Chapter Ten #2
Frost pushed on. “Sorry, not sorry, but that’s dumb as fuck.
Your dark fae is a vampire now. Do you plan to hate on him too?
” Frost paused and immediately corrected himself.
“I don’t even know why I asked that. Of course, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
You’ve done nothing but torture him before now.
I don’t even know why I’m having this discussion.
You don’t deserve to get to say your piece, thundercunt,” Frost finished with all the anger and disappointment in his heart.
Lucifer sat. “I’ll wait my turn. Give me my grandbaby,” Lucifer demanded the moment his ass hit the loveseat. He immediately cuddled closer to Riku to share his papaw time.
Bodhi’s posture changed. His gaze moved over the pair on the couch.
When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and despondent.
“I’m not a bigot. I have nothing at all against any of Celeste’s creatures.
” He focused on Frost and tilted his head in Lucifer’s direction.
“I just really hate that guy. You should’ve seen me back then.
I was beautiful. It never once crossed my mind to move on to the next life.
I was content with my plants and potions.
My life was quiet and peaceful, with the scattered visit from a god or two.
He stole that life from me. He’s the reason Jormungandr killed my original form. ”
Lucifer’s gaze shot to Bodhi. “What are you talking about? I killed you.” He smirked. “And I’d gladly do it again.”
Bodhi snorted. “You fucking wish.”
Lucifer’s brow furrowed. His confusion was on display for everyone to see. “No, really. I killed you.”
Now Bodhi looked extra annoyed. “No. You didn’t. Don’t you think I’d know better than anyone who killed me? I was there. You weren’t.”
Lucifer’s gaze turned inward. “But…” He stood and moved toward Bodhi. He touched the man’s forehead.
Bodhi jerked back. “Damn, dude. I don’t want to see that. It was bad enough being ripped to pieces without you showing me what I looked like afterward, and so what? So you found me afterwards. That doesn’t mean you killed me. Now, it was definitely all your fault.”
Lucifer rallied at the claim. “If you’re sticking with the claim that I didn’t kill you, then how in the hell is it my fault? Literally, we are in Hell. How is it my fault?”
Bodhi blinked and then blinked again. “Are you being serious right now? I ended up in a hundred pieces because you couldn’t keep your dick to just me.”
“There’s no way. You have to be fucking with me. Are you really going to rage at me for sleeping with other people when you were too? In fact, you were also with Jormungandr. You got your damn self killed.”
“Why does it matter?”
Everyone turned Tam’s way.
Tam had Brownie on two legs, dancing with him while Brownie’s mate visibly smothered his laughter.
Tam didn’t stop moving to the music only he could hear. “Your current form is very beautiful. I can hear your mate's thoughts. He thinks you’re super sexy and can’t wait for you to feed him again, so this entire conversation is really not needed.”
Bodhi looked horrified. “Shit. I didn’t get to feed him. You interrupted us before I could.”
Tam shrugged. “He’s a fairy. River can easily find food elsewhere.”
“The fuck you say,” Bodhi growled and then vanished, leaving the ropes and chair behind.
Lucifer shot an annoyed look Tam’s way. “Why did you send him away? We weren’t finished.”
Tam giggled when Brownie hopped, getting into the spirit of the dance.
He was still smiling when he looked at Lucifer.
“I didn’t do anything. He always had the power to leave.
I hate to be the reminder of bad news, but nothing or no one controls druids.
They belong to no god. Celeste literally did nothing to affect him other than give him a mate.
She’s no fool. She knew how to bring an end to all this nonsense.
There’s no point in violence. Even if you destroyed this planet to get rid of Bodhi, he would just be reborn on another.
You know this. He stayed in that chair exactly as long as he wanted to. Now he doesn’t. Want to stay, that is.”
Lucifer swiped his hand across his eyes.
Tam turned into a gorgeous white fox and jumped on Brownie’s back.
Frost reclaimed his spot next to Gemini.
Gemini took Frost’s hand and lightly squeezed it. “Well, at least that’s over.”
Lucifer shot Gemini a look that screamed he thought Gemini was an idiot. “Were we listening to the same conversation we were just in? Bodhi hates me and wants Frost far away from me. He won’t stop.”
Gemini shrugged. “Well, I mean, he was right here. He popped out of the ropes like smoke. My guess is he could have taken Frost on his way out. We don’t know the extent of his powers, but he didn’t try to harm anyone. He just left. That doesn’t sound like he’s really that bent on revenge.”
