Why You Should Never Rescue Stray Demons Chapter 183

**ROTH**

Brothers are stupid. Relationships are stupid. Romance is extremely stupid. I sincerely hope I never fall in love, because apparently it turns a perfectly reasonable demon into an absolute idiot. What kind of demon, what kind, decides to pack up his entire existence and move to the human realm? One of the ONLY realms where we have to hide what we are. Where people don’t even know not to look us in the eyes. Where everything is fragile and slow and confusing and smells weird. I’m supposed to be powerful. Dangerous. Intimidating! People are supposed to be scared of me! And yet here I am. Sneaking around the mortal streets like a criminal, keeping my eyes glued to the pavement because I need to hide from them. And of course, of COURSE, my glamour picked tonight to stop working properly. I had it on before I left home. It was fine. I stepped into the portal, the magic was stable, everything was going smoothly and then, bam. Gone the moment I landed. No warning. No flicker. Nothing. Some teenager saw me and bolted. I don’t know what they saw, if they looked me in the eyes there probably would’ve been screaming, so maybe it was the horns. Or the tail. Or the general vibe of ‘lost demon wandering the suburbs after dark.’ Maybe this whole trip was a bad idea. No, not maybe. Definitely. I was at home, trying to make the house look presentable for my genius older brother, who decided he’s bringing his girlfriend home for dinner tomorrow. Not that I care what she thinks, obviously. I don’t. Even if Lyssa won’t shut up about how ‘lovely’ she is and how ‘soft her aura feels’ and how ‘Oz is happier than he’s been in years.’ Whatever. How great can this woman really be? It’s only been a few weeks and she’s basically, what? Hypnotised him? Rewired his brain? He used to love our home. Loved it. And now suddenly he’s all in on moving away? To a realm where he has to hide his face and claws like it’s something shameful? No. There’s something going on. There has to be. So I decided to come check things out for myself. A surprise visit. See if this human woman is actually as great as everyone keeps saying. No time for her to pretend or put on an act. I want to see the real situation. Except… Well. My portals still aren’t perfect. Minor issue. And I’ve never actually been here before. So I ended up… Slightly off track. Not lost. Not really. Just… Hindered by terrible urban planning. Why does the human realm have so many identical houses? How do people know which one is theirs? Why are there no name markers? Why is everything tiny and square and arranged in a way that makes absolutely no sense? And the house numbers, damn, the house numbers. I’ve seen at least three ‘number ones.’ How is that helpful? How is that ANYTHING? This whole realm is stupid. The layout is stupid. My brother is stupid. I am stupid for being here. I’m never going to find the right house. I’m going to have to go home looking like an idiot, tail between my legs, and pray Oz never EVER finds out about this. First I just need somewhere quiet to hide until I recover enough magic to open another portal. Somewhere shadowy. Somewhere empty. Somewhere-

“Roth!” Oz calls. I freeze. No. No, no, no. I whirl around on instinct.

“Oz…” I croak. Well. Shit.

Okay. Perfect. This is perfect. Not only has my older brother caught me skulking around in the human realm looking like a runaway child, but we’re also in the middle of a full-blown argument, and to make everything even better, his girlfriend is standing right there watching the whole humiliating thing unfold like it’s her evening entertainment to watch my older brother lecture me. Fantastic. Truly. I love this for me. Oz is lecturing me like I’m a misbehaving child (I’m not), I’m seconds away from arguing back (I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I’m sure it would’ve been excellent), and then-

“Uh, hey guys?” His girlfriend says, interrupting us. Her voice is annoyingly gentle. She sounds… Cheerful? But also tired. Or irritated. Hard to tell when she’s staring at my feet like I’m radioactive. Which… Okay, maybe that’s fair. 

“Neither of you seem particularly calm or reasonable right now.” She continues. 

“Also, we’re still in the middle of the street and Roth doesn’t blend in. So, I have options.” She declares. I blink. Options? For me? Oz instantly stops growling at me and turns into a complete sap, smiling at her like she personally hung the moon. Disgusting. 

“Options?” I echo grudgingly, crossing my arms tighter so I don’t accidentally strangle someone.

