Seducing Chaos

by Luna Quinn

  “Bastard.”

  “He was waiting for me at my house when I got there after the drunken Fairy incident.” He told her about his strange and ridiculous meeting with his father, leaving out the part about Erummon’s opinion on Razor’s choice for a mate.

  “So, what’s the deal with your dad? I mean, I’ve heard the gossip and a few ‘funny’ anecdotes from Night.” Sasha made a face. Razor shook his head. Only Night could turn the horror stories of their lives in the Underworld into a joke. “But,” she said gently, “if you don’t mind me asking, what did happen?”

  He pushed back the revulsion he felt at having to recount this tale. But he couldn’t kill this moment by closing up. He suspected this had been a big step for Sasha. She’d given, he’d taken, and now it was his turn to give her something back.

  “As with everything, there are always slivers of truth in gossip,” he started. “For years, Erummon had been unsuccessful in creating his perfect…children. As far as I know, he bred with many species of Others during the experimentation stage. But none of the offspring survived to adulthood.” He swallowed a lump of grief. He hadn’t known any of his father’s progeny before them, but he still hurt for them. “In his stupid attempt to create the perfect children, Erummon used any type of magic he could steal, buy, or threaten from any Witch he could get his hands on. At least that’s what he tried to convince everyone of. In reality, he wasn’t looking for heirs; he was looking to create his perfect slaves and killing machines. Ones he could mold to his liking and benefit. So anyway, all this powerful, volatile magic that he took, he poured into the females he was attempting to breed with. Sometimes even into the embryos already in the womb.”

  “Goddess,” Sasha breathed, horror in her eyes.

  “So, when he got the bright idea that his favorite Hellhound pets were the perfect specimen—loyal, deadly, mindless killing beasts—he decided that was his next experiment. He found a way to take some of their DNA into himself. Lots of magic and power went into it, probably causing lots of deaths and natural disasters because you can’t use that type of magic without any backlash. But of course, Erummon gave no fucks. Fast forward several years, when the portal opened all those centuries ago, right after the Great Fires. Humans were trying to escape the death of their world, so while Others wanted to leave the Underworld, humans wanted to find a new home. Erummon’s evil brain saw the opportunity and let them stay. There’s probably a whole history book on his experimenting phase.” Razor scratched his stubble. “Interbreeding began, and then Erummon found his perfect human spawning machine: my mother.” Razor shook his head. “I never met her, but I know she was kept prisoner for many months before he was successful. She gave birth to the four of us, and no one knows what became of her after that night.”

  Sasha had remained quiet, letting him say as much or as little as he wished. He was thankful for that. He hated to have to tell her the next part, but his gut told him this was an important moment in their relationship, and he was going to listen.

  “Erummon finally had his perfect sons. Part Hellhound, part Demon, and part human. We looked and walked on two feet like men, but with the powers and abilities of an Other. Powers never seen before. We could shift at will into a larger, more dangerous version of the Hellhounds that ran wild in the Underworld. But unlike them, we were trainable. To Erummon’s delight, we also inherited the power of Hellfire like the royal Demon breeds Erummon descended from. The downside, to Erummon’s frustration, was that our use of Hellfire wasn’t unlimited. If we use it once, it takes days, sometimes even weeks, to recharge.”

  He paused, leaning back against the doorframe and watching Sasha as he began the next part. “Our education began early. Edge was the first to be inducted into Erummon’s elite guard. But Edge wasn’t to be just any regular guard. He was to become Erummon’s personal assassin. He did. And he was the best. No one saw him coming. He was death on two legs, Sasha. No one dared look him in the eyes. Or touch him, for that matter.” He looked at her pointedly, hoping she’d get his meaning without having to say it out loud. “No one. Male or female.”

  “Oh,” his Reaper said after a moment, her eyes taking on a sad shine.

  “Night was meant to rule, you know.” He smiled at that. “As if that wasn’t obvious, huh? He was taught the way of royalty. Torture, pissing on the peasants, warfare, negotiation…you know, the usual tyrant stuff. There are things Night still hasn’t forgiven himself for doing, even after all these centuries.”

