Page 27 of Ridge

Ridge hated this. He hated it so much, and he didn’t know how his mate could stand it.

* * * *

KAEL HATED EVERYTHING. He hated what had happened between him and Ridge last night—not the sex, but the mess after Ridge had asked Kael if he wanted to bond. He hated that they had to leave the demon town because he’d liked it. He liked Poppy and the people there, even after the confrontation.

He hated what had just happened with that man pulling his son away from him as if he was a monster about to cause harm. He didn’t know Kael. He didn’t know that Kael would never hurt a fly, let alone a young boy. He’d assumed, just because of the way Kael looked, and that was what hurt the most.

Kael couldn’t help being a demon. He couldn’t help being different from humans. He’d never had a problem with what he was. In fact, he’d always felt part of his community, which was possibly because it was the only place he’d ever known since he was born. But he’d never felt self-conscious about what he was until he’d set foot in the human world, and spending time in a demon town had made him realize just how much he was changing himself to accommodate other people’s comfort.

Part of him wanted to go back. He wouldn’t be welcomed in Starhaven, but he could find somewhere else to call home, like the town they’d just left, or maybe the next one they were visiting. He was sure he could find something.

But that would mean leaving Nymon and Ridge behind. There was no way Nymon would ever leave Tex, and Kael wouldn’t expect him to. Ridge also wouldn’t be welcome in a demon town.

He hadn’t said no to Ridge because he didn’t want him. He’d said no because he was scared, because he didn’t know what was going on, and because he needed a little time. He thought that Ridge probably understood that, even though he’d been hurt by the rejection. They would need to talk about it, and Kael planned on doing so, but he felt like the afternoon was already ruined.

Would Ridge look at him the way that father had? Kael knew he wouldn’t. Ridge knew him, but even if he hadn’t, he knew that demons weren’t bad just because of what they were. He was indignant on Kael’s behalf, and Kael liked that, even though he wished it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t need Ridge to stand up for him, though. He could do that himself, if he wanted to.

He just didn’t want to. It was useless to go after that man and tell him he was behaving like an idiot. The man was just trying to keep his son safe. Kael couldn’t blame him for that. He could blame him for being rude while doing so, but what would be the use? The man was already gone, having dragged his son back to their truck. All that was left was Ridge, who was hovering behind Kael as Kael faced the waitress.

“Hi,” he said, trying to keep his expression relaxed even though he could see how wary she was of him. Once again, she didn’t know him. She only knew the way he looked, and it had been enough for her to decide that he might hurt her. “Just the two of us.”

She nodded stiffly and gestured for them to follow. They did, Kael keeping his gaze firmly on her. He didn’t want to see how the people around them were watching him. He didn’t need to see it to know it was happening anyway.

“I’ll bring you coffee,” the woman said.

“I don’t drink coffee,” he told her. “I’ll take a glass of water, thank you.”

She blinked and looked at Ridge, who nodded and murmured that coffee would be fine for him. Kael didn’t wait. He slid onto the bench, putting his back to the rest of the room, hoping it would be enough that he wouldn’t notice everyone watching. He could still feel their gazes on his back, but he did his best to ignore it.

Was all of this even worth it? He’d never had to deal with any of this when he lived in Starhaven, and while it wasn’t as bad in the town where he lived now because people had gotten used to seeing him around, this would happen every time he left. People would watch him. They would wonder what he was. They could see he was different, but humans weren’t used to demons.

Of course, that could change. If demons opened up their towns, humans would see more of them, and they’d eventually accept it as a normal fact of life, just like they had with shifters and other paranormal creatures. Most of them were probably just curious, but Kael still felt like he was the center of attention, and not in a good way. He didn’t like people watching him, no matter the reason.

“You okay?” Ridge murmured, leaning closer.

Kael forced himself to smile. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“The way that man behaved wasn’t right.”

“How is he supposed to know that? He doesn’t know me. For all he knew, I could be dangerous to his son. I don’t blame him for trying to protect the boy.”

“You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Kael liked that Ridge knew that about him, but he wasn’t sure what it had to do with anything. “That man couldn’t know that. He doesn’t know me.”

“He judged you because of the way you look.”

“Isn’t that what most people do? It’s how we form first impressions, isn’t it? I’m sure that the first time you saw me, you made some kind of decision about me before you got to know me.”

“The first time I met you, I didn’t assume you were going to attack me or someone I love.”

Kael shrugged. “That’s because of the situation we were in. I was scared, and you could probably see that.”

Ridge reached over the table to touch Kael’s hand. Kael was surprised, but he allowed the contact, staring at their hands on top of the table.

Demons looked mostly human. They had two arms and two legs. They had eyes and hair. It was obvious they weren’t human, but they looked enough like humans that Kael had truly thought he could find a place amongst them. Maybe he could.

But not knowing for sure hurt him. He wished things were as easy as they had been in Starhaven, but had things really been that easy in Starhaven? Yes, he’d been surrounded by demons and hadn’t had to deal with people staring at him, but mostly because people had ignored him. They didn’t know him. Most people in Starhaven didn’t even know he existed. He hadn’t been important to any of them except Nymon, and Nymon wasn’t in Starhaven anymore.