nothing more for me to say.
Lupe nodded curtly, schooling his expression again with a monumental
amount of effort. “If anything were to happen to her…”
“Nothing will,” Ryland broke in.
“I know that.” Lupe didn’t sound convinced. “But—Who the fuck is
calling me?” He whipped his head in the direction of his tablet, which was
now vibrating with an incoming call. My heart stuttered and got caught in my
throat. I recognized the number displayed on the screen, and if Lupe’s sharp
inhale was any indication, he did too.
“Don’t answer it,” Killian warned shakily, but Lupe already had the
phone pressed to his ear. The frown carved into his mouth was weary and
grim, the crack in his personality as visible as it had ever been.
“Father,” Lupe greeted, that one word cutting into me like a garrote. I
couldn’t hear what the sadistic bastard said on the other end of the phone, but
Lupe’s face drained of all color. His eyes flickered to Z in the backseat before
focusing once more out the windshield. “I can’t…” His jaw clenched, anger
evident in every hard line of his body, but whatever his father said next had
something shuttering in his eyes. “I understand.” Pause. “Yes.”
No goodbyes were exchanged as Lupe hung up the phone…and then
abruptly tossed it against the dashboard with a roar of fury that stirred my
hair.
“Fucking hell!” Bash hollered, but Lupe ignored him, looking ready to
grab something else and break it as well. Considering the fact that the only
other thing he could break was me, I tried to speak to him.
“What happened?”
“My father,” Lupe bit out, his eyes flashing with acidic rage.
“What about the asshole?” Ryland asked icily.
“He wants me home. Now.”
“Now?” Killian parroted.
“Fuck,” added Dair.
Lupe clenched and unclenched his hands as he stared stormily out the
window. His expression was thunderous. “He threatened Z.”
“He…” Darkness permeated my soul, tainting something inside of me.
“I’m going to kill the fucker.”
“Get in line,” muttered Ryland, and I had no doubt the shadow was
serious. Ryland was silent, preferring to stick to the shadows than make his
presence known, but I knew he was a formidable opponent. Passivity did not
make him any less dangerous. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill if it meant keeping
his family safe. Keeping Z safe.
“Who the fuck do we hate more now?” Jax mused from where he plucked
at Z’s hair. He brought a strand of gold to his nose and inhaled deeply. His
eyes, a strange combination of crazed and coherent, met mine. “The mermaid
king or the shifter one?”
“Both?” Bash responded wryly.
“Then why don’t we kill them.” Jax spoke as if the answer should’ve
been obvious, as if we were imbeciles for not thinking of that sooner.
“We can’t just kill the ruling monarchs without expecting repercussions,”
Bash gritted out. “Besides, if we kill them and get caught, we’ll be put into
prison for the rest of our lives. Or killed. We can’t protect Z and our
kingdoms behind bars.”
Instead of responding to Bash’s reasoning, Jax dropped his attention back
to Z, apparently done with conversation for the day.
“I have to go see my father,” Lupe managed to grit out. I could tell it was
taking every ounce of willpower for him not to bear out.
“Not alone.” I met his gaze before focusing on the road once more. A few
seconds later, we reached a tiny restaurant, and it was there I stopped, turning
the car off and sitting in silence. Automatically, my eyes flew to Z, as they
always did when she was with me. I needed to ensure with my own two eyes
that she was okay, that she was alive.
I wouldn’t be able to breathe normally until she was.
It was hard to fill my role as the unofficial leader of our group. All I
wanted to do was cuddle up next to Z and show her how much I loved her.
But I couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not when there was a war brewing on the
horizon and my sweet, perfect mate was at the center of it.
announced to the group, ignoring Lupe’s wide-eyed stare and mounting
protest. “No buts,” I warned him firmly. I wanted more than anything to stay
with Z, but I wouldn’t— couldn’t leave my brother unprotected, especially
knowing what his father was capable of. Z would want me to go with and
protect him, so that was what I would do. “The rest of you, take care of our
girl.”
“I don’t fucking like this,” Bash spat out. “Do you remember what
happened the last time we split up?”
Death. Murder. Blood. Pain.
“Protect our girl,” I told them severely, all but throwing myself out of the
vehicle. As I moved to the backseat, Jax immediately got out, allowing me to
slide in and lean over her. She looked serene in sleep. Peaceful, even. I
might’ve believed she was simply sleeping, if there weren’t a tiny wrinkle
between her brows and the slightest downward tilt to her lips. At least my
brothers had the sense to clean the blood from her face. I probably would’ve
lost my damn mind if I saw it staining her perfect, porcelain skin.
My mate was in pain, and it fucking destroyed me. Obliterated me.
