Chapter Twenty-two
Aaliyah
T he drive back from DuPont’s penthouse is silent. I know Tyson wants me to explain myself, but I only want to do this once more. I should’ve already told them who and what I really am. A part of me is surprised that Hayes hasn’t told his mates, but I love that he hasn’t.
As I stop my car behind Tyson’s truck, I sigh. The night had gone so well. DuPont was easy to kill, and not only does Tyson have a massive cock, but he knows how to use it. He’d nearly knocked me unconscious with that last orgasm, but then his dragon had tried to claim me, and we’re just not there yet.
I hadn’t wanted to use the power I’ve buried deep inside of me, but his dragon gave me no choice. I wasn’t having a fucking dragon take away mine or Tyson’s choice. Unfortunately, it meant using power that I would now have to explain. I hadn’t even shared this with Hayes or Archer yet, though they both know I’m a demigod.
Fucking hell.
Can I just go back to the way I felt after the best orgasm of my life?
“Out of the car, killer,” Tyson growls as he throws his door open.
Huh. I thought I’d heard him call me killer while he’d been fucking me, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
But now isn’t the time to worry about it.
I push open my door, a black card fluttering to the ground when I climb out.
Richard Sterling $1,500,000 A drop of blood to accept. Rip card in half to decline.
“Damn, they’re efficient.” I snort, lifting the card to show Tyson when he gives me a confused look. “I have the next target, and it’s one of the names on River’s list.”
“That’ll make her happy. Proof that she was right.” He snorts, reaching for my hand when I round the car. “Stop trying to distract me. You owe me a story and nothing is going to stop me from hearing it.”
“Grumpy asshole,” I mutter quietly, though apparently not quiet enough.
Tyson chuckles, squeezing my hand. “You might as well get used to it. It’s my natural state.”
That brings a smile to my face because he’s so much more than a grumpy asshole. And he certainly wasn’t one the night we met. I’m learning that he’s no one thing—he’s all the things. He’s just really committed to being a grumpy asshole.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I need some blood,” I tell him, holding out my finger to him. It takes him a second to realize what I’m asking for, one of his fingernails shifting into a sharp claw. He pricks the end of my finger, and I press it to the card. It dissolves, I learn all there is to know about Richard Sterling as we walk up to the house and inside the door.
“You’re back!” River’s voice carries down the hallway from the office she claimed as her own moments before she throws herself at Tyson, kissing him deeply, and bringing a smile to my face.
The others make their way into the vestibule as River jumps out of Tyson’s arms and pulls me into a kiss. It’s not much of a kiss since I can’t stop smiling, but neither of us is complaining.
“Aaliyah has something she wants to talk to us about.” Tyson’s voice is gruff, and when I turn to him with a glare, he just raises his eyebrows.
“Right. Let’s just.” I gesture to the living room that the vestibule leads to, and without another word, walk in there. I don’t bother taking a seat, pacing in front of the large fireplace instead.
Occasionally, I steal glances at the others as they take a seat, their faces confused. Once everyone has taken their seats, I stop my pacing. “I’m guessing not all of you know this, but I’m a demigod. It’s not that I was keeping it from you on purpose, I’m just used to keeping things close to the chest. Oh, and I have six arms.”
I let the illusions fall away, looking up at the ceiling instead of their faces. I don’t need to see if anyone is disgusted by what they see.
“I’m guessing that the arms have something to do with being a demigod?” Reid asks, drawing my eyes to him.
“They are. My father is a spider deity, therefore he has eight arms. Because I’m only a demigod, I was only gifted six arms.” He seems almost intrigued by my extra limbs, giving me enough courage to look at the others.
River is practically bouncing in her seat, Hayes’s hand clamped over her mouth. I lift an eyebrow at him, and he laughs. “If I let her say what she started to say, we’re all going to get very distracted, and something tells me that isn’t all you had to tell us.”
I’m definitely curious about what she has to say, but Hayes isn’t wrong.
