Deandre Read online

“He also thinks he’s a demon warrior sworn to protect some nonexistent city.” Since Deandre wasn’t his patient, Amir felt no guilt sharing that with her.

  The lines around Zanny’s green eyes became tight, her laugh a little too strained. “What nonsense! You sure know how to find the quacks.”

  He started to ask what she was hiding when the door opened. Dahj had spaghetti sauce all around her mouth and on her shirt. “Flynn is throwing his food.”

  “Sounds like you better get inside, and I need to go.” Zanny rushed in, grabbed her purse, and hurried out the door.

  Amir frowned but went to the kitchen and groaned. Spaghetti was everywhere. It looked as though his children had had a food battle.

  “Did you actually eat anything?” he asked Dahj as he went for the paper towels.

  “Aw done,” Flynn said as he clapped his hands. “I go.”

  The two-year-old wiggled in the highchair, trying to free himself. Damn Zanny for opening up memories Amir didn’t want to think about. If Hasan had been there, he would’ve gathered Flynn up and put him in the tub while Amir cleaned the kitchen.

  Now it was all on him, and at times, Amir felt overwhelmed that he was doing this parenting thing on his own.

  “Daddy, are you okay?” Dahj touched his shoulder, and Amir forced back the tears that threatened to spill.

  “Yes, sweetie.”

  “I’m sorry we made a mess.”

  “No, no. It’s fine.” He wiped the sauce off the floor then brought the trashcan to him. He cleaned up everything then pulled Flynn out and took him to the bathroom.

  “I can help,” Dahj insisted.

  Amir smiled. “You can help by getting into the tub with your brother. Right now you’re the sauce monster.”

  She smiled.

  “Can I ask you something?” Amir pulled her sundress off and tossed it aside. He turned his head when she took her panties off. Lately Dahj had become self-aware and insisted her daddy not look. He respected her privacy and went out of his way to show her that he was an obedient father.

  When she climbed into the bath and settled in the bubbles, she nodded. “What do you wanna ask?”

  “About the money.”

  Dahj looked away, but Amir saw tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t wanna tell you, but he said I should never keep secrets from you.”

  “Who told you that?” Amir grabbed Flynn’s loofa and started to bathe him.

  “The tooth fairy,” she finally admitted. “He gave me money for my tooth, but I think he was just giving it to me to make me go back to bed.”

  Dahj Nadeem was smart for her four years. Amir swore she possessed an old soul.

  “Tell me exactly what happened. You’re not in trouble,” he added when she looked as if she was about to cry.

  She told him about seeing the tall man outside her window, how he told her to go back to bed, then asked her who was in the house.

  “Did he give you a name?”

  “No, silly. You already gave me a name.” She picked up a handful of bubbles and blew, sending them into Flynn’s dark hair. “Now he looks like he’s wearing a bubble hat!”

  Amir let the subject drop. He knew she was trying to divert his attention on something else so she didn’t have to talk about her tooth fairy anymore. But there was one thing Amir needed to know. “What did he look like, pumpkin?”

  “My tooth fairy?” She scrunched her brows. “Really, really big. Like the giant in Jack and the beanstalk story. He had nice eyes, and I liked his smile. It was really friendly.”

  Oh lord. Amir saw he would have to have another talk about strangers. “What else?”

  “He didn’t have any wings. Just boots, pants, and a shirt that looked too small for him. It might have been his first night on the job, and that’s why he doesn’t got any wings yet.”

  “Doesn’t have,” he corrected.

  “Doesn’t have what?” she asked.

  “That’s why he doesn’t have any wings yet.”

  He finished washing Flynn, who kept splashing the water and laughing. “Boat go!”

  “It’s not a boat,” Dahj said. “It’s a…what is it again?”

  “A blue penguin,” Amir said.

  “A pengen.” She nodded.

  He’d correct her later. Amir was too damn tired right now.

  After their bath, Amir took Flynn to his room to dress him while Dahj waddled in the towel wrapped around her small frame. She went to her room to dress as Amir put Flynn in a diaper for the night and settled him into bed.

