Trevor

I figured I must have looked pretty bad when I walked into the office if Sage’s reaction was any indication. She immediately stood and walked around her desk to greet me. “Are you okay, Trevor?”

Her concern was touching, and it made me realize that Sage was more than just a good assistant. I needed to talk to Dylan about doing something to show her how much we appreciated her, especially after she’d stepped up and worked extra hours recently. I hadn’t heard a single complaint from her pack, meaning she was also keeping up with her responsibilities on that end.

“We really should pay you more,” I remarked.

“Just because I’m worried about you?” she asked, but she didn’t give me time to answer before her concerned eyes landed on me again. “Are you okay? Is it problems with the demon you moved in with you? I know it’s been about two weeks.”

Her implication was clear; about this time in a relationship, things were usually coming to an end. I was surprised she’d mentioned Melina since I didn’t recall mentioning her living with me. I figured I must have brought it up when I’d discussed the change to the office hours a couple of weeks ago.

“I had a rough night,” I admitted. “Not because of Melina,” I quickly added. “Well, I guess some of my stress has to do with Melina, but not like you think.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered, placing a hand on my forearm.

I wanted to tell her no, but she was my assistant, and she needed to know a little about what was going on. “One of my exes was murdered,” I began.

Sage looked down at her hand on my forearm, and I saw her jaw muscle clench, like she was trying to fight back some emotion. “That’s terrible, Trevor,” she remarked quietly. “Do they have any idea who the killer is? Which of your exes was it?”

“It was Lindsey,” I explained. “I don’t know if you remember her or not. I’m not sure if the police have any suspects yet.” For all I knew, I might be a suspect since we’d dated. The police had asked a lot of questions about my whereabouts and who was with me, so it appeared I was a suspect. Allie was right about me being a fool for thinking I could represent myself. I should have had Dylan with me when I talked to the police. I’d had a confrontation with Lindsey right before she disappeared. Melina had, too, making me worry she might be a suspect. They might even think one of us had painted the message on Lindsey’s wall to make it look like one of my exes was involved.

“I remember Lindsey,” Sage said. “She came in here several times after you broke up, demanding to see you.”

“Yeah, she was a little unstable,” I added, feeling like an ass for talking bad about her now. “Anyway, I don’t have too many details, but we have reason to believe Melina might be in danger, and that’s got me tied up in knots.”

Sage was quiet for a short time before speaking again. Her hand on my arm tightened in an almost painful squeeze before she released it. “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Sure,” I replied.

“I’m assuming you think the witch’s death has something to do with you. Am I right?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“Maybe it would be a good idea if you stopped seeing Melina,” she began. “You don’t exactly have a history of remaining interested in a witch once you’ve been together for more than a couple of weeks, and you’re already at that point with her. Don’t you think it would be smart to get her out of your home before something horrible happens?”

“No,” I replied automatically. “Ending things with Melina is not an option. I’m going to be working from home, so I can keep her safe.” From the standpoint of magic alone, Melina was much more powerful than I was, but I figured it would be best to have two people around, and I could at least say I was physically stronger than her.

I briefly thought I saw a flash of anger in Sage’s eyes, but I must have been mistaken, because, just like that, it was gone and all I saw was concern. “Tell me what you need.”

“Thank you, Sage,” I replied. “I don’t know what we’d do without you. In case I haven’t said it lately, you are incredible.”

A surprising blush stained her cheeks as she returned to her seat behind her desk. “I’d better let you get to work.”

“I’m going to meet with Dylan so we can make the arrangements for me to work from home,” I told her.

“Is the demon alone?” Sage asked, and I almost snapped at her for referring to Melina as the demon, before realizing she probably didn’t mean to be rude. I’d noticed that werewolves had a tendency to point out what other members of the preternatural community were.

“No, she made arrangements to have people come by,” I assured Sage.

“Hopefully, they’re people who can protect her,” Sage said.

“Her father and Demetrius Talbot are among the people who will be stopping by, so I’m sure she’ll be fine.”