon that would meddle in someone’s affairs. I’m sure it was someone else… the thing is, I don’t know who.” Vaughn gritted his teeth, another gust of wind shaking the leaves in the trees. Silence fell, and the atmosphere became heavy with tension.
Valerie was horrified at the idea of being murdered in cold blood by some deranged demon, knowing it would be stronger than her. She was human; what could she ever do to defend herself? This was terrible, and it could only end in disaster for her. Pain bloomed in her heart, her desperation rising.
“You’re doing it again,” she heard Maxwell mumble and looked at him, furrowing her brow.
“I can’t help it. Try to see it from my perspective—for me, all of this is new. I never had to deal with a situation like this before,” she admitted shakily. Maxwell put his hand under her chin, tilting her head in his direction so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. They were sky-blue, with only faint traces of red remaining.
“I told you before, I’m not letting you die. As long as the bond exists, I’m ensuring our survival, so stop being scared constantly,” he muttered.
She parted her lips to speak, but no sound left her mouth. His words were a strange contradiction to his earlier behavior. She didn’t understand him at all and couldn't comprehend what he was thinking of her. Only one thing was apparent—he meant his words.
They didn’t notice the glance Vaughn and Esther shared, both slightly amused and relieved that Valerie and Maxwell got along, even if they argued occasionally.
“Do you have more questions, Valerie?” Esther finally said, gaining her attention.
“Um, Ashton told me I might experience more side effects of the bond soon. What could happen?” she asked worriedly.
“It’s a little different for everyone, I guess. You might develop an affinity for light magic later on, but I can’t say for sure. Don’t worry about it too much. If you have any questions or want to talk, you can always call me,” Esther answered and smiled softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. Valerie returned the smile, glad she had finally gotten to know someone in a similar situation.
“Thank you, Esther,” Valerie said and hugged the other woman. She was about to hug Vaughn, too, but Maxwell interfered, taking her by the wrist and pulling her away.
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The rest of the week passed in a blur. Valerie stayed at home most of the time since she didn’t want to expose other people to the danger that was Maxwell. She hadn’t figured him out yet and didn’t trust him to let other humans live… He was unpredictable, like a hurricane.
Mochi still lingered in her apartment; by now, Valerie was convinced it wouldn’t leave anymore. Occasionally, it would sneak outside for an hour and later return. Valerie had no clue what it was doing and wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to find out. Maybe it was looking for food? Then again, she had never seen Maxwell eat or sleep either and assumed demons didn’t need those things to survive.
On Sunday, Valerie tried to distract herself from the sullen demon by dedicating herself to her hobby. She sat at her desk for hours and focused on drawing, creating a realistic picture of Mochi that had joined her and lay at the table while she worked. Art had always been a way for Valerie to distract herself from her worries and burdens, and it was no different now.
She put on her headphones and cut out the world around her until she was so focused on her drawing that she didn’t even notice Maxwell looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing. He scrunched his nose when he realized she was drawing the low-class demon and walked off to watch TV instead.
After spending the entire Sunday afternoon on her drawing, she was proud of herself when it was finished. She held the paper next to Mochi and smiled, seeing the similarities. She had drawn the cute whiskers and perked-up ears, doing her best to depict the fluffy fur and the disturbingly sharp teeth.
Valerie was in a good mood for the rest of the evening, and the following day started better than she could have imagined. She was finally back in Thorne’s office, hoping to get some work done. After a week of being primarily at home, she felt an itch in her fingers, an urge to write another news article.
“Good morning, Mr. Thorne,” she said and smiled at him before she threw Maxwell a disapproving glare since he didn’t bother greeting the other demon and walked over to the window to stare outside in boredom.
“Morning, you two. I see you’re still in one piece, Valerie. That means I won’t have to rip Maxwell apart just yet,“ Thorne answered amusedly. The lamps flickered dangerously, dimming and brightening, but Thorne ignored them. “How was your week at home? Are you feeling better?”
“It was fine. I met Vaughn a few days ago, but other than that…” she trailed off.
Thorne nodded. “Ah, yes. I heard he got bonded, too. Must have been nice to meet a demon who isn’t as rude as Maxwell,” the black-haired demon said, his smirk widening when Maxwell glowered at him. “Anyways, I’ve got an interesting task for you, Valerie. I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“Really? What is it?” she asked excitedly, causing him to laugh.
“Remember my contact at the police station? She informed me that there have been various missing persons cases in New York, and she wants us to cover them in one of our next issues since the police are struggling to find witnesses and further leads. You could start by interviewing friends and families of the missing people.”
“I’ll take care of it. This is right up my alley,” she smiled, glad to be of help again. When it came to missing persons cases, her assistance was appreciated by the police officers, especially when they wanted to attract public attention.