After I cleaned up my mess, I went back to the Desmond compound and found they doubled the guards out front. I was tired and cranky, wanting to see my rose, smell her and touch her soft, supple skin. I wanted that so much that I cut up the guards quickly, made my way to her bedroom door, and magicked my way in.
It wasn’t like it was hard; I was finding the more I hung around with Rayla, the more I didn’t give a flying fuck about anything else. I didn’t care to rule anything, I just wanted to be with my rose. That was it.
I saw all of them bundled up together like it was the most natural thing, and my teeth clenched. I waited for her to wake up, my mind becoming more and more clouded with jealousy before I could confront her. She was my guiding star, the hand I sought out in the dark, the one I would follow till the end of time. I needed nothing else, and I wanted her to know that.
I rubbed at my chest, my mate bond throbbing just below the surface, and felt whole. All the past problems and anger toward her and the heirs seemed so useless. Why would I fight my mate? For what? Power? Money? Family? Honor? Fuck that. Fuck all of that. All I needed was Rayla Desmond, and that was it.
If that meant she would be pissed at me or not want to be with me for being on the wrong side, then I would switch. I thought back to her threat she gave me before I left, the one that raised my anger and cock at the same time, which I didn’t know was possible. I would never be bored with my mate, that was for sure.
When she laid out the punishments, the first two had me so elated. Having her make her demands on me and giving me consequences was no problem. It gave me a better understanding of where her line was drawn and further meant she cared deeply for me. So deep she felt the need to threaten me. It was like my dreams were coming true.
Then she laid down that last punishment, and I got mad that she knew exactly what would piss me off and hurry back to her. I did not want to be her father’s lackey. No way.
So, here I was, going back into the viper’s den to see if I could find the bosses because I knew that tattoo. I knew the smoky D tattoo that my uncle was using on every recruit now. That was the Devil clan, and now I think I understood what he and Kevin were talking about regarding a confinement space that worked against various powerful species. It was always his plan to capture the leaders and exact his revenge. Why couldn’t he do that with me? Why didn’t he trust me enough to tell me his plan, tell me what he was thinking?
As I went through the front doors, putting on my mask of indifference, I had one thought: I needed to get in that room, no matter how much it told me to turn around.
After saying, “Hi,” to some people and lying about where I was to others, I found the door I was looking for. The immediate feeling to turn around flooded my body and took over my natural instincts as my feet turned to flee. Why was I doing this? I didn’t need to go in there? Why would they be in there? There was nothing in that room that would help me. I should turn around and look elsewhere.
As I was about to do just that, something hit me. I was looking for information on the kidnapped bosses, this would be the first place they would put them. Why was I trying to convince myself otherwise?
I banged my fist against my head, trying to wake up my brain. This was the spell talking, not me. I wanted to go in there. I wanted to find the bosses... for Rayla.
Her face flashed in my mind, smiling down at me as she gripped my neck, her hand circled me like a collar, and my soul soothed. You collar someone you like, someone you want to keep around, someone important. I was important to Rayla... but so was her dad. I needed to get information. Rayla needed information.
I pushed at the mental blocks preventing me from going forward. I looked around, seeing no one in the hallway as I steeled my mind as I took it one step at a time.
By the time my hand was on the doorknob, my body was shaking, and everything inside of me told me to leave, but when I reached deep down and felt that golden thread of a bond and smelled the scent of candied jasmine in the air, I pushed through and opened the door.
Before, it felt like I was trying to run in water, but as soon as I crossed the threshold and the door closed behind me, it was like I was transported to land and could breathe again. The spell slipped off me, and I could think straight once more.
Before me stood a dark hallway, and lights flickered at the end of it, and my guard rose. Knowing my uncle, this place was not safe for those who were not invited. I had to play this safe, had to make curfew or my rose would chain me up. I would normally be excited about that, but when she mentioned her father, all sexy thoughts escaped, and dread filled me. Yeah, nope. I needed to be back before sunrise.
I didn’t know the layout of this place, which meant I needed to keep to what I knew, the shadows. I kept my steps light and soundless as I made my way along the wall. A murmur of voices around the corner made me pause to hear what they were saying.
“Can you believe that he was able to get those four? I mean, it’sThe Four.” The woman squealed in delight.
“I don’t know what the big deal is.” This came from a bored male voice. “They were cuffed pretty easily, and the driver said they didn’t even use magic when they fought a few people off. Do you think they gave their magic to the heirs or something?”
I heard a playful smack before the woman’s voice turned breathless. “Who cares. I would take any of those silver foxes for a ride any time. We have a copy of the key for the cuffs on the wall. Did you see Syris Glovefox wink at me when they passed on their way in here? I about came in my pants.”
My mouth pinched as I thought about what she said, and it gave me the ick. To think any of those men were so hot you wanted to cum in your pants was as unpleasant as knowing they had to have sex to make the children they had. A shudder ran down my back as I tried to scrub that image from my brain.
The male scoffed. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You know Vincent. He’s on a warpath when it comes to those four, so I would say that they are not long for this world, especially with the magic and strength suppressant cuffs on them.”
“Even with their cuffs on, their dicks still work. Maybe... I mean, if they are going to die anyway... maybe I could give them a sexy dying wish.” Holy fuck, where did my uncle find these urchins?
“Mel, you’re here to work on chemical compounds, not dream about sexual escapades with the most feared underground bosses. Plus, just because they have cuffs on doesn’t mean they can’t snap your neck or strangle you to death.” Chemical compound? Was Rayla right? Was my uncle in the drug game?
The woman grumbled with the screech of a chair being dragged. “We’re almost done anyway, and if you think that sadist Kevin will keep us on, you are living in a delusional world. I mean, I feel like our skills as chemists are not being utilized correctly.”
“Yes, coming up with a drug that’s easy for them to force supes to take and get hooked on is a waste of our expertise, but who else would be capable of creating an army of addicts willing to do whatever he wanted?” They seemed engrossed in their conversation, so I took a chance and peeked around the wall.
A flat-nosed, curly, dirty-blond-haired male sat next to a thin-faced, wide-eyed, dark-haired woman, both of them in lab coats and in front of beakers and microscopes, but what made them more out of place was they gave off a human aura.What the fuck were humans working with my uncle for?
“True”—the woman nodded—“but just think of all the discoveries we have made. We have learned so much about the supernatural’s biology.” She looked around, even though it was only her and this man in the room, before leaning toward him to whisper, “Plus, I have a contingency plan. If I don’t talk to my sister every day, she has instructions to grab the USB on my desk and take it to a government contact. They will know what to do with it.” That did not sound good, not at all.
“Mel! Do you kno—”
