Chapter 32
32
Ramone
She couldn’t see what she did to me, and I couldn’t articulate it any more than I already had in the past. I knew what the issue was. She wouldn’t forgive me for having thrusted her into the Fourth Realm every night. It had to be done; otherwise, I would’ve been distracted from the task I’d had at hand due to the power my little witch, Samantha, has over me.
“I don’t want Boston, or any of that. I already have everything I need,” she insisted.
Oh, do you now.
“You can lie to yourself, but not to me.” Samantha smelled delectable; her desire pooled in the lace between her legs combined with her unique fragrance. Her aura sparkled lightly around her, hanging in a delicate mist. I noticed with satisfaction the tinge of pink in the ether, centralized between her thighs. She still needed relief.
I was well aware of my power over women, whether through magic or my looks, but the fact that this incredible woman was enthralled by me filled me with a sense of wonder. She kept so much hidden from those around her yet when she was in my company, she’d let her guard down. I remembered her calling me a “fucking weirdo” and while it’d angered me, she’d never speak to anyone else that way. She wouldn’t dare; she’d keep her mask on. She only took it off for me.
Samantha hesitated. “I’m not lying. I mean, I have a happy life. Life.”
Releasing her hair, I smoothed my hand down her bare arm, and she shuddered. Not from fear, but from my touch. “Still afraid I will kill you?”
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “You said you would.”
“I also said, if you’d care to remember, that you should’ve died, and it didn’t happen. You have selective memory.”
Samantha tried to free herself from my grasp. “So I’m only here because you failed to kill me when you tried?”
I wasn’t going to let her go; I quite liked having her on my lap right where she belonged, where I could thrust my cock into her with ease.
“I didn’t try. I didn’t and don’t want to hurt you. It’d kill me if I did.” I had to tell her the truth, she was the one person who deserved it.
She pressed her lips together before letting out a breath. “What are you, really?”
Her voice was so soft, and I felt her put her trust in the question, faith that I would answer honestly. It was a loaded question, and one I rarely answered, but as I said, I owed her the truth. “I’m not human, if that’s what you’re asking.” I heard her sharp intake of breath. “I’ve never been human.”
I gave her a moment to comprehend my words, noting her grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling at it out of nervousness. She turned her head toward me slowly, waiting for more.
“I’m the prince of darkness.”
To be fair, I had told her I’m the devil. Watching the myriad of emotions cross her face was amusing. Disbelief, ridicule, annoyance, and anger flashed across her countenance before settling on annoyance.
“I know you’re arrogant and narcissistic, but really? Is that just what you call yourself?”
“No, my love, that is not just something I call myself. Its who I am.”
“Then your name should be Lucifer or Satan, not Ramone. You need to step up your game.” Now, she was just making fun of me.
I grabbed her by her throat without laying a hand on her and tossed her off my lap and onto the seat. Carefully. I did love her, after all.
“There’s no such thing as Lucifer and if there was, he’s long gone. As for Satan, well, you can speak to my father about that,” I hissed at her.
Releasing her, I sat back, adjusting my jacket. I was sick and tired of the misnomers and misunderstandings. If people would only take the time to learn their history, this could all be avoided. It was beyond disparaging and bordered on abusive.
Samantha coughed and rubbed her throat, glaring at me. “That’s no way to get a woman to love you, you bastard.”
I let out a low laugh. “It's too late, you already do.” If she’d had anything she could’ve thrown at me, she would’ve. She’d be even angrier if she knew I could see the small red aura around her heart when she was in my presence.
She loved me.
The car pulled up in front of her house and I forced her to stay in the car as I got out. It was stupid to leave her here by herself, but I’d placed some heavy wards around the perimeter of her property. I’d also had Alexander assign some lesser demons to keep an eye out for disturbances. Lesser demons were quite fickle, but the promise of some fresh bodies seemed to have done the trick. The ones I used were different than my father’s and more corporeal, making them more loyal to me as they understood the pleasures of the flesh on a deeper level. If they weren’t, they’d pay a steep and irreversible price. They were here, I could feel them, but no one would dare step anywhere near me unless absolutely necessary. I wasn’t known for possessing a moderated temperament or an ounce of mercy. Absently, I noted how my moods remained more erratic than normal. I’d hoped the blood wine would cure that a bit faster.
Opening the car door for Samantha, I took her hand and helped her out. “Wait—the driver. Where’s John and his driver?”
