by Celia Kyle
“Hmm…” Her “first father” focused on her. “I suppose. Come, it is time to go.”
He rose to his feet and Caith slid past Papa Al then rounded the bar so she could go to him. He handed over her blades, bending low and whispering a prayer as he placed them in her hands.
Papa Finn pressed a cool kiss to her forehead, his innate purity burning her skin for a bare moment before he stepped back. Then Papa Eron tickled her cheeks with blades of grass that rose from his palms.
Papa Percy was next and despite his bright and frequent smiles, he was the most perceptive of the bunch. “You’re sad, little light.”
“I’m fine.”
“Helene told me someone helped you. That you brought him to her home.”
She sighed. “I thought he was— It doesn’t matter because he’s not and it’s okay.”
“Caith.” He pulled her into a tight hug and spoke into her ear. “Why?”
“Gels and dems don’t mix and he… he isn’t willing to leave On High for me. Which is fine.” Tears stung her eyes. She hated the vulnerability. “It’s fine.”
Percy pressed a kiss to her cheek and squeezed her a hint tighter. “You’re the best of us, Caith, and if a man can’t recognize that, he isn’t worthy of you. The man meant to stand at your side will throw away everything for you. Everything.”
“Yeah, I know.” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I know.”
He pulled back and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “If you won’t call us, call Helene.”
She chuckled. “She’ll just call you five anyway.”
“True. Love you, little light.”
“Love you,” she murmured and turned toward where she’d left her “fifth father.”
He lowered the phone pressed to his ear and poked the screen before pocketing the cell. “The male behind the building has been handled.”
“You’re not having him killed, right?”
“That is still under negotiation.”
She groaned and stared at the ceiling. “Daaad, you can’t kill everyone who gives me trouble.”
“True, otherwise your gel would not be worrying about returning to On High.”
“Does everyone know about Sam?” No privacy. She had none.
“No, just me, Perceval, and Helene, but that does not mean I won’t tell them if you do not give me a true smile the next time I see you.” With that warning hanging in the air, he tugged her close and wrapped her in his arms.
Her wolf huffed and chuffed, snuggling close to their father, their alpha. It was like coming home, his scent soothing the hurts Sam left behind. “I’ll do my best.”
And she prayed her best would be good enough.
She also prayed she wouldn’t see him. For a while. At least a hundred years. Maybe she’d be put back together by then.
Her dads left, the front door banging closed and she padded around the corner, hunting for Edzard. She found him tied up with vines courtesy of Papa Eron and a large smile courtesy of Papa Percy. She had no doubt the trail of white blood came from a hit from Papa Leth. With a sigh, she tugged at the vines.
“C’mon, Puppy. We’ve got a lot of work to do before the bar opens.”
Chapter Eight
Caith escorted a whining Edzard and bouncing Jezebeth to the front door of the bar. Last call had come and gone and she just kicked the last dem to the curb. The place was a little worse for wear, and she hoped the brownies showed up overnight. She’d called again, putting the fear of On High and Hell into her message to Dead Nettle. She’d show up early tomorrow just in case the brownies remained on strike. If she knew what they wanted she’d give it to them and be done with the mess. But did the short beasts call her back? No.
Jezze was pumped, vibrating with energy and Caith envied the little witch. She was beyond exhausted and all she wanted was a comfy bed and twenty-four hours of uninterrupted, green-eye free sleep.
Sleep.
Ugh. If the brownies hadn’t taken care of the bar, they sure as hell hadn’t cleaned up her home. Which meant, with or without protective spells, she had no place to lay her head.
On High hated her. Period. Full stop.
She flicked the lock on the door and then leaned her head against the worn wood with a groan.
“Caith?” Jezebeth sounded way too cheery. “What’s going on, chickie?”
“I don’t have anywhere to stay tonight.”
“Come home with me. You know Mom—”
She pushed away from the panel and shook her head. “No. I’m not about to bring this bullshit to your house.”
Jezze propped her hands on her hips and glared at Caith. “It’s not like Mom can’t take on whatever those things were.”
Caith shook her head again. “Nope. Not doing it. I love you guys and—”
“We love you, too. That’s why I’m telling you—”
“—I refuse to put you in harm’s way. I’ve handled worse, Jezze. You know I have. This morning aside, I don’t bring other people into my bullshit.”
Jezebeth narrowed her eyes further. “You can’t do everything yourself.”
She shrugged. “Maybe not, but if I go down, I go down alone. Besides, Papa Al is looking into things and I’m sure the other dads are, as well. It’s good. I’m good.” She forced a smile to her lips. “I promise.”
