Page 2 of Ridge

Ridge wasn’t an idiot, or at least, he liked to think that he wasn’t. No matter how Gregory put it, he and the council weren’t doing it because they wanted demons to be happy. No, they were doing it because they needed something, and Gregory had already explained what that something was. They wanted easy access to the demons and their towns so that if they ever had to deal with demons killing humans again, it would be easier for them to do what they had to do. Ridge couldn’t say he disagreed, but he was pretty sure that most demons would.

“That sounds like a good idea,” he said slowly. “But I’m still not sure what it has to do with me.”

“We’re not sending this demon back alone. We can’t risk it. Even though I don’t want to believe that the demons would attack them, I won’t put anyone in danger, especially not someone who’s volunteered to help us. Who better to protect this person than a man trained to kill?”

That wasn’t a bad idea either, although Ridge didn’t understand why Gregory was asking him above other people. “You have plenty of other assassins,” he said, pointing out the obvious.

“But you’ve already been in a demon town. You’re not an expert, but you probably know what to expect now. At the very least, you know what to watch out for.”

Ridge hadn’t been in Starhaven long, but it had been long enough to experience demon magic. He didn’t know what to expect exactly. He wasn’t sure how to fight it, but he’d find a way.

He always did.

“You don’t have to say yes, of course,” Gregory added. “But Tex suggested you, and I think it’s a good idea.”

Gregory was training Tex to one day take his place as a handler. Ridge knew this was important for his friend, and he didn’t want to mess things up. At the same time, he was actually eager to leave town. He felt like everywhere he looked, Kael was there, and it was impossible to deal with. The few times Ridge had tried talking to him, Kael had fled like Ridge had the plague. It hurt, even though Kael didn’t know for sure that they were mates. Maybe putting some distance between the two of them would be good. Maybe it would give Kael more time and space and help him open up to the idea of at least giving Ridge a chance. It wasn’t like things could go worse than they already were, anyway. As it was, Ridge didn’t have a chance with his mate, which was heartbreaking.

It would also be a change from the jobs he was usually assigned. He’d known what he was getting into when he’d signed the contract that made him a council assassin, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t intrigued by playing security and working a diplomatic mission rather than a killing one. It wouldn’t be what he was used to, but it didn’t have to be.

He leaned forward. “Tell me more about this mission. You said that you’re sending a demon and that you’re still talking with them. What do you expect from them? What do you think will happen, and where are you sending them? I want to hear all the details.”

Gregory’s eyes sparkled. “Does that mean you’re saying yes?”

“It means I’m saying yes to hearing what you have to say about it,” Ridge said, leaning back in his chair. “I’m listening.”

* * * *

KAEL STARED AT HIS phone. He was still confused by Nymon’s text, although he wasn’t worried. Nymon had promised he and his mate would be there during the meeting, and he knew they would be. He was just confused because he had no idea why someone who worked at the council facility needed to talk to him.

He tapped his fingertips on the table and took a sip of his coffee. He was glad that Tex’s boss had agreed to meet him in a public place. He didn’t think that Gregory would do anything strange, but he didn’t know the man. He felt more comfortable surrounded by people, and he was.

Although being surrounded by people also meant that people were all around him, staring at him. He couldn’t exactly blend in, not with his tail and his hair. His tail was currently wrapped around his waist, so the humans surrounding him couldn’t see it, but they could see he was different. Luckily, most of them wouldn’t dare come anywhere near him to ask what was wrong with him, but that didn’t mean he liked the staring.

“Hey,” someone said, causing Kael to look up. He smiled as Nymon slid into one of the empty chairs at the table, quickly followed by Tex, who pushed over a coffee. Nymon picked it up and took a sip after smiling at his mate.

Kael couldn’t look away. Sometimes, he still had a hard time believing that Nymon had a shifter mate. He never would’ve met Tex if Tex hadn’t been sent on a mission in Starhaven. Kael could’ve gone his whole life without meeting him, because he wouldn’t have left the town, and neither would Nymon. He’d never thought about leaving. For him, his future had been in Starhaven.

But he had left. Sometimes, he still couldn’t believe it. Sometimes, he also thought that maybe he’d made a mistake, but he couldn’t imagine his life without Nymon, and he wouldn’t have been able to continue being Nymon’s friend if Nymon had left alone. He wouldn’t have been allowed to.

Demons couldn’t go back and forth between their towns and the human world. They were isolated, protected by shields, and normally, humans couldn’t get in. Demons also couldn’t get out. Nymon and Kael had been lucky that they’d managed, but Kael couldn’t help but wonder how many other demons wished they could leave their towns.

That made him feel guilty. He’d had the opportunity, even though he hadn’t wanted it. He’d taken it, and now he was here, not knowing what to do with this new life. He should be more grateful, shouldn’t he? He should be finding his way, making friends, finding a job, and building a new life. Instead, he was clinging to Nymon and probably annoying him and Tex.

Tex waved at someone behind Kael, and Kael tensed. He hadn’t had the time to ask Nymon why all of them were here, and it worried him. He didn’t think anything bad would happen, but he didn’t understand why the council wanted to talk to him.

Maybe they wanted information on Starhaven. After all, those demons who’d killed humans had lived there. They could easily have asked Nymon, though.

Nymon, who was exchanging a glance with his mate right now. They both glanced at Kael, too, but Nymon quickly looked away when he realized that Kael was watching him. Kael had known Nymon all of his life, which meant that he was sure his best friend was hiding something.

He supposed he was about to find out what that something was.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen,” the tall man in his mid-forties said as he slid into the last empty chair at the table.

He smiled at Kael. He had a nice smile—comforting, which Kael hadn’t expected. He knew what Tex had trained to do and who he worked with, and for some reason, Kael had expected all those people to look like killers. What did a killer look like, though?

He glanced at Tex. He certainly didn’t look like a killer. He looked like Nymon’s mate, like a man who loved Kael’s best friend. Meeting him, Kael would never have thought he could kill people.

He supposed that Tex didn’t kill people. He hadn’t become a council assassin, which Kael thought was a good thing.