“As you’ve seen, I have different magics—some from my father and some from my mother, who is a vengeance djinn. What I haven’t shared with any of you is that there are some godly powers that were gifted to me. I don’t know who gifted them to me, but my father was surprised to see a demigod with them. Not that he had a problem with me using them when it suited him.
“But that’s neither here nor there. Tyson’s dragon attempted to take over and bond me to them without either of our permission. Tyson was having a hard time controlling him, and he wasn’t listening to reason. I have what’s referred to as a god’s presence. It’s a power that can force our dominance over any human or supernatural—and even some gods.” I shake my head, realizing the best way to make them understand is probably to show them.
Closing my eyes, I reach deep down inside myself to the place I hide the magic that I hate using. I never want to force my dominance over others. There’s just so much chance of it being abused, as I’ve seen over and over again over the years.
Calling it forth, I feel it spreading through me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I attempt to keep from allowing too much out, but when I open my eyes, I find four of them on their knees, while Archer and Naomi are nowhere to be found.
Frowning, I rein the power in before tucking it away, eyes seeking the demons.
“Holy shit,” Tyson growls, pushing off the floor. “It’s not any easier the second time around.”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t know how to explain it. I figured it would just be easier to show everyone. I only used a fraction of what I used on your dragon.” I sigh, sure this is when they decide I’m not worth it. I’ve barely wrapped my head around giving them a chance and seeing where this could go, and they’re going to run away so fast there will be nothing but a hole in the door. “What happened to Archer and Naomi?”
“We’re here, love.” Archer steps out of the shadows, pulling Naomi behind him. “The light of your godly powers sent us fleeing into the shadows. Demons and godly light aren’t a good combination.”
Shit.
“I didn’t even think about that. I’m sorry.” I drop to the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs and burying my face in them. “That was such a stupid thing to do. This is why I never use it. All it does is hurt people.”
I hear someone moving but don’t lift my head. I tense when a big hand wraps around the back of my neck. “You didn’t hurt me or my dragon when you used it the first time. Well, you did hurt his pride, but he deserved it. You didn’t hurt me, River, Reid, or Hayes this time, either. Archer and Naomi know you didn’t mean to hurt them.”
I turn my head to look at Tyson, who has taken a seat beside me. His smile is soft as his hand trails down my cheek.
“Yeah, that was actually really fucking cool,” River says with a grin, appearing beside Tyson.
“And both Archer and I are fine,” Naomi assures me. “It was a reflex for us to dive for cover. I’ve never seen a power like that before, but the light was very bright.”
I sigh. “But I could’ve hurt you, and I’ve seen that power abused more than once over my long life. It’s why I never use it unless I absolutely have to. That’s it, my last secret. I mean, I haven’t told my life story to all of you, but I promise I’m not hiding anything else. If it’s too much, I understand.”
“Too much?” River’s eyes are wide as she crawls into Tyson’s lap. “You’re even cooler than I thought you were. Think of all the uses six hands can have. I mean, there’s six of us and six hands. Plus, there are tons of holes to go around. You’d be a great addition to an orgy.”
All I can do for a moment is stare at her before bursting into hysterical laughter as she grins at me. “That’s what Hayes was keeping you from saying?”
“Yes.” River pouts as she pins Hayes with a glare. “Such a spoilsport, but see? I knew you’d appreciate it.”
“I absolutely do. I will always appreciate you and everything you have to say.” My laughter falls away, the moment suddenly feeling heavier. I clear my throat and lift my head. “If anyone wants out, this is as good of a time as any.”
As I glance between them, I find six bewildered faces.
“Why would we want out?” Reid eventually asks when no one else speaks up.
“I do have six arms and a scary god power.” I shrug.
Hayes snorts. “Foxy girl, if you being an assassin didn’t scare us away, why would any of that scare us away?”
I shrug, not wanting to admit I don’t know what they see in me in the first place. Sure, I’m hot, and I’ve got a banging body. But after spending so long alone, it’s not like I have some shiny personality.
“Oh!” I turn back to River. “I got my next target—Richard Sterling, as you expected.”