Caith swore that whatever happened, it wouldn’t involve her only friend and surrogate mom.
“Fine,” Jezze snapped. “If you’re not staying at home and you’re not bunking with us, where are you going?”
That… was an excellent question.
“With me.” The deep baritone seemed to shake the sidewalk and she realized she’d forgotten about Puppy.
She whirled to face the large thelac warrior and raised her eyebrows. “With you?” She snorted. “Hardly.”
Edzard shrugged. “You want somewhere safe where you can sleep. We have the Necan.”
The Necan, the one and only bed and breakfast for visiting thelacs. The males didn’t do well without a strict hierarchy which meant the warriors all stayed in one place. Otherwise, there was no telling what could happen. One thing could lead to another, and then thelacs were battling azaars and fifty shades of hell would break loose on the streets of Orlando.
“And you think I’ll be welcome?”
Puppy grinned. “A chance to fight whatever may come after you? Of course. Drek would beat me if I didn’t take you with me.”
Caith jerked her head in a quick nod. “Okay, but call ahead. The first male who thinks I’m easy prey will be missing his balls before morning.”
Puppy winced and his hands jerked toward his junk, as if covering himself with his hands would save him. Ha! “I’ll tell them.”
“Good.” She spun and reached for Jezze, giving her friend a tight hug. “I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“Are you sure about this?” Jezebeth was worried and if Caith were telling the truth, she was a tiny bit as well.
“Sure-ish.” She released her best friend. “I’ll call if I need the cavalry.”
The witch sighed and nodded. “I know. I just worry about you.”
Yeah, well, Caith worried about herself, too. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back by ten tomorrow.”
At Jezebeth’s nod, Caith turned back to Edzard and strode past him. “C’mon, Puppy. Let’s get a move on. Momma needs a shower.”
A deep rumble came from Edzard. She slowly turned, realizing exactly where the puppy was looking as she’d strode before him. Yes, she had a bangin’ ass, no she didn’t want him staring. There were only a few reasons a thelac made that noise. Exhaustion, anger, and desire. And with his staring…
“That sound had better have been because you’re tired.”
Despite his size and the air of menace that surrounded all thelac warriors, he managed to look innocent and sweet. “Of course.”
“Uh-huh. Call the Necan.” She didn’t be
lieve him for a second, but right now, she didn’t have enough energy to argue. “My car’s around the corner.”
The slow thump of boot striking concrete told her Edzard followed, and his low voice let her know he’d done as she asked and called the Necan.
Good. She didn’t think they’d deny her request. Orlando was her town, after all, but she wasn’t a thelac and those dems were notorious for their secrecy and desire for privacy.
Caith rounded the building and froze in place. On High hated her. Fuck it, Uncle Luc had to hate her, too. All kinds of deities hated her with a passion unrivaled.
Because, yeah, her car was there. In a million pieces. And not torn and crushed pieces. No, that would’ve been too easy.
Nope, each bit and part of the vehicle now lined the parking lot. Screws and nuts and bolts and panels… All lined up in a metal row that spanned the lot. No note, no hint of the perpetrators identity. Just gleaming metal.
Wait, not all of it gleamed. One piece glowed. Glowed bright and glaring and neon green.
“Dammit, they turned my fuzzy dice into an evil nightlight.” The evil bastards were going down for that alone. She’d killed the zombies and vamps and now they taunted her? She couldn’t wait to tear them limb from limb.
Edzard stopped behind her, his voice cutting off as his boots slid over loose stones. “Uh, Drek, I have to call you back.”
That wasn’t the least bit respectful and Caith knew those words would cost him at least a month of training in Mount St. Helens. Poor little dem.
Poor little dem? What the fuck was she thinking? Poor little Caith’s awesome car. Well, awesome-ish. It had a few dozen dents and double that number of scratches from the valkyrie who got pissed when Caith cut her off a couple weeks ago. But, it was her car.
“What happened?”
She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. “What does it look like?”
“Like you pissed off that troll yesterday and he decided he wanted to turn your car into a puzzle.”
She glared at him over her shoulder. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Fucking troll with his fucking metal fetish. Was it that pretty boy? “So you think the troll is down with the green-eyed monsters?”
Edzard shrugged. “Looks like it. You know how they are. They itch for any excuse to do something like this.”
Caith pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t deal with this right now. Like, at all. Let’s grab a cab because I’m not hoofing it to downtown mousetown.”
