Chapter 11
eleven
RAE
I pretended not to notice when Darius climbed into bed with me early the next morning, but when I felt his side against mine, I couldn't resist curling up against him. He pulled me close, and his lips met my cheek lightly.
He didn't say a word when he left me with a brush of his scruffy chin on my temple an hour later
I missed him when he was gone.
When I woke up for the day, I pulled up the Scorch Tracker website, and blinked down at the message on the screen.
PAGE NOT FOUND
I double-checked the web address.
I triple-checked it.
I quadruple checked it.
I tried removing the numbers.
I tried a different variation or six of the same numbers.
Finally, I texted Grayson.
Me
Do you think Callum Frost would remove a website you liked if you did something to piss him off?
Grayson
Callum? Yeah
What did you do?
Me
Long story
Grayson
What happened?
Me
Callum showed up at my hotel room and barged in to tell me about fated mate bonds and how Dare's magic worked
He told me not to tell anyone he was here before he left
I told Dare
Callum didn't text me to say he was pissed off, but I mentioned that I use the scorchtracker website, and Callum said he was the one who had it made
Now it's been taken down
Grayson
I bet Dare was fucking furious when you told him
None of them were supposed to intervene
Give me an hour or so and I can get the info on what happened
Me
You and your connections
Grayson
*Mer and her connections
Brb
I tried to focus on my video game, but not being able to look Darius up and see what he was doing at the coffee shop made me feel like something was crawling over my fucking skin.
I couldn't do it.
I texted Merrily to ask for Callum's number—she sent it through immediately, with a promise that she was figuring out what went down between him and Dare—then texted Callum.
Me
Put the website back up
The moment the message went through, a group chat was created with me, Callum, and another phone number I didn't know.
Unknown
Hi, this is Kat Frost. I'll be involved in all of Callum's messages for the next week due to a family emergency, but all of our businesses will continue to function as normal.
I added her to my contacts and sent the message again.
Me
Put the website back up
Callum
I'm not putting it back up
Kat
Who is this, and what website are we talking about?
Callum
It's Rae
She wants me to put the website that tracked Darius back online so she can stalk him without leaving her apartment
Kat
Why are you involved in Rae's stalking website?
Callum
It's my stalking website
Kat
Of course it is
Me
Just put it back up
Callum
Can't, had the whole thing erased
There's no reason for you to be stalking your mate, he wants you nearby
Just go to the coffee shop
Me
Fuck you
Kat
Okay, let's all be civil here
Why did you take the website down, Callum?
Me
Because I told Darius that Callum barged into my apartment
Which he did
Callum knew I used the website and took it down in revenge because of whatever Darius did in retaliation for the break-in
Kat
Seriously, Callum?
You're supposed to be getting her to like us
She's our last chance at having another hinged person in our family
Callum
She's an assassin, Kitten
She's not hinged
Me
Hey now
I only kill people who deserve it
Callum
If you want to see Darius, just go see him
Me
Fuck you
Callum
You already said that
Me
Make him put the website back up, Kitten
Callum
Fuck you
Kat
LOL
Callum doesn't do revenge halfway
If he says it was destroyed, it was destroyed
Callum
I can't imagine you like the idea of random fans having an easy way to follow Darius around the city
I did you a favor
I sent him a middle-finger emoji
He sent one back.
Kat
Well, this was a great start to an immortal lifetime of being family
Callum won't be breaking in again, I promise <3
He regrets doing it the first time
Callum
I regret you and Darius finding out
They fucked, and she's now admitting that she likes to stalk Darius, so it worked
Why would I regret that?
Kat
Omg
I apologize for him, Rae
Me
It's fine
Just see if you can get the site back up?
Kat
I'll try
For future reference, avoid pissing off Liv to the point of revenge at any cost
Her revenge is more brutal than Callum's
My sister is currently bald because of it
Me
Might be fun to try being bald
Callum
If Dare shows up pissed that his mate shaved her head, I'm not taking the fall for it
Kat
I need to find a new family
Callum
You're stuck with me
Where did you go? Your office is empty
Kat
The bathtub
We should leave Rae alone
Me
Agreed
I dropped my phone and tried to play my game again.
