Chapter Ten

I awoke gasping for air, my lungs burning and tears streaming down my face. Residual pain from my nightmare assaulted my body while I attempted to force myself to refocus on reality. A monstrous golden face flashed through my mind, followed by agony rocketing down my spine.

I threw my covers off and stumbled into the bathroom to dry heave into the toilet. My pulse was racing so quickly that I felt lightheaded and dizzy. My entire body shook. Before I knew what was happening, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the bathroom, the cold stone tiles pressing into my skin. I couldn’t seem to focus my eyes.

Demons were real.

My heart stuttered, the full weight of the realization hitting me at once. I had summoned a demon into my home. My family enslaved them and others. The demon I’d summoned had sent a demon dog to protect me. Nothing about my life would be normal again—and likely wouldn’t last much longer once my grandmother found out.

I covered my face with my hands and attempted to take deep, calming breaths between my sobs. My grandmother terrified me even more than Tsukiyo did. She could erase me from existence with ease, and I might not even know she was responsible. She had too many connections.

A cold nose nudged my hands. I stiffened, splaying the fingers of one hand to peek at Mayar. He whined and nudged me again.

“Are you alright? Did you fall?” Mayar licked the back of my hand.

“No… Nightmares,” I croaked the reply, then flinched when the same face from before filled my vision. Mayar released a low growl, his fur standing on end.

“Stay still.” Mayar grew, purple energy coating his black fur. When his power engulfed me, my mind and all my senses went…blank.

☽✰✵✰☾

I stared blankly at my cup of tea and breakfast. Mayar had left to report to Tsukiyo once I’d woken up again. Upon reflection, I thought my breakdown was due stress and reality catching up to me after having spent a week in a daze.

Mayar claimed otherwise. Something had preyed on and brought forth my growing stress, anxiety, and fear. It had caused my nightmares and the reason I kept seeing its face was because it was trying to pull me back in. I shivered, hugging myself. I hadn’t had a nightmare in years.

My phone vibrated against the counter, startling a yelp out of me. I hurriedly picked it up and looked at the display. Emily wanted me to come over for dinner once my shift was over. I hesitated, then declined. If I talked to her while I was such a mess, I’d just end up dragging her into my strange new reality. My gaze dropped to the counter top as loneliness took its grip.

I tossed my untouched breakfast in Mayar’s bowl before grabbing my keys, a carry pistol, and headed for my car. Work. Work would help distract me. If David sent me home again, I didn’t know what I’d do.

On the way to the shop, I had to force myself to focus on the road and nothing else. There were demons and angels everywhere. And they were watching me. I swallowed hard, a shiver running through me. Deep down, I knew I needed to think of them all as potential threats to my safety. Threats I didn’t have the ability to stop.

When I got to the store, I was relieved to see the sign said “open” and there were only a few unfamiliar cars. I nudged my way into the shop, finding David behind the counter conversing with a man with long black hair. I did my best to keep my face passive, but I could already smell sandalwood.

“Now then, Mr. Yamashita— Celia?! I thought I told you to work from home!” David exclaimed, looking past his guest. “Didn’t I tell you to work from home?”

“I needed to get out of the house,” I grumbled, flushing when “Mr. Yamashita” turned to give me a stern look. “Sorry I’m interrupting. I’ll get to work organizing some of the displays in the back.”

David sighed heavily and crossed his arms. “Well, you’re here now. This is as good a time as any to introduce you to our new potential business partner.”

“Business partner?” I glanced between them, noting the way our guest’s mouth quirked when I looked at him. Tsukiyo really needed a better disguise.

“I’ve met Celia before, though I failed to introduce myself properly,” Tsukiyo commented, glancing at David briefly and then back to me. “I am Yamashita Tsukiyo, and I’m here to, hopefully, solve some of David’s business troubles.”

“Mr. Yamashita’s family has its hands in several businesses,” David offered. “The main one of use to us would be crystals, but we’ve been discussing other possibilities too. Since you’re here, could I bug you for some tea, Celia?”

“Oh… Sure.” I nodded, before turning to look at Tsukiyo. His lips pulled into an amused smile as his gaze drifted down my body. “How about for you, Yamashita-san?”

His smile broadened into a grin and he met my sarcastic tone with a seductive one, “Surprise me.”