  “And you? Who were you supposed to be?” Sasha asked.

  “I was the disposable one. I was Edge’s backup. If he, for whatever reason, couldn’t perform, I had to be ready to step in or finish his kill if he was too…damaged. That was it. That was my purpose in life. So while Edge was fine, I was sitting in Hellhound form at Erummon’s feet. Chained to his throne.”

  “Razor…” Her voice was soft.

  “Don’t feel bad for me, pretty girl.” He reached out and caressed her cheek. “I was invisible for most of my life there, but Edge was the one who took the brunt of it all. He did things for Erummon that would make any other man vomit for weeks. And he did it without even flinching. For years, Edge killed anyone who Erummon deemed unworthy of breathing. No questions asked. It should have…” He cut himself off. He was supposed to be giving her facts, not his feelings on the subject.

  “Do you blame yourself?”

  Her question caught him off guard. He looked up. “Yes.”

  She nodded, her gaze moving over his face as if he’d just confirmed something for her.

  He moved on, unwilling to go more into detail. “My shit doesn’t even compare to any of theirs. And then Sin…” He shook his head.

  “Why didn’t Edge fight Erummon? Why didn’t any of you? If Edge had become that good of an assassin, why not turn it on your father?” She asked the question with simple curiosity, not judging them for the choices they’d had to make.

  “We were pups, pretty girl. It was the only way we knew. And when we got old enough to know better, we rebelled. We defied Erummon at every turn.” He paused to run a hand over his hair. He laughed mirthlessly. “That’s when the real fun began.” He pulled out a smoke. “You mind if I smoke?”

  “Now that I know how it helps, go for it.”

  He lit up and took a few drags. Sasha didn’t rush him, just watched him patiently, her gaze darting over his face.

  When he was ready to speak again, he said, “While Edge might have been willing to sacrifice himself to save Night and me, he wouldn’t risk Sin. None of us would. He was the runt. Everyone says he was so small when he was born. We took care of each other from day one. Erummon didn’t give two fucks about hiring a nanny or a caretaker. We only had each other.”

  “Gods, what did you do?” Her eyes were wide, shiny with emotion.

  “What we had to.” Razor paused. “When we were no older than fifty—that would probably be around fifteen in human years—Erummon took Sin. He was still the smallest of us all.” He swallowed another lump of grief and anger. “In Erummon’s eyes, Sin would always be the weakest, most useless of his sons. So he sold him, Sasha. Erummon sold him, and we couldn’t stop it.”

  “What do you mean, sold?” Her voice was shaky, as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  “That isn’t my story to tell.” Razor took another drag. “But suffice it to say, our stay in the Underworld after that was probably a five-star resort compared to Sin’s new life.”

  They were both quiet for a while. “Your dad is a total dick,” Sasha finally said, and her words were just what Razor needed to get rid of the feelings his past always brought him. She sat cross-legged on the bed while Razor puffed away at his smoke. The position left her pussy exposed to his gaze. Razor didn’t think she noticed him looking, or even felt odd to be having this conversation while they were both still nude. Another thing that made him feel fucking incredible. Sasha felt comfortable with him, and that was another step in the right direct
ion.

  All the bad feelings were shoved to the back of his mind, and he took pleasure in the meaning behind Sasha’s actions today.

  “That he is,” he agreed, then added, “I think Valtu is the advisor Erummon spoke about.” He put out the cigarillo in the ashtray, ready to move the conversation back on topic and away from the past.

  “I think you’re right.” Sasha nodded, and Razor was grateful that she hadn’t asked any more about Erummon and his amazing fathering skills. “What are we going to do?”

  She’d used we, which told him that Sasha had started to see working with him as a team effort, not the inconvenience it had been before. Razor’s cock grew hard again, and he had the sudden urge to show her just how much it meant to him.

  Prowling to her, Razor’s body vibrated with the desire and overwhelming need to be close to her again. Sasha’s breath hitched when her gaze landed on his erection, and she licked her lips. He moved until he towered over her and pushed her back with a palm on her chest until she was on her back.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice breathy.

