Man, I miss the old van. That was the one me and Kaito took when we left my family behind and hit the road for good. It wasn't just wheels—it was our first taste of freedom, rusted panels and all.
Sure, the newer van was cleaner—basically a tiny house on wheels. Smelled like eucalyptus and vinyl polish instead of the chaotic mix of coffee, sage, and Kaito's demon cologne the last one carried. But it didn't creak right. Didn't hum at night like our old one. This one wasn't even ours—just a loaner for the job. The Sonters offered to let us keep it, but Kaito passed. Said he wasn't dealing with the cursed mileage log or ghost taxes.
Still—we got paid. Well. And now it's me, Kaito, June, and Vinyl-the-pet all stuffed back into our old van—the real one, the rustbucket that started it all. It's cramped, noisy, and smells like the road never left it, but it's ours again.Kaito said he found a new rodeo for us, whatever that meant, and June just waved her hand like she already knew how the next few miles were gonna go.
I glance over at June, who's twisting a slushie straw with the kind of focus usually reserved for bomb wiring. She made her hair longer today—soft waves spilling over her shoulders like she wanted to feel more held together.
"Your car okay with this?" I ask. "Not jealous?"
She shrugs. "It's fine. Said it'll enjoy the break. Might haunt a mechanic or two while I'm out." I've learned cars like hers tend to take a lot of leave days—turns out once they gained minds of their own, they unionized hard and fought tooth-and-bumper for workers' rights.
"Tell it to bring me back a souvenir."
I smile and stretch out, letting my head rest on Kaito's lap.
I think—I might finally be ready to take the next step with him. Maybe. Someday. But right now? Just lying here like this? It's already too much. My face heats up.
I glance at his lips, and saints help me—I remember the way he used to let his tongue vibrate before we had to give that too-nice van back to the Sonters. That morning? He woke me up with good head. The kind that makes you blush for hours. I walked sideways for half the day pretending it was just from fieldwork.
And yeah, he keeps secrets—but not in the slimy way. More like... in the 'you never asked so I never told you' kind of way. I guess I left those rose-tinted glasses on him for too long. It's not like he was out cheating or sneaking around. He just never really talked about what his "work" looked like when I wasn't there. And sure, I won't take all the blame—but it makes you think, huh?
Now we're at this point—this strange middle place—where we need to get our facts straight. And if he ever pulls some disappearing act on me for some BS reason? I'm ripping that vibrating tongue right out of his pretty mouth.
He's fiddling with the radio dial, probably trying to find a station that plays something other than static and sermons.
June's working in the background, hunched over a half-open panel by the floor vents, coaxing wires like she's taming snakes. She mutters softly to herself, occasionally sparking little pulses of light through the circuits like she's flirting with the van's nervous system.
After joining the Sonters, I started to hear all sorts of radio frenzy I used to think were just noise. Turns out white noise isn't just white noise.
Somewhere between her mumbling to the dashboard and Vinyl snoring, Kaito hits a burst of unexpected Mongolian rock—throat singing layered over distorted guitar. He perks up immediately, looking way too pleased with himself. "Now that's a station," he mutters.
"This thing's roomy, but..." I trace the ceiling with my finger.
June stops what she's doing, glancing up from the maze of wires like she knows I'm about to say something dangerous. Kaito lowers the volume on the radio, eyes flicking toward me with that familiar half-smile that always makes my chest feel a little too full.
"Even though I love the old van," I continue, "getting that one from the Sonters got me thinking—we might need to go bigger. Like one of those long-haul tour buses the roaming mage bands use. You know, with upgraded wards, blood-powered cooling, charm-proof windows... and enough tech to make June drool."
June actually nods at that, like she's already mentally sketching blueprints on the ceiling. "Yes," she says, not missing a beat. "I don't want to start another electrical fire crawling back there. And I'd really like to blob out on the floor without worrying if Lettie's hidden drug stash is gonna seep into my system again."
