Chapter Six
chapter six
LUCAS
E ven though it’s damn near freezing outside, the hotel is seeing a lot of traffic. It’s a hot spot for sex workers, so johns are coming and going. That works in our favor, so no one will recognize us. We’re also dressed for the weather—large jackets and hats on our heads that will conceal our identity.
We locate room 106, and I pound on the door. Vernimer stands to the side so Brooks won’t see him through the peephole.
The door flies open, and Brooks drags me in roughly by the front of my jacket, throwing me to the ground without closing the door behind him.
“Where’s my fucking money, bitch?” His eyes bounce around my body, as if he’s trying to figure out where I’m hiding such a haul. Then his eyebrows dip. “Where did you get those clothes? Did you go shopping with my fucking money? You fucking?—”
Before he can advance on me, Vernimer wraps his arm around Brooks’s throat, cutting off his words. Brooks makes a strangled noise, clawing at Vernimer’s arm. My sexy fucking demon doesn’t even look flustered, easily holding Brooks at bay.
He starts to flex his arm, but I stop him with a loud “Wait!” Vernimer looks at me questioningly but doesn’t kill Brooks. I stand and walk over to Brooks, and a mix of emotions tumble through me. Love has long since left any thoughts I have about Brooks, but fear, hatred, and anger float around freely.
“Where is the money you’re saving?” I ask in a voice that sounds smaller than I would like. That can’t be helped.
“Fuck you!” Brooks says harshly, spitting in my direction.
Vernimer turns him around and pushes him against the wall, his hand locked around his throat. Leaning close to Brooks, Vernimer says, “Tell him what he wants to know, and I’ll let you go. Fuck with me and I’ll kill you where you stand.”
Brooks nods like a bobblehead, muttering sounds of assent. When Vernimer lets him go, he wheezes, coughing while trying to take a full breath. “Okay. It’s in the ceiling in my room. In the closet, there’s a small hole. It’s in a bag. It’s all there.”
“How much?” I mutter, wrapping my arm around myself.
“Almost a hundred grand. Enough for you to start a new life. I’ll get out of here too. Out of the life. I swear. I’ll?—”
No more words leave his lips as Vernimer grabs Brooks’s head and twists it all the way around. He’s dead before his body hits the ground.
A harsh breath leave my lips as I meet the mutilated body and lifeless eyes of the man that’s tormented me for three years, forcing me to work on the streets against my will. Even though he doesn’t deserve any tears, a soft sob bubbles out of me.
It’s not for Brooks. It’s for my missing years, years I’ll never get back. It’s for all the shit I went through. It’s for all the lives he ruined.
He’s no more, and we can live happily and free of his bullshit.
Five of us work— worked— for Brooks. I won’t be taking any money since Vernimer said he will take care of me, so that leaves twenty-five grand for each person. More than enough for them to get on their feet.
Wiping my eyes, I look at Vernimer. “Come on. Let’s go free the others.”
Vernimer teleports us to the place I’ve called home for the past three years. It’s a fucking dump, a three-bedroom house that can barely contain six grown-ass people without us living on top of one another.
Shaking my head, I pull Vernimer inside. Tara is on the couch, her legs pulled to her chest. When she sees me, she leaps off the couch and throws herself into my arms. “I thought something happened to you.” Her words are muffled against my jacket. “Brooks wouldn’t tell me anything. He got pissed when I kept asking him and…” She lifts her head, and I get a good look at her black eye. Fucking asshole.
Smiling sadly at her, I pat her hair to arrange it in place. “He’s gone now, Tara. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, her voice full of hope. “He’s not coming back?”
“Never. Come on, I’m going to get you out of here.”
I pull her along, Vernimer following closely behind us. Tara looks over her shoulder at him with a question on her face. “Who is he? ”
Smiling back at him, I answer her honestly. “My mate.”
Tara gives me a puzzled look but doesn’t ask anything more.
When I get to Brooks’s room, my hands shake, but I swallow my fear and push the door open. It’s been close to two years since I’ve been in here, not since I started to sleep with other men for money.
I make my way to the closet and use the step stool that’s beside the door. I find the hole Brooks spoke of and rummage around inside until I feel the material of the sack under my palms.
It takes a few tries, but I manage to pull it free. Going over to Brooks’s bed, I dump the money on the mattress and gape at all Brooks was hiding from us. Hell, he could have taken this much money and run. Sure, we would have struggled a little, but we would have been free. Brooks was fucking greedy.