  “You can watch PJ Mask for one hour.”

  “Mask!” Flynn bounced on his bed.

  Amir made sure the camera monitor was on before he slipped from the room. He knocked on Dahj’s door. “Are you dressed?”

  She opened the door and handed him her hairbrush. This wasn’t Amir’s favorite thing to do. Dahj was tender headed and winched and whimpered the entire time he brushed her hair.

  “There, done.” He kissed her cheek. “One hour of television.”

  Amir went to the living room and sank down onto the couch, giving a soft groan. He was tired as hell but wouldn’t be able to shower and go to bed until his kids were asleep.

  He preferred it that way just in case they got into things while he was in the bathroom.

  Dahj was known for sneaking into the kitchen and finding a snack.

  Flynn was known for going for a juice box and leaving the fridge wide open.

  Amir fought not to close his eyes when he heard something outside. If it was Deandre, he was going to shoot the guy. Amir got up and went to his bedroom, retrieving his shotgun from his closet. He removed the trigger lock and went to his front porch.

  The evening was silent. The sun was just setting, giving off beautiful hues with clouds that looked like cotton candy.

  His front yard was empty. Amir locked the door and went to the side of the house. Nothing. Had it been an animal? Small critters and deer were known to wander into his yard.

  Feeling foolish, Amir turned and was met by a man with glowing red eyes and a malicious smile. “I’ll be needing your house for a bit, but I don’t need you.”

  He curled a hand around Amir’s throat, pulling him off his feet. Amir dropped the shotgun as he scratched and slapped at the stranger’s hand, fearing he was about to be choked to death.

  Chapter Three

  After Deandre followed Amir to his office that morning—though Amir hadn’t known he was there because he’d allowed his corporal form to fade—Deandre had gone back to the demon realm.

  He couldn’t get those hazel eyes off his mind, no matter how hard he tried. Amir just kept popping into his head, clouding Deandre’s thoughts, and making him jones for a guy he hardly even knew.

  Deandre wanted to go back and apologize for being such a dick, and for scaring Amir. He’d wanted to do that at the office this morning, but Deandre had become too enchanted watching the human work.

  Not that Deandre eavesdropped on the conversations Amir had had with his clients. When they’d started to show up, that was when Deandre had taken off.

  “Man, go,” Donny said from Deandre’s couch. “You’ve been acting like a caged animal since we left the human realm.” He turned, slinging his arm over the back to look at Deandre. “Just make sure he isn’t armed.”

  “He doesn’t want to see me.” Deandre leaned against the archway, crossing his arms and ankles. “He threatened to have the sheriff haul my body away if I came to his house again.”

  Donny winced. “That’s harsh.”

  Not really. Amir was just protecting his family. Deandre completely understood the guy’s threat, but damn if he didn’t want to check on him. Maybe a tiny glimpse and Deandre could be on his way.

  “Come on.” Donny jumped up, his thick mane of dreads swaying behind him. “I have a feeling if you don’t go see him I’m gonna have to kick your ass just to get the edginess out of you.”

  He opened Deandre’s closet door, and Deandre di
dn’t hesitate to go inside. He came out on the side of Amir’s house, and his heart clenched in his throat.

  Deandre jumped into action, ripping Amir out of the demon’s hands. Donny drove into Kragon, taking him down as Deandre shoved Amir toward the front door. “Go inside!”

  Amir raced up the front steps and rushed into the house, slamming the door behind him.

  With a deep snarl, Deandre drove his fist into Kragon’s face. “What the fuck’re you doing here?”

  Donny swung around, curling an arm around Kragon’s thick neck. With the demon’s midsection open, Deandre used it as a punching bag until the demon shouted for Deandre to stop.

  “Tell me what you’re doing here.” From the corner of his eye, Deandre saw Amir looking out a window. It was toward the front of the house, so he assumed it was the living room.

  That was the only thing that had stopped Deandre from continuing his assault. Amir was already afraid of him, and Deandre didn’t want to fuel that fear.