‘Who do I beg to make my life go back to normal?’ I whined internally as I stalked into the kitchen portion of the store. At least Tsukiyo looked incredible in a suit. I bit my lower lip and shook my head. Those thoughts weren’t helpful.

“How about taking them some lunch? They’ve been there for a while,” Garrett, one of our bakers, suggested. “I’ve got some pastries fresh out of the oven, and Clarissa just finished assembling a new round of sandwiches. They just need to be popped into the panini press.”

“Sure… Fix two plates while I figure out what tea to take them.” I nodded to Garrett before busting myself in the pantry. After taking a peek at the day’s sandwiches, I picked out one of our in-house black tea blends and brewed it.

I assembled everything on a tray before carrying it out into the main store and over to David’s usual perch—a small sitting area in the corner by the front desk. I set the tray down on the coffee table as the two men strode over.

“Garrett and Clarissa suggested you two should have lunch,” I stated, moving away from them. “If there’s nothing else, I see some books that need restocking.”

“You should join us,” Tsukiyo stated, a smile on his lips. He sat across from David. Every motion he made seemed elegant, refined.

“Don’t mind her. She’s been skittish ever since her ex tried to kill her.” David shook his head, then looked over at me. I just stared at him for a moment. Could he be any more blunt? “They catch the bastard yet?”

“Oh… No. They haven’t.” I shook my head and wrung my hands together. “The police are still worried he may show up where I live or here, so…” I opened my blazer briefly to show my holstered pistol. “If he swings by, I’m prepared at least.”

“You should’ve brought that with you when you went to his place!” David sighed at me.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re not entirely wrong, but I didn’t exactly go there to break up with him.”

“I doubt you need to worry about him,” Tsukiyo remarked, shooting me a brief sideways glance. His lips pulled into an unnerving smile before he took a sip of his tea.

“Uh…right. I’m going now. Enjoy your food!” I turned on my heel and strode to the back of the bookstore, my heart fluttering. All it took was one look and my mind would go wild. He must’ve been playing with me. I doubted someone who was “a few thousand years old, give or take” didn’t know the effect he could have on women.

Once at the very back of the store, I sighed and pressed my fingers to my temples. I’d come into work for a distraction from everything going on, yet Tsukiyo himself was there. Since he was going by Tsukiyo, I had to assume he’d finished looking into the safety of using the name. That he could take on a human form didn’t surprise me, lots of folklore and legends about inhuman creatures said that they were shapeshifters. It was his sudden involvement with David’s store that had me at a loss. Why did he want to help our store?

I frowned. Given that David wasn’t normal himself, maybe he had connections I hadn’t considered before. Maybe their business arrangement for the store was to cover something else. It seemed unlikely to me that David didn’t know Tsukiyo wasn’t human, given his recent observations. I shook the thoughts from my head when I felt my stomach clenching. It was too soon for another breakdown. Work. Distractions. ‘Just don’t think about it. Any of it.’

With that, I set myself to work on checking the shelves for misplaced books and any that needed restocking. Organizing the store helped me calm down most of the time, and today was no exception. It took me just shy of two hours to finish with the bookshelves, and after that I moved on to other wares in the shop. We were almost completely out of divination goods, from scrying mirrors, to pendulums, tarot cards, and even some Far Eastern tools. Even most of our incense, candles, and their respective kinds of burners or holders were almost all gone.

After jotting down a list of things we needed to restock, I steeled myself and made my way back to the sitting area I’d left David and Tsukiyo. I’d fully expected the latter to be gone by now…but he was still there and was the first to notice me approaching. I squared my shoulders, convinced myself to ignore him, and focused on my boss instead. “David, did you forget to order things again or are our other supplies running behind too?”

“Hmmm?” David blinked at me a few times before taking the list. “Huh… I’ll have to check. We’re really running low on this much?”

“Yes, we are.” I sighed and crossed my arms. “Should I check with the cafe and the florist too?”

“The florist is part of this establishment as well?” Tsukiyo chimed in, an eyebrow arched. “Quite the eclectic store you’re running, David.”

“I took my three loves and combined them!” David grinned broadly.

I decided against pointing out that the occult shop section alone comprised of more than three subjects.