Quickly, I separate all the money into four equal piles. I gather one stack and push it into Tara’s hands. Then I deliver the other piles to the occupants in the house. They all ask what’s going on and where Brooks is. I don’t answer, just tell them to take the money and go. They don’t need to be told twice. Even in this cold weather, being away from this house is preferable.
Tara, Vernimer, and I take an Uber to the airport after she packs her meager belongings. Like the rest of us, she doesn’t have much.
When we get to the airport, Vernimer goes inside and buys Tara an airline ticket. Tara and I stand on the sidewalk, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” she says. She repeats this often, her warm breath growing cold as soon as it hits the air .
“I’m just glad I was able to get you out of the life.” I pull away, holding my hand against her cheek. “Will you be okay?”
She nods, tucking her hands into the pockets of the thin jacket she has on. “Yeah. My sister will be shocked to see me, but she’ll take me in. She lives in Florida, so I won’t have to deal with any of this shit.” She waves her hands at the snow, and we both chuckle. “I’m going to miss you.”
Tara collapses into my arms again, sobbing hard. I kiss the top of her head.
“We’ll keep in touch,” I say. “I promise.”
Vernimer steps up to us, and when Tara pulls away, he hands her the ticket. “Your flight leaves in two hours. Safe travels.”
Tara smiles up at my mate. “Thank you. Take care of him, yeah? He’s special.”
Vernimer smiles down at me, holding me close to his side. “He is.”
Tara gives me one last look and hurries inside the airport.
I keep watching until she’s out of sight, and even then, I stand on the sidewalk. The cold seeps into me, but the glow of happiness chases it away. Tara will be safe, and Brooks is dead. My life is exactly as it should be.
Vernimer and I take a cab back to the Astoria Suites. When we get to the room, we strip down to our underwear and climb into bed. I haven’t eaten today, but I’m too exhausted to do anything.
“Sleep, little one,” Vernimer whispers to me. “I will be here when you wake.”
I sleep long and deep, not waking until after seven that evening. As soon as my eyes open, my stomach growls. I’m fucking starved .
“I will order room service, little one,” my demon says softly, kissing my forehead. “You will need rest after your ordeal. You won’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”
I smile at being spoiled. Vernimer orders a bunch of food from the menu, and we veg out in bed. It’s like all the exhaustion from the last three years has caught up to me, and it’s dragging me down. I don’t have the energy to do anything but rest against Vernimer. After dinner, I drop off to sleep again.
When I wake this time, I drag my mate to the bathroom, using the jacuzzi tub that can fit at least three Vernimers inside of it. I fill it up with water, and we both slide inside, my back to his front. I sigh and smile at the turn of events in my life. Just yesterday, I was almost raped by a client that picked me up off the street. Now, I’m in the presidential suite, lying in a jacuzzi with my demon mate.
Twenty-four hours really can change your life.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“It’s after midnight.” Vernimer runs wet fingers in my hair, then kisses me on the neck.
I grin. This is the first Christmas I’ll enjoy in my entire life. The first eighteen were spent in foster care, the last three spent walking the streets. Now, I get to spend Christmas with the demon I love.
There’s no use denying that I’m in love with Vernimer. It might be fast, but it’s real. We have a soul bound. Nothing can come between that.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” I say, not regretting how the pet name trailed off my tongue so easily.
“Merry Christmas, little one. What do you want for Christmas?”
That’s not a hard question to answer. I only want one thing. “I want to get away from here. Forever. ”
“From this city?”
“From this life.”
He spins me around until I’m straddling his lap. “Do you want to go back with me to Xendail? I can live on this plane indefinitely if I want, but my home is Xendail. I can promise you that I will take care of you, make you happy, and treat you well until you decide to end your existence. I will provide you with a good life. It’ll be a big change, going from the only home you’ve ever known, but I think you’ll like my home.”
Yes, moving from Earth to a dimension of hell will be a shock, but other than Tara, I have nothing here for me. No one will miss me if I leave. I have no family to worry about me. On the other hand, if I go to Xendail, I’ll have my mate. I’ll have a life we build together. It’s a no-brainer what I want to do
“I’d love to go.”
Vernimer smiles widely and kisses me hard. His hard cock bumps against my hole, and I groan, gyrating on his lap. He snaps his fingers, and I pull back in time to see lube appear in his palm.
I grin at him and watch him slick his fingers, anticipating being taken by my mate once again.