Chapter 23
“A possessive person is a destructive person.”
—LEO BUSCAGLIA
W hile Reaver was smoking, I did a lap around the dining room to take orders and calm my nerves. That had been stupid and reckless. If Reaver died, it would absolutely be my fault. And now I was sure his death wouldn’t be the only punishment I would need to endure. I was sure my demon would come up with some other sick and twisted way to make me pay for breaking his first and most important rule.
Don’t touch anyone… except for him.
Most of the men from the party were buzzing pretty hard at this point and had gathered around the tables to drink their beverages. I took some orders and checked to see if anyone needed refills. Some of them were annoyingly flirty, but for the most part, they were harmless. I was used to it anyway, and as long as no one got handsy, it was usually fine.
I was about to head back behind the bar to start pouring drinks when a table of two burly men beckoned me over.
“Hey guys, what can I get for you?” I asked with a bright smile. My service mask faltered slightly as I picked up on the darker vibes coming from the table .
One of the men looked me up and down, his gaze so intensely filled with lust that I felt my stomach flip. He was squat, with a square head and a unibrow. He looked like he could crush me to death with just one fist.
“Are you on the menu?” he asked, and I tried to laugh it off.
“Ha ha. Unfortunately not, but we do have a mushroom neptune that’s to die for.” I said, trying to divert his attention to what was actually on the menu. Before I knew what was happening, his friend stood up and slid behind me. I didn’t react right away because I had just assumed he was leaving to go to the bathroom.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. He snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me back into him. I yelped at the sudden, unwanted contact and tried to pull away, but he held me there firmly.
Square-head chuckled darkly at his friend’s inappropriate behavior and reached for my chest with a lecherous grin on his face.
“Come on, tits, just a taste,” he said as his friend ran his hands down my stomach in a clear directory for the space between my legs.
“Get off me, you goddamned gorilla!” I snarled, trying to stomp on the handsy dude’s instep. “This isn’t a fucking titty bar. You can’t just grab me!”
If I screamed loud enough, I knew Rafael would come and tell them they had to leave.
Suddenly, the man who had been holding me just wasn’t there anymore. I gasped as a gust of wind whipped behind me, and I turned to see the man crashing into the next table. His body sent pints flying, and several other guests leapt up in alarm as they abruptly found a grown man splayed across their fourtop.
I felt another hand grab me, and I tried to turn, only to find that Reaver had wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. He jerked me to his side like I was a ragdoll. He was squeezing the back of my neck so hard it hurt and was looking at square-head like he wanted to know what the man’s insides looked like.
“Get behind the bar, deathtrap,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.
“It’s okay, Reaver, I can handle? — ”
“NOW!” he bellowed, and my blood turned to ice at how fucking terrifying he had become at the flip of a switch.
With wide eyes, I nodded and rushed away, leaving him to deal with the two assholes who had grabbed me.
I was shaking again, but not from fear of the two men who had just tried to assault me. It was Reaver that had scared me.
Maybe he would give Death a run for his money after all.
I watched from behind the bar as he leaned in close and spoke to square-head. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I watched the blood drain from the man’s face. He nodded finally and collected his belligerent and angry friend that Reaver had tossed across the dining room .
His friend looked like he wanted a piece of Reaver, but square-head ushered him away, and they left the restaurant.
“Party is fucking over!” Reaver snarled at the rest of the guests, who had fallen silent to watch the drama unfold. I blinked, and Shem slid up to the bar, frowning.
“What’s going on?” he asked curiously, and I shot him a worried look.
“Some assholes tried to grab me, and now I think Reaver is trying to tell everyone to leave.”
Shem groaned and dropped his head into his hand, massaging the corners of his eyes. “Of course he is.”
Rafael came running out onto the floor. “What do you think you’re doing! They have paid for the night! You can’t kick them out!”
Reaver whirled on him and rammed his finger into his chest.
“Fucking watch me,” he snarled. “Go to the office. We can talk about this there.”
I felt like my jaw was going to hit the floor. Raf was Reaver’s boss. He couldn’t talk to him like that… could he?
“You’re going to regret this. I’m going straight to Eloah,” Raf said, his tone just as low and dangerous as Reaver’s. Reaver grabbed him by the shirt, and I could have sworn he had nearly lifted the bar manager off the floor.
“I don’t give a fuck. If Eloah has a problem, he knows where to find me. Go to the office. NOW.”
Rafael narrowed his eyes at Reaver, and to my utter shock, he turned on his heel and stormed away. Reaver turned back to the rest of the guests in the dining room.