Riku nodded. “Agreed. Eternity is damn long, especially without a mate. It’s more likely he’s just been hyper-fixated on this to endure yet another tiresome lifetime.
Celeste finally led him to his mate. Problem solved.
At least now you know you weren’t the one who killed Bodhi. It sounds like Jormungandr set you up.”
Lucifer sat. He eyed the room as if everyone had lost their collective minds. “What is happening?”
Celina patted his face as if reminding Lucifer she was there. His gaze fixated on her, and everything about him softened. “What is it, baby? How may I serve you today?”
Celina laughed. She kept patting his face, bordering on violent. “Pa, Pa, Pa.”
Lucifer’s gaze shot to Frost. “She said her first word, and it’s Papaw.” He lifted Celina and held her a little above his head. “Yes, baby girl. You’re so smart. Papaw love you so much.”
Frost sat, mouth agape, doing his best to pretend shock.
She had started saying dada a few days back, but Frost loved letting Lucifer believe he got all the firsts.
He had missed this with Frost. Frost understood his rage.
If anyone took Celina from him and hid her away, stealing years of firsts from him, he would be just like Lucifer.
He would easily toss them to the demons and let them torment his soul.
But those years were gone for Lucifer, and he had a family now.
Frost wanted him to let go of the past and focus on the now.
That was what they all needed to do. It was time to let go.
River sang a little song while playing with his new friends, Pip and Evan.
They were so adorable and fluffy. He couldn’t wait to tell his neighbor all about meeting a Werefox and Werewolf.
The song he sang died on River’s tongue.
He supposed he would never see Oaks again.
He had no idea how he had come to be in this position.
There was no way River could have predicted he would hand flowers to Bodhi and fall in love.
River smiled at the images that played through his head at the memory of that moment.
He had so shyly confessed that he thought Bodhi was pretty.
Just picturing that day made River hot all over again.
River fanned his face, just as he had done then. He was definitely sweating at the idea of being beneath all the lusciousness that was Bodhi. He was such a big guy. River wondered if Bodhi would let River top him. He fanned faster.
The vampire, who had been left at the edge of the mirror, where Tam and Bodhi had disappeared through earlier, eyed River as if he waited to see if River fainted.
River flashed him a smile. “I’m good. No need to look so worried. I was just thinking about my mate.”
The vampire named Stone wore an expression that matched his name. “It’s like that sometimes, even for evil bastards, it seems,” Stone tacked on the end as if speaking to himself.
River moved from his butt to his knees. He sat back on his heels and ran his hand through the wolf’s fur to give himself courage. “You’re the vampire mated to Lysander, are you not?”
He dipped his chin sharply. The set of his jaw spoke volumes about how much he resented having to converse with River. “I am.”
He did his best not to cower under Stone’s barely suppressed rage. “I’m a fairy too.”
“I can smell that.”
“Oh.” What was it with everyone talking about his smell lately? River twisted his fingers. He didn’t like when people didn’t like him. He felt a little sick at the idea of one of his brethren’s mates hating him.
“I have nothing against you. Your mate is another matter. His dark magic created the fae that tried to steal my life.”
“I always forget vampires can read minds,” River said absently before getting back on topic. “Do you mean Stygian?”
Stone’s gaze sharpened. “Yes. Do you know him well?”
River understood Stone’s animosity. “He overtook my body for like an hour. Best nap I ever had.”
Stone snorted. The sound was closer to a laugh than a noise of disgust. River would take it.
He pressed on. “I still very much wish he hadn’t done that.
His memories are terrible, and I think they left some sort of remnant behind.
I can still feel the pain and resentment.
It’s a yucky feeling. I can’t imagine how painful it must be to be him.
I rely on sex to stay alive. His kind does too.
But to have no body and still experience all the same needs.
The starvation.” River pressed his hands against his stomach as it rumbled with the need to feed.
“Well, that’s an unfortunate sound,” River said with a chuckle.
A soft smile lifted the corners of Stone’s mouth. “I’m sure your mate will return soon to feed you.”
River shifted back onto his butt and crossed his legs. The tiny fox jumped onto his lap and settled in for pets. The collar he wore proved he was someone’s fur baby. As adorable as he was, River imagined he was highly spoiled. He ran his fingers through Pip’s fur.
“Do you really believe he’ll be back, or are you just trying to mollify me?”