  “I’ve had a great view of your pussy for the last fifteen minutes. Right now, all I’m going to do is eat it until I’ll be able to taste you on my tongue for days.”

  He moved to bury his face in her pussy, but she stopped him by saying, “Razor, look at me.”

  At her tone, he looked up. Her eyes were solemn and beautiful.

  She cupped his cheeks. “You are not invisible to me. You never were. I was just too angry at the world to let myself stop and admire the view.”

  He swallowed raw emotion as he kissed her.

  An hour later, once they were both showered and dressed, Razor called Night, who informed them that all the enforcers would be coming in that night for a meeting. They could tell everyone there what had been going on and what Sasha had uncovered.

  “So if Valtu is behind the drugs that cause the shifting Vampires, why kidnap young girls, and where are the girls who are still unaccounted for? What about the souls? How do they tie in?” she asked when they finally left.

  Razor’s phone beeped with an incoming text. He glanced at it. “I don’t know the answers to any of that, but we’re going to find out.” He pocketed his phone. “A friend of mine just saw Castor,” he informed her, his fangs dropping as if anticipating biting into Castor’s jugular.

  And then, as if he needed any more reason to constantly walk around with a boner, Sasha smiled up at him, all evil and sexy.

  “Fucking fabulous,” she practically purred. “Let’s go have a chat with him.”

  He thought his heart might have skipped a beat.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  By the time they had traveled to the bar where Razor’s friend was waiting for them, Sasha’s thoughts had gotten a little out of control.

  Goddess, just the amount of shit Razor and his brothers had gone through in the Underworld…she’d truly had no idea. Night’s anecdotes tended to be more fantastical in nature, taking something bad and twisting it into a joke everyone could laugh at. But the short history Razor had revealed to her…

  It had taken everything in her power not to say fuck the investigation and just dote on Razor until he was sick of her.

  Three of his words in particular had hit her heart and twisted, refusing to budge. I was invisible. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She’d unknowingly treated him just like Erummon had, as if he were invisible. All because of her stupid pride. And he’d been so fucking patient with her.

  His comment back in the parking garage, about welcoming Sasha to the club, made sense now, too. Razor blamed himself for some of his brothers’ suffering. Which wasn’t true. He’d been a child, and there had been nothing he could have done. Yet he still seemed to carry the weight of that on his shoulders. Sasha knew the feeling all too well. They were truly two peas in a pod.

  But back in his room, she’d turned the mood lighter, knowing that was what he’d needed in that moment. If she hadn’t changed the mood, if she’d comforted him and asked everything she was dying to know, then she was afraid he’d then have the freedom to ask about more details of her past. And as much as she was opening up to Razor, that was something she just wasn’t ready for. Not yet.

  But the least she could do was never ignore him again. She vowed it. Knowing a little of his past now, knowing she’d ignored him time and time again, she’d rather stab herself before knowingly hurting him again.

  But beyond that, their relationship was still balanced precariously. They were an us, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. She was comfortable with him, she was obviously a fan of the sex they had, but she still felt uneasy when it came to naming emotions. She trusted him when it came to fighting and sex, but trusting him with her heart and her past? She didn’t think she was brave enough to make herself that vulnerable again.

  The place Razor’s contact brought them to was less of a bar and more of a sketchy dive. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and to focus on their job. They were going to get their hands on Castor one way or another, and there would be blood.

  Razor strolled up to the crowded bar and gave a slight nod towards the bartender. “Kaxat.”

  Kaxat, the bartender, was one of the Demons in Shadow Realm who had minimal amounts of human in his DNA. Standing at eight feet tall, with six arms, three tails, and scales covering him from head to toe, he was an impressive sight. Sasha could also see why he was the only bartender in such a busy place. Each of his arms was mixing its own drink and sliding them in front of customers, or otherwise giving them to the bar wench to deliver. And in a tiny skirt, no top, thigh-high boots, and an impressive swagger to complete the package, she really was a bar wench. At the same time, Kaxat fixed his attention on Razor and smiled in what Sasha thought was meant to be a friendly manner. Two rows of fangs lined his upper and lower jaw. “Judge.”

