Chapter 28 #2
My fingers are firmly wrapped around Maddie’s, as my thumb makes soothing circles on the back of her hand, to stop her from ripping Percy in two. He keeps smoking despite us asking him not to and is taking great pleasure in making smoke circles. Luckily, the ride is a short one.
The restaurant is busy; it’s an old maple tavern that serves good food and has the best Black money can buy. The outside is bright yellow, and the roof is black—you can’t miss it because it stands out like a sore thumb. This was also where Maddie and I had our first date in this life.
When I first saw her—no one in the underworld knew if the Book Reader had been reborn yet—I just happened to be scouting this area and spotted her amber eyes. As soon as she looked at me, I knew it was her. I felt it in my soul, just as I do each time.
Maybe this time will be different.
Maybe this time I get to keep her.
She already had the book, and her mother was teaching her how to use it. My hope is that this time, she and I will both be powerful enough to kill a Princess of Hell. To get rid of Macy once and for all.
“Gaelan, what is my dad doing here?” Maddie breaks into my thoughts before she goes rushing off to hug her father.
I asked him a few moons ago if I could have her hand in marriage, and he said yes.
He was so happy; he knew about our supernatural world.
With his daughter being the Book Reader, he had to.
He is non-supernatural, and Maddie gets her sweet side from him, so I wanted him to be with us this evening—her stepfather is going to hate it, though, not that I care.
Maddie comes over to me with her father holding her arm.
“Gaelan, good to see you.” David holds out his hand, and we shake; it shocks me that David isn’t the one with supernatural powers—he has the same amber eyes as his daughter.
“David, how is the company? Ready for me to buy it yet?” I jest.
He laughs. “So, you can mess it up? I don’t think so, son.” He pats me on the back. Maddie is smiling at us both, fuck she’s so beautiful. She kisses her dad’s cheek and moves to stand next to me.
“Gaelan, why didn’t you tell me you invited my father?”
I smile down at her. “Am I not allowed to surprise you?”
“You are… always.” She leans up and kisses me. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
“You have, but I never get tired of hearing it,” I confess.
“I love you, Gaelan, so much.”
I lock eyes with her; the love I have for this woman swells in my heart, tightening around it. I never want to let her go. I send a silent prayer to the Gods of Hell that this is our time.
David clears his throat, making Maddie blush and me chuckle. “Shall we take our seats?” he asks.
“Please do, I’ll be right back.” I kiss Maddie’s cheek, and her dad takes her arm, leading her to our little section of the restaurant. Just as they leave, Percy comes over to me, his voice low.
“Do you think it was a good idea to invite a non-supernatural to dinner? With everything that’s going on?”
I look up at him, this time not hiding the anger that flashes in my blue eyes.
“David is safe, Maddie would protect him with her life, just as I would for both of them.” I don’t give him a chance to answer me; I need to check in with Leah.
I walk outside the restaurant and find Leah already there waiting for me.
“My Lord.” She bows as soon as she sees me. I can feel my other guards surrounding the building. Tate would be stupid to attack topside at this time, but we still need to be careful. He has the Blood Bringer with him, and Maddie is not ready for that battle yet.
“How does it look this evening?”
“Tate has taken over another section of the underworld, my lord. We have eyes on him.”
My eyes lift to the sky. Tate taking over more of the underworld means more of my brothers have fallen, another daemon clan that refused to bend to his will. “Which section?”
“Lord Balam has been killed, his people slaughtered.”
“All of them? None got away?”
Leah shakes her head. “Woman and children also, my lord.”
I curse under my breath; I need to return to my people soon. Maddie agreed to move to the underworld with me so we can help fight—at this point, she may be our only hope. “Thank you, Leah. Let me know if anything more happens.”
She bows. “Yes, my lord.”
As Leah vanishes from sight, I turn, almost crashing into a man. He’s the same height as me, but doesn’t speak; he just looks at me, his red eyes burning into mine, and his long blonde hair pulled into one of those man buns on the top of his head. He inclines his head and smirks at me. “Gaelan.”
I frown. “Do I know you?”
“Not yet, but soon.” His eyes travel to the restaurant before they move back to me. He bows and then walks off. I watch him leave. When he gets to the end of the street, he turns back, and I watch as his eyes swirl from red to yellow before shimmering out of sight.
“Leah?”
