"Are you going into the town today?" Ezra asked, giving him back the empty cup of coffee.

"I can if you need something."

"I've finished reading the last book you gave me. You can return it."

Tom stood up, nodding. "That'll give me something to do before my shift starts."

"You work a lot."

"I like to save money." Tom cupped his hands together and blew hot air into his palms. "Can I make you some breakfast?"

"No." Ezra left, leaving Tom blinking into the trees at his sudden departure. But he returned less than fifteen seconds later with a book. "I'll be in the pub not long after it opens." His big brown eyes circled Tom's face, wearing his attentiveness as naturally as an orange would its skin. "Bye."

"Bye-" Ezra left before Tom had even closed his mouth. He smiled on his way back inside. Ezra was undoubtedly warming to him because he held eye contact for longer; his gaze was no longer a flurry of nervous glances. He talked a little more and asked him questions too, and he was beginning to show signs of trust.

When Tom entered the library with twenty minutes to spare until his shift started, he looked around and it was empty, apart from the librarian stacking the weekly recommended basket with books of all genres and sizes. "Thomas!" she said cheerfully, smiling with a genuine joy that someone else was accompanying her. "Back for another book?"

"Yes." He held the book up that Ezra had read, "What time is the library open until?"

"Five on weekdays, and three on Saturdays, and midday on Sundays. We open at seven in the morning every day. Are you planning on being a more frequent visitor?"

"I'm not sure. I work late most nights." Tom really had to visit more if he was going to look for a subject that he might one day pay a lot of money to study. Visiting early might be his only option.

"I would suggest you visit in the mornings," Haisley said as if she heard his thoughts, "but I know how you study. You remember more when the moon is high."

"Do you remember when you used to run midnight study sessions and only me and Cal turned up most of the time."

"I do. But everyone has a different way of doing things." She tapped her chin and stared quizzically at Tom. "Now that you're older, I would trust you with the keys."

Tom raised his brows. "Really? Why? For more midnight study sessions?"

"Yes, but if I'm honest, I'd rather not be involved. Now that I'm older too, eight hours of sleep is as precious to me as food." She chuckled and rested her hands on her hips. "If I let you visit after hours, I'll leave the key under a plant pot outside my front door, so you don't wake me up if you visit late. And when you're done, lock up and post the key through my letterbox. Do not take any books out without logging them in the folder. And don't take out more than five at a time. If you bring snacks, do not eat them at the tables, eat them here at the reception. What do you think about that? Pleased?"

Tom nodded enthusiastically. "Are you sure? I mean, I'll look after the books and everything, but what if people see the lights on and think someone broke in?"

"I'll say that the angels are doing their choir practice through the night now that we're getting closer to the village fair. Oh, about the angels, they do choir practice every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from five in the evening until seven in the evening, so it might be best to visit after those hours."

Tom nodded again. Studying for his future wasn't the only idea he had. He could help Ezra with his studies too. If they didn't find anything useful in the library, then at least they could rule that option out of the search. "Thank you so much Haisley!"

"You're more than welcome. I'll leave the keys out from tonight. Maybe drop me a message on Facebook when you're not going, so I don't leave them out there all night. And remember Tom, you can do anything in this world if you put your mind to it." Haisley left him standing by the reception desk with the book still in his hands. He marked it as returned and left the library without looking for others. He still had the big book of demon crimes on his desk at home.

The cobbled street was empty. Tom looked left and right, but there was nobody lingering outside the butchers, or sitting by the sandwich shops, or standing by the fountain with maps and pointing to the nearby hills, or walking along with a muddy dog. He zipped his coat to his chin and kept his head down as he walked. The winding country road was as quiet as the empty fields on either side, but the longer he walked, the more he heard farmer Joels sheep on the other side of the bushes. He stuck to the side in case any cars came by, but he saw nobody on his way to the pub.

Tom was nervous. What if demons were around? What if they were watching him and waiting to pounce. He looked behind him. Nobody was there, so why were the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end? He inhaled the bitter country air slowly, trying not to get too worked up.