“Good. You can fill me in on the details later. Right now, I need a snack. Who wants to make me a snack?” When no one volunteers, she makes a face and turns to Reid. “You’ll make me a snack, won’t you, Reid?”
It’s clear he doesn’t want to, but I’ve noticed no one tells River no—not even me.
“Sure, sweetheart,” he says with a sigh, reaching down to pull her to her feet and lead her toward the kitchen. “What are you thinking?”
My eyes find Archer and Naomi, and I remember my promise to her. I need to hear what Archer has to say.
Hayes clears his throat. “You know what? Tyson, we should go help Reid. You know how outrageous River’s requests can be sometimes.”
“But I don’t want—“ Tyson’s words cut off when Hayes pulls him to his feet, his elbow sliding into Tyson’s torso. I don’t know what passes between the two of them, but Tyson nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
Shaking my head, I realize they want to give me time with the demons, but they aren’t all that clever at hiding that fact. Sighing, I push myself to my feet and move over to sit on one of the couches. “Archer, I know I haven’t wanted to hear you out and still you’ve stayed. You’ve continued to get to know the others and help where you could. You found the perfect house for all of us, which is insane. I think it’s time I finally listened to what you have to say.”
“Really?” The disbelief in his voice makes me wince. I really have been an asshole.
I nod. “Yes, really. Although, do either of you know where Kira is? I’m surprised she hasn’t said hello yet.”
Naomi laughs. “River and Reid took her for a swim before Hayes, Archer, and I let her chase us through the woods. The last time I saw her was about an hour ago when I let her into your room. I left the door cracked, but she went straight onto the bed and conked out. I think she was tired.”
“Sounds like it. You guys have been spoiling my dog. No wonder she likes all of you better than me.”
Archer scoffs. “As if. She just likes having more people around. That way, there’s someone with her while you’re out. You’re still her human.”
“For now,” I say with a half smile, gesturing for them to join me. “Tell me what happened, Archer. I’ll do my best to keep any and all snide comments to myself, but I make no promises.”
The smile he gives me is a sad one as he sits across from me, Naomi at his side. When he starts talking, all I can do is listen in horror at what really happened. Tears stream down my face as he finishes his story. I throw myself across the space into his arms as I cry for both of us.
“I can’t believe your family did that to you,” I say between sobs. “That’s not true. I can believe it. Let’s go to the underworld and introduce the two of them to my light.”
Archer sighs, his arms wrapping tightly around me. “While I appreciate the sentiment, that kingdom isn’t my home. My home is wherever you are, which seems to be here now. Assuming that you’ll give me another chance.”
“Give you another chance?” I pull back just enough so I can crush my lips against his. “It’s you who should decide if I get another chance with you. If I would’ve just listened—“
“Don’t go there,” Archer reprimands me, his hand squeezing my chin. “You didn’t know, and the only person to blame is the one who put Loki up to it.”
Naomi leans against Archer’s shoulder with a grin on her face. “I take it this means we stand a chance now?”
“Yeah, Naomi,” I say with a laugh. “You stand a chance now.”
Archer glances between the two of us. “Do I even want to know?”
“It doesn’t matter if you want to know or not, it was a conversation between me and Aaliyah that you don’t need to be privy to.” She kisses his cheek. “I think River was onto something. I could use a snack too.”
My stomach rumbles, and I laugh. “I guess I could too.”
“Then a snack we shall get.” Archer stands up with me still in his arms, heading for the kitchen.
“I can walk, you know.”
He leans down to brush his lips against mine. “I’m well aware of all the things you can do, love, but let me have this. It’s been over a millennia since I’ve been able to hold you in my arms.”
Grinning, I lay my head on his shoulder. “Okay.”
Peace settles over me, and I wonder if this is what my life is meant to look like. Can I really be an assassin with six lovers or mates or whatever? After the life I’ve lived, can I actually be happy?
Hope springs up inside of me, and for the first time in a long time, I find myself wishing that this could be my life.