“And what do you know of such things?”
“Like you, nothing. But I know the women of this era. They want partnership and love from their mate,” Judge stated. “If I’m ever offered such an amazing mate, I hope I will be open to learn of love. Great sex will only hold the relationship for so long.”
“Damn it, Judge. I have far more important things to worry about right now than all that mushy crap. Gabby needs protecting. That is my only priority at the moment.”
“Then, brother, I hope for both of your sakes that you don’t save her just for her to walk away from you. Save her not only to maintain her existence on this earth, but to ensure she has a chance at happiness by your side, in your arms, enjoying all that mushy crap, as you put it,” Judge counseled before walking out the door.
The files were suddenly forgotten. Devil instead rushed to Gabby’s bedside. For the first time since losing his family, fear sat in his heart. He was doubting himself and his ability to love this beautiful creature. Not because she didn’t deserve his love, but he didn’t know whether his heart was capable of such emotions.
He had long ago hardened his heart against anything positive.
Was he capable of opening his heart for her? His close relationship with his brothers had developed out of respect and a common goal, but that had taken several centuries. He very much feared Judge was right, that she wouldn’t accept anything but all of him, his heart included.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabby was enjoying her dream. Devil was kissing her shoulder. His deep, sexy voice sounded in her ear, though she was unable to make out the words. They soon became clear when he nipped her shoulder.
“Come on, angel. You have some antibiotics to take.”
So much for the dream. With that simple statement she was dragged back to reality. Her cheery mood was replaced as the pain in her arm became apparent; her heart quickly joined in. She wanted to return to her dreams, where tenderness went hand in hand with loving rather than injury and sadness. But neither her arm nor her mate would allow her such luxury.
“Come on, we don’t want you developing an infection. It’s time to get out of bed,” Devil said, walking toward the door with her blankets.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re bossy?” she asked, attempting to cover as much of her half naked body as she could with her one good arm.
“Get used to it. It’s who I am, and you’re stuck with me!”
“Why is that okay with me?” she asked, more to herself, though she spoke the words out loud. She was never one to mull over things that couldn’t be changed, but she wasn’t even questioning the sudden changes in her life. She had just accepted that Devil was her future.
“Angel, your body knew before your head that you belonged to me,” Devil said, moving back to the bed.
“But what about our hearts? Do they have a place in this relationship?”
Devil stiffened. The hand that had been rubbing up her arm stilled. He took several deep breaths before replying. “You have to understand, anger and distrust have lived in my heart for so long. Even when I was capable of more, love was not an easy emotion for me. If you’re expecting romance, then you need to know it won’t happen. But know this, I will be loyal and faithful to you, and if you ever attempt to leave me, I will just bring you back. You’re mine. Get used to it!”
With that said, Devil stood and walked out of the room. Gabby sat up in bed, staring at the doorway he had disappeared through. She didn’t know how to react to his declaration. She had been questioning the role love played in their relationship since discovering she was his mate. Still she held out hope, but with his words he had killed that dream. It was a dream that most girls had when they were younger, and she’d been no different. Except she had no idea what the love between adults was supposed to look like. Her mother had had many boyfriends, but none of them hung around. She would open up her heart to each one, never to have it reciprocated. It would seem that Gabby was now caught in a similar relationship, only this man refused to walk away.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Nikki said, appearing in the doorway. “Have you had your tablets?”
“No, not yet. Devil just woke me.”
“Did he tell you what he and Judge discovered last night?”
“No, what?”
“Maybe I should leave him to tell you.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen today. He’s pissed at me.”
“How could the man be pissed at you when you’ve just woken up?” Nikki asked. Gabby went on to explain about the conversation she’d had with Devil, tears rolling down her face at the reminder of what she was going to miss. “Honey, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. How could he not fall in love with you? Who wouldn’t?”
“Devil doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to say things he doesn’t mean. I’m going to be stuck in a loveless relationship for the rest of my existence. He’s already said he won’t let me leave him to discover if anyone else could love me,” Gabby replied, more tears escaping. She didn’t want to be loved by another man. She wanted to be loved by Devil, and only him.
****
Devil stood in the hallway outside of the bedroom, unashamedly listening to the conversation between his upset mate and her best friend. Though he didn’t like to hear her cry, her tears had little effect on him. Even if he could feel guilt, he wouldn’t. He had spoken the truth to Gabby, and it was something she would just have to learn to accept.
After Judge had left the previous night, Devil had considered his brother’s words and advice. While what he had said carried merit, Devil had conceded after much thought, that he wasn’t sure love had a place in his life. His mate would have to accept him for who he was. He wouldn’t change for anyone, not even Gabby. She would have to learn to live without his love. It was something he just wasn’t capable of offering.
Deciding it was time to stand behind his words, he walked into the bedroom, carrying her tablets and a glass of water. “Take two and make sure you eat.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes, I have a business to run. Get some rest and I’ll see you later,” he said before turning to Nikki. “The guys are outside whenever you need to head to work.”
“What guys?” Gabby asked.