“I love you, baby,” I whispered to her unconscious form, brushing a
strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Knowing what she would demand of
me if she were conscious, I added, “And I’ll look after the big idiot for you.”
I jabbed a finger in Lupe’s direction, despite knowing she couldn’t see me.
“No harm will come to either of us. I promise you.” I kissed her forehead, her
cheeks, and then finally, her lips. Something salty merged with her usual
flavor, and it took me a long moment to realize it was a tear—my tear.
This might be the last time I saw Z.
No! Don’t think like that, Devlin. She’ll be fine. She has to be fine.
“My turn,” Lupe growled, all but throwing me out of the van to take my
place. I wanted to punch him but quickly reined in the impulse. He couldn’t
control himself right now, and I knew that if I started something with him, he
would explode completely.
The tension in his shoulders drained away as he stared at the woman we
all loved more than life itself. He peppered kisses across her face, whispered
that he loved her and would look after me, and then stepped back out.
Ryland, who’d moved to the driver’s seat while we were preoccupied
with Z, rolled down the window and leveled us with a fierce stare. For once,
he wasn’t hiding behind his shadows, his scars on clear display as his lips
curled downwards.
“We’ll protect her,” he assured us softly. “She’ll be safe.”
“She damn well better be,” Lupe growled out.
“Take care of yourselves,” he continued, ignoring Lupe’s interruption.
“She’ll have all of our asses the second she realizes you guys left to visit your
sadistic father. Only trust one another.”
“Don
e,” we both agreed immediately.
Ryland nodded once more, his expression grave, before he slowly rolled
up the tinted window, cutting off our view of him…and our view of Z.
Fuck, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t think I would again.
A second later, the van was pulling away, leaving us alone in front of the
restaurant.
Lupe couldn’t stop pacing, his muscles rippling as his bear wrestled him
for control.
“What the fuck did your father want?” I demanded. I was going to kill the
sick bastard when I saw him…mostly because he took me away from Z when
she needed me the most.
“I don’t know.” Lupe ran a hand through his brown hair, causing the
strands to stick up in all directions in a disheveled mess. “He called and said
to meet him in the capital in an hour’s time. He said that if I was even a
second late, he would ‘slice the pretty assassin’s neck.’” Anger emanated
from his gaze, the same anger I knew was in my own.
Threatening Z…
He’d pay for that with his life.
“You know this is a trap, right?” I told him, and he nodded once, a simple
bob of his head that said more than words ever could. There were years of
pain in his gaze, pain that nothing could alleviate or abate. Pain caused from
cruel words and unspeakable horrors I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“I know,” Lupe responded at last, already walking towards a car in the
parking lot. He didn’t hesitate to use his meaty fist to break open the window.
Blood cascaded down his hand from the numerous cuts created by the glass,
but he didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did notice, he didn’t fucking care. “But
there’s nothing I can do about it.” He paused abruptly, straightening from his
semi crouch to face me. The steely glint in his eyes gave me a pause, and
instantly, I was on alert.
“What is it?”
“I don’t care about the consequences anymore,” Lupe told me, a darkness
like I’d never seen before rolling across his expression. “When I see my
father, I’m going to kill him. I’m going to rid the world of his stain once and
for all.”
EIGHT
Z
T he mansion was a mismatch of architectural and decorative styles—
from archaic with its stone blocks, stained glass windows, and
torches protruding from the wall, to modern with sleek leather
couches, a television hanging opposite them, and a glass coffee table on
bright red carpeting.
I moved on silent feet to one of the couches, my eyes traveling around the
room and taking in every detail with rapt focus. One glance out the window
confirmed we were on some sort of cliff, the ocean frothing against the
craggy, brown-gray rocks far below.
The floor plan, from what I could see, was open, the living room flowing
seamlessly into a kitchen. But despite the modern appliances, it still appeared
to be a castle from the before times. Old and dirty, but timeless. Elegant,
even.
I glanced down at my bare feet, surprised by what I found myself
wearing.
A…dress. An elegant dress that cascaded around my figure in ruffles and
lace. It was a dark, verdant green that cinched at my waist, flaring outwards
in a puffy skirt. My reflection revealed perfectly curled blonde hair that
nearly reached my waist and the lightest application of makeup—pink lips,
eyeshadow, and mascara that made my eyes pop. Tiny pearl earrings
completed the ensemble.
“You look beautiful, Gabriella,” a soft voice mused from behind me.
I spun, my heart lurching up my throat and becoming lodged there, to see
none other than Aaliyah standing behind me.
She was even more beautiful up close, her skin flawless and glowing in
the flickering candle flames. Orange-red hair cascaded down her shoulders
in voluminous curls, a few of the strands held away from her arresting face
by a barrette. She wore a red dress that slid off of her shoulders and fit her
like a glove.