She crossed her arms the same moment another thud sounded from the trunk. I was sure she’d heard it earlier, but she’d never said a thing. I had no idea where the driver was, or who he was for that matter. “John knowingly placed you in danger.”
Another thud and her eyes tracked to the trunk. She stopped when I grabbed her arm. “Is he in the trunk?”
“Go inside and get some rest,” I directed her, leading her to her front door. “Or are you coming home with me?”
Samantha flung a dirty look at me and whipped her head around, furiously punching the security keypad at her door while she entered her code. She slammed the door shut behind her, severing me from the fragrance of her soul.
As adorable as she was, I’d only put up with this behavior from her for so long. Once I was satisfied she was safe, I got back into the car. Leaving was the last thing I’d wanted to do. As much as I wanted to feast on her, I would’ve been content just to hold her and alleviate some of the pain that plagued me every second I was away. Briefly, I considered joining her once she was asleep and then decided against it. She needed to match my pain and then come to me. I was sick and tired of her lying to herself.
I knew Samantha wasn’t a source. I could barely detect the magic within her and only since I’d made love to her had I come to feel it. I’d tasted her—thoroughly. It was ideal, in light of past circumstances, she wasn’t.
A diary Alastair’s wife had recently recovered stated only a source could choose their mate and I was following that protocol despite Samantha not being one of them. There had to be a reason for that rule, some advantage to be had. Plus, I didn’t want to go through the nonsense I went through with Kiara all over again. Especially when Samantha was so much more and meant so much more to me.
Of course, as always, my pride played a major part in my decision. No one could say I hadn’t followed the rules.
Afresh arrangement of deep red roses was on the corner of my desk. I hadn’t approved it, yet it was perched there anyway. My first thought was the man I’d dubbed my probation officer, Branko, had arranged this glaring reminder, but he hadn’t been seen or heard from in weeks now. Lucian, Victor, Julian, and him together had instituted and enforced my banishment from the other realms in cooperation with other kings and leaders from realms I didn’t bother with due to my own lack of interest. Branko had liked to play dangerously, playing both sides in the past, so I couldn’t put it past him to instigate me, to throw it in my face how I’d failed. Even if he was on the other side of the country.
The last I’d heard, Branko and his woman, Margaret, had shacked up with some vampire clan in Northern Canada. Branko, or most of the others for that matter, couldn’t stop me from going where I wanted, when I wanted. They could severely inconvenience me, but they couldn’t stop me.
Julian, my father, could kill me if he so chose. His impossible directive to locate another source of magic remained hanging over my head as an ominous warning. Rarely, did I ever feel this powerless. The combination of magical decay and my father’s threats were unabideable.
My cellphone chimed, annoying the hell out of me as usual as I sat at my desk attempting to plan my next move. When I saw the notification was only from Alastair, my ire lessened. Then, the next thing I knew, he’d materialized in front of my desk—with Devane.
Somehow, he’d gotten around my wards and transported the two of them directly into my office.
“Hmm,” Alastair drawled. “I wasn’t expecting this,” he said referring to my obviously weakened barrier.
Rubbing my hand over my face, I sat back. I wanted to be angry he’d violated my personal space without warning, but he’d done me a favor. “You know better. What if I had been in a compromising position?”
Alastair snorted. “Wouldn’t be anything I hadn’t seen before.”
True. “Devane is with you.” She gave me a tight-lipped smile.
“She knows better than to look at your cock.” He waved his hand at me, and I heard his woman giggle.
“Enough about Ramone’s dick. He’s a dick but we all know that.” Devane pulled a notebook out of her bag after sharing her unsolicited opinion.
“You’re still not my type, Devane,” I drawled, leaning my elbows on my desk’s surface.
She approached my desk holding the book in front of her. “Likewise,” she said, mildly amused.
“At least you’re not checking me out this time,” I said, trying to rile her. It worked.
“Well maybe if you weren’t naked half of the time?—”
“In the privacy of my own home,” I interrupted, trying not to laugh.
She and Alastair had stayed in my guest room once and I wasn’t naked, but I might as well have been, and I caught her eyeing me with some admiration. I’m not stupid—I knew it meant nothing, but there was just something so appealing about teasing her I couldn’t help myself.
The look on her face was entirely worth the antagonizing. As a bonus, it distracted me from the darker subjects I’d been mulling over.
“You knew I’d see you,” she insisted.
