Chapter 37
Lock
It had been an hour since I left Sam at Joseph’s house and I was on the verge of heading back. I wanted to check the place out so there were no surprises, mostly for her. There was still an hour until most people would arrive, but from the eavesdropping I’d been doing, it sounded like everybody would be coming. That was how things worked in this hellhole.
Immediately, I’d hunted down Joram, who was off doing something else for the time being. He was a square-headed man with a permanent scowl on his face. To put it in as few words as possible, he looked like the type of guy that enjoyed treating his wife’s teeth as bowling pins.
This could have been Sam’s life. The idea was ridiculous considering the woman that I knew, but if circumstances had been slightly different and she chose not to leave, she’d be married to him and probably have three kids by now. If she didn’t let me pull out everyone’s entrails, I’d at minimum be castrating Joram. Her father would be dead too. No exceptions.
A laugh drew my gaze to the street and something in my chest loosened at the sight of Sam. She had a man on each arm, making my lip curl, but I did my best to smooth my expression. At least it wasn’t the fata del fuoco.
Even so, I wasn’t a fan, so I joined them, making Joseph flinch at my sudden appearance. They both released her and she frowned, but wrapped her arms around my neck. I ran my hands down her back, wishing I could rip the dress off of her right now.
She looked beautiful in it, though. It was black and had roses with a fractured appearance decorating it. The long sleeves were black lace, making it look elegant. It tied at the front of her neck, then opened up to reveal her collarbone and the top of her chest.
My insides felt like they twisted themselves into a knot when I inhaled against her neck. She must’ve noticed the tension in my body because she pulled back and cupped my face.
“I know,” she sighed. “It’s not a big deal, but we can talk about it.”
“You could have fed from me if you needed it,” I said through gritted teeth.
“It sort of just happened.”
Joseph and Ryan took a few steps away, purposely keeping their gazes elsewhere. That just made me feel more suspicious about the whole thing.
“What happened?”
“I was upset and accidentally sent up the Raf signal.”
“The what?”
“It’s like the bat… Nevermind. This stupid fucking bond was pushing us together. It was bad and I’m so sorry, Lock.”
Cradling the back of her head, I nodded slowly. “How far did it go?”
“We almost kissed,” she admitted, dropping her gaze. “He told me to feed from him so nothing would happen.”
Dead. That was what he’d be. Obliterated. Wiped from the map. I would repaint my favorite torture room with his blood, use his skull as a chandelier, and make a throne out of his bones. The cult dragon of Tennessee would not live to experience freedom. Do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars, do not touch my motherfucking woman if you value the breath in your lungs.
“Lock.”
“Belladonna.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. It’s not your fault, but I’m not allowing you to be alone together and we need to find a way to fix this.”
“I know. We’ll figure it out.”
I trailed my hands down to the place the dress stopped at her mid-thigh, dipping my hands underneath to squeeze her ass. Heads would already be reeling when she showed up, but in this outfit, jaws would be on the floor. If Joram so much as looked at her with an ounce of interest…
Refocusing my eyes, I smiled at her. “You look more beautiful than the stars, my love.”
Her eyes softened. “Thank you. I have to say, you look like a fucking dream boat.”
“It’s just a button up.”
“You in a well-fitting dress shirt and slacks is enough to make the girls wet themselves, if you know what I mean.”
“Mm. I rolled up the sleeves just for you.”
Biting her lip, she took my elbow and started up the driveway. Her fingers were tapping against her thigh, faster with every step we took. Eventually, she reached for Joseph, slipping her hand into his.
Don’t kill the guy, I reminded myself. He wasn’t a threat to us. Only to my sanity.
We stopped at the front door and Sam took an unnecessarily large breath. Cupping her chin, I leaned down to kiss her.
“Nobody can hurt you, my Belladonna.”
“Realistically, I know that, but it still feels like it.”
“Let’s change that.”
Dropping onto one knee, I reached into my pocket.
“Uh, you already proposed, baby.”
“I’ll kneel before you whenever you wish it, darling.”
Pulling out the leg strap I had made for her, I winked, then secured it around her thigh. Ryan passed me her dagger, which I’d instructed him to bring, since I knew she wouldn’t have a place to put it in her dress. When it was secured, I looked at it appreciatively. It didn’t have a sheath for the blade and with how short her dress was, the tip of it was visible enough to make everyone nervous when they undoubtedly ran their covetous gazes over her.
Leaning forward, I bit her thigh, making blood run down her leg. “You are a dagger laced with poison. The only way they’d get close enough to touch you is if I was dead, but they would follow soon after because you, my darling, are more deadly than I could ever dream to be. I’m fucking honored to worship at your feet for the rest of our eternity.”
Her eyes welled with tears, making her look so startlingly beautiful, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Iraivan were given their name because they actually were divine.
“I’m ready,” she decided.
After knocking on the door, she pressed herself against my side, but stood tall. Joseph stood beside her and I wrapped an arm around her waist while we waited. The lock turned and she raised her chin, not showing a hint of weakness when a woman with graying, reddish brown hair opened the door.
Rachel’s eyes landed on Joseph first. “Oh, Joseph. I didn’t realize you were coming. You didn’t respond to-”
She gripped the doorframe and gasped loudly like this was some teenage drama. Her eyes were comically wide, borderline fearful, as she stared at Sam. They bore a small resemblance to each other, mostly in the eyes and cheekbones.