“What do you want?” I gritted out, my teeth clenched. “How did I get
here?” I debated lunging forward and snapping her pale neck but decided
against it. I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there. Knowing my
luck, the second I killed the psycho bitch, her army of monsters would arrive
and strike me down.
For now, I had to play this safe, and that meant refraining from slitting
her throat with my fingernail.
A dangerous expression crossed Aaliyah’s face, darkening her perfect
features, even as she rolled her eyes and moved farther into the room. She
gripped the hem of her dress with one hand, holding it just above her ankles,
while her other hand trailed across the gray stone wall, her fingers digging
into the grooves present.
“Don’t you worry your pretty head, little sister,” she sang, incandescent
anger tainting the laughter in her voice and turning it into something ugly. It
was almost as if she couldn’t decide if she was happy or wrathful, a
conundrum that made her seem even more unhinged than ever before.
“You’re still with those… men .” Her face twisted at that word, demoting her
from beautiful to hideous in one second flat.
Fuck her. God, I wanted to kill her so bad, it was almost a physical ache.
What she did to Jax…
But then her words penetrated my skull, and I strengthened almost
imperceptibly.
“So this is a dream?” I reasoned, the fact bolstering my confidence. If it
was just a dream, that meant I was still safe with my men. Well, not safe, per
se, but I wasn’t in hell with this bitch.
“Yes.” Another twist of her ruby-red lips. Another annoyed glance in my
direction. Another distasteful sneer aimed my way. “You can do so much
better than those nightmares, you know. So, so much better.”
“Why?” I quipped. “You want them for yourself?”
Memories of the way she’d treated my vampire lover played on a loop in
my head. I didn’t know the explicit details, but I knew with certainty that
she’d tried to seduce him. Fortunately, Jax’s love for me stopped her
advances, even with the bloodlust plaguing his mind. Still, that didn’t stop
her from flirting with and touching him every change she got. It didn’t stop
her from placing a spell on him that forced him to give in to his sin, gluttony,
and embrace the monster he tried so hard to contain.
For that alone, I would hate her forever.
Disgust curled back her upper lip, even as her eyes danced with
amusement. “I’m not interested in them like that. But thank you for offering,
little sister.”
Anger burned white-hot inside of me. “Then why do all of that to Jax?
Why try to seduce him?”
“Because I needed to see if he was good enough for you,” she responded
immediately, earnestly, but the twinkle in her eyes made me think that I
wasn’t getting the full story. I didn’t trust the murderous bitch any further
than I could throw her. There was something wicked lurking just beneath her
stunning exterior. Something dark, dangerous, and foreboding.
“Why
am I here?” I hissed out, repeating my earlier question that she
conveniently ignored.
I didn’t expect her to answer me, so it was no surprise when she skillfully
changed the subject once again. She continued to move farther and farther
into the room, her hand moving from the wall to the top of the couch, her
fingers caressing the leather.
“You heard the story about how the nightmares came to be, correct?” she
questioned, her tone almost conversational. My brows furrowed, and I took
an automatic step away from her.
“Yes. They’re descended from the Seven Deadly Sins.” That was textbook
knowledge. Every human and nightmare alike were forced to study this
before they were even out of diapers. It was that lineage that made
nightmares supreme and untouchable. How could we lowly humans compete
with spiritual entities?
“Did you know that the Seven Deadly Sins came to Earth after they fell in
love with an angel named Gabrielle?” she continued, and my breath hitched.
I could feel my heart racing beneath my rib cage, threatening to escape at
any second. “It’s funny how similar your names are.” She flashed me a
cunning smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Gabrielle. Gabriella.
Funny coincidence.”
“Where the fuck are you going with—?”
“But what the textbooks don’t tell you, is that the world requires a
balance. A light to every darkness. A night to every day. It’s why the sun and
moon constantly chase each other with no end in sight, trapped in a tango, a
dance. An unrequited love story.” Her gaze turned distant as she moved even
closer to me. My back was flush against the wall, the open window directly
beside me and leading down to the ocean far below. “The angel had a sister,
a demon to be exact, but the fates prohibited the two of them from meeting.
That didn’t stop the demon from loving and protecting her sister from afar.
When fate allowed the demon onto Earth with her own mates, she eagerly
jumped at the opportunity. But unlike Gabrielle being mated to the Seven
Deadly Sins, the demon was mated to the Seven Heavenly Virtues. You want
to know how her story varies from Gabrielle’s?”
I could barely breathe, barely hear. The only sound I was aware of was
the hammering of my heart, the noise so deafening and consuming, I felt