“Not that kind of help. Paperwork,” I elaborated as I walked away, flushing.
I went upstairs, and knocked on Devlin’s bedroom door. “Room Service.”
“Come in,” he said, aroused.
I went in. Dev was lying on his side. “Want to come, under the covers with me?” he proposed, giving me a sly look.
“Always playing with words,” I said, kissing him on the forehead. “I’m here for business, Dev, not for pleasure. Or did you just send Lash out of jealousy?”
Devlin sighed, and rolled over on his back. “Lash said Danial kicked him out of your rental house. He said something to Danial, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. He insinuated that he would be having me again, if he got the chance.”
“That’s just the truth,” Devlin said, shrugging. “I thought it was something bad. Never mind.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
Devlin shoved off his covers, and got up, walking nude to his closet. I watched him, rapt. He was everything a woman could want in a man, in a lover. The irritating thing was he knew it. He put on a little show for me, turning his body so I could see him fully as he dressed.
“Stop teasing!” I said, trying not to smile. “You’re going to make me reconsider.”
“Too late,” Devlin said with a lofty look. “I’m dressed now. You missed your chance.”
His ego had reached epic proportions. Yet if I hurt his pride, he might get angry. His self-esteem was easily bruised, despite how gorgeous he was. “My bad.”
“Come with me.” He led me out of his bedroom, down the stairs, and into the basement. He went through Titus’s workshop to a door in the cellar wall.
“Dev, where are we going?” My voice sounded shrill in the darkness.
“Scared?” Devlin purred, then ran his fingers down my arm.
“Show me what you brought me here to help you with or I’m leaving now,” I said angrily. “Enough already with the games.”
Devlin took my hand and led me through the door into a passageway. The walls were stone, and there were many doors along both sides. “Is this your dungeon?” I whispered, being careful to stay in the center of the room, away from the doors.
“No,” Devlin laughed, almost roaring in his mirth. “This is storage. Look for yourself.”
I stepped closer to one of the doors. He was right. There was furniture and some boxes, everything covered in protective plastic, and a layer of dust and cobwebs.
“The dungeon is through the other door, off Titus’s lab,” Devlin said gently. “There is no one there now, anyway. But stay out of there, Sar. It is no place for you.”
Fucking A. Like I would want to go there. “Sure. Lead on.”
I followed him down the third door on the right. He gave the handle a twist. Despite the gothic look of the hallway, the room itself was carpeted and painted white. There were filing cabinets along one wall, and along the other, there were many stacks of boxes. “What is all this?” I asked.
“Financial records,” Devlin said. “Deeds. Birth Certificates. Employee Records. Receipts.”
“For how many years?” I said.
“All of them,” Devlin said, his eyes going over the boxes.
Holy shit. This would take years to sort through. “Are the filing cabinets full?”
“No, they’re empty. I had them delivered yesterday, when you said you would help. I have never wanted to do this, and never trusted anyone else to know my business as completely as you will when you are done sorting through this mess.”
“Do you have a shredder? There has got to be some stuff you don’t need here.”
“I need the deeds, the birth certificates, and employee records going back thirty years. Save all of Lash’s. His records will go back much longer. Tax stuff should be in an accountant’s portfolio for each year since income tax began. I need only the last ten years for that as well.”
“I’m surprised you don’t get nailed for all the illegal profits you make,” I said sarcastically.
“I overpay my taxes, by quite a bit,” Devlin said loftily. “So long as Uncle Sam gets his due, I’m left to my own devices.”
I looked around me. Where to start? “Are they in any kind of order?”
“No,” Devlin said sheepishly. “I never did anything except label them by decade or year.”
Well, I’d asked for it. “I’ll get started,” I said, kissing his cheek. “It’ll take a while, but I’ll get it done.”
“I’m going back to bed,” Devlin said, eyeing me like the kiss had reminded him who I was. “Work until three, then come up to me.”
It wasn’t an order, but it had been more than an invitation. “I’ll be there.”
