Chapter 82
“I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.”
—WEDNESDAY ADDAMS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY
A fter I promised Ramel I would stay, he managed to work up enough of an appetite to try my cooking. I watched him carefully as he took the first bite I offered him, wanting to see his genuine reaction.
I’d never had anyone to share my cooking with, and outside of the pumpkin gnocchi we had shared in my apartment that night, I hadn’t had many opportunities to really cook for him.
My heart squeezed as he wrapped his lips around the spoon I held up for him, his gaze never leaving mine as he let me feed him the curry. His lip twitched as I watched him swallow.
“That’s fucking delicious, deathtrap.” He praised me, and my stomach flipped.
“Really? You’re not just saying that?” I asked, suddenly feeling shy.
He shook his head. “Have I ever been one to sugarcoat shit? If I say it’s good, you know I mean it.” He was right about that. I had never looked at his ruthlessly blunt nature through that lens before. I may not always like what he was telling me, but I could at least trust him to give it to me straight.
After we ate, I snuggled into the nook under his arm, and we watched The Fall of the House of Usher .
“I can’t wait until we get to the cat episode,” I told him. “We should watch that one with Shem; he’ll love it.”
Ramel chuckled, tucking me in closer and dropping a kiss on my head.
At some point between episodes one and two, I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, Ramel was gently shaking me awake.
“Come on, deathtrap. Time to get up. Hazai and Jezebel will be here soon.” His words were a warm caress in my ear, gently pulling me from the nap I had succumbed to.
“Mmm? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. He looked up at me from where he still lounged against our pillows, smiling.
“I’m not surprised you did. You needed to rest; you’ve had a bit of an emotionally taxing day.” He sat up and kissed my forehead before getting to his feet.
“Do you want a coffee or anything? I can have one sent to the room on my way to meet with Art.”
“That would be amazing.” I gave him a sleepy smile. I was still feeling groggy from the nap but also a little bit excited for the night ahead. I was especially pumped for the pumpkin carving contest.
Just then, the door burst open and Jezebel and Shem strolled in. Shem was looking amused, and Jezebel was looking furious.
“You’re the fucking worst,” she snapped at him, and he shrugged.
“Depends who you ask.” He winked at her, and Ramel laughed.
“What are you two arguing about?” I asked, and Jezebel glared at Shem, then pointed to her neck where a thick, pink leather collar was fastened.
“Your asshole General slapped this shit on me while I had my head in the beer fridge.”
Shem flopped down in one of the chairs by the chess table, giving her a bored look.
“Maybe don’t run your fucking mouth, and you won’t get collared. Keep it up, Jez, and I’ll lock you in the dungeons for the rest of the fucking night, and you won’t get to participate in the festivities at all.”
“You could have at least picked a color that matches my damn outfit.”
“Don’t act like you’re not going to wear black. Black goes with everything.”
“I’m a redhead, you fucking tool! Pink looks shit on me.” She whirled around and examined the collar in the wall-length mirror next to the door, prodding it angrily.
I frowned. Was she really more annoyed with the color of the collar than the fact that he had locked it around her throat? I could see the gold heart-shaped lock glinting in the green light from the fire. I didn’t say anything, but it was weirdly comforting to see someone else wearing one. It made me feel less humiliated about the fact that I had been forced to wear one for the first few weeks I had been here .
Ramel and Shem were staring at each other and I got the impression they were having a silent conversation. I would have bet my last dollar that it was about Jezebel and whether or not they really should lock her in her room in case she was the mole and was planning on trying something tonight.
“You can’t tell me there wasn’t a cute green one lying around…” she was still muttering to herself, and Shem seemed to finally lose his patience.
“Enough, Jez. Accept your punishment. You’re lucky this is all you’re getting after what you did. Lilith could have fucking died.”
She sighed and turned around to face us. “Yeah, yeah, alright,” she said, sounding a little put out. She glanced at me, her eyes softening. “I really am sorry, Lil.”
Both Ramel and Shem narrowed their eyes at her, but I couldn’t help but feel like she was being genuine.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m glad you told me,” I whispered back.
Ramel gave her a deadly smile. “If I were you, I would stay worried about it, Jezebel.”
I slapped his arm. “Okay, relax. Don’t you have a meeting to go to? Get out of here so I can get ready.”
He turned to look at me, a dangerous smile tilting his lips. He curled a ringed finger under my chin and kissed me softly. “Alright, my little deathtrap, I’ll go. I’m excited to see what you put on for me. Just make sure it’s easy to take off.” He smirked, and I rolled my eyes, pointing at the door.
“Out!” I snapped, and he chuckled. He glared at Jezebel on the way out but didn’t say anything else to antagonize her.
“Thank Satan, I thought he would never leave.” She winked at me, but Shem shot her a warning glance.
“Do what you came here to do, Jez, then get out of my sight unless you really do want me to snap a leash on that ugly pink collar.”
“So you admit it! You admit it’s ugly!” She stuck her tongue out at him, completely unphased. She gestured for me to sit down at the vanity on the other end of the room, pulling out a hairbrush and getting to work on brushing my bed hair out.
“You’re not bothered by the fact that they collared you like a dog?” I asked, wincing. It had bothered me, at least at first, though by the end, I had gotten pretty used to it.
She just shrugged and laughed. “It’s a pretty common punishment around here, and Shem’s right. I really did expect them to do much worse than this.” She started brushing my hair. “Though, somehow, I don’t think I get the added perk of fucking Ramel.” She winked. Her words shocked me.
Wait, she wanted to fuck Ramel? A strange feeling twisted in my stomach, and it wasn’t a good one. I didn’t like the idea of her touching Ramel.
Shem snorted, interrupting my thoughts. “You fucking wish, Jez. You’ll be lucky if I let you fuck anyone ever again. ”
She glared at him, and I glanced back and forth between the two of them, feeling uneasy.
“Could you two maybe try to get along? It’s awkward sitting here while you bicker at each other,” I grumbled, and Shem laughed.
“Relax, Lilith, as long as Jezebel remembers her fucking place, we won’t have a problem.”
“I know my place,” she snapped.
He raised an eyebrow. “I know my place, Sir ,” he corrected her. I could see the rage burning in her eyes, but she glanced at me and visibly swallowed her pride.
“I know my place, Sir,” she grumbled, and I tried not to flinch. At least neither of them had ever made me call them Sir.
‘Don’t kid yourself. You would like it.’ Mean, annoyingly honest ‘other’ Lilith was back. I shoved her back into my subconscious but couldn’t stop myself from smiling. As usual, she was right. I probably would.
“See? Was that so hard?” he asked, his tone condescendingly sweet. “Now we can focus on getting Lil ready.” His green eyes flashed with mischief. “I call picking out the dress. You handle the hair and makeup,” he ordered, sliding out of his seat and over to the wardrobe.
“What do you think, Lil? Feeling elegant and regal, or hot and flirty?” He tapped his index finger on his lips as he perused the options in the wardrobe.
“Are those the only options? What about cute and casual?”
He glanced at me, looking appalled. “You’re not going to Hell’s Annual Samhain Dumb Feast on the night of your coronation looking cute.” He turned back to the wardrobe, his green eyes igniting with excitement.
“You’ve got to look so hot Ramel fucking busts a nut in his pants as soon as he lays eyes on you.”
I groaned and dropped my head into my hands. These demons were going to be the death of me.