  But damn it. Deandre wanted to tear Kragon’s throat out for touching Amir. He never wanted to see anyone choking the life out of the human again.

  “I was just paid to set up shop,” Kragon said. “I’m just a pawn in this.”

  “Bullshit,” Donny bit out. “You’ve never been anyone’s pawn, Kragon. Try telling the truth or I’m gonna let Deandre finish his brutal assault on you.”

  Deandre curled and uncurled his fists, showing Kragon that he had no problem working him over. He just wished Amir would stop peeking out the window and prayed the kids weren’t looking. Deandre didn’t see the little girl or boy, but that didn’t mean they weren’t spying.

  “Take this to the backyard.” Deandre spun and walked up the driveway then spotted the toys. He cursed and felt like shit for doing this anywhere near the house.

  “I’m feeling you on this,” Donny said. “I’ll take him to Panahasi to question him. You make sure the human is okay.”

  “I wasn’t going to really kill him,” Kragon said. “I was just fooling around. You know, trying to scare him into leaving.”

  With his teeth clenched, Deandre spun and drove his fist into Kragon’s face. “I’m just fooling around, too.”

  The demon was knocked out cold. Deandre had to tamp down the urge to wail on him until all his fear and frustration were gone. His chest was heaving, and his heart still hadn’t slowed. Seeing Kragon’s beefy fist around Amir’s throat made him want to kill the demon.

  “I know that look,” Donny said. “He isn’t any good to us dead. We need answers only he can give us.”

  “Get him away from me before I rip his fucking heart out.” Deandre walked down the driveway, heading toward the porch. Amir was probably going to shoot him, but Deandre was willing to take that chance. He had to make sure no damage had been done, and if there had been, he’d call Phoenyx to heal Amir.

  He climbed the porch steps and was met with Amir peeking out the door.

  “I know you don’t want to see me and think I’m a threat, but I’m not.” Deandre stood there with his hands up, palms out. “I’m not going to ask to come inside, because I know you have little ones to protect. Can you please come out here so we can talk?”

  This was fucked up on so many levels. Deandre wasn’t even sure what to say. Amir had seen him and Donny appear out of thin air, and someone with glowing red eyes had attacked him, tried to choke him out.

  It was like trying to coax out a scared, wounded animal. Deandre needed to see Amir’s neck, needed to know the human didn’t have any internal injuries. He also wanted to calm Amir, to make him feel safe again.

  “I give you my word that you’re safe, that no more harm will come to you while I’m here.” Deandre took a seat on the top step to make himself seem smaller, which wasn’t possible, but he had to try.

  He sensed, more than saw, the door opening. Deandre looked over his shoulder as Amir slid outside, closing the door behind him. He didn’t come any closer, but this was a start.

  “I didn’t see what I saw.” Amir’s voice was soft and strained. “None of this is real.”

  “I was completely honest with you when we first met, Amir. Unfortunately, my world has spilled into yours, and I’m sorry for that, though it was in no way my fault. I’d never put you or your kids in harm’s way.”

  “Prove it to me.” Amir shuffled a little closer. “Prove to me you’re really a demon, that I’m not losing my mind, that someone with glowing red eyes just tried to kill me.”

  Deandre sighed. He was damned either way. If he proved himself, Amir would never want to see him again. If he didn’t, the guy would call him a liar and Deandre would never see him again.

  There was a large boulder by the tree in the front yard. Deandre suspected the kids used it to play on. There were handprints in paint on it, and names, too.

  Dahj and Flynn.

  Deandre held his hand out, flicked his index finger, and the large rock lifted into the air and fell. He bent the tree without snapping it in half and then gently put it back into an upright position.

  “Impossible,” Amir whispered.

  Deandre patted the space next to him. “I’ll answer any questions you have if you just take a seat and talk to me.”

  What Deandre should’ve done was have Amir’s memory wiped to leave the human to his life with no memory of Kragon or even Deandre. That would’ve been the right thing to do.