I lasted a few minutes before Grayson called me. I didn't want to talk, but he usually only called if whatever he had to say was too long to tell me over text.
"Hey," I said, when I answered.
"I got the full story. It's pretty wild, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Go for it."
"Alright. So, Merrily threatened to put anyone who meddled inside an enchanted room beneath her house. Fae magic can't break through it. They call it the holding cell. The cost of meddling was a week locked inside, and everyone agreed to it before you two were officially mates."
"Okay..."
"Callum meddled, so when Darius left your hotel room yesterday, Dare hauled Callum to the room and locked him inside.
Kat showed up and convinced Darius to let Callum leave after a few hours if they both agreed that Callum wouldn't leave their house without her until you and Dare resolve things.
She also has to be involved with all of his messages until then. "
I blinked. "Wow. No wonder he erased the tracking website."
"Yeah. He's lucky Mer didn't know what was going on, because she wouldn't have been as nice about it as Darius was."
"Callum was just worried about Darius. He thought Dare was spiraling because he's been spending a ton of time letting go of his bargains."
Grayson chuckled. "Yeah, I heard that too. He's going to look like a different person without all the bargain marks."
"Maybe. I have to spend a few hours trying to figure out where people are tracking Darius now, so... bye."
"You could just go to the coffee shop. You know he'd want to see you."
I made a face, and ended the call.
I wasn't just going to go sit in the coffee shop while Darius worked. That would be insanely awkward.
Grayson texted me almost immediately.
Grayson
You hung up before I could tell you, but I'll have another target for you in a few days
Someone who's been fucking with the lamias
I have people gathering the info. Still need evidence to make sure he's the right guy, but it's pretty clear.
Me
K, I'm ready whenever
Grayson
You should probably tell Dare, he'll want to go with you
Me
I don't need help doing my job
Grayson
Not to help, just to make sure you're safe
I don't let Mer do shit like that alone anymore
Me
No one LETS me do anything
Including Darius
Grayson
That's not what I meant
Me
He knows what I do for work
He'll be fine
Grayson
Alright, it's your call
Don't say I didn't warn you if he loses his shit
I went back to scouring social media in an attempt to find videos and information about Darius.
All of his social media pages had been changed so no one could comment on anything. Somehow, it was no longer possible for him to be tagged, either. All of the big and small fan accounts were even gone.
When I went back to his profile, there was a new post pinned. It was a solid block of color with a statement on it.
My mate and I request privacy at this time. That privacy will be enforced by the fae royals both in person and online. Thank you for understanding.
My eyebrows shot upward.
Holy shit.
He'd announced me as his mate. Or announced that he had a mate, at least.
The immortals behind his fan accounts knew he'd been with me and protecting me recently, so they would know he was talking about me. Callum could have his people deleting posts all day, but they still wouldn't be able stop everyone from taking pictures from afar.
Everyone in Rumor was going to know that I belonged to Darius Scorch.
And that he was my mate.
I wasn't sure whether the nausea in my stomach was fear, excitement, or just hunger. I was already craving blood again.
I spent most of the next few hours pacing.
Darius brought me a chai latte with my name on it when he came with lunch, and I didn't bring up the post about him having a mate. Or the thing with Callum.
I wanted to see if he brought them up.
He didn't.
I wasn't sure why.
We just had lunch, and played video games.
When he asked if I wanted to bite him, I reluctantly admitted that I did. He fucked me with his fingers while I did, and taught me how to get him off with my hand afterward, when I insisted.
It felt surreal, but I was even less sure about everything when he left.
After a few more minutes of pacing, I curled up on the couch with a blanket and my phone, and pulled up a forum-style website. It had details about Darius that Callum's people hadn't gotten to yet.
I searched the one thing that I had the most dread about searching.
What is it like to have sex with Darius Scorch?
Dozens of posts and comment threads appeared.
I pulled the blanket over my head and groaned into the fabric.
But, after a few minutes, I pulled the blanket away from my eyes. Just my eyes. I held it to the rest of my face with one hand while I opened the first thread.
The question at the top said:
Not-my-asshole:
What was your experience fucking Darius Scorch? It didn't go the way I expected it to, and I'm wondering if I'm alone.
