Chapter 17
Idon’t know what to do. This is all my fault. I can’t leave Gabi to deal with the fallout of my mess, but I don’t know how to fix this.
The pale glow of The Translucence flickers around me as I lie on the ground in agony. I fight through the pain with each breath, the stench of death always present here. It burns more than usual, possibly because it’s coming from me this time.
A few silent souls stare at me from several yards away. I consider asking them for help finding my brother, but based on their hard expressions, there’s not much chance of that. I guess they’re not big fans of my relationship with the Wells family whom they seem to be haunting.
I focus back on the human action through the veil. Gabi’s terrified reaction to the shooting and my disappearance guts me as I watch her struggle to accept what just happened. She’s so scared, and I’m too weak to do a damn thing about it. I pound my fist into the floor in frustration… and pain because these bullets fucking hurt. My chest feels like it’s shredding from the inside out.
But I don’t know what I could have done differently to prevent this situation, short of not meeting Gabriela Wells. If I’d known it would end like this, I would have accepted that loss. I’d give up experiencing genuine connection with another being in order to protect her.
This is what Matteo must have gone through. What he goes through as he devotes every waking minute to keeping his humans happy and safe. I’d do the same for Gabi. I know right here, right now, I would give up my life for her. I would absolutely walk into hell like Matteo did for Analise and Luca.
I hate that I was too weak to take her anywhere but my own execution.
And now, she’s still in danger, while I’m stuck on another plane. I want to stay and make sure she’s okay, but I’m getting weaker by the second. If I don’t jump now, I may never get out of The Translucence.
“Come on,” I mumble. “Please work this time.”
It takes everything I have left to get to Matteo’s secluded mansion. My presence here will put him and his partners in danger, but I don’t know where else to go.
“Shit.” I stutter through a shaky breath as I lie on the floor.
I’ve never been so weak. It’s a cruel irony that last night I was stronger than I’ve ever been because of Gabi.
“Aden? Oh my god, what happened?” Analise rushes toward me.
“It’s… I’m okay,” I lie. “Is Matteo here?”
Please let my brother be home. He splits his time between his human life and god-duties, which mostly involve traipsing around The Translucence. Let’s hope it’s his day off.
“He’s in the shower, but… I’ll, uh, let him know you’re here.”
“Thanks.”
“Want me to help you up?”
“I got it. Please just… get Matteo.”
She seems skeptical, but finally leaves me alone.
My feeble crawl toward one of the leather couches in their library halts after a single movement. Matteo and his humans like to hang out in this room, so I ventured here in hopes of finding them. I would have tried my other brother Damon if I knew where to look—if he’s even still in Slate City. Leaving without informing us would be shitty, but that’s Damon for you.
For now, I have bigger problems. Specifically, I still have two bullets lodged in my chest, a throbbing arm, and barely made the jump through The Translucence. It requires a lot more energy for me to move around the spirit dimension than Matteo, probably because his role with the dead means that’s his domain.
The point is, it took everything I had just to get here, and I have nothing left to get back.
“Oh shit. What happened to you?” Luca says, pausing in the open doorway. He pivots and enters the room with a concerned expression.
“Just a gunshot wound. No big deal,” I mumble to Matteo’s other partner.
His boyfriend’s lips tip up in a smile. “Yeah, it looks like you’re doing great. Hang on, I’ll get Matteo. He’s upstairs.”
“Analise is… already on… that.”
Luca nods, scanning me with his patented observant stare as he approaches. “Here, let’s get you up.”
I wince as he tries to help me off the ground. By the time we make it the few steps to the couch, I’m struggling to stay conscious.
“You need anything? Water? Food? A new shirt?”
I wince through an attempted laugh. “No. Just…” Your body and as much of your essence as you’re willing to give me? “Never mind.”
“Sex?” Luca says with a knowing smile.
Right. I keep forgetting these particular humans know how it works with us.
“Can you just…” My words get stuck as I start to choke on my own blood.
