Confessions & Claimings
KALLIE
“Case dismissed,” the judge declares, the crack of the gavel echoing through the courtroom.
The sound hits like a wrecking ball, smashing through the last few weeks of dread, anxiety, panic, and pain. The tension rope that’s held me hostage since Matt’s appearance in Bloomhaus, since this whole nightmare began, finally snaps.
My body sags with relief as this horrible weight I’ve been carrying is lifted. I turn to Neeve and Demmir, tears filling my eyes.
“Thank you so much,” I choke out.
Neeve wraps me in a tight hug. “You are more than welcome. I enjoyed wiping that dickless mealworm’s ass across the floor for a second time.”
I can’t help but laugh as a few stray tears escape my eyes. When I release Neeve, I turn to Demmir. My emotions threaten to overwhelm me as a lump lodges itself squarely in my throat.
“I can’t,” I have to stop to choke back the tears. “I don’t know how to thank you.” I manage to get the words out before the tears start free-flowing.
Demmir smiles softly, placing a large crimson hand so like his son’s on my shoulder. “No thanks necessary, I know what you mean to my son. You’re family.”
Family. How can he see me as family after what I’ve put Evren through?
Words fail me as more tears fall. The court officer calling the next case pulls me out of my impending spiral. Neeve and Demmir gather their files and briefcases and file out of the seating area. I’m right behind them when a strong grip on my bicep pulls me to a stop.
Matt is several shades of red and seething.
“Cute little stunt you pulled there, Kallie. You might have fooled that idiot judge, but I see through your bullshit,” he hisses as he squeezes my arm hard enough I’m sure it’ll bruise.
“Let go of me, Matt,” I hiss back through clenched teeth.
His grip tightens further, sending a pulse of pain radiating down my arm. “This isn’t over, Kallie. This is just the—”
The hand gripping my arm is peeled back by a flash of crimson-and-black claws.
One minute Matt is standing in front, spitting threats in my face, the next he’s dangling in the air by his shirt.
Evren grips the front of Matt’s shirt, his knuckles pressing into Matt’s throat while the other hand still has Matt’s fingers peeled backward at a very uncomfortable-looking angle.
“How DARE you touch my mate!” Evren bellows, shaking the benches in the courtroom. Matt is desperately trying to claw Evren’s hand out from against his throat with his free hand, kicking his legs wildly and getting nowhere.
He reminds me of an old cartoon where the character has run off a cliff and is still running until they look down, say “Uh oh,” and fall. If we weren’t in the middle of a crowded courtroom packed with law enforcement, I’d laugh.
“Cheated. Me. Out. Of. Money. Lying. Bitch.” Matt gasps between each word, making sure to punctuate lying and bitch.
Which was real fucking dumb.
Evren lowers Matt so that they’re eye level before roaring—a legit battle cry, take no prisoners, kill them all, roar—into Matt’s face.
Matt whimpers, trying to fold in on himself as Evren applies pressure to his hand.
“Do you know what happens when a male disrespects another’s mate in my culture?” He snarls. “Things worse than death.”
In this moment, I know two things for certain. First and foremost, I am deeply and irrevocably in love with the demon currently defending my honor like a knight in a fairytale. And second, I am a dirty skank because I should not be this turned on by caveman behavior.
Matt thrashes wildly, now trying to punch Evren with his free hand in addition to kicking in Evren’s general direction. “You can’t touch me,” Matt shrieks, or attempts to shriek, as he’s still struggling a bit for breath.
People have started to gather back inside the gallery to watch the spectacle.
I’m slightly surprised the judge hasn’t called order and demanded Evren’s arrest. One of the court officers, a harpy, has been standing by watching and keeping the crowd in check.
With more people filing in to see what the commotion is about, though, he begins to move along the edge of the crowd.
“Evren,” I say, gently stepping up beside him.
He doesn’t respond, continuing to snarl and stare death daggers at my ex-husband.
It’s like he’s disconnected from the here and now and is on a totally different plane, one where he gets to flay my ex for daring to talk bad about me.
It’s like his primal demon nature has short-circuited the rational part of his mind.
A little delighted shiver runs through me, but I push it aside.
“Evren,” I say again more forcefully. This time, he makes a huffing noise. Annoying, but at least I’ve somewhat got his attention.
“I need you to put him down.”
Evren huffs again, applying pressure to Matt’s hand, making him yelp.
