Chapter Thirteen
VANESSA
CHEV HAS RUINED everything.
Once I’m sure he’s gone and isn’t returning, I shut all the blinds and curtains in my home. Now that I know he’s in Wrath, I don’t want to risk him peeking in. He’s probably been doing it this entire time, and I want to cry as I think about what he might have seen.
Then I go around locking every window and door, ensuring there’s no way for him to sneak inside. I don’t think he’d actually do that, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. My heart pounds as I double-check everything, ensuring it’s perfect.
My phone sits on the kitchen counter, teasing me. I told myself I would reach out to Echo, but it’s been almost twenty minutes since Chev’s visit and I still haven’t picked it up. I need to call her before it’s too late and she’s gone to bed.
I need to do it now.
Instead, I seek out the alcohol I found hidden in the living room my first week here. Nymphs aren’t big drinkers—we have that in common with shifters—but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I’m unfamiliar with the type of demon alcohol my home’s been stocked with, and I don’t bother looking anything up as I pour myself a heaping glass of the first bottle I find. It burns my throat, beyond painful, but it’s nothing compared to the searing heat of the bond. It screams for me to seek out and comfort Chev, and it’s growing harder and harder to ignore.
Kissing him was a mistake, and it’s ruined the progress I’ve made in the past few weeks. Our bond is working harder than ever to bring us together, making me desperate.
I cringe as I finish my glass, and I immediately pour myself another.
I still don’t reach for my phone.
I stare at it, angry with myself for not having the courage to reach out to Echo. She’ll help me. I know she will, and a small part of me knows that’s why I’m not reaching out.
My phone lights up, and I practically lunge over the kitchen counter. I’m expecting it to be a message about Chev, and I groan when I realize it’s just a notification from one of the Chev groups I’m in.
I’m addicted to them, which is equally embarrassing and frustrating. Still, I unlock my phone and read through the most recent messages. Word has gotten out about Chev’s entrance into the Wrath facility today, and people are beginning to speculate again who his mate could be.
My name appeared earlier today, but the group members quickly dismissed me. They decided I was too weak to be a real consideration. Their almighty Chev is clearly destined for a strong breed.
Their dismissal hurt more than I’d care to admit, and a small, petty part of me wants to out myself. Especially given how daring they’re growing in the chats. The women are discussing the type of sex they think he would have with the different women inside the Wrath facility, and reading it puts a bitter taste in my mouth.
I see these women daily, and I don’t want to think about them with my mate. My lip curls at the thought of Chev with any of the females I’ve come to know these past few weeks.
I hate how much he affects me.
A sharp knock on the door draws my attention, the loud noise cutting through the otherwise-silent room. My pulse races, and I’m careful to remain quiet as I inch forward and peek through the front window. I should’ve done this when Chev knocked. Opening the door without seeing who it was first was risky, and I paid the price.
It’s only Charlie, though. She’s standing on my porch, with Aziel directly behind her. I unlock and open the door, eager to hear what they have to say. I assume they’re here to discuss Chev.
Charlie smiles and subtly shoves Aziel away as I open the door. Something about him is off, and I step back when the full extent of his power reaches my nose. He’s not trying to hold it in as usual, and the crazed look in his eye is concerning.
What’s gotten him so worked up?
“Vanessa,” Charlie says. She sounds somber. “I should’ve come over sooner. I’m sorry.”
I shrug and gesture for her to come inside. She’s got her own things to deal with.
She spins and whispers something to Aziel, and I pretend not to notice how her fingers creep under his shirt and press against his bare chest. His eyebrows furrow as he listens to her, and after a tense few seconds, he bends and kisses her cheek.
I’ve never seen him show affection before, and I do my best not to look too surprised. Who knew the stoic demon could be so soft? I sure didn’t.
Aziel pats Charlie’s butt, and she turns away and enters my house a second later. I make brief eye contact with Aziel, not sure if he wants to come inside. He remains on the porch, though, so I shut the door. Through the window, I can see he’s still standing on the porch. I have a feeling he’ll be here until Charlie returns to his side. Everybody knows of his possessiveness over her.
Charlie and I make idle chitchat as we walk into the kitchen. I know she’s here because of Chev, but I don’t want to be the one to bring him up first.
Eventually, Charlie clears her throat. “I wanted to apologize for Chev’s actions today.”
I gulp, tracing the marbling on the countertop with my finger. I’m fully aware she and her mates are close with Chev. It’s often joked that he’s practically a part of their harem, which bothers me more than I’d care to admit.
Chev has publicly said he’s not intimate with them several times.
“Chev is an amazing person, and I know he means well, but he took things too far today,” Charlie continues. “I allowed him to enter Wrath and stay in my home, and that was wrong. I’m sorry for putting you in such an uncomfortable situation, Vanessa.” She sounds genuine. “He’s leaving tomorrow morning after his head heals, and—”
“What happened to his head?”
Charlie blinks, clearly shocked by my outburst. I’m a bit embarrassed, but my concern for Chev outweighs that. I didn’t know he was injured. Why didn’t he say anything when he came to visit me earlier? He seemed to be okay.
“He fell down our stairs, broke our front door, and busted through the property fence when he felt your shoulder pain this morning,” Charlie explains. “The front door was solid wood, and the fence’s metal tore up his scalp. It gave him a few bald spots, but the skin should heal soon enough.”
