I can’t believe I just said that, was all that ran through Naomi’s head as she watched Sawyer sitting opposite her, weighing her words.

How many people had she ever told about her family? The fact that they were dead did come up every once in a while, when she got closer to people. Melanie knew that she had been raised by an aunt since she was a teen, for example.

But no one knew the full truth.

Well, I told the cops what happened, but they certainly didn’t believe me. And I never used the word ‘demon’ back then.

“I’m very sorry,” Sawyer said, and there was a sincerity in his voice that touched on something inside her.

He had the look of a man that had lost something, too. Naomi had learned to recognize that in others. Once you had gone through something like that, the signs were clear to see.

But he didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who liked to talk about his past or feelings, so she didn’t say anything. And it wasn’t like she was especially eager to dredge up her own personal history, either.

“Thank you,” she replied. “It was a long time ago, though, so let’s not make a big deal out of it.”

As if losing her parents could be anything but a big deal. That single event had shaped her life into what it was now, whether she wanted to admit it or not. But now, she had a chance to do things differently.

I am not a scared kid anymore.

“Do you think what’s happening now is somehow connected to you?” Sawyer asked.

Was it? Verin had seemed genuinely surprised to see her, and she couldn’t think of a reason why he would fake that. And it wasn’t like the demon had come after her. If Naomi wasn’t friends with Melanie, she wouldn’t even have known the monster that took her family was here.

“No,” she shook her head. “Only in the sense that my parents were killed in a similar way to David,” she added, gritting her teeth as images of blood and brain matter spattered on the floor pushed their way to the forefront of her mind.

She looked over at Sawyer, turning her attention to him instead. And that seemed to work. His face came into focus, blurring out the awful memories. He was studying her closely, his broad shoulders like an impenetrable wall opposite her.

The t-shirt he was wearing clung to his defined chest and fell loosely around his narrow waist. He looked powerful, in control… All the things Naomi wanted to be. His voice was gentle when he spoke.

“Were you there when it happened?” he asked.

Naomi rubbed her temple as she sank deeper into his couch.

“Is it that obvious?” she replied, letting out a forced laugh.

“You have the look of a survivor,” he commented, dark eyes trained on her.

“Survivor,” Naomi scoffed. “I’m only alive because I ran. I still think about that, fourteen years later. I don’t know why he didn’t catch me… I’m sure he could have. Sometimes I wish he had.”

The truth she had never spoken aloud before hung in the air as she stared at her lap. She knew about survivor’s guilt from all the therapists she’d seen as a teen, but knowing the reason for her feelings didn’t lessen the power they had over her.

The guilt and shame were still there, numbed with time, and hidden away, but still present. And for some reason, it was Sawyer Blake who was getting her to open up about it.

He doesn’t want to hear about your issues, Naomi, she told herself, avoiding his gaze.

The cushions around her dipped, and when she looked up, he was right there, sitting close enough for their knees to touch. Warmth radiated from his body, and every instinct in her body was pushing her to lean in, to reach out, to touch…

“We both saw what a demon is capable of today,” Sawyer said. “And you were little more than a child back then. There is nothing you could have done but ran. Or do you think your parents would have wanted you to get killed with them?”

The question was blunt, even from Sawyer, who definitely wasn’t one to beat around the bush. But the straightforwardness of it shook Naomi out of her self-pity.

“No,” she replied, meeting his gaze.

They sat there, looking at each other for just a moment too long. There was something in the air Naomi couldn’t quite put her finger on. Talking to Sawyer about her past wasn’t easy, but he was still the first person without a psychology degree she had ever confided in like this.

Whether that was just because of what was happening with Verin, or because of something inherent in Sawyer himself, she couldn’t tell. But it didn’t really matter. He made her feel safe, and given the situation they were in, that was no small thing.

Sawyer was the first to speak, and she couldn’t help but focus on his lips when he did.

“How did you settle on ‘demon’, if you don’t mind me asking,” he said. “And not any other type of supernatural creature.”

“Well, I knew he wasn’t a unicorn,” Naomi shrugged, trying to dissolve the sudden tension in the room. “And I kind of became obsessed with the possibilities after it happened,” she admitted. “I buried myself in books, and the only creature that really made sense was a demon. So I got into history and I’ve been studying demonic myths ever since.”

“You know what they’re capable of, then,” Sawyer remarked.

“It’s been difficult to separate fact from fiction,” she replied. “You should know, people have been writing about werewolves for centuries. How many of those stories are actually true?”

“Not a lot,” he admitted.

“I can tell you shapeshifting seems to be something only the most powerful demons have mastered,” Naomi said. “And if the books are to be believed, they can’t stay in different forms for very long.”

“Well, that’s helpful information,” Sawyer nodded.

“If it’s accurate, it is,” Naomi sighed. “And a lot of the material I’ve studied contradicts itself. So as much as I’d like to say I’m the expert on demons…” she trailed off.

Sawyer was quiet for a moment, before replying.

“I know someone who is,” he stated.

“What?” Naomi blurted out.

That was one hell of a declaration. What they really needed right now was information, and if Sawyer knew someone with real knowledge on demons, that could be a great advantage.

Hope sparked inside her. Could it really be that this time, she would be able to turn the tables on Verin?

“That friend I mentioned gave me her number,” he replied. “Her name is Dakota. She’s supposed to be some sort of demon hunter.”

“Well,” Naomi commented, a grin spreading across her face. “You could have led with that.”