Samael slowly pulled out of me as I straightened up, my body screaming as I shifted, every muscle aching from Samael’s roughness. I fell back into Samael’s lap as he sank into his chair, his massive frame warm against my back.
Aeron’s voice broke the silence, teasing my inability to ever sit still. “I’d ask Runo to help make dinner, but you need rest. Have you put any thought into what you want to do?” I opened my mouth to answer before Aeron shook his head. We had had this conversation a billion times too. I couldn’t work in the journalism business anymore, not without people wanting to dissect my life but I hadn’t actually figured out anything. “Yes, I know you have your father’s trust money, but that won’t last forever.”
I sighed, leaning into Samael’s chest, his heartbeat steady against my back. “I always did like cooking and it’s fun with you. You said you might open another truck or something so maybe I could help until I figure out what I want? Sitting around here is making me antsy.”
Aeron laughed. “We all know you’re using sex as a distraction.”
I shrugged. “It works, but yeah, I need to do something before I go stir crazy.”
A loud thud snapped us out of the conversation, the victim’s body splattering on the floor from where it had been hanging, blood and guts spraying across the tarp. Slash froze, his finger swiping through the blood splattered across his face, a piece of guts clinging to his skin. He stared at it for several seconds, all of us waiting to see what he’d do.
Slash then shook his head and flicked it off, the guts landing somewhere in the room. “Absolutely not. Nope, that’s still Aeron and Runo’s thing. Fuck that. Let’s order some Thai.”
A cackle tore from my throat as Aeron stood and stuffed himself back into his pants, the man jutting out his bottom lip in an adorable pout. “I can prepare somethingreallynice.”
Samael’s hands tightened on my hips. “We’re not debating your cooking skills, but that’s just not our thing.”
Aeron’s pout deepened. “You liked it once.”
Samael grinned as he dipped his lips to the bite on my shoulder, his breath warm against my skin. “Maybe I’ll taste it again one day. Right now, Slash, go wash up. Aeron, order from that little Thai place, would you? I’m going to clean Runo up.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Slash cut me off. “Hey, kitten? You’ve already pulled your last set of stitches because you won’t sit still. Unless you’re trying to kill yourself, maybe take it easy.”
I sighed, leaning back into Samael. “Fine. Since you asked so nicely. I’ll think about it.”
EPILOGUE
KILLIAN
I signed into the jail, my pen scratching across the visitor log, a grin splitting my face as I handed the clipboard back to the guard. The guard, a grizzled guy with a badge reading “Hanson,” looked at me with pity. “Sorry, kid. I worked for your father for a bit, and it’s terrible to know he’s responsible for this. I can’t imagine what it was like for you to find out.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting a laugh as I followed him down the corridor. The irony was delicious—Dad behind bars, framed for our chaos, and me playing the innocent son. Hanson led me to a small room and gestured inside. “You need anything, just knock on the door. He’s handcuffed to the table so you’re safe in there.”
I looked inside and there was Dad, his face pale, eyes red and hollow from rotting in a cell. He leaned forward as I took a seat, finally getting to see the man who had let my mother die on her own. “You bastard! I did everything for you and your mother,and this is how you treat me? How did you even get them to believe your lies?”
“Dad, you’re here because you cared more about your image than taking care of your family. I wouldn’t have fucked with you if you didn’t…”
Dad laughed, a bitter, broken sound falling from his lips, his hands jerking against the cuffs. “Son, seriously? You’re evil, through and through. You would have done all of that and more regardless of what I did. You need a reason, so you blame me, that’s fine. But that’s not why you did all those things.” He stopped, his eyes narrowing as he searched my face. “Wait, you’re not Runo.”
“Bingo! I’m Killian. See, Runo hated you for his own reasons. The therapists. The long hours alone at the house. Having to watch our mother slowly lose her mind alone. But for me? All I wanted was someone to love me, to love Mom the way you used to. All I wanted was a father.”
Dad’s face crumpled. “Where is Runo?”
I laughed, the sound echoing in the small room. “He already said goodbye to you. This is my turn.”
Dad cleared his throat, his voice settling into something that sounded like acceptance. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing with those guys or the voices in your head. Without me there, you’re going to get caught.”
“That’s what I have Samael for.”
His eyes went wide, his face paling further, a tremor running through his cuffed hands. “No, you killed him.”
“Dad, oh, you poor old soul. He’s not dead. I’m in love with him. We all are. Why would we ever kill him? Besides, he’s going to be a daddy, and I can’t quite do this all on my own.” I reached down, rubbing my belly, wondering how he was going to take that revelation. One of Samael’s guards had sent me a picture ofJade shopping for maternity clothes. I made sure to send her a few dollars but addressed it as if it had come from a neighbor.
Dad’s jaw dropped, his voice a hoarse whisper, confusion twisting his features. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You didn’t hear? You’re going to be a granddaddy. Jade’s pregnant with a baby girl.”
His hands jerked against the cuffs, his voice rising with panic all over again. “You can’t have kids. That’s… DMD…”
