I throw him a saccharine smile. “Oh yeah, how are you going to stop me?”
His lips curve in an infuriating smirk as he takes out his phone, unlocks it, and taps the screen. He calls someone and puts it on speaker.
“Hello,” Grayson’s stern voice slices through the blistering silence. “Who is this?”
Kaiden raises his eyebrow at me—surely to give me a second to process what he’s about to do. He lifts the phone to his mouth. Before he can say a word, I snatch it and jab the end-call button.
“Fine. You made your point.” I slam the phone to his chest and then stomp to the other side of the kitchen, unable to be near Kaiden because white-hot fury blazes through every cell in my body. “But I’m not staying here; I’m going home.”
“No, you’re not. Malik put powerful wards on the entire building. This is the safest place for you right now.”
“Sam put wards on my apartment when I moved—”
He cuts me off. “Light magic can only go so far, and you know it. Those wards will do jack shit against something that can present a real threat. Carter and another wolf shifter will guard the elevator while I’m gone. If you as much as step foot out of the penthouse, Carter will call Grayson for me, tell him all about the time we spent together.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” I mutter as I reach the bar and whirl around to face Kaiden, my hands balling at my sides. “I can’t believe you’re using this against me yet again. I hate you.”
Kaiden disappears from his spot and reappears a hair’s breadth away from me. He cages me in against the side of the bar. His spicy scent envelops me in silky waves that drug my senses. An infuriating smirk tugs at the corner of his lips before he bends, letting his hot breath fan against the shell of my ear. I shiver. “That so, angel? It sure didn’t look like you hated me when you rode my face or when you came so hard your pussy strangled my cock.”
Heat unfurls between my legs. I huff at his words, but it comes out weak. “Don’t flatter yourself. I might have never been with a man before, but I had better orgasms using my vibrator,” I snark.
Kaiden’s hand comes up to collar my throat in that way that makes me weak in the knees. His thumb massages the fluttering vein on the side of my neck as the ghost of a smile dances on his lips. He pulls back slightly, his burning gaze capturing mine. “Ah, I see. Well, we’ll have to rectify that, won’t we? Be a good girl, and don’t give Carter any trouble. I’ll reward you when I’m back. Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth your while. I’m going to fuck you so hard, angel, you’re going to forget your name,” he says before he bends and claims my mouth. The kiss is filled with carnal need—a promise of what’s to come.
I melt faster than butter on warm toast as I arch my body into his. His silky tongue glides against mine while my fingers burrow into his tee. When he pulls back, we’re both struggling to catch our breath.
“Okay, I’ll stay here, but I need to help my aunt move some boxes from her basement—”
“Absolutely fucking not. You can’t carry anything until your ribs are healed.”
I huff. “Well, I was supposed to do it on Sunday, but Sam blew her off with a text. Besides, I already called her earlier to tell her I’m going tomorrow. If I flake on her again, then she’s going to get worried and start asking questions. Especially if I don’t show my face at the compound either. And I can’t have that. So, I need to do this to at least pretend some semblance of normalcy.”
Kaiden sucks on his teeth. He snaps his eyes closed. Opens them. “Fine. Carter will take you, and you will have a security detail with you guarding the house. Then you’ll come back here. Promise me.”
“I promise,” I grumble.
He heaves out a weighted breath, bending to place a soft kiss on my forehead. “I have to go; I’ll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself at home. And, Iris? You still can’t lie for shit.” Kaiden winks before throwing me a roguish grin that makes my pulsehiccup. Then he disappears.
Ugh. Stupid fucking feelings and infuriating demon bastard.
5
Iris
“Hi dear,” Aunt Josephine says before throwing her arms around me in a hug. “Are you feeling better today? You look a little green…and tired.”
My reflection in the mirror earlier told me the same thing. I think I got like five minutes of sleep last night. Not only were my ribs stabbing my lungs, but my mind also kept torturing me with the gory replay of Erik’s death. At least the bruises on my face have faded enough that I could easily cover them with a layer of that stupidly expensive foundation Kaiden got me. Of course, I can’t tell her that, so I mumble instead, “I had nightmares, and my stomach is still pissed at me for doing tequila shots with Sam.”I mean, what’s another lie to add to the growing pile, right? I wonder when it will finally topple over and bury me under the debris.
Sympathy fills her kind brown eyes at my words when she inches back. “I’m sorry, dear. C’mon, I’ll make you some chamomile tea, and we can start clearing the basement when you feel better. Did you have breakfast already? I can fix you something real quick.” She takes my clammy hand in her warm one and leads me to the kitchen.
“I already ate. Thank you for offering, though.” I pull out a chair from the table in the corner to drop down on it as Aunt Josephine busies herself, pouring water into the kettle that she settles on the stove. “Ezekiel came around the library to ask about you. He said you missed your weekend sparring session.”
“I know, but I was too hungover to train. I swear I’m never drinking again,” I lie, yet again, but hey, at least it’s getting easier. Sparring with Ezekiel is out of the question until my ribs heal. One look at my weak stance would be all he needs to figure out something isn’t right. And I can’t tell him my injuries are the result of a demon fight since the streets were still empty the last time I checked. I might as well set myself on fire and say,Here I am, the big fat liar.
Last night was the second time I’ve missed a shift since I joined the Order—the first was when I attended the succubus party with Kaiden—and it’s killing me. I’m lucky the demon numbers are so low; otherwise, someone from the Order would have figured it out by now. Or they already did, and Grayson is waiting to kick my ass to the proverbial curb as we speak.
That is, if he doesn’t already suspect I was involved in his grandson’s disappearance, and if he isn’t already preparing my new home, a two-by-two meter cell at the Gomorrah Penitentiary—the prison where the Aureal Council sends all criminals against the Order to rot. My fingers clench andunclench in my lap.
That’s what I deserve, right? After all, I killed a member of the Order. Alightborn. Being a half-blood on top of committing the worst crime known to the Order will only add insult to injury. I mean, they already view me as the stray Grayson picked up after my mother died. And even if I was only defending myself, I can’t see the Council being too forgiving about what I did. OrhowI did it.