I shake my head, my bond burning. Tears fill my eyes, and I place a hand over my chest as the burning spreads up my throat. Chev is hurt.
Charlie looks frantic. “He’s okay. I swear.” She quietly curses before hurrying toward the front door. Aziel is still standing on the porch, and she orders him to acquire a photo of Chev’s head. Her voice is quiet, but her tone leaves no room for question.
Chev seemed fine earlier, but Charlie’s words have me panicked. He tore up his scalp? Does it still hurt? My fingers twitch, my nymph blood urging me to check his injuries for myself.
I wipe at my cheeks, angry and frustrated for crying.
Aziel makes a quick call before handing Charlie his phone. She brings it to me. I don’t care if I seem impolite as I snatch it from her hand and bring it to my face. A video call comes through from Gray, and I answer.
The camera faces Chev, and I immediately relax. He’s sitting on the ground across from a small child, his legs crossed, as he plays some sort of card game with her. He’s not paying the camera any attention, and the person holding the phone walks closer. The video calms my racing thoughts.
“Show me your head,” Gray orders from behind the camera.
Chev grumbles something I can’t quite make out, his voice low, before he lowers his head. He looks upset. It’s written in his poor posture.
Charlie wasn’t lying about the bald spots. Several areas are missing hair, but the skin looks almost entirely healed. Gray fingers through Chev’s hair, moving the thick strands so he can show all the injuries. Chev remains quiet, but my heart lurches when Gray touches one of the still-healing wounds.
Chev winces. “Don’t do that.”
He pushes Gray away and resumes his game with the young girl. She must be one of Charlie’s children, and she looks content with the shifter. I try not to think too deeply about whether or not Chev is good with children. It shouldn’t matter to me.
“Smile at the camera,” Gray orders, stepping back.
Chev looks confused. He clearly doesn’t realize I’m on the other side of the phone, and he rolls his eyes before lifting his middle finger.
“Fuck off, Echo,” he says moments before the video ends.
I laugh. I can’t help it.
Everybody knows Chev is close to his sister, and she had nothing but positive things to say about him during my interviews with her. Still, they always seem to be arguing. It makes me wish I had siblings, but the nymph lands were raided before my parents had more children.
I hand Aziel’s phone back to Charlie.
“Thank you,” I say.
I shouldn’t have done this, and I feel foolish for having reacted so violently to hearing Chev hurt his head. He was on my doorstep less than an hour ago. I knew he was fine.
“I can send you another photo of his head before he leaves tomorrow morning,” Charlie offers.
I purse my lips, already knowing that’s a bad idea. I need to distance myself from anything and everything Chev-related. Still, I can’t stop my mouth from opening and my lips from forming a question I so desperately want to know the answer to.
“Where’s he going?”
Charlie lowers herself onto the barstool she was sitting on earlier. She holds her belly, gently rubbing the skin. It’s mostly flat, and it’ll probably be several more months before her pregnancy is truly visible. I’ve never seen a happily pregnant woman before, and I hope it’s a girl.
“I’m not sure,” Charlie says. He’ll likely return to the shifter lands, but he might stay in his chateau in Lust. Gray gifted it to him as a thank you for participating in the Lust—” Charlie pauses and clears her throat. “He usually goes there to get away from his family and relax.”
I nod. I know what she was going to say. It’s common knowledge that Chev participated in the Lust ceremony. Gray needed to prove himself to be titled the King of Lust, and Chev let Gray pleasure him.
Many shifters were outraged when they heard, but I think it was noble. Everybody knows how much the shifters value their intimacy, almost all of them saving themselves for their mates. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Chev to so publicly let somebody touch him, and I’m not sure where the females would be if he hadn’t done so.
The Lust finances are supporting a significant number of the rehabilitation programs.
Still, my lip curls at the thought of Chev living in some chateau in Lust. I know what happens there, and I hate the idea of my mate being surrounded by such debauchery.
“He can stay in Wrath,” I decide.
I blame my rash decision on my earlier panic. Charlie looks shocked as my words register, but I refuse to take them back. Silence stretches between us, and I do my best not to look too alarmed when Charlie darts forward and pulls me into a tight hug.
She’s short, and she burrows her face against my shoulder as she squeezes my waist. Nymphs aren’t particularly strong or large, but I feel that way when hugging Charlie. Humans are painfully weak, and I could snap her in half with ease.
“Thank you so much, Vanessa.” Charlie sniffles before continuing. “Chev has been inconsolable since we told him he has to leave, and this will mean so much to him. I promise he won’t bother you again.”
I pull out of the hug and offer her a weak smile. I’ll have plenty of time to worry and agonize over my decisions while lying in bed tonight, and I don’t intend to panic in front of her. Not again.
Will Chev be watching me sleep? I’ll keep my blinds shut, just in case.
Aziel clears his throat and walks into the kitchen, and I watch as he nestles his face into Charlie’s hair and hugs her from behind. This domestic side of him is shocking, and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing him anything other than stone-faced and serious.
Maybe I misjudged his and Charlie’s relationship. She seems at ease around him.
“Let’s talk more tomorrow morning,” Charlie says, leaning against Aziel’s chest.
I nod. “Sounds good.”
She and Aziel disappear a second later, and I stare at where they once stood before sinking to the ground and lying on the cold floor. What have I gotten myself into?