“I’ll send Lash down on my way upstairs,” Devlin said. “He won’t bother you.”
Again, he wasn’t asking. I nodded.
After he left, I began to go through the box from the past three years. Using the manila folders, paper clips, highlighters, fine tipped markers, plastic tabs and hanging folders provided by Devlin, I began to organize the files. Lash came in just as I finished putting the last of the tax packets into the filing cabinet. He sat down in a chair he’d brought and began to read a book called The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Whether he was ignoring me out of nastiness or just being professional wasn’t apparent. Either way, I was glad of it. It made things easier.
* * * *
By one p.m., I had to break the silence. “I’m headed upstairs for lunch.”
Lash looked up, his expression considering. I expected him to make some snide comment, like he was ready to be eaten or something. Instead, he just nodded his head.
“I’ll go up with you,” he hissed.
He followed me up to the kitchen. Serena’s pie lay cooling on the rack. I left her a hasty note saying it had come out nicely and that I’d see her this weekend as I waited for him to leave. Lash remained there, hovering.
I didn’t want to eat with him. Still, he’d been decent enough this morning. It was worth some discomfort not to offend him. “I’m going to make a sandwich, and have some chips,” I said, rooting around in the fridge. “Do you want me to make you one?”
“No, but thank you for the offer,” Lash hissed. “I will be in the dining room. I need to eat and you will not want to watch.” As he came to the fridge, I moved aside for him. He got out a piece of raw beef and took it into the other room.
At least he’d been polite. That was something. I made my sandwich, ate it, then made another one. There was also a good bit of chocolate left, so I had a few pieces, savoring the sweet taste.
As I washed my dirty dishes, Lash returned with his empty plate. Loading it in the dishwasher, he faced me. “Are you going up to Dev?” Lash asked, leaning against the counter.
I checked my watch. I had a good forty-five minutes. “No. Back to the cellar,” I replied, giving him a tentative smile.
He nodded, and led the way back down. Titus was still not in his workshop, but it made sense he was likely sleeping, as Lash was now working days. They had to trade off shifts so someone was always guarding Devlin.
As I worked, I debated trying to talk to Lash. I was tempted to ask what his book was about, as it sounded dark, maybe a horror novel. I’d read one once called The Book of the Dead that had been pretty decent. But what if Lash’s wasn’t fiction? Better not to ask.
At five to three, I closed the drawer I was working on, and turned to Lash. “I’m going to have a bunch of papers that can be shredded or burned. Can I leave them here in a pile, or should I carry them upstairs?”
“Leave them here,” Lash hissed. “Titus can incinerate them, when he comes in tonight.”
“I’m heading up to Dev.” I wanted to add, “Thanks for guarding me,” but didn’t.
Lash stood up, and blocked my way.
I felt a shiver of fear, but held my ground. “What?”
“Give me your cell phone,” Lash hissed. “The one Danial gave you to use.�
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My shiver became a small stream of fear as I got it out of my purse, and handed it to him. He pushed a few buttons, and then handed it back to me, his cold snake eyes looking into mine.
“I was programming in my cell number,” Lash hissed. “I won’t always be able to guard you as closely as I did today, say when you are painting, or if I’m supervising the work in the ballroom. But I’ll never be very far away. Now you can call me, should you need me.”
I knew what he wanted me to call him for. I flushed beet red.
Lash went on as if I was my normal pale self. “I don’t leave on my phone usually, or carry it with me when I’m here at Hayden. Dev has asked me to when you are here. Call if you need me, and stay wherever you are. I’ll come to you.”
I turned redder, but nodded.
“Go to him,” Lash hissed softly. “He has missed you.”
I went past him quickly, and ran up the two flights of stairs to Devlin’s room.
“Come in, Sar,” Devlin purred.
I opened the door. Devlin was lying on his side under the covers, as he had been before. “Come and join me,” he commanded.
Relieved at his nearness, I eagerly got undressed, and climbed in beside him.