Sam made an awkward clicking sound with her mouth. “Sup.”
Putting a hand over my mouth, I snorted a laugh. Ryan chortled behind me, but quickly reined himself in. When I glanced at Sam and Joseph, neither of them looked particularly amused.
“You… I… Oh my goodness…”
Her mother’s stammering drew another figure to the door. This one was about the same height as me with broad shoulders and hair that was closer to Sam’s color, aside from the streaks of white. His face was lined and stern, full of disdain for seemingly anyone he came in contact with. The expression was one I was familiar with due to my own father’s nature. There was a reason I’d killed the bastard.
“Samara,” Paul said, sounding surprised, but more collected than his wife.
“Just Sam. We don’t have to start all of that formal business.”
In her father’s presence, she’d shrunk slightly, which filled me with rage. I tightened my grip on her, then pressed a kiss to her temple so they would know exactly what I was to her. The gesture caught his eye and he clenched his jaw.
“Joseph told you about the wedding, I see.”
She nudged me lightly with her elbow. Clearing my throat, I met his eyes.
“We were passing through,” I said casually. “Visiting an old friend, you might say.”
“So, this is a coincidence.”
It didn’t sound like he believed that. They were a distrustful lot.
“Believe me, we were completely surprised by the news. I mean, imagine hearing that the man who was supposed to rape you was now going to be sticking it in your sister. We just had to stop by. It was very generous of you to extend an invitation, by the way.”
Red splotches were rising all over his pale skin. The corner of my mouth lifted, which just seemed to upset him more.
“Unfortunately, we’re at maximum capacity.”
Taking his wife’s arm, he pulled her backward, then moved to close the door. I grabbed the side of it before it closed, using a little extra force to make him stumble when I pushed it open. His nostrils flared and it looked like he would attack me, but people began whispering loudly behind him.
“Let’s not make a scene,” Rachel suggested.
Reluctantly, he stepped to the side. I moved my hand to the back of Sam’s neck, afraid she’d turn tail and run, and guided her through the door.
“Buongiorno,” I greeted the crowd with a smile. Most of them just stared back with narrowed eyes.
“Samara, we should talk,” her father said gruffly.
When he moved to grab her arm, I locked my fingers around his wrist, squeezing until fear crept into his eyes. Tipping my head back slightly, I inhaled the scent of it.
Leaning forward, I pitched my voice low enough not to be heard by the onlookers.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Paul. I can be a reasonable guy. At least, I can pretend to be. What you should know is that at all times, there is an army of little murder goblins flouncing around in my head, coming up with new and imaginative ways to torment the living. Do you know how it feels to have the skin of your balls peeled away layer by layer until I reach the disgusting shit inside and make you eat them?”
His heart began to race at my words. When he tried to tug his wrist away, I tightened my hold.
“The moment you lay a single finger on Sam or, even better, the second I don’t like the way that you’re looking at her, I will drag you down to that cellar and we’ll spend a solid month together in the dark. Torture is so much more interesting when you can’t anticipate any of my next moves. The deprivation of your sight may actually drive you mad.”
“How dare you come into my house and threaten me?”
“Threats are not something I fuck around with. I make promises and you’d do well to believe I can follow through. See, I know all about what happened down in that cellar and I do not forgive those that would dare to harm what is mine.”
Stepping closer to him, I cocked my head, letting him see the depth of sincerity in my eyes.
“You’d better believe I can find a way to make you, even with all of your useless piety, renounce your faith until you’re on your knees praying to a god that actually does exist.” With a smile, I turned to Sam’s mother. “Your home is lovely, Rachel. I can just imagine how fantastic it would look with all your intestines strung up like Christmas garland. Don’t you think it’d be festive?”
“No,” she whispered, looking a little green.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. How rude of me. I’ll blame it on the nerves about meeting the in-laws.”
“In-laws?” Paul repeated.
Thrusting my hand out, I waited until he took it. “I’m Hemlock, Samara’s fiancé. Don’t expect grandchildren, though. I’m not into the whole ‘barefoot and pregnant’ thing and children are absolutely revolting. I’ve considered getting rid of them all, but that wouldn’t bode well for my future.”
At that moment, there was a high-pitched wail that made my shoulders rise to my ears.
“Oh my god. Who brings a baby to a wedding?”
“Lock,” Sam hissed.
Meeting her eyes, I saw a mixture of amusement and horror there. It was actually a beautiful combination and one that I’d grown used to in our time together.
“What is it, darling?”
“You were supposed to be chill.”
“I haven’t murdered anybody yet. This is me being chill.”
“Baby.”
With a huff, I brushed my thumb over the back of her neck. “Okay, I’ll bite my tongue.”
“Good. I think you’ve traumatized them enough for our first five minutes here.”
“If you’re so concerned, why didn’t you stop me?”
She grimaced, then pursed her lips. When I focused on our connection, I sensed her arousal and it made me smile.
“Ah, that’s why.”
“Shut up,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You think it’s hot when I give speeches. Don’t deny it.”
“It’s ridiculous, is what it is. But maybe it’s a little hot.”
Breathing a laugh, I returned my attention to her parents. “Do you have any Ginger Ale? I still have a gaggle of siblings to meet and my nerves are shot.”