I give her a look—one of those long, slow stares that says, Really, June?
June doesn't flinch. She just grins and reaches into the vent space like she's pulling a rabbit from a hat, holding up a crinkled little bag of dried mushrooms like it's exhibit A at a trial.
I exhale through my nose, try not to smile. "I was looking for those," I mutter, folding my arms tight. "I gotta sell them at the next Burning Man. You know, for networking."
"Something with space to breathe between missions," I finish, "and maybe, just maybe, a place where I don't have to climb over demon gear to get to my toothbrush."
Kaito hums thoughtfully, pulling the map closer like it just whispered to him. "You got any brands in mind?" he asks, casual but curious. "We could check out the next Sonter vehicle depot—looks like there's one not too far from here."
June raises an eyebrow, clearly already weighing the pros and cons of a mobile magical command center with decent floor space and no fungal residue.
Kaito is still nose-deep in the map, tracing routes with his finger like he's divining something cosmic. "If we take this old highway up through—"
"Watch the road," June says sharply, but a second too late.
THUD.
The van lurches.
And then it sprouts legs. Not literal legs—more like mechanical extensions from the undercarriage that twitch and slam into the asphalt to brace the whole frame. The wheels lift just slightly off the ground as the van pivots and jerks like a startled insect.
"Kaito," I say slowly, gripping the door handle as the van tips and skitters slightly to the side, "why is the van doing spider things?" I was expecting airbags—normal stuff, soft puff of safety—but instead, something behind us started shooting webs. Actual webs. Like the van was trying to cocoon the highway out of pure panic.
He grits his teeth, both hands locked on the wheel like it might try to wriggle free. "It's stabilizing!" he yells over the mechanical shriek of limbs slamming into the pavement. "Just a feature—don't panic!"
The van jerks again, legs clicking and adjusting as the whole frame realigns. My stomach flips. I slam my back into the seat and glance up at the ceiling like it might apologize.
I started to see the frame of the highway getting way too close, the metal railings rushing toward us like a trap springing shut. Before I could scream, Kaito grabbed me—arms tight and sure—and in a blink, he shifted into his demon form, shielding me with a body that shimmered like obsidian and lightning.
June didn't even flinch. She was already stretched across the middle row, arms wrapped around Vinyl, tucking our pet into her chest like a mother during a plane crash.
"We've been making love in a bug, Kaito!" I shout, my voice spiraling into hysteria.
The van dug in hard, then flipped off the railing with a sickening twist—air and gravity trading places—before crashing back down right near whatever poor creature we hit.
I would've kissed Kaito then and there for shielding me, but instead I started smacking his arm with the flat of my palm, nagging out of pure adrenaline. "You couldn't wait ten seconds to pull over like a normal person?" I huff, still swatting his arm. "I knew our van was alive—ever since I mildly insulted June's car and it started growling at me in its sleep—but you didn't tell me it was a spider, Kaito!"
"Technically, it's crustacean-coded," he mutters, trying not to smile as the last leg retracts with a hiss.
The van lets out a low mechanical purr as its limbs fold neatly beneath it, settling like some satisfied beast. Kaito runs a hand lovingly along the steering wheel, giving it a gentle rub like he's soothing a loyal mount.
I stare at him, incredulous. "Kaito… are you getting hard right now?"
I swear I felt something poke me when he grabbed me during the crash. At first, I chalked it up to seatbelt bruises or sheer trauma. But now? Now I'm putting the pieces together.
Kaito shifts awkwardly in his seat, tugging at the front of his pants with a quiet cough. "Sorry. Side effect of turning demon. Like me."
June slaps her palm against the dashboard, but then her arm stretches like taffy across the space between us, sliding right between me and Kaito with all the subtlety of a sticky road cone. "Shut up! We've got bigger problems. Like, I don't know—what if we hit a deer or something?" she huffs, her gooey fingers lightly smacking his cheek before snapping back into shape.
June had a point. We both went quiet, wondering just what exactly we did hit.
