Page 5 of Ridge

“The first town isn’t that far, and I thought it would be better than shimmering there. If anything, it gives you an easy way out if you need to leave in a hurry.”

“I suppose so.”

“Of course, if you have a different idea, just let me know. I’m open to changes. You’ll be the one on the ground, so you’ll know better than me.”

“I think driving sounds fine, at least for now. We can reassess if it doesn’t work once we’re there. We can always call for someone to shimmer us out if we have to.”

“You can, but remember that they won’t be able to shimmer inside the town.”

“So the leaders know we’re coming?”

“They do, and they’ve agreed to meet with Kael and listen to what he has to say. He’s going to have to be convincing.”

“I think he can be.”

“I think so, too. He just needs an opportunity to shine, and this will be good for him.”

It probably wouldn’t be good for Ridge’s heart, though. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something Gregory was worried about. He didn’t even know that Kael was Ridge’s mate. Ridge hadn’t told anyone—not even his best friend.

He had an opportunity here. He could take it or leave it, and he knew which one he wanted. He and Kael wouldn’t be focused on work the entire time. They’d have some downtime, especially in the car while they drove to the town and then back home. Ridge could find the right moment to tell Kael about their bond. He didn’t know how Kael would react, but he wouldn’t find out until he tried, and he would now have several hours to find the best moment to do so.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t send Kael running—or rather, jumping out of the car.

* * * *

“I JUST DON’T GET WHY you don’t want to go,” Kael explained.

Nymon stared at the ceiling. They were both on the couch, a glass of wine in hand, talking. Kael had spent a lot of time in the apartment that Tex and Nymon shared since he’d moved. He had his own place, but sometimes it felt too big, even though it was only a one-bedroom apartment. It was smaller than the little house he’d had when he lived in Starhaven, but it felt more lonely.

Kael wasn’t sure why he felt like that. It wasn’t like he’d had a lot of visitors or that he’d lived with someone in Starhaven. He’d been alone back then, too, with only Nymon for company. They’d visited each other quite often, which Kael was still doing. He should probably stop. Tex hadn’t said anything, but he and Nymon had just found each other. They probably wished they had more time alone without Kael under their feet.

But Tex hadn’t said anything, and neither had Nymon. Until they kicked Kael out, he wasn’t going anywhere. He knew his best friend. Nymon wouldn’t hesitate to let him know if he wasn’t welcome. Hopefully, that would never happen, because Kael wasn’t sure what he’d do if it did.

That was one of the reasons he’d decided to move when Nymon had. He’d been terrified because he’d never been to the human world, like most demons, but that was where Nymon had been going, and Kael hadn’t been about to let him go on his own. The thought of something happening to Nymon was almost as terrifying as the thought of staying back in Starhaven on his own.

So here he was, in the human world, on Nymon’s couch, both of them staring at the ceiling while sipping wine. Kael missed his house and Starhaven, but at the same time, the only person he would’ve missed was right there with him. It helped.

“Why would I want to go?” Nymon asked.

“Don’t you miss Starhaven? Or our world. I know that Starhaven wasn’t great, but maybe the village that Gregory wants us to visit is going to be better.”

“Even if it is better, I don’t belong there anymore. I belong here, with Tex. Why would I want to leave?”

“To see the world. To be with demons for a little bit. Don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss not having people stare at you every time you set foot out of the house? Having people know who you are and not caring about it?”

Nymon sat up and turned to face Kael. “Is that what’s happening to you? Are people bothering you?”

“No one has said anything,” Kael quickly said.

“That doesn’t mean they’re not making you uncomfortable. What’s going on?”

Kael shrugged and took a sip of wine. He grimaced because he didn’t really like wine, but Nymon had offered, and Kael hadn’t wanted to say no. He didn’t want to be a bother. “Nothing’s going on. I’m just finding it hard to find my place here. I guess it’s because I don’t have a mate.”

Nymon opened his mouth, but Kael already knew what he was about to say. He didn’t want to hear it. He was afraid to hear it.

“Because demons don’t have mates,” he quickly added. “I know that they can be someone else’s mate. You’re proof of that. I’m just alone, and it’s a little bit harder to navigate than I expected.”

To be fair, Kael hadn’t expected much when he decided to move. He’d made the decision in a hurry, mostly because Nymon was leaving and Kael hadn’t felt he had a choice. He couldn’t try to convince his friend to stay. Nymon had a good reason to leave, and Kael understood that. He understood that Nymon had more reasons to leave than to stay.