He walks over and sits down next to Jessup and places his hands in his lap as if they can hold in the excitement that’s pouring off of him. He reminds me of a child in a candy shop that’s just waiting for the green light to go on a shopping spree for all the candy he can carry.
“What’s got into you?” Daniel questions Carl as he looks at his phone before turning it off in a huff.
Picking up the drink in front of him, Jessup's nose flares when he brings it up to smell, and his eyes go wide. The glass topples, spilling its contents as Jessup drops it in exchange for Carl’s collar.
In the blink of an eye, Carl is underneath a half-shifted Jessup with claws digging into his shirt and fangs millimeters away from his face. “How the fuck is that possible?”
Shit!I don’t know what’s going on, but this definitely isn’t what was supposed to happen tonight. I reach for Carl as Daniel comes over and helps to pull Jessup off of our friend. “Jessup, you have to let him up. He can’t talk when you’re seconds away from ripping out his throat,” he reminds him.
Who knew logic would actually work? Carl scrambles up off the floor with my help, his smile long gone, and retreats to the bar. He pours himself a shaky glass of Fae wine and takes a sip. Glancing over, I see Daniel with scrunched eyebrows and thin lips. I can see Jessup shaking as his muscles spasm, and his jaw clenches while he tries to control himself. He’s about to explode if Carl doesn’t say something soon.
“You better start talking right this fucking moment, Carl, before I lose my shit and I’m down one friend,” Jessup chokes out.
Carl blanches and tosses back the drink, then throws up his hands as he clears his throat and stares Jessup in the eye. “Okay, I'll explain, but you have to promise me—no—you willlistento everything I have to say without interrupting or doing anything stupid. Actually, that applies to all of you.” He waves a hand at the other two of us, and my brow furrows in annoyance, but I let it go.If anyone can keep things together, it’s me; all thanks to the tutelage of Lil—I cut off that line of thinking and focus back on the other men.
“Okay, but hand over more alcohol before you get started.” Jessup’s eyes flash as he holds out his hand for Carl to pass over more drinks.
Shit, I know we’re here to talk about Lilith, but I didn’t expect it to be this explosive so soon. I don’t think I’m emotionally ready to deal with this shit, but bring it on.
CHAPTER15
Confessions
Carl
Iwalked into this cabin in such high spirits that I didn’t even think about what would happen when Jessup caught Lilith’s scent. Thankfully he wasn’t so far gone that he ripped me to pieces. I was reluctant to fight him mainly because I’m a little rusty on the offensive magic. I need to make a note to schedule some time and practice.
But my first priority is getting our family back together, so as the guys get comfortable I lean against the bar, using it as a makeshift shield. I was caught off guard a moment ago, but I won’t be making that mistake again.
Stealing myself with a deep breath, I make sure I have all of their attention and I dive in by breaking the news that Lilith is back and explaining what Lilith told me about being tricked and imprisoned. Outrage pours out with that news. Everyone here has met Lilith’s ex-husband, and none of us would piss on him to save him if he was on fire. Jessup blows up, flipping a chair, and needs a few minutes to clear his head before we continue so as he walks around the cabin; we sit in silence. Matthew yells profanities before clenching his fist and closing his eyes to take in deep breaths. Afterward, he slowly sips on his drink as his muscles ripple under his jacket. After Daniel’s fist runs through the drywall, he quietly flips a poker chip as he stares off into space. Once Jessup comes back, we all take a few minutes to debate how Adam went about trickingusinto thinking it was Lilith and we all came up with blank ideas. On one hand, they are all relieved, but on the other, emotions are high and they are still pissed—more at themselves than anything if I have to guess.
I explain how L.A.M.B. saved her from the seventh level of Hell, pulled the God-blessed dagger from her back, and how she had to recover and miss more days without us. This time, Matthew is the only one that reacts as tears gather in his eyes. Daniel is as stoic as a fucking statue, and Jessup just squints as if he’s wondering if he should buy the story or not. I know it’s a lot that I’m laying on them, so before they can ask any questions, I explain how she found us and the theory that the pain in our chest is from our broken bond this entire time.
“So that’s why we were having the pains in our chest and it’s probably the reason you still have them. It was the bond telling us it was broken and it was how Lilith was able to find us once she got to Earth. My bond is fixed, so I don’t feel the pain anymore. Since you guys are in relationships, Lilith didn’t come here with me even though I assured her you would want to see her,” I tell them.
“How is yours fixed?” Jessup asks skeptically.
Heat rushes up to my cheeks as I blush and clear my throat. “Well, we just had to consummate our bond once again,” I say with a smirk.
“That explains the look that was on your face,” Matthew mumbles.
“Yeah, sorry,” I reply, dropping my eyes in embarrassment for a moment.
I observe the room as everyone leans back in their chairs with differing looks of awe and disbelief. Matthew looks completely devastated, and I don’t need to be a genius to know that he’s questioning their last interaction. He’s dissecting every word, the body language, and the reactions that they had. Jessup's brows are pulled together, reflecting his worry as he stands up and starts pacing back and forth. Daniel makes eye contact with me from across the room.
“Whe…Where is she now?” Daniel manages to get out. He remained seated throughout my explanation—except for the fist through the wall. Though he fidgeted; he either played with a toothpick, flipped poker chips, or shuffled cards.
“She’s in the lab working on something for you guys. She said she wouldtryto be patient and give you all the weekend to figure out what you will do to earn her forgiveness, but as you know, she’s not a patient being,” I say with a dreamy look on my face. My thoughts drift back to all the things that she made me do to earn her forgiveness.
“What was your punishment?” Matthew asks with a raised brow. My cheeks heat while I take off my glasses and clear my throat.
“All of the things I hate in the bedroom,” I admit.
“Still hate to be blindfolded, huh?” Jessup stops pacing and gives me a smug look.
“Yes,” I reply, curling my lip.
The screech of a chair pulls my attention back to Daniel standing up from the table. “Well, all I know is Carl got off scot free since he always believed Lilith didn’t break up with us and he doesn’t have a knocked up girlfriend. All he had to pay for was the surrogate he has.”