“Celia!” A voice exclaimed from behind me. I turned to see Emily prancing toward me—as best a pregnant woman could—with a bright smile on her face. Oh no. “I’m so glad you’re here. This is perfect! I’m dropping by to—” Emily’s gaze landed on Tsukiyo. She stopped and stared for a moment, before grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me in the direction of the bookshelves. “Excuse us just one moment!”

“Emily? What are you doing? I was in the middle of a conversation!” I protested as my friend guided me toward the back of the shop.

The moment she released me, she jabbed her finger into my shoulder with almost every syllable she spoke. “Celia. Seriously. Who is that? He’s hot. Insanely hot. He the one you broke up with Andrew for?”

“What? No!” I exclaimed, feeling heat rush to my face. “He and David are talking about becoming business partners.”

“You should ask him out on a date,” Emily stated flatly.

“No,” I groaned. “Seriously. I’m not looking for someone so soon after breaking up with Andrew, especially not when that psycho is still on the loose.”

“These chances come once in a blue moon!” Emily argued. I grimaced, forcing myself not to inform her of the terrible joke she’d unwittingly made. “He’s handsome, probably around our age, I didn’t see a ring—”

I interrupted her, flabbergasted, “You had time to look for a ring?”

“Girl, how do you think I snatched up Richard so quick?” Emily puffed out her chest.

“…right.” I rolled my eyes.

“What’ve you got to lose?” Emily suggested, then a look of recognition crossed her face. “Oh, or are Asian guys not your type?”

“When has that ever mattered?” I gave her a blank look, then shook my head hard. “I just don’t want to rush into anything, you know? There’s a lot of other things on my mind right now. Besides, no ring doesn’t mean anything. And he’s here on business. Do I really need to explain how inappropriate that would be? I’m not asking him out.”

“Oh, come onnnn!” Emily pouted at me. “Some of my friends will be here any minute, and you know damn well what they’re gonna do when they see them.”

“Don’t care.” I huffed. “Now, let’s go back up front. You were going to pester David about ghost hunting, right?”

“Yes!” Emily beamed, grabbing hold of my arm. “Should I ask him out for you?”

“Don’t you dare.” I growled at her.

When we returned to the front of the shop, Emily waddle-skipped over to David with a huge grin plastered on her face, “So, Celia tells me that things keep getting moved around in the store! Can I do a ghost investigation?”

“What?” David raised an eyebrow at her, before laughing. “Oh, Emily dear, I’m sure it’s just the teens that come in during lunch. They find so much amusement in making our work more difficult.”

“Nuh-uh, it’s totally ghosts!” Emily declared, crossing her arms. “Celia’s too sweet to them, they wouldn’t screw with her.”

“Sweet, is she?” Tsukiyo drawled, causing a massive grin to spread across Emily’s face. “I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself. My name is Yamashita Tsukiyo.”

“Tsukiyo being his given name,” David informed Emily upon noticing her puzzled expression.

“Oh, nice to meet you, Tsukiyo! I’m Emily Ellsworth, I’ve been friends with Celia here since middle school.” Emily cheerfully introduced herself, shaking hands with Tsukiyo.

“Well, if you’re staying for a while, would you like me to get you anything before I go home for the day, Emily?” I asked, motioning over my shoulder in the direction of the cafe.

“Oh wow, who is he?” The whispers of familiar women made me grimace. That was definitely my cue to leave. “Emily, you must introduce us.”

“I’m good, Celia!” Emily smiled at me.

I wrestled with myself for a moment, before finally looking at Tsukiyo—who had already turned his attention to me for some reason. “If you’re going to be here for a while longer, would you like me to fetch anything for you, Tsukiyo?”

A mischievous smile spread across his lips, his bright eyes flicking behind me briefly before returning to my face. “Not at the given moment, no… Perhaps I can pick you up at your house later this evening?”

Several shrieks of frustration made Tsukiyo’s smile somehow grow even more devilish. He crossed his long legs before resting his elbow on the armrest and placing his cheek in one hand. He looked up at me, an expression of false innocence in his eyes. I felt like I was going to ignite…but hearing the frustration of Emily’s “friends” was music to my ears. It was obvious what he was playing at.

“Sure. We never finished our conversation from the other night, anyway,” I answered, eliciting more frustrated noises from the women, a perverted giggle from Emily, and an impish grin from Tsukiyo. “See you then.”

With that, I turned on my heel and strode past Emily’s friends, a smirk on my face.