“Hold me?” he asked, suddenly hesitant.
I squeezed him tightly in my arms. He sighed contentedly. “Did you get it all sorted out?” he asked lightly, teasing.
In annoyance, I bit him softly on his neck, working his skin between my teeth with a growl. Instantly, he let out a cry, and began kissing me urgently, trying to maneuver my body under his.
“Stop it!” I said loudly, pushing him back. “I’m not ready!”
Devlin went still, then he moved off me. “Sorry,” he said, kissing my neck. “I thought you wanted sex, and wanted it now. But you don’t, do you?”
I gave a mental sigh. “I always want you, Dev. But take your time; we’ve got hours.”
“But I want to have you more than once,” Devlin said peevishly. “We have only two hours—”
Time to get things out in the open. “Why can’t once be enough? That night we Oathed—”
“You want me to sate myself quickly, so you can run back to Danial!” Devlin said, his harsh voice like thunder. “You are not going back to him, Sar, not until I’ve had my fill of you, no matter how long that takes—
I shuddered under him. He felt it, and it made him angrier. “Does the thought of me loving you make you shudder now?” he said in a deadly calm. “There are other things I could do to you, Sar, to make you shudder for me. But they would not be half so much fun for you—”
At once, The Lust curled up out of me, an almost raging force. I looked him full in the face, meeting his angry golden eyes. “Make me shudder for you, Dev. Make me scream! Do your worst to me! But first take me hard, fast, and as only you can.”
Devlin went absolutely still above me in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
“Now you hesitate? Coward!” I hissed. “Where are your arrogant words now, you prick?”
“You want me to hurt you,” Devlin said, almost gasping. “You...you—”
“Do it, Dev, or I’ll call Lash,” I said, smirking. “He’ll do what I need if you can’t.”
Dev snarled, his eyes red as blood, glowing with rage. He shoved his length into me forcefully. I let out a cry of pain and he silenced me with his tongue, kissing me roughly. He moved hard and fast, driving deeply into me, still snarling.
Only one thing was missing. “Bite me!” I screamed.
Devlin sank his fangs into my right breast to the hilt. I screamed, thrashing under him. He held me down, thrusting hard and fast, contracting his jaws over and over. Then he pulled his teeth out and looked up at me, his great golden eyes hot with lust, my blood on his face. “You wanted this!” he hissed. “You’re going to take everything I give you, until I’m done!”
Yes! Steeped in utter satisfaction, I thrashed below him, moaning. He quickened his pace, hammering himself into me forcefully, then began to jerk.
No! Not yet! I was so close! “Bite me!” I screamed again.
Devlin sank his fangs into my other breast. I came screaming, shrieking, flailing under him as he screamed my name so loud I expected the ceiling might cave in on us. He collapsed on me, convulsing hard, still shouting loudly, the both of us jerking as the orgasm ebbed.
Two seconds later, the pain hit me like a slap in the face. I let out an agonized scream. Devlin recoiled, looked at me in fear and worry.
“Argh!” I screamed, crying. “It hurts! It hurts so much, Dev—!”
Devlin moved supernaturally fast, holding his mouth to my wounds, giving me his blood to heal the bites he had given me. He put pressure on the shallower one as he healed the first one he had given me which hurt far more. Then, he healed the other. The wounds healed fast. I breathed a sigh of relief, when the pain subsided. Devlin began to clean me off with his lips and tongue, licking up the blood that had spilled out of the deep wounds. Though I was repelled by Devlin’s obvious enjoyment, I didn’t stop him. Why let the blood go to waste?
Within minutes, he had gotten most of it. He got up and brought me back a wet washcloth from the bathroom. I wiped the rest of the blood off my body, then handed it back. “Thanks.”
He nodded, then took the washcloth back to the bathroom.
To my distaste, there were blood specks all over the sheets and his upper body. In a few places, there were more than just specks. Yuck and OIY, as well. “I’ve ruined your sheets.”
