Chapter 11 SLASH
SLASH
I forgot how consuming it was to let my demons run free in the middle of the night like that.
There was a reason I had created a happy balance between my passion and reality, my head still throbbing from the crash after last night’s frenzy.
I was a little horrified how rough I had been with Runo but if given the chance, I’d do it again.
Sighing, I sat up and ran a hand through my messy hair before turning my attention to the soft giggles coming from Samael’s desk.
Aeron was perched on the edge, giggling as he shoveled pasta into his mouth, his sea-green eyes bright with a mix of mischief and nerves.
Samael leaned closer, his dark eyes curiously studying the food like he might actually try it.
I always knew it would happen eventually, that we’d start sharing demons, feeding off each other’s darkness like we used to in the old days.
But I thought that demon—the one that turned kills into meals—would stay far, far away.
I had no desire to eat the people I’d killed, no matter how well Aeron cooked them.
The thought twisted my stomach, a mix of disgust and a twisted curiosity I didn’t want to admit.
Brushing off that thought, I stood and moved toward the desk, ready to be the buzzkill this morning so desperately needed. If I caught Samael taking a bite of that pasta, my morning would be ruined. Aeron looked up as I closed in, my gaze falling to the security screens loaded on Samael’s computer.
The man was staring straight into the camera, which made sense since he had installed most of them.
He and I had never truly gotten along but were cordial in the past few weeks.
I didn’t really know how it fell apart, though, and even less why he had been one of the individuals Runo wanted gone.
Niles, I understand. Jade, I could see why Runo wanted her dead but was glad in the end that we had chosen not to.
Something about her death wouldn’t have sat right with me.
“Has he moved?”
Samael leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
“He knows this is the end. The only reason I haven’t done something is because of Runo.
He has a reason for Brent being in that basement and I’m banking on it being better than some petty shit.
” He folded his hands behind his head as I turned to make a jab at Aeron, only to have my phone buzz in my pocket.
“Fucking assholes,” I muttered as Aeron pursed his lips at me.
I lightly smacked his cheek, pushing him toward Samael.
“Do not kiss me with those lips. I know what you’ve been eating.
” Slipping my phone from my pocket, I frowned at the number scrolling across my screen.
A number that had apparently called three times already.
“I guess they’ve found the body because the station is calling me, but why would it not be you trying to contact me? ”
Samael shrugged. “I haven’t really been on anything active. I think Chief Matthews knows something is wrong, but I haven’t been in since I met Tyrone.”
I answered and put it on speaker, Tyrone’s baritone voice filling the room. “Ryker? Or should I say Jason?”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly too dry. “What?”
“You see, I’ve been digging for a while, and I was surprised to find that you weren’t born as Ryker but Jason Caldwell. A foster kid. A violent one, at that. Which is why I’m calling regarding your whereabouts last night. Seems there was a bit of a scuffle in the woods.”
I forced a grin onto my face, leaning against the desk next to Aeron, who’d stopped eating, his fork frozen mid-air, his eyes wide.
“I was having sex, actually,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the sweat beading on my neck.
No one had ever been this fucking close to us aside from Runo.
No one that threatened to turn us in and upend our lives.
Tyrone’s voice hardened, cutting through the speaker. “Cut the shit, Ryker. There’s a man dead because of you.”
I pushed out a bitter laugh, the sound masking the spike of fear in my chest. “No, that’s what you think, and your emotions are getting the better of you.”
“Just tell me where you were last night, or I’ll have to kindly ask you to come to the station.”
“I told you,” I said, my grin widening. “I was having sex.”
Tyrone snorted, his tone skeptical. “All night?”
“Yes,” I said, leaning closer to the phone. “He has quite the stamina.”
“It wouldn’t happen to be Killian, would it?”
My grin sharpened, a flicker of that wild energy from last night sparking in my chest. “Actually, it wouldn’t.” I hung up, not giving Tyrone a chance to continue questioning me before locking eyes with Samael. “I need to know what the fuck Tyrone is doing calling about this.”
Silence sat between the three of us for several seconds before Samael finally spoke.
“We didn’t plan for him, which means we had no idea he was watching.
We’ve been a bit lax these past few months and Tyrone presented himself as just an owner of that little place.
However, our time here in Primrose is falling apart.
Being here worked when no one truly knew who we were, when we were just part of the city, not the true cause of their fear.
We can’t be the ones they salivate over and at the same time the ones that keep them in during curfew.
With Chief Matthews in charge, we would’ve been fine, but he’s getting suspicious, and he’s terrified of his own son.
Tyrone, on the other hand, doesn’t play as nice, and apparently he’s been watching Primrose for years, which means he’s seen a lot more shit than most of the officers. ”
I straightened up a little, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “And when were you going to tell us that bullshit?”
Samael shrugged, his dark eyes tired—it was the first time I had truly seen past the mask he kept up. “It’s been a little hectic dealing with Runo, and I didn’t know what would set him off if he knew. We haven’t really had a moment, just the three of us.”
Aeron set his bowl down. “We haven’t, have we? And yet, we’ve spent more time together with him in our lives than before. As scary as it is, he’s kind of brought us closer.”
He wasn’t wrong. The problem was that we now had Tyrone breathing down our necks and he was a lot closer than I wanted him to be.
If he knew about my foster situation, it was only a matter of time before he stumbled onto Samael and Aeron’s pasts as well.
“And then Runo ruined the one place we were safe to let our demons out,” I pushed out.
Samael laughed, the rough sound echoing in the office.
“Slash, we all knew there would be a time we’d have to leave.
And after last night, I don’t think Primrose is enough for us anymore.
” I opened my mouth to argue, but Samael stood up and moved around the table to stand in front of me.
“Hey, I’m not mad about last night. We all need to let go sometimes but we kind of need a different space than cute little old Primrose.
Something a bit… bigger, a place more used to the darkness so that we don’t stand out. ”