I interrupt myself as I see he’s shaking with quiet mirth, and my face flames bright red.
He traps my lip between his teeth as his arms clasp me roughly. Then he breathes into my mouth, “I can see we’re not going to have a very dull life, you and I.”
He crushes me to him for a long time, hungrily seeking out my mouth, his tongue hooking around mine.
“Now,” he murmurs, pulling away from me, “put this on.” He grabs a sheer, lacy white nightgown from a nearby chair. “I’m going to feed and spank you, and then I’m off to kill a man.”
21
Damien
It’s hard to leave, especially when I see Seraphina looking at me with those great violet eyes of hers. She doesn’t protest. She knows it’s no use. But I can tell she’s terrified of something happening to me. She doesn’t spare a thought for herself. She never does.
She doesn’t have to worry about me, though. Nothing could keep me away from her.Not even death.
__
We end the evening with a pretense of normality. Neither of us brings up my plans for later. I’ve made her favorite food, rare steak. Well, calling it her favorite food is a stretch. I still haven’t found a food that awakens any real interest in her, apart from those morning cappuccinos, though I’m not sure those could really be called food. Still, cutting into the steak, watching the red juices bubble out, seems to bring her some enjoyment.
We head back to bed, and I can see she’s thankful that I’m still here. She hasn’t asked when I’ll be leaving, and I haven’t volunteered the information. It’s as though we prefer to remain in a bubble of suspended time, pretending this is how it always will be.
Thisishow it will always be, I tell myself forcefully. Only it will be a lot better, because all danger will have been removed, once and for all.
The minute we’re under the covers, I kneel between her thighs and bring her to orgasm a dozen times. Then I push myself up to the hilt inside her and fuck her passionately. Nothing too crazy tonight, after that intense bath session. Missionary feels pretty good right now. Feeling her in my arms, watching her beautiful features contort themselves with pleasure. Flipping her over and turning that pretty ass of hers crimson. Sinking my teeth into the side of her neck, claiming her.Mine.
By the time I’m done with her she’s lying panting on the bed, her energy gone, her eyes glazed over with happiness. I drag her to me, clasping her to my chest while my hands stroke her whole body. Her beautiful dark hair, her smooth cheeks, her back and sides that curve into a tiny waist and then the swell of her ass, her perfect small tits pressed against me. I try to remember every part of her, commit her to memory, even though I tell myself it’s absurd. Nothing will happen. I’m coming home.
Soon, she’s sleeping soundly, despite the fear I can read in her eyes. But I’m unable to doze off. I stare out at the sky changing colors. From dark gloom to pink, the sun’s first rays painting a pretty patchwork of pastels.
I head out at about 4 a.m. I don’t need to leave so early, but I don’t want her to see me go. It would be too hard. It’s hard enough as it is.
I head out in the car, checking the camera feeds on my phone to make sure they’re all working properly. I nod at one of the guards surrounding the place. I wish I knew the ten of them better. They’re new at Devil, but there wasn’t much time to get everything in place. Usually, we test our security out on less important missions first. Still, they’re headed by a guy I know well and have full faith in, Stefano, and that’s the most important thing. As long as I trust the head security guy, everything else will fall into place.
Still, it’s never been more difficult to tear myself away fromher. Anxiety pulses in my stomach, and I push it down forcefully. I have no choice. Ihaveto do this. This is the only way to keep her safe. I have to end it now.
Sighing, I drive onto the main road, heading in the wrong direction, and continue some time until I’m sure that if anyone spots me, they’ll have no idea where I came from. Not that anyone could possibly have our location. But you never know.
I find a little wooded clearing and park there. I take out my phone and scroll through messages exchanged with the other Devils on our encrypted app. Igor told me the little interrogation he put Lucy through removed all doubt. She had been working with Angel since the beginning. She grew up in a religious family and always had a compunction about being associated with Devil and our criminal activities. So when Angel reached out to her at the very beginning of their arrival in the United States, she decided to help them. Not that they’re any less criminal than us, as she soon found out. But at that point it was too late. She was in it too deep.
She helped Vale. Plotted with him and Angel to kill the entire Cole family. That way, they could ensure an unimportant item easy to kill in a local paper—the death of a small-town politician—would turn into national news. Then she ratted us out to the FBI, along with Vale.
The nanochip at the heart of the whole clusterfuck neverwasin the perfume package Seraphina stole. Gabriel Murillo had it in his possession the entire time. Meanwhile, Lucy was the one who decided, when she saw Seraphina steal a perfume box right when the phony handover was supposed to be orchestrated, that she would be the perfect fall guy. She put my girl in danger, and for that, she is currently six feet underground.
Thank God no one gave Lucy the location of the house. I made the random call to put her in charge of wedding details instead of the house purchase. It could have gone either way. As it is, oursecret is safe.
Noel was forced to make a call: save Lucy, or get his revenge.
I don’t even need to read Logan’s confirmation to know Lucy’s dead.
__
I’ve been working on the phone for a while by the time I look up. The sun is high in the sky now. Time to go.
I turn on the engine again and roll back onto a small highway. I drove for a while in the other direction, and it takes me nearly two hours to reach the tiny hamlet where Noel is likely heading by now. It’s in Vermont, but reminds me of Seraphina’s hideaway in the Catskills. There’s a diner, a ‘country store’ which is really only a glorified gas station, and that’s pretty much it. Yet somehow the atmosphere around here feels a little less hopeless. And in the distance, nestled among the treetops, I see the large white house that Everest purchased in his own name.
Noel was never the brightest bulb out there, and I have no doubt he’ll go straight there.
But it’s likely he’ll lie in wait until he’s sure that we reallyarehere. I’m going to have to show myself in town before leading him to the dwelling that will serve as his final resting place.