“You’ve got to put him down, Evren. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.” I try to reason.
Matt picks this moment to chime in and say, “Listen to her, you fucking feral freak show. I’m gonna sue the fu—”
How in creation I was married to this idiot is beyond me.
No time to mull that over, though, as Evren has caught Matt’s other hand mid swing and is slowly closing his fist around it.
I can feel the heat radiating off Evren’s body, and I’m not entirely positive, but I’m fairly certain that can only mean his demon nature is breaking through.
Which means my ex is about to become a kabob.
And as appealing as that might be, I’d like the love of my life not to go to prison.
I reach up and place my hand on his forearm, where the sleeves of his shirt and jacket have ridden up and exposed the skin. The moment our skin touches, he snaps his focus to me.
“Honey,” I say gently, “I need you to let him go.”
Evren stares at me with eyes blazing with fire. “He hurt you,” he growls.
“I know, but you stopped him. I’m okay now, and he can’t hurt me anymore.”
Evren glances at Matt as if assessing any imminent threat to me.
“Please, Honey, let him go. So you don’t get in trouble, and it’s my fault.”
My demon knight turns his focus back to me and unceremoniously drops Matt into a heap on the floor. Free of Matt, Evren turns to me and takes the arm Matt had a grip on, running his massive hand down the length.
“Are you hurt?”
I shake my head. “Sore. It might bruise, but I’ll be ok.”
Evren turns to where Matt’s crumpled body lies on the floor, gasping for air.
“I should have scorched his hand for touching you.” He growls, half turning as if to pick Matt back up and do just that.
I grab his hand and pull him back towards me. “Hey, I’m okay. He’s not worth you going to jail over.”
“He may not be, but you most certainly are,” he says with such devotion, my breath is stolen from my lungs.
The moment is, of course, ruined by the dumbass on the floor who is now wailing.
“Assault,” he screams as he sucks in deep breaths and chokes on them. “That fucking demon just assaulted me!” He yells as he scrambles away from us.
The harpy finally makes his way over to where we’re standing and looks between Evren and me and Matt. He turns his head, focusing his eyes on Matt before speaking.
“Sir, from what I saw and heard, you assaulted the mate of this demon. Not only did you break human assault laws, you also broke a metric ton of supernatural laws regarding mates. You try to press charges, and this courtroom becomes a witness list you don’t want.
I’d suggest shutting your trap and walking out of here with what little dignity you have left. ”
With that, he turns to the crowd and starts calling out for the room to clear so the next case can proceed.
Matt pushes to his feet and storms past his lawyer, who is looking like he is regretting his decision to be legal counsel for such a buffoon, knocking into several people as he shoves through the doors.
We watch him go, then look at each other, both silent.
Neeve appears by my side and whispers, “Let’s get out of the room. Actually, let’s get out of the courthouse. I don’t want to cause any more disruptions.”
Evren and I nod and turn for the door. He keeps a big, warm, reassuring hand on the small of my back all the way from the courtroom, through the many hallways, and out onto the courthouse steps. When we make it outside, we’re met by Mel and the demoness I assume is Evren’s mom.
Mel throws her arms around me, exclaiming, “I know you're pissed, and I owe you a massive explanation, but after that, I’d really like to do the explaining over a drink.”
“We owe her a massive explanation,” Evren says from beside me.
Mel releases me, and I nod. “Yes, and a drink sounds amazing.”
“Del Mar? Drinks and food. I drove myself, and Evren and his parents came together. Do you want me to leave my car and come with you?” Mel asks
So definitely his mom then. I can feel Evren stiffen next to me.
“Del Mar is great and no. I need a minute to myself to decompress.”
I can sense Evren wants to say something, but he remains silent.
I take a step away from him, missing his warm touch immediately as I say, “See you there.”
“See you there,” he says with such aching longing, tears prick my eyes.
The drive to Del Mar is as much of a blur as the drive to the courthouse. The only difference is that the stress and anxiety that had been hanging over me are gone. Instead, they’re replaced with nerves. Evren’s parents. Evren’s dad as part of my legal team.
Evren.
Parked outside the restaurant, I take several deep breaths.
I can spot Evren hovering right outside the door, no doubt waiting to see if I show up or bail.
The thought had crossed my mind, just driving straight home and avoiding Evren and his family.
As much as his presence and defense of me had me flying high, he still got involved even after I told him not to.
With a last breath, I exit the car and head to the restaurant door.