She appears immediately. “Tracking, my lord.” Then she’s gone again. Pulling in a breath, my hands reach for the ring box., I don’t want anything spoiling this night, and I will gladly rip out someone’s vocal cords if they so much as make a move to, I think as I walk back into the restaurant.
Dinner is the perfect thing to take my mind off everything that’s going on around us. Percy leaves a few times to smoke his cigar; I think the main reason is that Ivy and David seem to be laughing and joking about old times.
“Thank you.”
I turn and smile down at Maddie. “What for?”
“This. I know we’ll be leaving soon, but this night has been perfect.”
I lean down and brush my lips over hers. “For you… anything.” I move my lips to whisper in her ear, “How are your panties doing?”
She blushes. “Soaked.”
I place a kiss on her neck. “Good.” My hand under the table runs up her thigh, then in between her legs. I hear her intake of breath as I run my fingers over her wet panties, and I fight not to growl out loud in wanting.. “Fuck I cannot wait to get you home.”
She turns her head into my neck and places a kiss there, teasing me with her teeth. “We might have to wait a little longer. Mom and Percy are staying with us tonight.”
My hand freezes. This time, I let her hear my growl.
“It’s just for one night, Gaelan, Mom asked, and I couldn’t say no.”
“It’s fine, they can sleep on the other side of the house.
Tonight I want to worship your body… all night.
” I kiss her slowly; her hands grab my shoulders, pulling me close.
I want to lay her on this dinner table, peel her soaking panties off, and feast on her cunt, but that will have to wait until later, unfortunately.
Giving her one last kiss, I stand up and clink my knife against my glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Good evening, I have a little announcement to make.” Her parents turn to look at me—her father looks like he’s going to burst with excitement, which makes me grin.
I turn and look down at my Rose, my Maddie, her amber eyes glowing up into mine.
“I love you so much.” She smiles, and I’m hoping that I’m about to make her the happiest woman in the world.
I pull out my chair and go to my knees in front of her.
“Gaelan?” she questions me, making me grin at her.
“It’s always been you, my whole life, you’ve been the one thing I was always sure of.
The one person that’s always just for me, I loved you the first moment I saw you, and I fall more in love with you every second of every day.
” Her hands slowly come to her mouth, and tears start to run down her cheeks.
“My father once told me that the perfect mate for me will make me a better man, make me want to be a better man, you do that and so much more.
“You became my true mate a few moons ago, but I want to have all of you.”
I pull the ring box out and open it, and she starts sobbing now. “You are beautiful inside and out. You test me, you push me, and challenge me. You love me, and I want to spend the rest of our lives loving the shit out of you. Maddison Marie Jay, will you marry me?”
She nods her head before falling onto my lap and crushing her lips against mine.
I kiss her back, pouring all the emotions I feel into it, tasting her tears as her scent wraps around me.
Currently, I am the happiest person alive.
She pulls back and laughs lightly when her mother and father start to clap.
I look over at them and smile. Percy just nods his head.
I didn’t expect anything more from him. Looking back at Maddie, I take her shaking hand and place the ring on her finger.
“Gaelan, it’s beautiful.” Awe fills her voice.
“Not as beautiful as you.”
She smiles and stands, going over to show the ring to her mother. “Mom, look.”
“It’s beautiful, darling.” Ivy beam, she turns to me, tilting her head, and smiles. “You are already a member of our family, so. Tonight has been beautiful.” She comes over and kisses my cheek.
David moves to Maddie and hugs her. “You have a good man, pudding.”
“You knew?” Maddie asks her dad, and he nods in agreement.
“Yes, Gaelan came to ask me a few weeks ago.”
She looks over at me, love and awe clear in her eyes. It’s the reason I wake up every day, the reason why I’ll fight to keep her alive. I would die for this woman.
Percy stands up and moves to hug Maddie. She steps back from him slightly, but he pulls her close anyway, hugging her. “Gaelan, you dark horse, keeping this from us all.”
“Not all,” I say, my annoyance that he’s disregarding David clear in my voice.
David grins over at me; he and I share a similar dislike of Percy.
Maddie pulls back and comes over to me, wrapping her arms around me. “You made me ugly cry, but this is the best night… almost as good as our mating.” I lower my head and breathe her in. She’s right, it is almost as good, but nothing will ever compare to the bonding of our souls.