“Okay, option one, we portal you home. Option two, we portal you back to my place. Option three, we drive to my place. Either way, I’ll have to come back for my car.” She says pleasantly. I stare at her. She’s… Inviting me over? Voluntarily? She doesn’t sound angry. She doesn’t even sound fake. She just sounds tired in that way humans do after a long day of… Whatever it is humans do. Still doesn’t mean I like her. Obviously.

“Portal… To your home.” I mutter, trying to sound aloof instead of flustered. She nods, apparently pleased. 

“Okay, great. I’ll come back for my car later.” She decides. My eyebrow twitches. 

“Why do you even have a car? You can portal.” I point out. She shrugs casually. 

“I’m used to driving. It’s nice. Relaxing, even. And I’m still working on portals. I can’t make them consistently yet. Well, I can, but they don’t always go where I want. Oz has to make the actual portal home. Thanks, Oz.” She beams at him. He beams back. I try not to gag. 

“Oh! Just like-” I freeze mid-sentence, horror slamming into me. I was about to admit I have the exact same problem with portals. Absolutely not. I am NOT telling her that.

“So you’re using my brother to ferry you around. Great.” I grumble instead. Solid deflection. Very smooth. Oz shoots me the deadliest look I’ve seen from him in months. 

“Be polite. Or I’ll portal you straight into a lake.” He growls. Rude. I try to defend him and THIS is the thanks I get?

“Fine. Whatever.” I mutter, rolling my eyes. Once the street is clear, Oz opens a portal, smooth, effortless, show-offy, his dark magic slicing the air like a perfect circle. He gestures for us to go through. And just like that, the three of us, me, Oz, and the woman who apparently turned my brother into a lovesick idiot, step into the glowing gateway together. And I have the sinking feeling my night is about to get even more complicated.

Her home is… Clean. Suspiciously clean. Neat, tidy, organised, pleasant. There are warm lights, soft colours, furniture that looks comfortable instead of ancient or threatening. There are blankets on the couch. Pillows. A plant in the corner that looks like it’s thriving. I don’t know what I expected, but this? This is… Nice. I sit stiffly on the couch because I don’t know what else to do with myself. My knees are pressed together awkwardly. My tail coils around my ankle like it wants to disappear. Oz stands over me like an exasperated father about to deliver a punishment. Perfect. 

“Seriously, Roth.” He starts, already frustrated. 

“WHAT are you doing here? You’re not stupid, you KNOW how reckless this is.” He lectures. I glare at him.

“I just wanted to.” I respond. Oz snorts. Full derision. 

“Liar. You have a reason. Now spit it out.” He demands. And something in me snaps.

“FINE!” I yell, tail whipping behind me. 

“I came because I was WORRIED ABOUT YOU!” I blurt out. Oz’s eyes widen. 

“Worried? About what? I’m not the one wandering the streets without a glamour!” He argues. 

“Of COURSE I was worried!” I explode. 

“You vanished for AGES with no word at all! Then you show up on the kitchen floor a total mess, rambling about some girl!” I gesture wildly at his girlfriend, who is still staring politely at the floor to avoid my eyes. 

“And THEN you LEAVE AGAIN, and suddenly you want to MOVE AWAY, and you’re in LOVE with some girl you met a FEW WEEKS AGO!” I yell. I’m breathing hard. My chest feels tight. My throat is hot.

“It’s some girl we DON’T EVEN KNOW!” I finish, voice cracking embarrassingly. Oz’s jaw drops. He stares at me like I’ve grown an extra pair of horns. 

“That’s completely-” Before he can finish, his girlfriend cuts in.

“Reasonable. He has a point, Oz.” She says calmly. Silence. Oz blinks.

“…What?” He mumbles. I blink.

“…WHAT?” I echo. She agreed? With ME? This… Woman? This weird, exhausted girl my brother is obsessed with? I stare at her, absolutely rattled. My brain cannot process. Everything I expected tonight has been wrong. The realm is confusing, the numbers make no sense, my glamour failed, and now my brother’s girlfriend is taking MY side? What. The. Hell. I should probably learn her name.