Page 13 of Ridge

Poppy shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m happy where I am. I have a job I like working for one of the leaders, and I have my own place. I won’t deny that the thought of visiting the human world is appealing, though. Maybe I wouldn’t want to move there, but I would definitely want to see the world and what it offers. I would also love to make friends with some humans or shifters. Maybe there’s a mate for me somewhere out there, and the only reason I haven’t met them is that I’m stuck here.”

She tapped her fingertips on the table. “I think that’s what most demons are looking for. We’re wary and a little scared because we don’t know what’s going to happen when we open up our towns, but we’re also eager to find out what’s out there. We don’t want total openness, but we want to be able to go back and forth, and maybe even welcome some outsiders into our towns as long as they respect the rules. And maybe in time we’ll be able to fully take down the shields, but I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon.”

Ridge agreed. He was glad he didn’t have to say anything. He was here as a bodyguard, not as the council’s representative, and he was more than happy to stay quiet and hover close to his mate.

He had a lot of work to do anyway.

*

AS SOON AS THEY LEFT Poppy’s house, it was clear that the word of their presence had spread. Ridge wouldn’t say that a crowd had formed in front of Poppy’s house, but there were definitely more demons milling about than there had been yesterday. Most of them were standing around in small groups, quietly talking to each other and acting as if they had a good reason to be there, but some couldn’t hide the way they were staring at both Kael and Ridge.

Ridge didn’t care. He squared his shoulders and straightened his back, keeping his expression neutral. Usually, his job didn’t involve anyone staring at him, but he’d been trained for this, too. He’d been trained for many things, from killing to protecting someone to working undercover. He was worried about Kael, though, who looked jumpy as hell and kept glancing around with wide eyes.

Ridge was there to protect him, but not only that. He was also there to support him, so he put a hand on the small of Kael’s back to reassure him. Kael startled, but he smiled up at Ridge, which made Ridge feel better.

They might not have talked about what was happening between them yet, but it was important that Kael know that Ridge was there for him. He wasn’t going anywhere, not even if Kael told him to. His job was clear—he would stick to Kael’s side until Gregory called him back.

Poppy walked along the street as if she didn’t notice the people standing there. She was quietly explaining to Kael who he was going to meet, so Ridge tuned in.

“Both of them are eager to talk to you,” she was saying. “Elvis is a little more hesitant, but he’s a good leader. He knows that this town could benefit from opening up to humans.” Poppy hesitated. “His wife passed away a few years ago. Our doctors tried everything they could, but they couldn’t help her. They were pretty sure that humans would’ve been able to do something, but of course, they weren’t allowed to reach out.”

“That’s sad,” Kael murmured.

“It is. That’s why Elvis will probably be on your side, though. The two of them want to meet you today before you meet everyone else.”

“So it’s like a small council?” Ridge asked.

Poppy nodded. “I guess you could call it that, yes. There are five of them. Together, they make the main decisions about the town, make sure that it’s still protected and that the shield is intact, things like that. The meeting was offered to all of them, but only Elvis and Bill agreed for now. You’ll meet the others tomorrow, though.”

“They don’t want to meet us,” Kael said.

“They’ll talk to Elvis and Bill once the meeting is over. I’m sure those two will be able to convince the other three. In the end, they don’t need to convince anyone to open up the town. They just need to talk to you. It’s the first step.”

It was, and Ridge could see how important this was to Kael. He probably missed Starhaven. Ridge didn’t know if Kael regretted leaving, but he’d lived there all of his life. He probably missed a lot of things about the demon world.

This was a chance for him to get some of that back. Ridge understood how important this was for him, and he hoped Kael would get what he wanted.

He hoped everyone would get what they wanted—Kael the opportunity to be with his people, the council the chance to build a relationship with demons, and the demons a chance to benefit from the world beyond their small towns.

* * * *

KAEL HAD BEEN ANSWERING questions for what felt like hours. He didn’t really mind—in fact, he was eager for the demons talking to him to find out more about the human world. Even though he sometimes felt uncomfortable in himself, he truly believed that it would be in everyone’s best interest for demons and humans to be open to each other.

It was a lot of questions, though, especially since they only came from two demons. Poppy was there too, so excited she was almost vibrating with it, but it wasn’t her who was staring at Kael as if he was an interesting science experiment. No, it was Elvis and Bill, and Kael felt like he’d been answering their questions forever. In fact, it was probably closer to a few hours, but it was beginning to feel like a little too much.

He kept a smile plastered on his lips as he nodded to something Elvis was saying. He was starting to have problems focusing, and he couldn’t say anything about it. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to. This was why he was here.

“It’s just so fascinating,” Elvis continued. “In my lifetime, I never thought I would see a day in which we opened up to humans.”

Bill grunted. “We haven’t opened up to them yet.”

Elvis waved his words away. “It’s a question of time. You know that, I know that, and our entire community knows it. We can’t continue hiding in our cities and towns, as much as some people might wish us to. There are too many benefits to having an open conversation and relationship with humans and other paranormal beings. Shifters are like us. Why are we staying away from them?”

“It’s not me you have to convince,” Bill pointed out. “You know I’m all in.”

“Unfortunately, not everyone is.” Elvis sounded genuinely sad about that, which made sense after what Poppy had said.

This was why Kael was here. He wanted to help people like Elvis and his late wife. It didn’t even have to be as serious as what had happened to her. He just wanted demons, humans, and shifters to have a chance to know each other. Like Poppy had said, maybe some of them would find love within other communities. Maybe some demons had mates.