“Aden?” His smile fades as his brows pinch with worry.
“The bullets. Need to…” My eyes drift closed, and I jolt awake when he shakes me.
“Stay with me. Hey.”
“Mat… teo…”
Everything fades again. My shoulder moves. Something taps my cheek.
“Aden!”
I blink my eyes open to see Luca’s terrified expression.
“Shit. You’re in really bad shape. Hang on. Try to stay awake, okay?”
While he darts toward the door, I roll to my side, fighting for breath.
At least one of my lungs must be collapsed. I’m in so much pain.
It’s another cruel joke of the universe. We can’t die, even when our bodies are so mangled we wish for it.
I think about how The Shadow exploited that fact while torturing Matteo. That would have been my fate if I hadn’t gotten away from Celeste.
Gabi’s pained expression is all I see as I drift into unconsciousness again.
I wake with a gasp. Maybe I was screaming. Someone was. There’s a face leaning over me, and I blink away the stars to see it’s Matteo.
I think.
Nothing feels real anymore.
“He’s waking up. You need to hurry!” someone says.
“I’m going as fast as I can. I’m not a fucking surgeon.”
“Get him some water.”
“He’ll just choke on it.”
“We need to at least try!”
There are three figures, but I can’t see them. Everything is blurred. I’m in so much pain I can’t control my movements. Someone takes my hand but it’s too hard to breathe.
A minute later, something cool touches my lips, but my throat won’t move enough to accept the liquid. I choke on it, coughing through fresh agony.
Gabi.
I have to get to her. She’s in danger. I don’t remember why, but I can’t get the words out to tell these three anyway.
I drop back to the stiff surface in exhaustion. My arms are lead. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to lift them again. I wish I could die. It’s all I want. A thousand times over I’d fade into oblivion to stop this agony.
But I can’t. All I can do is close my eyes and hope a brutal nightmare replaces this horrific reality.
The next time I open my eyes, I’m in a bedroom.
Two figures argue beside me, and I squint over at them to see it’s Luca and Analise. That also means this argument is going to end in sex if I don’t break it up.
“Morning,” I croak.
They pause mid-snark and glance toward me.
“Oh shit, he’s awake,” Luca says.
“I’ll go look for Matteo!” Analise takes off, leaving me alone with Luca again.
“Thanks for… this,” I mumble.
Although I’m still in tremendous pain, the blood is cleaned up and I feel the burn of healing already taking place. That means they must have removed the bullets.
“It’s not like Matteo gave us a choice. How are you feeling?”
“Like hell.”
His intense gaze puts me on edge. I try to adjust to a more comfortable position.
I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but with our complex relationship it could be anything. I saved his life as a favor to Matteo. Luca is grateful, but also thinks I’m an asshole.
It doesn’t help that he’s hot as hell and catches me ogling him from time to time. Obviously, I’d never act on the attraction, but a few covetous peeks seem like a fair trade for saving someone’s life.
Right now, his expression is more pensive than wants-to-punch-me-in-the-face, though, which is probably good. I’m not sure I could take any more blows at the moment.
Commotion at the door ends the awkward silence, and pure relief floods through me when I see my brother.
“Fuck, Aden,” Matteo says, moving toward me. His expression is filled with the compassion and concern my brother is known for. Much more pleasant than Luca’s scowl.
“Hi, brother. Rough night,” I say.
“Apparently. Who did this? Are you still in danger?”
“Um…” I glance at Luca, whose hard expression is still locked on me. He’s the security arm of their trio, so I know he’s considering these developments very carefully.
I can’t blame him for being wary after everything they’ve been through. His background with Slate City’s underworld also means he’s not going to like my story very much.
“Matteo asked you a question. Two, actually,” Luca says in a stern tone.
Yep, this won’t go well no matter what I say. No point playing games.
“Celeste Wells’ minion shot me, and yes, I’m still in danger.”
Luca’s expression quickly slips back into wants-to-punch-me-in-the-face territory.
