22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rory
Ithought the events of the day would keep me awake, but snug in Zeke’s arms, knowing I was safe, I slept the whole night. Not moving once.
By the time I woke, sunlight brightened the room.
“What time is it?” I asked, my eyes bleary.
“Early. You snore, by the way.”
“I do not. You do.”
“I didn’t sleep last night, so it wasn’t me you heard.”
“Why didn’t you sleep? You said…”
“I know what I said, but we need to make plans.”
“It’s happening today, isn’t it?” I had hoped we could have avoided a confrontation, but after what Zeke told me last night, that wouldn’t happen.
Ernesto was determined to get his hands on my daughter by any means.
According to him, I was dispensable, and he didn’t care how it might affect Carlotta to lose both her parents.
“I think so. I’m going to call my brother for his advice and also ask him to talk to Dante. It’s worth a shot.”
“But you said you were strong and had centuries of experience.”
“I do. I’m not lying, but what if there’s more of them? More than I can take on my own. I need a backup plan.”
“This is so bad. I just wanted a quiet life with my daughter. Why couldn’t he leave us alone?”
“He’s not a good man, and I think he’s got worse since Mia died. There are some other things at play here. I’m not sure you’re ready to hear them, though. Not after yesterday’s revelations.”
“I can take it. I’d rather go in with all the facts at hand. I don’t want to be kept in the dark.”
“This is a conversation best had with coffee. I’ll go make some.”
While Zeke made coffee, I went to the bathroom and climbed back into the still-warm bed. What was I going to do?
Not just about this situation with Ernesto but also about Zeke and this mating thing. Was it something I wanted?
I’d not long lost Mia, and this with Zeke was so new. I’d never seen myself as bisexual, but the fact that I found him incredibly attractive suggested I was, and the things we’d done. I’d never imagined doing that with another man.
But it had all felt so natural. Was it meant to be?
Before I could dwell any longer on the subject, he brought coffee.
We sat up in bed, and he started talking.
“So, you know there are demons. Well, there’s also a devil.”
“Seriously. An actual devil who rules hell and the Underworld.”
“Technically, yes, but he currently runs a casino in Liverpool and lives with a guy called Austin.”
“You are shitting me! I don’t believe you.” I almost spilt my coffee.
“Would I lie to you? I’m being deadly serious here. There’s so much for you to learn about the world.”
“Yes, well, you’re going to have to educate me. Seems I’m missing out on a lot.”
“Anyway, Dante is the devil. It’s a long story and not one we have time to go over, but rest assured, what I’m telling you is the truth. I would never lie to you.”
“Except you have.” I couldn’t resist my comeback.
“That was different, and there was a good reason for that.”
“Hmmm, so you say.” Clearly, I was over my discomfort around the man, and we were back to our usual banter.
“Can I finish, please?”
“Sorry. Carry on.”
“Dante is the devil, and Isadora told me Ernesto has sold his soul to Dante. I don’t know why. I can only imagine it’s for some nefarious plan to live forever or some shit.”
“He always did have delusions of grandeur, but why the fuck would he do that? Does he think it gives him an edge? It must be because of Carlotta. I think he sold his soul so he could take me out with no consequences. We have to stop him.”
“That’s the plan. I won’t let him take your daughter. I promised, and I always keep them. But this goes way back before Carlotta was even born.”
We sat in silence, and I let his words sink in.
Thoughts of how my life had changed over the past few months.
Uprooting my daughter from a country she loved to a country she didn’t know.
I’d gone from a widower to a prospective mate.
Reluctantly, maybe, but not totally against the idea.
I still didn’t believe I was even considering it.
So alien was the thought. So outdated too.
“You’re overthinking again, Rory. What will be, will be, and there’s not going to be anything we can do. This confrontation has to happen. It’s better it does sooner rather than later.”
He was right, of course. Ernesto would never stop until Carlotta was under his roof and I was nowhere to be found. The only way he could ensure that was to kill me, and that thought terrified the hell out of me.
“Call your brother. Let’s get this over and done with.”
It was time.
After I had my shower, Zeke’s muffled voice drifted through the door. I couldn’t hear his words and hoped he was talking to his brother.
As I entered the room, he ended the call.
“I’ll go change, and we can take the bike to the villa.”
“What do you think Carlotta will say when she sees us?”
“It’d be best if she wasn’t there. I’ve spoken to Isadora. She’ll take her shopping.”
I hadn’t thought of the consequences of what could happen today. What if it all went wrong, and I died? She would never recover from that.
“How long?”
“We’ll leave in an hour. That’ll give her time to get far enough away without her getting suspicious.”
“Why do you trust Isadora so much, considering you’ve not long known her?”
“We demons stick together.”
“Fuck me. Another one?”
“I didn’t realise at first. She hides it really well, and she’s not at all as she appears. She came onto me the first time I met her, but I saw through her disguise. Let’s say she’s there to keep an eye on Ernesto at Dante’s request.”
“Just how long ago did he sell his soul? She’s been there for years.”
“Then there’s your answer. She wouldn’t be there otherwise.”
“So most of the time I lived there, Ernesto was in league with the devil.”
“Seems that way.”
I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing. What was his purpose? If it had been so long, it had nothing to do with me. Maybe he really wanted to live forever.
The hour dragged on. Sitting and waiting for something to happen, no matter how dire, was no fun, and eventually, Zeke stood and slipped on his jacket.
“Is it time?”
My stomach was full of knots and coffee. I’d picked at the food Zeke had put before me, my appetite gone. Sweat dripped down my back, and my heart fluttered, the onset of a panic attack. It had been years since I’d had one, but I recognised the signs.