“Forget that!” Devlin said, utterly gratified. He slid back into bed. “Who cares about sheets? I’ll buy new ones. That was fucking amazing, Sar!” He nuzzled me gently. “That was better than I could ever have hoped it would be. Your eyes were so dark, so demanding, so—”
“Angry,” I said tiredly. “The Lust is always looking for danger, anger, force. When you threatened me, you brought it out.”
“This is so wonderful,” Devlin whispered, practically shaking with pleasure. “Now I know how to bring it out of you, I can do it every time I‘m with you. I won’t have to worry that you might need to be with Lash.”
I wasn’t surprised; he was a sadist, he enjoyed inflicting pain. Still, I was repulsed to hear the absolute delight in his words. He had liked hurting me. He had loved far more that I had asked him to.
“Don’t worry about blood on the sheets—”
“There’s more than blood to consider,” I said bitterly. “I’ll say things that—”
“I can handle what you said,” Devlin said quickly. “This was a kind of role-playing, with me being what you needed. Forgive me, if I scared you. I didn’t mean any of what I said; I just was trying to satisfy—”
“You did mean it,” I said more bitterly, disentangling myself from him. “You say you don’t want me to be scared, but that’s not true. You use my fear to control me.”
Devlin was silent, watching me speculatively.
“If you really believed I loved you, you wouldn’t need that. You would know I cared about you. You wouldn’t threaten me the moment I asked you for space or told you I was too exhausted for hours of lovemaking.” I turned from him and fell into an exhausted sleep.
* * * *
“Sar, you need to wake up,” Devlin whispered gently. “It’s five o’clock. Danial expects you.”
I’d need to shower first, get the remains of blood and the smell of our lovemaking off... Screw it. There hadn’t been any love in what we’d done, not on either side. Swallowing my upset over that, I moved to get out of bed.
Devlin wouldn’t let me. “Look at me,” he said softly. “Please.”
Devlin was not often the polite brother. I looked over at him in surprise. “What?”
“Sarelle, I’m sorry.” Devlin’s voice was small and sounded very young. His golden eyes were unsure as they looked into mine as if they might find strength there. “You’re right. I will try harder to be better to you. You deserve not to be scared any more, afte
r all I have put you through since you’ve known me.” He paused. “The truth is, I am afraid.”
“Of what?” I asked. “You know I love you. I don’t say those words idly, Dev.”
He relaxed his grip. “I’m afraid I’m going to lose your love. I’m not a good man like Danial or Theo. I never even pretended to be until you needed me to be.”
“I told you before; you can be anything you want to be—”
“No, I can’t,” Devlin said with finality, looking away. “I need to be what I am to keep you safe from the other Rulers. Being that way is easy, because I’ve been like that so long. It’s far harder to be gentle, patient, or understanding. Those things still feel unnatural. It’s difficult to change after training yourself to be one way for years.”
“That is true for everyone. Loving someone, really loving them, is hard work.”
“When Danial fell for you so fast, I laughed and called him a fool,” Devlin said bitterly. “When you left him again after having Theoron, I called him a fool again, and told him he should bring you back by force. I couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t.”
“He promised me he would let me go.”
“I couldn’t understand that,” Devlin said, perplexed. “I still don’t. He wanted you, and he had the power to keep you. How could he not use it?”
“He loved me and wanted me to be happy.”
“If it had been me, I would not have let you go,” Devlin replied. “I love you too much, Sar, to ever let you get away from me.”
“I know. That’s because you don’t love me as he does. You love me as he did the first time, when his need to possess me outstripped everything else.”
“I can’t help the way I feel. I know it drove you from him,” Devlin said reluctantly. “I’m afraid it will drive you from me, too.”
“I may not like it,” I said honestly. “But I gave you my word, Dev. Whatever I might feel, I’m yours.”
“So you aren’t upset about what happened earlier today?”
“I’m old enough to understand the difference between consent and force, and so are you. I know you won’t hurt me on purpose, despite your shouting and blustering when you’re angry.”
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