He continued walking, and the uncomfortable feeling lingered in the back of his head like a bad thought. Tom scratched at his itchy finger and walked faster. The pub was still a few minutes' walk away. He wanted to run the rest of the way home, but if demons were following him, that might motivate them to-

Tom looked down at his finger when he thought he might have been bitten by a bug. He stopped walking, staring at the barbed wire tattoo on his skin. "Ezra?" he said aloud. The bushes next to him started rustling and a large hand pushed through the leaves. "Um . . . Ezra, what-" The hand grabbed Tom's arm and yanked him through the bush.

Tom covered his face as the branches scratched his clothes. He had no time to yell because a pale hand covered his mouth while an arm draped over his chest, pushing his back into something warm. Tom looked up as Ezra stared down. His large brown eyes were tense and alert. Ezra leaned closer and whispered in Tom's ear, "You're being followed."

Yeah, by you, he wanted to snap back, but stayed perfectly still against him. He listened and heard nothing. Ezra didn't release him, or trust Tom enough not to talk and kept his hand firmly over his mouth.

They stood together in silence for almost two minutes, and Tom stopped feeling so uneasy, and so on edge. Ezra soon uncovered his mouth but pressed a finger to his own lips. Tom nodded, agreeing to stay quiet. "Demons were following you," Ezra whispered into his ear again. "Four of them."

"Technically five," Tom whispered back, pursing his lips so he didn't smile. His heart was beating fast, and he was afraid, and humour was the one thing stopping him from trembling.

Ezra understood; he didn't let go and didn't tell him that the situation was no time for jokes. "Technically five," he repeated. "But four had bad intensions."

"How do you know?"

"I heard them." Ezra told him to be quiet again, and they both listened despite Tom hearing nothing other than the sheep in the opposite field. Ezra soon released him, stepping back and clearing his throat. "I followed you to the library. I kept out of sight, and so did they. But you felt them, didn't you?"

Tom nodded. "Why were they following me?"

"For the same reasons you were pushed into the pond."

Tom should have known the rumours would spread. "They wanted to hurt me too?"

Ezra nodded. "I would say that we can no longer be friends and I would no longer stay at your pub, but it's too late for that now. They would target you regardless of me being here or not."

Tom's mind focused on how Ezra had called him a friend. A friend. To Tom, that was a huge step, and he didn't want to scare Ezra off by making a fuss. "I guess we'll just have to stick together now."

"I guess we will."

Tom smiled up at him, trying not to look too pleased about it. "Oh, I have good news. The librarian is letting me borrow the keys for the library. She says I can go after hours to study. Which means, if you'll allow it, I can summon you there and we can study without you getting kicked out. Then hopefully we'll get closer to the violence problem and the other demons will soon leave me alone."

Ezra raised his brows, impressed. "You'd put her trust on the line for me?"

"Well, she didn't say I wasn't allowed to bring friends with me," Tom said. "It's not my problem if my friend is a demon."

"Why are you saying friend like that?"

"Because I've always wanted to call a demon a friend."

Ezra smiled in his usual subtle curling of the lips. They stared at one another until Ezra lowered his gaze to his watch, "You're going to be late for your shift."

Tom grabbed his wrist, forcing it at an odd angle to see for himself. "Shit!" He shot past Ezra, running down the field, but he didn't hear footsteps following. He turned back to the demon who watched him with a tilted head. "Hurry up, or you're getting the blame!"

Ezra quickly followed. They jumped over the gate and returned to the country road. Tom was late by a minute when he burst through the door. His mum was standing with crossed arms on the other side of the bar. "Thomas O'Connell," she boomed as he approached, out of breath. "Why are you late? And on a football day too!"

Tom pointed to Ezra who wasn't even breathing heavily. "I was helping him with something. Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long."

His mother stared up at the demon who suddenly looked timid, hunching his broad shoulders as if that would make his tall frame less obvious. He chewed the inside of his lip and stood awkwardly by the stool. "Strongbow, is it?" Moira asked, and he nodded. "No, no, it's on the house," she said when he reached into his pockets.

"I can't keep having free drinks."

"You can, and you will. Free drinks are the least we can give you when you saved our son." Moira placed the pint in front of him with a proud smile. "Tom's so grateful, aren't you?"

"Very," Tom said matching Ezra's embarrassed expression.

Ezra turned to hide in the corner of the pub, but people were sitting at his usual spot, so he opted for the table near the bar. Again, Tom tried not to look too pleased that he was sitting closer.