“Celeste Wells?” he asks. “How the hell did you end up in a shooting match with Celeste Fucking Wells? Do you have any idea who the Wells family is?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty familiar with who they are. I was living with them.”
Matteo’s eyes widen as Luca blows out an exasperated breath.
“You were living with them?” Luca hisses. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Probably,” I mumble. “But not because of that. I had my reasons.”
“Which are?” He crosses his arms. “You hate humans. Why would you live with any when you didn’t have to?”
“Not all humans.” They return unimpressed looks at my qualification. “Fine. I found out who owned the warehouse where The Shadow was holding Matteo. Then I learned who owned that company. Then I learned after the husband disappeared, the wife dove off the deep end into a pool of hot young ass, so I figured that would be a good in to learn more.”
“And how’d that work out for ya?” Luca says sarcastically.
I return an irritated look. “I suspected she was dangerous, but I didn’t think she’d shoot me. Forgive me for not being as well-versed in Slate City’s underbelly as you three.”
Luca’s expression darkens further. Matteo just sighs and shakes his head.
“We told you to let this go,” Matteo says. “You don’t know who The Shadow is. You shouldn’t be chasing them at all, let alone on your own.”
“So, I’m just supposed to sit around doing nothing? What if they’re holding more victims? One of our siblings? What about what they did to you?”
“He’s not saying we don’t do anything,” Luca snaps. “He’s saying fucking one of the most dangerous women in Slate City wasn’t the right thing.”
“Well, I don’t see you…” I cut myself off at Matteo’s sharp look.
I swallow, my tongue thick.
Fuck. That’s not fair. They did their time. Paid their dues. Asking them to do more isn’t just unfair, it’s almost criminal.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
My brother steps between us and places a calming hand on Luca’s shoulder before turning to me. “Okay, well, let’s get some food and water in you, and then we can talk about the rest while you heal.”
“Hell no!” Luca growls. “He can’t stay here if Celeste Wells is looking for him.”
I cringe when Matteo deflates.
He’s right. They’re hiding at this secluded estate for a reason. Everyone thinks it burned down years ago, and they paid dearly for this quiet life. If Celeste is on the hunt for me, it could expose them as well.
Matteo appears pained as he rubs Luca’s arm. “I know, babe, but he needs our help. He came through for us, remember? We’ll just have to?—”
“No, Luca’s right,” I cut in. “I should go. It’s too dangerous for me to be here. Sorry for crashing your party.”
I attempt to push up from the bed but fall back with a wince.
“You can’t even sit up. How the hell are you going to cross over to The Translucence and jump somewhere else?” Matteo asks.
“I…” Don’t have an answer to that question.
“Are the wounds healing well?” Analise cuts in. “How long until you’re strong enough to cross over?”
I peel back the blood-soaked bandage on the hole over my heart. Their dramatic recoil tells me everything I need to know about whether it looks as bad as it feels.
“Fuck…” Matteo mutters. “She just shot you? Point blank for no reason?”
“Well, technically the other guy shot me. They found out I’m not human and wanted to turn me over to The Shadow. I used the little strength I had to come here.”
“How did it get to that point in the first place? Why didn’t you just cross over when shit got bad?” Luca asks, clearly concerned.
“Well…”
“Aden, what did you do?” Matteo asks in a stern tone.
“I was there to save someone.”
“Someone? Which someone?” Luca asks. “Who else knows about this?”
I stare at the floor. Shit. I didn’t think this through. There are very few people I care about and somehow, I’ve managed to put every single one of them in danger.
“Gabriela Wells.”
“Celeste’s daughter?” Luca cries.
With a heavy sigh, I nod.
“Hold on. You’re having an affair with the daughter too?” Analise says. “Is there anyone in this city you’re not sleeping with?”
“Ouch. And define affair?” I say defensively. “Pretty sure Celeste and I aren’t together anymore. We had an open arrangement, anyway.”