“Get the fuck out!” he bellowed. No one argued, and I couldn’t blame them. He was terrifying right now. Once he was satisfied that the guests were leaving, he whirled to face the bar, and his angry gaze landed on me. I swallowed as I absorbed the full extent of his rage. He stalked toward me and lifted the drop hatch, gesturing for me to pass through.
“You’re done for the night, Lilith. Go home,” he ordered, and I frowned.
“Reaver, you can’t just — ” Suddenly, he was in front of me, gripping my arms so hard I cried out in pain. He was shaking with fury, and his face was so close to mine that I was choking on frankincense.
“That wasn’t a fucking request,” he snarled. “Get out of here before I do something we’re both going to regret.”
I felt my eyes well up with tears, and he sneered down his nose at me.
“You know crying doesn’t work with me, Lilith, I fucking love it when you cry.” He dropped me, and something in my chest snapped. I didn’t think, I just decked him.
I cracked him so hard across the face that his head whipped to the side, and my hand immediately erupted in pain. Not bothering to wait and see what he would do… I bolted.
I rushed past Shem, feeling the sobs come on before I could stop them. By the time I made it to the kitchen, I was full-blown crying. Mike looked up from where he was tossing a Caesar salad that would now never make it to its guest, his brow furrowing in concern.
“Hey Lil, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking in my tears.
“Reaver, he just… he’s such an asshat!” I heaved, trying to get a grip on myself. I couldn’t manage it. Between my demon torturing me, Sam’s death, and Reaver’s fucking split personality, I couldn’t take it anymore. My breathing intensified, and my eyes widened as I realized I was having a goddamned panic attack.
Not knowing what to do or how to make it stop, I looked up at Mike, who was watching me with eyes full of sympathy.
“Stay here, Lil,” he said quietly before shuffling into the back and reappearing with a prep stool. “Here, sit on this. Put yer head between yer knees and breathe,” he instructed. I did as he said and immediately felt a little more in control of my breathing.
“There, there. In through your nose, kid, and out through your mouth. My niece gets these from time to time. You just gotta try and ground yourself.”
I nodded, doing my best to focus on my breathing like he had said and letting the calming circles he was rubbing into my back soothe me.
After a few minutes, my heart rate slowed down, and my breathing felt more even. I sat up and wiped away a tear, looking up at Mike, hoping he could see how much I appreciated him. He was such a nice man. His niece was lucky to have him.
“There. Yer gonna be alright,” he said gruffly, patting my back. I smiled at him just as Reaver walked into the kitchen. He zeroed in on us, and his already furious expression darkened further. I watched his gaze flick to Mike’s hand on my back, then up to my tear-stained face, and I swear if looks could kill, both of us would be dead.
“You don’t fucking listen, do you?” he snarled, stalking toward me,
“Hey now, let’s all calm down , ” Mike said, holding up his hands, and I screamed as Reaver punched him across the face.
Mike went down hard, and I lost my shit. “Don’t you touch him!” I screamed and started pounding my fists into Reaver’s chest. Of course, it did nothing. He snatched up my wrists and threw me down the expo line away from Mike, who was struggling to get up from the ground.
Reaver turned on the pantry chef. “I’ll deal with you later,” he snarled before whipping back around to face me. Shem walked into the kitchen just then and took in the scene before him. I saw him give Mike a pitying look before he turned his green eyes onto Reaver .
“What do you need?” he asked, and I sputtered. What did Reaver need? He needed to be fucking institutionalized, that’s what! Why wasn’t Shem asking what I needed? Or what Mike needed? I glared at my friend, suddenly not trusting him at all.
“Take her home,” Reaver snapped, brushing past Shem and heading to the office. “Text me when she’s there safe. I’ll link up with you after. I need to deal with fucking Rafael.”
Shem nodded and grabbed me roughly by the arm, shooting me an apologetic look.
“Sorry, sweetheart, but we have to go.”
I tried to yank away, not because I was worried my demon would kill him, but because I was worried I might kill him.
Shem’s grip suddenly became impossibly tight, and his eyes flashed. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Lil. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you make me.”
His words rolled over me, and I felt them settle deep in my bones. I searched Shem’s familiar green eyes and suddenly didn’t recognize the man I was looking at.
“Come on, Lil. Let me take you home,” he said softly. His face was full of remorse, but I felt so fucking betrayed that I didn’t care.
“I hate you. I hate all of you,” I snapped, and he nodded sadly.
“I know. Let’s go.”