“The men who are charged with taking Nikki to and from work. The other car sitting outside contains your guards. You will both be watched at all times while this threat is hanging over your heads.”
“I see,” Gabby replied, obviously displeased with what he had said. “Then I guess I’ll see you later.”
Devil watched as Gabby walked past him. He then heard the bathroom door close. He didn’t like this Gabby. Gone was his sweet mate, replaced by a cold female he didn’t know.
“You better go now,” Nikki said, glaring at him before storming past him. “It’s not like there’s any pressing matters to hold you here. Business waits for no one.”
Once he was left alone in the bedroom, he gathered up his belongings and headed toward the car. Stopping by each of the black SUVs, he ensured his men knew what would happen if something should happen to either woman. Driving away from his mate’s house, something heavy sat in the pit of his stomach. He put it down to the danger that threatened to steal his mate from him. Knowing exactly what he needed to do to ease his mind, he made a phone call.
“It’s me.”
“Yes, Mr. Torments. How can I help you?”
“I need one of your specialties. Like the other one I had made.”
“Did you wish it to be identical to Miss Jewel’s?”
“Yes.”
“And the design, shall I choose it for you, as I did with Miss Jewel’s?”
Devil growled. No one but him chose anything for his mate. “No, I’m twenty minutes away, expect me.”
Hanging up, he used the rest of the drive to consider Gabby’s reaction. He was once again reminded that his mate was a woman born in the twenty-first century. Books, movies, and television had i
dealized the idea of marriage. Women expected romance and love from their relationships. It was something he had no experience at. His only other marriage had been over two thousand years ago, for the sole purpose of providing an heir. She had been his best friend’s little sister, and she suited his requirements.
Gabby would just have to learn what love was. A concept made up by authors and Hollywood to sell their product. It didn’t even have a finite definition. It was something different to many people, proving to Devil what an airy fairy ideal it was. By the time he had pulled into his reserved parking spot, he had become adamant that he needed to show Gabby what a foolish thing it was to place all her hopes in a made-up concept. She had fallen into its creator’s trap, and it was his job to rescue her.
Walking through the lobby, his mood had improved. He was even whistling, something he rarely did. By the time he had returned to Gabby’s place he had hoped that she was over her sulk. She wasn’t. Still he persevered with his plan to help her realize how irrational her beliefs were. He wanted his sweet Gabby back. This one had his hand itching to give her a spanking. The only thing stopping him was her injured arm. Instead he threw the jeweler’s bag down on the table in front of her.
“I bought you this,” he stated.
“What is it?”
“Open the bag and have a look,” he replied.
Devil didn’t understand people’s desire to know and understand everything before they experience something. They couldn’t even enjoy a gift without asking about the contents first. It took the joy out of giving. He watched as his mate carefully opened the bag. The anticipation shone brightly in her blue eyes. The excitement rose.
As she opened the box, she gasped. “It’s beautiful,” she said, throwing her good arm around him.
Now that was better; his real mate was peeking through. Holding her close to his body, careful not to further injure the arm that lay between them, he inhaled her flowery scent. It was like no other he had smelled. It was all Gabby. He reluctantly released her when she pulled back to have another look at the watch he had just presented her with.
“Here, let me help you on with it,” he said, holding out his hands. As he fastened the metal band around her wrist, he added, “Now, I want you to wear this at all times. Is that understood?”
“Of course,” she replied, looking at him, then the watch. Her eyes glistening with more tears. “It’s too beautiful to take off.”
“Good, now let me show you how this works.”
“Is it a winder, an automatic winder, or just battery operated?” she asked. This had him confused, which she noticed. “Do I need to wind it up to maintain the correct time? Or will the movement of my body do that for me? Maybe a battery?”
By Gabby’s clarification, Devil’s train of thought was thrown. It was a feat that very few people were capable of doing, and it frustrated him every time it happened. “Damn it, Gabby. It’s just a timepiece that winds as you walk,” he snapped. “But that’s not the most important aspect of this watch. Look here, there’s a button on the side that you will press in the case of an emergency.”
This seemed to destroy any of the appreciation she had previously shown. Her fingers fought with the clasp, trying to get the watch off. Finally the clasp gave and the watch came flying through the air at him. “You can keep your fucking dog collar. I don’t want it.”
“Watch your language, Gabby!”
“Get out of my house. Now!” she screamed, before heading toward the bedrooms.
Deciding that this hormonal rant would need space between them, he left. But not before leaving Gabby a note.
Gabby,
You will wear this watch whenever you leave the house!
Devil.
Chapter Fourteen
“Ladies, where are we taking you?” one of the guards asked as Gabby and Nikki climbed into the SUV.
“First, you’re going to drop me at work, then take Gabby to the supermarket,” Nikki informed them. Gabby was too busy playing with the watch that sat on her wrist. “Why did you bother putting that piece of junk on, Gabs?”
“I really don’t know,” Gabby said. “I know it shouldn’t mean so much to me, when he only gave it to me to keep track of where I am, but I can’t seem to throw the thing away.”