They’re all shaking their heads now. I guess they’re not loving my stellar reasoning.
“Okay. Hold on. Let’s recap because I’m lost,” Analise says, a hand on her hip. “You were sleeping with some criminal mastermind named Celeste Wells, but fell for her daughter, Gabriela. Celeste found out and her friend shot you… Wait, why did you have to save the daughter?”
“Um… from what I gathered, Celeste was trying to prevent her daughter from thwarting some master plan, which I don’t entirely understand. The whole love affair thing is actually just a bonus complication.”
I decide now isn’t the best time to list all the other bonus complications.
“Do you love her?” Matteo asks.
“Who? Celeste?”
“Gabriela,” he grunts. “Do you love her?”
“I…”
“Tell me the truth.”
“Fine. Yes…” I sigh out. “And I get it now. You three.” I wave between them. “I’m sorry for my skepticism before. I didn’t know. I never felt…” I go quiet as the awkwardness returns. Is this a war room or a therapy session?
“And where’s the daughter now? Is she okay?” Analise asks.
“She’s still trapped at the house. I need to go back for her. Trust me, I would have gone to Damon, but I have no idea where he is. I know this isn’t a situation you want to be involved in.”
Silence spills over the room again. Some of it is probably due to my circumstances. The rest stems from traumatic memories related to the parallel mess I helped them escape. Will they help me this time?
“Well, you’re not going anywhere until you’re healed, so that’s the first step,” Luca says.
“Exactly,” I say. “It will take a while, though. I know I can’t stay here, but could you at least help get me somewhere to hide while I wait it out?”
Luca shakes his head. “If there’s a price on your head, there’s nowhere you can hide. It’s just a matter of time before The Wells’ network of bloodhounds tracks you down. You’ll have to stay on the move.”
“Okay, well, that’s going to be a problem at the moment. What else do you suggest?” I clip out, annoyed.
Am I supposed to stumble around the streets of Slate City with open holes in my chest?
“Use me.”
The room goes still.
When Luca’s words register, I choke a little as Analise turns on him.
“You can’t be serious,” she says.
Luca shrugs. “Why not? I doubt I’d be alive if not for him. I kind of owe him. He could be back in working order and on his way in an hour.”
“That’s totally different! Matteo, tell him!”
“It’s fine,” I cut in. “Thank you for the offer, but?—”
“If Luca is okay with it, so am I,” Matteo says. “It might be the best option.”
Oh.
Well, shit.
When Luca turns his smoldering brown eyes on me, blood rushes to one part of me that’s definitely okay with it.
“Analise?” Luca asks their girlfriend.
This should be interesting. I’ve always gotten the impression she doesn’t like me much. Mostly because she’s told me she doesn’t like me much.
Her gaze swings between her partners before she huffs a breath. “I mean, if you’re fine with it, I guess I’m fine with it. But I don’t like the idea of you two alone. Matteo and I should be there too.”
Whoa. Didn’t see that coming.
Matteo almost chokes. “Yeah, um, I’ll pass.”
Analise looks ready to argue before her cheeks redden. “Oh. Right. The brother thing. Well, then I guess I’ll supervise on my own.”
A smile flickers on Matteo’s lips as Luca’s expression turns downright mischievous.
“What’s so funny?” she asks.
“Nothing,” Matteo says, schooling his features.
But when he exchanges a look with Luca, they burst out laughing.
“Tell me now or this whole thing is off!”
“Is it, though?” Luca asks, tilting his head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I have to admit, she’s pretty cute when she’s mad. No wonder these two like to rile her up.
“Wanting to make sure my boyfriend isn’t having too much fun without me isn’t unreasonable, is it?”
“No. It’s perfectly reasonable,” Matteo replies in a soothing tone. He tugs her against him and kisses her hair.
“Okay. So, why are you laughing?”
“Because sometimes we think you like watching us more than actually participating,” Luca says with a devilish grin.