I started digging through the glove box, expecting wrappers and spell receipts—but instead it popped open with a hiss and handed me a pristine Sonter-certified medical kit. Best damn one I'd seen. Felt like it winked at me.
Kaito was already stepping out. I saw him shifting down, softening his form—still demon, but less sharp. Probably not trying to scare whatever was out there.
June leaned closer to me, whispering, "Hey... have you ever done it with him in that form?"
I blinked. "Yes."
It reminded me of the 27s hunt. Back then, June had sort of become my teacher. I mean, I would've let Kaito keep teaching me—he was good at it—but we got a little too into the roleplay part of training, and next thing you know, June had to separate us mid-makeout, all flustered and saying, "I'm taking over for a bit."
She actually turned out to be a great mentor. Focused, sharp, and way better at breaking things down than I expected. Though when it came to combat? That was still Kaito's department. He'd spar with me until I could land a solid hit, then whisper something dirty right before sweeping my legs.
One time he ended up on top of me, all teeth and heat and breath, and I felt it—right there between my legs. I wasn't ready yet. Not for that part of myself, not with him. Not because I didn't want him, but because I wasn't ready to give it away just yet. That, and virgin blood still sells stupidly well on the underground to certain creatures who still believe in that kind of folklore BS.
It was... educational. In multiple ways.
She looked like she had a hundred questions lined up, mouth already parting—until her eyes landed on something outside the front window.
Her jaw didn't just hit the floor—it collapsed like a cartoon anvil. Spiritually, emotionally, possibly even gravitationally. For a second I thought she was buffering.
"June?" I waved a hand in front of her face. "Hellooo? Earth to slime girl?"
Nothing. Just a full Looney Tune reboot. Then she snapped out of it and shoved my face toward the windshield like she was yanking open a curtain.
Seriously though—June's got these wild cartoon reactions sometimes. Girl runs on full toon logic. One time she slipped on ectoplasm and did a midair 360 before hitting the ground like a cursed gymnastic special effect. It's terrifying and hilarious.
That's when I saw him.
We didn't hit a deer. We hit a werewolf. And not just any werewolf—his fur shimmered in deep magenta, smoky lavender, and that rich cobalt-blue stripe. He looked like one of those banners I saw waving at that underground club I took a gig at once—Kaito got me the job as a favor for one of his exes. A goblin. And not even the sexy kind. You ever want to bitch slap a goblin with a glowstick while smiling for tips? Yeah. That kind of night. The air smelled like glitter and regret and someone kept trying to tip me in cursed coins.
And when he shifted to human form?
Lord have mercy. I'd never seen a man like that—taller than Kaito, somehow thicker in a way that made physics look shy. His skin was a deep, velvety purple like storm clouds during a magical blackout, and his hair? A silky blue that gleamed like enchanted riverlight.
And when he smiled? His teeth were pure platinum. Literal treasure, framed by a smirk that could sink empires. He looked out of this world—like someone sculpted a thirst trap using a constellation map and a muscle spell.
June immediately declared, "I call dibs."
I waved her off. "Go for it. I'm a taken woman."
That's when Kaito showed up at my window, leaned in, and gave me a kiss so deep I forgot my own name. The kind of kiss that smelled like ripe peaches and bad decisions.
"Damn it, Kaito," I muttered, breathless.
He just shrugged like it was his job to interrupt thirst.
Then he pulled out a Sonter shard and dialed up customer service. After a few choice words, a portal opened to a swanky-ass hotel glowing in soft golds and floating crystals.
June immediately latched onto our mysterious new guest's arm like she'd claimed a prize at the fair.
"We'll be covering his stay," Kaito announced, voice smooth. "And our rooms. Since, you know, we did run him over."
I nodded, grabbing my bag. "Dealership's nearby anyway. We'll rest up first, then head out."
As we stepped through the portal, I looked up at the man and asked, "What's your name?"
He smiled, even brighter than before. "Tav."