  He had no ties to this human, no reason to keep coming around. Deandre shouldn’t be fascinated with Amir. That would only lead to putting the guy in harm’s way again. The demon warriors had too many enemies to count, and just being there put Amir at risk.

  But damn if Deandre could make himself get up and walk away. Damn if he could force Amir to forget him. He thought about them on the hiking trail, of looking out over that gorgeous panoramic view, and he knew he wasn’t going to take Amir’s memory of him away.

  Amir sat, keeping as much distance between them as the step would allow. He stared at the road in front of his house, his arms tucked in his bent legs.

  “Take all the time you need to absorb everything,” Deandre said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  So was Amir’s profile. Deandre didn’t think the guy was gay. He had kids, and on the hiking trial when he’d mentioned having sex, Amir had withdrawn. Too bad. Amir was handsome as fuck. He had thick russet-brown hair that Deandre was dying to run his fingers through, those mesmerizing hazel eyes, and that strong jawline that held a closely shaven beard.

  “I’m a diehard nonbeliever when it comes to supernatural things. There is always an explanation for everything, even things that go bump in the night. People let their imaginations run wild, when the simplest explanation is usually the right one.” He looked at Deandre. “But this? How do I rationalize it?”

  Deandre had to curl his fingers in so he wouldn’t reach out and touch Amir. He’d stolen touches earlier when he’d been in Amir’s office, but now he was visible and didn’t dare take the chance. “Turn the doctor part of your brain off. View this through the eyes of someone who wants to believe it’s real.”

  Amir scratched at his beard. “What was that thing?”

  “A demon,” Deandre answered honestly, telling himself that he would never lie to Amir. “He says someone sent him here to set up shop, but Donnchadh took him back to the demon realm to interrogate him.”

  Deandre was waiting for Amir to flip out, to tell Deandre to go to hell and never come back. He was waiting for some kind of reaction other than Amir looking as if he was taking it all in, analyzing it, and then, finally, accepting what he was being told.

  Most humans were never as composed as Amir was.

  “Why my house?”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out,” Deandre said. “That’s the reason I was here last night. We’d gotten intel that some supernatural being was here. I really wasn’t stalking you, Amir.”

  “Thank god for that.” He swiped a hand over his hair. “I wasn’t sure if
I would end up counseling you or shooting you.”

  Deandre tapped his temple. “I already warned you that you don’t want to go messing around in there. It’s a pretty fucked up place in my head.”

  That was an understatement if Deandre had ever made one.

  Amir reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. For a second Deandre thought the guy would offer to pay him for getting rid of Kragon, but he pulled out a business card and handed it over. “I think it best we know how to contact each other just in case something like this happens again.”

  “Then you should take down my phone number, too.”

  Amir’s dark brows pinched together. “Demons have phones?”

  Deandre chuckled. “We take showers, go grocery shopping, cook for ourselves, and can even walk and chew gum at the same time.”

  Instead of smiling, Amir nodded. That quiet acceptance again. Deandre would rather have a lengthy conversation with him, but Amir didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he got up and went inside, returning a moment later with his cell phone.

  “Okay, give me your number.”

  Maybe he was in shock. That would explain why he was so solemn. Deandre rattled it off, and Amir stored it into his phone. “This’ll work even in your demon realm?”

  “Yep.”

  Amir chewed on his lower lip before turning those hazel beauties on Deandre. “Can I ask a question?”

  “Any question you want to ask.”

  “Is the demon realm fire and brimstone?”

  Deandre chuckled again as he slapped his knee. “That’s Hell you’re thinking of. And that isn’t quiet how that place works, but we’ll save that discussion for another time. No, the demon realm is a city, with buildings, shops, banks, restaurants, and even bars. There’s even a place called Jake’s Java Hut that serves coffee, smoothies, ice cream, and he’s expanding the menu all the time.”

  Amir blinked. “You’re joking, right?”

  “I’d take you to see it, but the kids…” Deandre said. He’d never seen children in Serenity City and wasn’t even sure if they were allowed. The city was a beautiful place to live, but it was also dangerous, and Deandre would never put them in harm’s way.