“That asshole hasn’t even bothered to come by since he gave it to you four days ago,” Nikki spat. “He doesn’t deserve anything from you, especially not you wearing it. Remember it’s not a symbol of his love, or even that he cares. It’s a prison, not even a gilded cage, a four-by-four tiny cell that he’s keeping you in for whenever he wants a fuck.”
Nikki’s words had more tears spilling from Gabby’s eyes. She knew her friend wasn’t saying those things to be nasty. She was just trying to open up Gabby’s eyes to the truth. Devil had no feelings for her whatsoever. His absence over the last few days told her that. But still she couldn’t seem to let go of the hope she held for a future loving relationship.
Making a decision, Gabby tried to undo the tight clasp. Her tear-filled eyes hindered her progress, but finally the clasp gave. Wrapping her long fingers around the offending item, Gabby knew exactly what to do with it. Pressing the button for the car window, she waited impatiently for it to open.
“Um, Miss Winters, before you decide to do that, may I say something?” asked the guard from the passenger seat.
“Why not?”
“Look, I know the boss is a hard man to read. I sure the hell can’t, and I’ll be honest with you, he scares the crap out of me,” the man admitted. “But I can tell you this. My brother Mick owns the jewelry shop in the hotel. He’s also the one who made the modifications to that watch. Now he said that the boss spent a good hour looking at every single watch in the shop, trying to get the right one. If that doesn’t suggest he cared, I don’t know what does.”
“An hour?”
“Yes, ma’am. Not just anything would do for you. Now he didn’t even do that for Jewel, the guys’ adopted sister. He left my brother to choose hers,” the guard said with an all-knowing smile. “I think that’s telling you something, don’t you?”
Gabby looked at him skeptically. Could this man be speaking the truth? Or was he trying to manipulate her? He was, after all, in Devil’s employment, and if she got rid of the watch, then it would make his job a whole lot harder. Her heart really wanted to believe his words, but Devil’s actions spoke of his true feelings. Or lack of them.
She tried to throw the watch out the window, but her grip refused to give. Her fingers clung to it as if her life depended on it. Her heart raced at the thought of no longer having the only thing she had received from her mate. Her head began to pound as her whole body shook. Once again Devil had her in tears.
“Gabby, what is it?”
“I can’t—” she gasped.
“Can’t what, honey?”
Looking up at her friend, she said, “I can’t throw this damn thing away.”
“Give it to me, honey. I’ll do it for you.”
“No!” she shouted.
“Oh shit, you’re already in love with that douche bag!”
Gabby froze, her body no longer trembling. Instead, she sat motionless. Could her friend be right? Was she in love with Devil? He annoyed the crap out of her when he got bossy. Each time she thought of his absence, pain shot through her heart. Then there was the only gift he had given to her. A gift that represented exactly what she was to him, his responsibility, nothing more, nothing less. And yet still she couldn’t toss it away, unlike Devil, who had no trouble throwing her dreams away. Yep, she was in love with the man, and there was nothing she could do about it. She was living one of her childhood nightmares. She had turned into her lovesick mother.
Nikki’s exit from the car drew Gabby from her ponderings. Her friend sent her a look that told her she knew exactly where her thoughts lay. After all, she had seen Gabby’s mother’s heartache firsthand, several times. Sending Gabby a look full of pity, Nikki blew her a kiss an
d headed into work.
After the guards in the front of the car had a quick word to the ones in the SUV that would remain at the hospital for Nikki, they were on their way, thankfully in silence. Once she had everything she needed from the store, Gabby hopped back into the car, eager to get home. Like the man she loved, her usual love for shopping was absent from her life. Her only desire was to get home and have a bath.
Of course as her luck would have it, the vision of her home as soon as she stepped in the door hindered her plans. The entranceway was a mess. As she carefully walked through the house, making sure she didn’t disturb anything, her heart broke. The place had been ransacked. Even the bedrooms. Drawers were emptied and clothes tossed everywhere.
Her first instinct was to call Devil, but she fought it. She wasn’t in the mood for sex right now, and that was all it would seem she was good for in his eyes. She made phone calls; neither had any affiliation to Devil whatsoever.
Surprisingly Nikki arrived first, beating the police by several minutes. Both of them looked around the house, trying to establish what, if anything, had been taken. They were in Gabby’s room when Detectives Morris and Redburn appeared at the front door.
****
Devil stared down at his ringing phone. Frowning, he answered the call, eager to know why his mate’s guards were ringing him. “What is it?”
“Umm, sir, the detectives have arrived back at the house.”
“What the hell do they want now?” he yelled, standing from his desk. As he moved toward the office door, he felt Judge walking beside him.
“We don’t know, sir. We arrived back at the house about forty minutes ago, after taking Miss Winters to the supermarket. The next thing we knew her housemate arrived back home, followed by the police not long after that. None of us know what has happened, and the police are refusing to allow us entry as we don’t live there.”
Devil Takes His Innocent Page 11