Somehow, the post was even worse than the question I'd searched.
And there were one hundred eighty-two separate answers, plus comments on some of those answers.
One hundred. And eighty-two.
I counted them before I read a single one.
I knew I should've just erased the question and left the post, but I went back to the top comment instead.
NoThymeForYou:
It's well known that Darius doesn't do soft or sweet. He gets you off with his magic and fucks you hard. He usually warns people before he takes them home, too. No feelings. No attachments. If your experience wasn't what you expected, you spent too much time fantasizing beforehand.
A bunch of people replied to that comment.
DickedDownHard:
Agree with this 100%
Wunder-Nuts96:
Yeah, this is common knowledge
Jingleheimershit:
Not-my-asshole is probably one of those annoying fan people who stalked him online and had a fantasy that Dare would fall in love with them
Obsessivelydarke:
THIS
JollyFun:
MVP comment
Gooddirtytimes:
Yeah, my experience too
When I saw the next comment, I bit my cheek so hard I bled.
Ho-ho-hoe:
What was your experience?
Not-my-asshole:
I asked if he'd take me home, and he agreed.
A few other people went with us. They were cool, but he didn't talk much.
The others were fucking on a couch. He turned me down when I offered a blowjob, and he fucked me from behind on the couch until he came.
He offered to let us all stay the night, but called me a cab when I tried to snuggle up with him after
Ho-ho-hoe:
Yeah, that's normal
Dare doesn't cuddle, I'm sure he told you that when he took you to his place
Not-my-asshole:
I thought he'd make an exception for me
Ho-ho-hoe:
Why would you think that?
Not-my-asshole:
I guess it sounds stupid, but I felt like we had a connection
Ho-ho-hoe:
LOL it does sound stupid.
I went to the next comment.
MacAndChizzly:
He just pinned me to the wall and fucked me when I was with him. The high from his magic was insane, and I was so sore I couldn't walk straight for a few days. Bliss.
Titties1000:
It was an endless orgasm, fucking unreal. Rough and brutal, crazy long. 10/10 would go again.
MintySpiceCakes:
Wild and hard. Insane pleasure.
HeartlessRooster:
I never fucked him. Not into other dudes, but we run in the same circles, and everyone said he was amazing
Hairymole9834:
No eye contact, just a good solid dicking
The-Original-Wet-Blanket:
Roughest fuck of my life, best orgasms ever
MascaraBear:
The way you come with Dare's magic is insane. The only way you could be disappointed is if you expected tenderness or feelings or something, he doesn't do that.
ImmortalQuesadilla:
It's Darius Scorch, for fuck's sake. You come so much you think you pissed yourself repeatedly, but he's not going to be your friend or hug you afterward lol.
I scrolled through every comment.
Every single one.
And read the same thing on other threads.
Over.
And.
Over.
Darius fucked them hard.
He didn't let them touch him.
They had experienced insane pleasure because of his magic.
Had he ever even wanted one of them?
I didn't think so. Not based on what they were saying.
And they didn't even really want him, either. They just wanted the experience. His magic. The pleasure.
Not Darius.
I had wanted him, though. The man. Not just an incredible orgasm, but an incredible orgasm with him.
And I couldn't feel his magic at all, so that obviously didn't play a role.
I read every other thread I could find about him, and found more of the same.
A few people even commented that they didn't think he was particularly attracted to them, they just wanted to enjoy his magic.
By the time the sun came up, I was so exhausted I was shaking, and I typed the only question worse than the shit I'd already searched.
Monster-Tickler:
Who is Darius Scorch mated to?
I saw his new post about it, but all of the other info sites seem to be down. I've been too busy with work to stay up to date on the gossip lately, but I'm trying to catch up.
HotDogChampion:
Current theory is the gray chick from the Shadow District. No one knows her name, but supposedly she's an assassin. The Wraith.
Sausage-For-You:
Can't believe Dare finally decided to settle down, and picked her
PeachesAndCream45:
She must be insane in bed
HoneyPotter:
Maybe he's being blackmailed by the demons and she's going to take the other demon cabinet seat or something
GimmeYourBanana:
I hope someone kills her
I scrolled.
And scrolled.
And scrolled.