  Sasha stood next to Razor at the bar, sweeping her gaze over anyone nearby. She lowered her voice, but over the din in the place, it was probably pointless. She got right to the point. “Castor?”

  Kaxat eyed her, but she stared back at him, unblinking and waiting for him to respond. She felt Razor tense, then he growled menacingly. Kaxat didn’t even look at him, but it was clear he got the message, because he replied without any further prompting.

  “Ya,” he said. The copious amount of fangs he had impeded his English. “Left ’bout ten min’tes ago. Came in ’lone, left wit two big guys. Vamps, seemed like.”

  Razor nodded. “Thanks. Which way?”

  Kaxat gestured to the back door with his chin. “S’all I know.”

  They thanked the guy again and headed out the back door. The overwhelming stench of trash and piss invaded their noses, but they walked quickly through the back parking lot. It led to a narrow alley, and from there, branched out to a street with rundown shacks everywhere.

  “Can you follow Castor’s scent?” she asked.

  Razor nodded, his black eyes focused on something ahead. “Already am. Still strong, they haven’t been gone long. On foot. He’s a fucking idiot.”

  She smiled to herself, speeding up when his steps quickened. Like a bloodhound on the trail, his focus was sharp. It was turning her on a little. “He’s going to pay for everything he’s done.”

  He spared a glance for her, and she met his wicked grin with one of hers.

  Only a few minutes later, he brought them to a large metal shed. They were silent as they pressed their backs against the wall, glancing inside to get a feel for the situation.

  At first, all she saw were two men—probably the Vamps Kaxat had mentioned—writhing on the ground. They were in obvious pain, their backs bowed as the rest of their bodies convulsed. Then she heard Castor. The sound of his voice slithered through the open doorway, and Sasha bared her teeth in a silent hiss. All she could think about was the image of Hailie’s dead body, and suddenly, she was too impatient to go along with the calmly assessing method Razor
was so fond of. She needed to get her own justice, now.

  Razor would have her back, so it wasn’t too reckless, right? And besides, they couldn’t risk him escaping with their answers. It was now or never.

  Pulling out her pistol, she turned the corner and stormed into the shack with a snarl. She heard Razor swear behind her.

  “Hey, asshole,” she said.

  When Castor looked up, she smirked and squeezed the trigger, her gold bullet hitting its mark perfectly in his left kneecap.

  Sure, gold couldn’t kill a Vampire, but a bullet was a bullet.

  And Castor obviously hadn’t anticipated where her shot was going. He shrieked in pain as his leg collapsed from under him, his hands flying out to brace himself on the dirt floor. Stomping over to him, Sasha kicked him, her boot connecting with his shoulder and knocking him off balance. Even then, he tried getting up again, so she spun in a semicircle, the outside of her boot now slamming into Castor’s head. “Stay down, fucker.”

  Somewhere behind her, she heard a garbled sound, and the deeper timbre of Razor’s growl. Then the smack of flesh on flesh. Metal on flesh.

  Castor laughed then. It was a strangled sound, forced out around pain. Then he mumbled something too soft to hear. He clutched something in his hand, but it wasn’t a weapon. She narrowed her eyes. It looked like some sort of amulet.

  Before she could process anything else, she was hurtling forward, a massive weight slamming into her back. Pain streaked through her when she landed on the hard-packed dirt, but she quickly flipped over and held her gun in front of her. The Vampire charging her was no longer just a Vampire. While she’d been paying attention to Castor, this creature had changed into one of the Vamp-Shifter hybrids.

  A quick glance to her right showed Razor already locked in a fight with the second Vamp-Shifter. He was holding his own, and she trusted him to take care of it without any trouble. Just like she’d take care of this one.

  “Kill them!” Castor shouted to the Vamp-Shifters, and there was a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. He must have been controlling the creatures somehow.