Zeke took me by the arms and looked me directly in the eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to happen today, but we will come out of this alive. Both of us. Typical. I find a mate, and some psycho is trying to off him.”
“He won’t succeed. You won’t let him. I have faith in you, Zeke. Mate or not, you have my and Carlotta’s back.”
We moved as one, and our lips met, an urgency not there before. I gripped his hair, bringing him closer and plunged my tongue into his mouth. What started as a soft, brief kiss evolved into something more. More primal, more needy, more desire.
Zeke slammed me against the wall, his lips never leaving mine. So fucking hot. His erection was hard against me, and I rutted against him, desperate for friction. He gripped my hands, pinning them to the wall above my head.
A growl left him, and I ate that shit up. Hot, possessive, claiming. I was ready to surrender to him, to submit to him, to be his.
Too soon? Who cared? Life was too short. I was all too aware of that.
As much as I wanted it to continue, I pushed him away, panting heavily.
His eyes shone yellow, horns protruding, and I knew he’d been close to shifting.
“We…we need to go. As much as I want you, and I really, really do, we’ll have all the time in the world when this is done.”
“Agreed, but we will be doing this again.”
We stared for a beat longer when a knock on the door brought us back to the present.
“Expecting anyone?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No one knows I’m here other than you and obviously Ernesto, but he wouldn’t knock, would he?”
“Stay back.” Zeke pushed me behind him and cracked the door open. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
A man bigger than Zeke strolled through, a smaller man in tow. Behind them was another man who exuded dominance. I almost bowed down to him.
“Rory, let me introduce you to Mal, Jason, and this, would you believe, is Dante.”
Ah, so this was Dante. Not at all what I’d expected the devil to look like. Blond where I thought he’d be dark, but he had small horns. Real or fake?
Jason smiled and stuck his hand out. “Hi, I know this is probably far too much for you to take in. If you want to know anything, especially about this reprobate, Zeke, I’m more than happy to fill you in.”
I shook it. Thank god another human was here. “It’s nice to meet you, and I can’t wait to hear your stories.”
“We don’t have time for niceties. But again, why are you all here? How did you know? Don’t bother answering. Isadora.”
Dante nodded. “She said you might need help. I mean, I know I have his soul and everything, and usually I wouldn’t get involved, but I heard your story, Rory, and Austin said I shouldn’t be such an arsehole and help you.”
I certainly hadn’t expected that. I thought the devil had no conscience and didn’t concern himself with the little people.
“I can see you’re confused, but let’s go with the flow and not mention how Austin has me wrapped around his little finger. I think it’s something to do with him being half angel or something.”
My confusion must have shown as Jason steered me away from them. “Let them talk. They’ll come up with a plan. I’ll get us some water.”
I trailed him to the kitchen, many questions running through my head. How did he find being mated to a demon? Did he mind? What was the sex like?
Ok, that was probably a question I shouldn’t ask. I’d barely spoken to the man.
“So you’re Zeke’s mate. Sorry, intended mate.”
“Well, I suppose, although I only found out yesterday.”
“They’re not very good at explaining things. How much has he told you?”
“Honestly, we’ve been more concerned with Ernesto and how he wants to take my daughter away from me.”
“Yeah, I heard about that, and you have nothing to worry about. These guys will sort it out. Between the three of them, they’re a force to be reckoned with, although Dante will probably stand off to the side. He shouldn’t be getting involved, but Austin can be very persuasive.”
“I’ll admit I’m not sure how we even got here. One minute I wanted to keep an eye on my daughter. The next I’m embroiled in a world of devils, demons, and death I just wanted a quiet life.”
“It’s not always like this. Mal and I have a very sedate life on the south coast. We like it. You should come visit when all this is over.”
“There you both are.” Mal walked in. I could see some resemblance to Zeke, but Mal was gentler, if that made sense, and when he gazed at Jason, the love they shared was obvious. Is that what it’d be like?
“We’ve agreed it’d be safer for you to stay here. We’ll take care of this.”
“I don’t fucking think so. This concerns me, and I will be there to see the bastard taken down. I’m not staying.”
“Zeke said you’d say that.”
“Then you should listen to Zeke. I’m going, and you can’t stop me.”
“You humans. Always trouble,” he muttered as he walked out.
“Ignore him. He’s not a fan of them.”
“But he mated with you.”
“I know. Ironic, huh, but here we are, and we couldn’t be happier. We’d best get going and have this over and done with. We can talk later over dinner.”
“You don’t need to come. It’s not your fight.” I didn’t want anyone to be hurt on my account.
“Oh, sweetie, someone has to go and keep them in check. Might as well be me.” He gathered up some bottles of water and left me standing open-mouthed in the kitchen.
I should be freaking out, rocking in a corner from the bombardment of information, but instead, I stood tall, pushed my shoulders back, and followed him.
Today was the day I finally stood up to Ernesto. I’d left like a coward while he wasn’t around, unwilling to tell him we were leaving for fear he’d do something.
Well, he’d gone and done something anyway.
He’d almost killed his precious granddaughter and was now planning on killing me so he got sole custody, knowing I’d never give him that, no matter how hard he tried.
No matter how many legalities he threw at me, he knew the only reason she’d be with him was if I were no longer around.
Well, bring it on fuckface, and as the saying went, fuck around and find out.
I had demons on my side and even the devil. Ernesto had crossed the wrong people and was about to pay for his actions.
My eyes shot to Zeke. Fuck, he looked good, better than any other man I’d ever seen.
I walked over to him and grabbed the front of his jacket. I brought his face down to mine and kissed him.
“Let’s go get the fucker.”