Angel’s bottom lip is instantly trembling. His eyes lift to mine, round and glassy.
“Diablo…”
“Angel Alvarez,” I hum to him between the bars, “You were a gift that, on some level, I always knew was meant to be mine,whether I deserve you or not. You uprooted my entire life and I’m not even mad about it.” He lets out a tearful laugh. “I know I’m still el diablo and that will never change, but this evil man has been tamed by you, little bird. You have captured my heart Angelito, and onlyyouhold the key. It would be my greatest honor to be yours forever… if you’ll have me.”
He’s already nodding, eyes glistening while I shiver a question for my soulmate. “Will you marry me, baby?”
“Yes,” he breathes. “Yes, Manuel, I will. I’m desperate to marry you, Diablo.”
My heart is shattering as I grab the bars in my fists, “Dammit! Get out here so I can kiss you!”
He snorts, whimpering as he sticks the key into the lock with shaky hands, opens the door and dives on me.
I hold him with all my might and kiss away his tears of joy.
My little bird,my Angel… My gift that I will cherish until the stars fall and the universe melts away.
I don’t deserve him, but I stole him, and now he’s mine.
Heis my empire. His love, my kingdom come.
Then…
Ican’t speak to how quickly my medication kicks in or anything. But I do feel better already. For a few reasons, mainly just having that comfort.
I’m not always one-hundred percent sold on my meds, but I know they work, and I know that, regardless of the side-effects not always being great, I know they’re my best option for not falling into the darkened abyss of my mind’s psychosis like I did just now. That shit is not fun, especially when it’s happening in front of others.
Still, these people are my family. I know they’d never judge me, and let’s not forget—because who the fuck ever could—they’ve seen me do a lot worse than cower and cry and kick Velle in the nuts.
I’m trying hard not to let the fact that I’ve apparently hooked up withallof my friends weigh on me—except Felix, poor lamb. He feels left out, which definitely wasn’t intentional!
If Kemper wasn’t already on the verge of a freak-out himself, I’d throw my butchering bestie a bone and make out with him real quick.
But I really don’t think that would help any situation, let alone this one.
Ren doesn’t matter. He sucked my dick for his own proxy gains. But Byron, and Luthor… Those ones sting a little. Luthor was my fault. I attacked him in a fit, and I think I’d feel both better and worse if we talked about it. But now’s not really the time.
And Byron and I… well, that’s just fucked. Because neither of us knew what the hell was going on. Courtesy of the evil psycho who just surrendered and apologized for all this shit.
Uncle Ivory.
Let’s be clear. He’s notreallymy uncle. But I guess my father knows him somehow, and I’m still itching to get to the bottom ofhow.
Not to mention,apparentlyI fucked his boyfriend.Jesus, what was that about?!
I know Officer Kemper was a real rapacious son-of-a-gun, but shit… Did he have to make me actually bone a complete stranger??
I’m really not trying to think about it right now. Most of all, I’d like some context on the nature of my father’s relationship with The Ivory. So as mad at my dad as I was when he first showed up, Iamgrateful that he brought my pills, and that he seems determined to hang around so we can talk.
So after Velle makes his announcement that the war is over, once Rook and Joy are done kicking Ivory’s ass and the soldiers are getting rowdy, I tug Kemper along with me to go confront my dad.
“I want to thank you again,” I tell him first. “For bringing my pills. How did you find them?”
“I was headed for the shore,” he says in that usual unaffected brogue. “To locate Russo. I saw that he had you and your friends, and I was going to take him out—”
“You were going totake outGovernor Russo?” I ask, surprised.
“I have never liked this man,” he grumbles. “I will explain more later. But then I saw the little crazy one with the glasses…”