“What?! I do not!” He gives her a look, and she shrinks a bit. “Fine. Maybe I do. What’s wrong with that?”
“Absolutely nothing. Just, maybe deep down you kind of want to see Aden and me fuck each other.”
“I hate you,” she mumbles.
Luca’s smile grows as he grabs her to wrap his arms around her from behind.
“Love you,” he says in a teasing voice at her ear.
“Whatever,” she grunts, settling into him.
He holds her close, resting his chin on her head, and now I’m starting to think I don’t want to do this. These three are so sickeningly sweet it’s nauseating.
“Well, while you all work this out, how about I take a shower? You mind?” I try to push myself up, but apparently watching humans flirt for the past five minutes hasn’t made me stronger.
Matteo grips my arm and helps me.
“Want us to carry you?” Luca quips, still wrapped up with Analise.
“Fuck off,” I mutter as they start toward the door.
“That’s the plan, right?” Luca calls back.
Analise smacks his arm. “Stop it.”
He laughs, and they disappear into the hall not a moment too soon. So glad they’re madly in love. All it does is make me miss Gabi. And that just makes me angry about the entire situation.
Of course I’d find her only to lose her. This is why love is total bullshit.
“We’ll get her back,” Matteo says as he helps me off the bed.
Maybe. There’s no guarantee she even wants that. All I have to offer is a life on the run with a lover who might accidentally kill her. Now that she’s seen her mother’s true nature, maybe she’d choose me, but she wouldn’t even know what she’s choosing.
At least with Luca’s rescue, Matteo and Analise knew he wanted to be rescued. There’s nothing like risking everything to storm a castle and have the princess say, “No thanks, I’m good.”
“Are you worried that Gabriela won’t like you being intimate with someone else? Is that the problem?”
Another good question. A strange feeling twists in my gut, and I’m pretty sure it’s not the giant holes Celeste’s sidekick put there. I actually care what Gabi thinks. I don’t want to hurt her. I’d turn down Luca’s offer in a heartbeat if I thought it would upset her. But would it?
It’s not like we’re a couple. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s seeing someone else. I don’t think so based on what I witnessed, but we didn’t exactly spend every waking minute together. In fact, up until it was too late, we spent most of our time trying to avoid each other.
Besides, technically, she never said she returned my feelings.
Even if she does, she’s a mature, levelheaded woman. She would understand the special circumstances. Maybe I should send Matteo to find out how she feels about the situation.
Fantastic. Now I’m a fucking teenager with a first crush. I should write it in a note and have him ask her to prom for me as well.
“Okay, well, I’ll take your silence as a ‘not sure,’” Matteo says while we shuffle toward the en suite bathroom.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “It feels like my lungs are falling out of my chest.”
“Because they are.”
I manage an eye roll but even my eyes hurt. It’s going to take weeks to get back to Gabi if I don’t do something, and I’m pretty sure she’d prefer I hook up with someone who knows exactly what’s happening and has no other expectations than some random person at a bar.
Not that I’d find anyone who’d be interested in a guy who looks like he should be clinically dead.
So yeah. It’s Luca or… well, I don’t know. If I can’t stay here, I don’t know what’s next.
“Need help with the shower?” Matteo asks.
“No. I’ll manage. And tell Luca thanks again for the offer. Let me know what you decide.”
“It’s already a yes from us, so you think about it and let usknow what you want to do.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. One thing is clear: I can’t take much more of this. Just the prospect of surviving a shower has me considering Matteo’s absurd offer to help me bathe. It’s like my body has completely forgotten it’s supposed to be perfect and put itself back together.
Although the bleeding has stopped, the wounds haven’t even started healing. At this rate, I’ll have permanent holes in my chest to store shit in.
“Okay. Give me an hour?” I say.
Matteo studies me for a moment before squeezing my shoulder. “Let us know if you need help.”
“Thanks.”
But I won’t be asking for help. Pretty sure the offer of a group orgy is already going above and beyond.