Alastair pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a second. “The two of you can banter later. Ramone, you need to see this.” He grabbed the book from her and tossed it to me.
It landed with a thud, skidding toward me. Lifting my eyes to my friend, he nodded at me. Slowly, I perused the pages while he and Devane made themselves at home, raiding the bar before settling on a couch on the other side of the room.
“Where did you get this?” I asked after several minutes.
Devane tugged her legs from her husband’s lap. “Stephan’s girlfriend. She found it in the library of Lucian’s home, before they left that realm.”
“Did they know you were bringing it to me?”
Devane glanced at Alastair. “I don’t think so?”
“That’s not an answer,” I snapped at her. She glanced at the ceiling as if petitioning a higher power.
Ilya chose that moment to let himself into the office, doing a double take when he spotted my unexpected guests. He recovered quickly, nodding a greeting before settling into one of the chairs facing the desk and lighting a cigarette.
“Do you mind?” Devane complained.
Ilya turned his head slightly. “No.” Devane let out a tiny huff.
“What?” I snarled at the man in front of me.
Ilya’s eyes glowed red and the mist that accompanied him took on a crimson hue. I’d angered him—more than usual. Drawing a deep breath, I reigned in some of my aggression.
“Against my better judgment, against anyone’s better judgment, I’m trying to help you. To help us.” He tapped the edge of his cigarette, dropping ash onto the floor. “I know we have an unfortunate history, but this is only going to work if you knock it the fuck off.” Unfortunate was too mild a term.
Gone were the days when I didn’t give a fuck. I’d had a blissful existence, enforcing my will upon others, with no one daring to stop me or to intervene. The exact moment that change happened escaped me. We’d all worked together for ages and our ties had focused solely on loyalty, family, and individual advantages.
Any care we took for others was based upon furthering our own goals—nothing else. The only area more caution was taken was in romantic relationships, with our own kind. I’d been a stranger to guilt and empathy and the arrival of those poisons in my life was proving difficult and confusing to navigate.
How was I supposed to take over when my father stepped down, or chose to be extinguished, when I was burdened with those two distinctly human emotions?
Ilya was staring at me, waiting for me to respond to his plea that I “knock it the fuck off”.
“Fine. Why are you here?” I tried to modulate my voice, yet I knew my frustration resonated throughout the room.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket before speaking. “A few things. For one, thank you for reading your emails for once.” Alastair snickered and Ilya gave him side-eye before continuing. “Second—there is a notable connection between the women we keep finding.”
Devane perked up, listening intently. This was right up her alley with her proclivity toward research.
“Samantha and both Alastair and Stefan’s girlfriends are all part of the Thorne family line. I’ve mapped it out and done some digging and everyone is connected in some way, even if only as very distant cousins. These women are all in the same general geographical area. They may have gone to the same schools, worked at the same establishments, been friends of friends, et cetera. Its more than just shared genes.”
Ilya added, “I’ve hacked into whatever DNA databases I could find and interestingly, none of them are in any. For some reason, despite the popularity of genetic testing for entertainment, not a single woman has gone digging for their family history, wondering where they came from.”
“Oh, that is super strange,” Devane said. “I’ve had several friends do that and not once did I ever think ‘oh I should do that.’ The thought never occurred to me.”
“Did you try and then feel a resistance?” I asked her. If she had, it would have been indicative of a spell or curse.
Devane shook her head. “No, not at all. It literally didn’t occur to me.”
“Does Matthew know?” I asked Ilya, watching the scowl cross Devane’s face. Alastair had enlightened me to the fact the archangel had kidnapped her in the past in a bid for Kiara’s diary.
“Probably. But what do we care? You already scared him off Samantha, in your typical fashion. Alastair’s got Devane. Stefan’s practically a ghost these days and I don’t have anything to worry about.” Ilya stood up and moved toward the sideboard to fix himself a drink.
Remembering the notebook Devane brought, I held it up. “There’s this. You may be interested. And you may want to change your beverage of choice to something even stronger.” I slapped it against the palm of my hand. “And...you need to find yourself a Thorne woman. We briefly touched on it at the fundraiser but now it’s imperative.”
Ilya swallowed his whiskey in a single gulp as he approached my desk. He opened the notebook full of swirling, glittering black ink, reading for a moment before quickly lifting his gaze to mine. “Oh fuck.” He gripped the edge of my desk, cracking the wood.