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Laith stiffened. “Are you trying to hurt me because I moved on?”
He looked Daniel over and wondered what he’d ever seen in the guy. Laith liked his men big, and Daniel was far from muscular. He had the same frame as Laith, willowy. He was even as short as Laith. There hadn’t exactly been a lot of men to choose from in Arrowvale. Laith guessed he’d just settled.
“It’s not all about you, Laith,” Daniel said. “God, did you have to choose a bear? His stench is clogging up my nostrils.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Laith had no idea. Bear? Daniel wasn’t making any sense. “Have you been drinking or something?”
“I wish,” Daniel murmured. “We had a great friendship. We shouldn’t have taken it to the next level. That ruined everything.” Daniel hurried over to Laith and took his hands in his. When Laith tried to pull his hands free, he couldn’t. Daniel’s grip on him was too strong. “I want my friend back.”
“The same friend you let get beaten,” Laith argued, twisting his hands to free them.
“That wasn’t my fault!” Daniel threw his hands up as if exasperated with Laith. “You ran to your neighbor and kissed him. How was I supposed to know he would call his buddies to try and end you? You have no idea what’s going on in that town, Laith. It goes much deeper than a corrupt cop.”
“So, you’re admitting that your daddy is corrupt.” Laith stood, glaring at Daniel. He really did miss the friendship he’d had with Daniel before things had gotten complicated by sex. They used to sneak off to the lake and spend hours there just talking or swimming. Daniel had known Laith inside and out, and Laith had once cherished their friendship.
Until the night they’d kissed.
“Oh please.” Daniel waved Laith away with a flick of his wrist. “My father is more corrupt than a politician.” Daniel placed his hands on his hips and stared up toward the ceiling. “He’s also vindictive as hell. Normally a person’s sexuality doesn’t matter in my world, but for some reason, my father loathes queer men.”
“Your world?”
“I never told you because I didn’t want you freaking out on me,” Daniel said as he looked Laith over. “You’re kind of extra, Laith.”
“No I’m not,” Laith argued.
“Fine.” Daniel crossed his arms and tapped his foot. “I’m a demon.”
“I already knew that,” Laith countered.
“No, an actual demon.” Daniel held out his hand, and Laith’s jaw dropped as he watched a ball of water form over his palm. The water moved as if it was caught in some kind of invisible ball, never losing a drop. It was the freakiest thing Laith had ever seen.
“How in the hell did you do that?” He would have thought it was some kind of illusion, but Daniel was wearing short sleeves and Laith didn’t see any tubes or wires attached to the guy’s arm. This was real. There was a spherical water ball floating above his palm.
Daniel closed his hand and then opened it. The water was gone and the guy’s hand was dry. “I told you. I’m a demon.”
There had to be another explanation, a logical one. Sure, Laith enjoyed a good fantasy movie, and wished that shit was real, but he knew it wasn’t. It was just that. A fantasy.
There was no such thing as Middle-earth or the Matrix. There wasn’t an entire world waiting for him in some wardrobe. There wasn’t a magical wizarding world, either, though Laith did own a fake wand that he’d ordered online because he thought it was cool.
“I knew you would freak out,” Daniel said. “The skin under your eye is twitching.”
“Do you blame me?” Laith shot to his feet. “You somehow track me down and confess that you’re a demon? An actual demon who can play with water?”
“I can do more than play with it,” Daniel argued. “By the way, your plants are thirsty.”
Laith glanced toward the two potted plants on the bookshelf. He kept forgetting to water them because he wasn’t used to having any plants.
“You never told me why you’re here,” Laith said, trying his best to handle this news without needing a straitjacket. He’d been dating a demon. Mind blown.
“Before I forget to tell you, your new boo is a bear shifter.” Daniel walked to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. He poured enough into each plant before setting the glass aside. “That’s better.”
Laith wrinkled his nose.
“A guy who can change into a bear,” Daniel explained as he tapped his chin. “Or a bear that can change into a man. I have to confess I don’t really know that much about shifters to know which one it is.”
This time when Laith tried to sit on the arm of the couch, he nearly missed.
“I’m a total dick for laying this on you all at once,” Daniel admitted. “Sorry about that. Unfortunately, we have bigger problems than your boo being a bear.”
