Duron sat on the couch and stared at Ajani like he’d lost his mind. “Let’s just recap! You want me and Wyatt to go to Paraguay on some fucking wild goose chase for a shadow that people are too terrified to even mention the dude’s name and so call him the Devil?”
Wyatt, who was standing with his back to Duron, looking out the open window, didn’t show any of what he thought about the situation. They’d arrived back from a trip an hour ago from what was supposed to be a simple job: get in, do the kill, get out. Only it wasn’t.
The council, though they weren’t pulling their strings like they had previously, was still meager with details of the jobs they gave them. This time, those lack of details had nearly cost Wyatt an eye, and Duron continued to feel the ache where the vampire had chewed on his leg. The poor sod had been desperate to feed after his owner thought starving him would make him more compliant.
The target, the owner of an enormous mansion, had several pets, as he referred to them. He’d chemically chained them and abused them repeatedly. Wyatt and Duron agreed it was only right to let those who’d suffered kill the fucker themselves. Slowly. So they’d had to wait for days for the drugs to wear off, and then feed them to help them get back their strength.
Duron didn’t want to think too hard about the bloodbath that ensued after the guys’ captives had given the owner a taste of what he’d done to them. In Duron’s mind, it was nothing less than he deserved, irrespective of how much it twisted his guts into painful knots. He preferred to make any kill as clean as possible.
Marvin came into the room… blooming.
Duron blinked, then rubbed his tired eyes. His heart throbbed in his chest, and he had to look away from what his heart yearned for. It wasn’t for him. Marvin was Ajani’s. Fate had decided, and there was nothing Duron could do about that.
“Duron, are you okay?” Marvin came to him and sat next to him, rubbing a gentle hand up over his arm much like he’d done all the years he visited him when no one was looking.
“I’m fine,” he replied gruffly, creeping his arm away from Marvin’s touch so as not to upset him.
Marvin’s head quirked to the side. “You don’t look it.”
Ajani came closer, and Duron couldn’t take it and rose to give himself some distance between the pair who loved each other. It shone from them when they looked at each other as they were now.
Paraguay right now looks like a good option.His bear was smitten with Marvin, though his bear had always told him Marvin wasn’t meant for them. Duron hadn’t listened.
“What do you think?” Duron asked Wyatt, going to him and looking at his expression to see what his thoughts were. They hadn’t had any downtime in two weeks, and Wyatt had to be as tired as Duron.
“I’ve never been to Paraguay.” Wyatt gave him a slap on the shoulder, his eyes showing sympathy. “I’ll come with you to sort the Devil out. I’m sure we’ll be getting the VIP treatment of the Thalassa private jet.”
Ajani ignored Wyatt. “Are you sure you want to go, Duron? I could ask Conrad or Ekon?”
One look at the couple on the couch, and the answer was easy. “Yeah, I’ll go. I was planning a holiday. Paraguay might be a good place to get lost in for a little while after the job is done.”
Wyatt squeezed his shoulder and walked to Ajani. “Who will be our contact in Paraguay? Ben?”
“Ben’s leaving the council. He stepped down and bought an island near the Thalassa one. Isn’t that cool? They’ll be our neighbors, with me being their family, and you all being my family.” Marvin grinned happily as he stroked his round belly.
“Beaumont is now in charge,” Ajani said. “He’s back in Paraguay, and he wants to deal with the situation himself. He’s staying with Ben’s family, who have been seeking the Devil for some time without success, but they know the most about him.”
What Ajani said didn’t bode well, although Duron kept his thoughts to himself. A trip to the other side of the world was a good thing.It was.
“When can the plane be arranged for?” Wyatt asked before Duron could.
“As soon as you want to leave,” Alexi said, as he came into the room with Marin chattering nonsense in his arms. Duron had spent some time with all the children. He had a thing for children’s laughter. It was the brightest sound and could lift the spirit like nothing else. “I’ve had the plane on standby waiting for your return after the numerous calls from Beaumont wanting to know when you guys were coming.” Alexi chuckled. “The alligator doesn’t appear to have any patience, which is odd considering how they like to do their killing.”
Duron gave a noncommittal nod and took the baby from Alexi when Marin held out his arms, grinning at him, revealing his new teeth. The baby was fond of rubbing at Duron’s cheek, one which Duron could turn into fur with a thought. His bear was the most dominant of the animals who shared his large body. What they’d done to him meant he could randomly shift any part of his body at will. And as Marin’s father, Danik, was a bear, he suspected it was why the baby was drawn to him and liked to rub his furry cheek.
“I think my son prefers you.”
Alexi didn’t sound annoyed, so Duron grinned at the baby. “He knows a soft touch when he sees one.”
Wyatt coughed as if he was choking and muttered, “He’s not seen you in action, there’s nothing soft about that.”
“Leave him be,” Marvin said crossly at Wyatt.
Duron handed back the baby reluctantly. “I think it’s time we got going.”
After a round of goodbyes, and a trip to collect a fresh bag of clothing, they headed to the plane in a borrowed SUV. Duron looked around the big vehicle as Wyatt drove. “Why do you think we’ve bought nothing fancy with the money we make?”
Wyatt glanced sideways briefly. “That’s too deep a question when I’m bone fucking tired.” He frowned at the windscreen. “If I was to come up with an immediate answer, I’d say because of how we earned it. Blood money…”
