Chapter 25 Xave #2
Damon pulls his head off my shoulder but doesn’t move away from me. “It wasn’t so much that I didn’t trust her, I just figured the fewer people who know, the less chance of my father finding out, or my real identity getting out.”
“So, what are we going to do about this?” Jax asks. “Do you want us to take care of it?”
“What do you mean by take care of it, exactly?” Damon looks between the twins and Killian.
“We’ll make the asshole pay before we kill him,” Jax says, his tone casual like he’s telling us the weather forecast. “And if your stepmother is involved, we’ll do the same to her."
“What about my sisters—"
“Your sisters are safe,” Jace assures him. “We’re monsters, but we have rules. Kids are always off limits, no matter what.”
Damon flushes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply—”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Jace says with a dismissive wave. “Like I said, we’re monsters. Of course your mind went there.”
“Is that how you want us to handle things?” Jax asks. “That way you don’t have to be involved, and it’ll give you plausible deniability.”
“What’s my other option?”
“We’ll make the asshole pay before we kill him, and if your stepmother is involved, we’ll do the same to her,” Jace repeats. “Only difference is you’re there too, and you can be as involved as you want to be.”
“I need to be there,” he says, not skipping a beat.
Both twins turn their attention to their phones, and I give Damon’s thigh a gentle squeeze.
He covers my hand with his and holds on tight.
“It’s almost over.” Felix gives Damon a reassuring smile. “And if anyone can get answers for you, it’s these guys.”
Damon smiles back, and I can almost feel the tension melting off him.
Felix isn’t like my cousins and me. He’s a good person who radiates warmth and knows how to connect with people. I’m glad he’s able to help Damon and be an extra source of support for him right now.
“I still haven’t been able to access the future dead man’s calendar, but I’ve been tracking his car for the past few hours, and he’s definitely in town,” Jace says, looking up from his phone. “What do you say we cut whatever classes we have left today and go pay him and your stepmother a visit?”
“The plane can be at the airport in about two hours,” Jax says, his eyes on his phone.
“Want to handle this now?” Jace asks Damon. “Or do you want to wait for the dust to settle first?”
“Now.” He grips my hand tighter and glances between my cousins. “Are you sure you guys want to get involved in this part? You’ve already done so much to help. More than anyone else in my life ever has.”
“Don’t even worry about it, kid.” Jace tucks his phone back in his pocket. “All the investigating and intel gathering is like foreplay to us. We need the big finish, otherwise it’s like being edged. Tons of fun, but horribly unsatisfying.”
“It’s just…” Damon flicks his gaze to mine. “You guys don’t really know me, and you’ve already killed for me. You’re chartering your plane to fly across the country so you can kill the person who’s trying to take me out.”
“We don’t need to know you to protect you,” Killian says simply. “If you’re with Xave, then you’re one of us, and we always protect our own.”
“And we’ll kill as many people as we need to.
” Jace flashes Damon a grin. “Remember, we’re not like you.
This kind of shit is easy for us. We don’t feel the same things you do, so all that guilt and apprehension I can see rolling around in that noggin of yours is misplaced.
This Michael guy deserves everything he’s going to get, and none of it is on you.
We’ll do it because we can, and adding to our body count isn’t going to affect us in any way except to give us a chance to have some fun.
And you don’t want to take away our fun, do you?
” Jace adds, giving Damon some puppy-dog eyes.
“I definitely don’t want to take away your fun,” Damon says with a bemused smile. “And I know I should be terrified by what you just said, but I’m not.”
“You get used to the crazy.” Felix grins at the twins. “And there’s literally no one in the world I’d rather have on my side than the Hawthorne cousins.”
“I can see why,” Damon says, his voice thick with emotion.
I pull him in and press a kiss against his temple. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask quietly.
He nods. “I’ll be better when all of this is over.”
“Same.” I kiss his cheek this time. “And I meant what I said the other night,” I add, lowering my voice even more. “I’m done hiding. Once we know you’re safe, we’re going public, and fuck the consequences.”
“Are you sure it’s worth it?” he whispers. “I don’t want to cause more problems for you.”
“You’re never a problem, babe.” I press a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “And the sooner everyone knows you’re mine, the better. That way they know to keep their hands to themselves, and that I will end them if anyone fucks with you.”
“Correction, dear cousin,” Jax says. “We’ll end them if anyone fucks with you,” he says to Damon.
“And we’ll have fun doing it,” Jace adds.
“Just don’t make us regret trusting you,” Killian says. “I’m not saying I think you will. I’m just giving you fair warning.”
“I won’t,” Damon promises. “It doesn’t matter what happens, I’ll never betray you.” The corner of his mouth tips up in a smile-smirk. “I’d have to be the biggest moron on the planet to cross you guys after seeing what you can do.”
“You really would,” Jace agrees and glances at his brother. “Is everything set up?”
Jax nods.
Jace glances at his wrist, but he’s not wearing a watch, so he grabs Jax’s arm and yanks it closer so he can read his brother’s watch. “We should get what we need, then get our asses to the airport.”
The six of us stand, and Damon grips my hand so hard my fingers crack.
I give him a soft kiss, and he’s smiling when I pull away. “It’ll all be over tonight,” I promise.
“Tonight,” he says softly. “Thanks.”
“No thanks necessary.” I kiss him again just because I can.
“Come on, Xamon,” Jace calls as he and the others head toward the door. “You can canoodle your brains out later. Right now we’ve got a plane to catch and at least one asshole to send back to their maker.”