Over the years, as the famous mouse’s domain expanded, so had the dems. Now if there was a smiling crowd walking around, a person could be sure there were snarly dems nearby. It was a nice offset that kept her town from crumbling into Hell. Happy balanced evil and Orlando got to stay in the land of no-fire.
She strode toward the street, arm raised to hail their transportation when a large hand snared her wrist. And it felt… good. She fought the shiver that overtook her. Parts of her recognized a fellow dem. Sure, Caith had a lot of goodness going on inside her, five dads took care of that, but it couldn’t eradicate her demon half. Couldn’t blunt the desires that had her easing closer to the thelac.
Caith’s wolf whined and pawed at the desire burning inside her. Burning. Burning. The beast ached for Sam, desired him above all else, but her dem bits definitely appreciated a fellow demon.
“No cab needed.” He drew her closer until his arms enveloped her and she fought not to rub against him like a cat in heat.
She didn’t want Puppy. At all. Her heart still craved a certain asshole gel even if it was a bad idea.
Except… Take him, her demon half whispered. Take. Him.
Caith swallowed hard, pushing that part of her into the back of her mind. She wasn’t taking anyone anywhere. Ever. Or at least for a very long time.
“Wha—” Darkness stole over her body and smothered every hint of light.
The whoosh of wind filled her ears, the air snatching at her hair, and she remembered thelacs didn’t have to do the whole driving thing. They simply had to visualize a location and they were gone. Demons flew, a thelac’s dark skin blending with the midnight.
Poof.
One second passed, and then two, and then they appeared in an empty bedroom. The walls were deep red, the burgundy hue of dried blood and she wondered if it really was blood. Who knew with thelacs. She continued her perusal, gaze skimming over the massive bed, the masculine furniture and the cuts and gouges that marred many of the surfaces. She didn’t want to think about those. If the walls were blood, were those remnants of the battles the room had seen?
Caith shuddered and the arms that still enveloped her tightened ever so slightly. That squeeze reminded her she was still held by Edzard and it felt… nice. She trembled again, pulse increasing and skin heating with the first hints of desire. The dem wanted him, but her heart and mind… still lingered on an asshole gel.
This was… wrong.
She carefully stepped back, trying to extricate herself, but the puppy merely tensed and remained unmovable.
“Edzard?” She brought her hands to his biceps and dug her fingers into his flesh. “Lemme go.”
Puppy rumbled and his cock hardened, his thickness unmistakable against her hip. “Hmm… Smell good.”
Of course she did. Of course. And she decided leaving with a thelac was a good idea. Smooth move, Caith. Real smooth.
“Yeah, I’m sure I do, but…” She squeezed tighter, digging in as deeply as she could without breaking his skin. “But we’re not doing anything about it.”
He hummed and leaned toward her, pressing his face to her neck. “Couldn’t smell you in the bar, but now…”
“But now nothing.” She leaned away. “I would really like to not hurt you. Mainly because it’d be nice to be safe for a little while and my handy dandy personal clothing cleaner isn’t around at the moment.”
Not that she wanted the gel nearby. At all. She figured On High couldn’t hate her for the blatant lie since she was Uncle Luc’s niece, so it wasn’t as if she was missing anything with their disapproval.
“I’ll clean you.” Another rumble and those heated hands grasped the waist of her pants, hold tightening and she knew the leather couldn’t withstand a thelac’s determination.
“Dammit, Puppy. I said—”
It didn’t matter what she said because she stumbled forward, Edzard’s hold suddenly gone. A crunching thump drew her attention to the other side of the room. A dazed puppy leaned against the wall, the white of the broken drywall sprinkling pale powder over him, contrasting against the deep red.
“Thank—” Caith turned her attention to her savior. “You?”
AKA Samkiel, asshole angel and sexy as hell male in leather.
No, bad brain. He’s not sexy. He’s ugly and delicious and lickable and…
Convincing her brain he was a bad guy wasn’t working well. Then she had to remember he wanted her, but not enough to give up On High for eternity. Which, really, she could see his point, but come on. What was there not to like about her? Other than her demon bits.
Otherwise she was perfect and they’d totally rock some hot sex and adorable babies. Eventually.
But he wouldn’t give up On High for her so no eventual babies.
Gah, she felt like she lived in a pinball machine, her mind constantly repeating the same things just slightly rephrased.
“What,” he paused, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. “What in the seven rings of Hell are you doing here?”
Should she tell him there were nine and they were called circles? When she noticed his face growing redder and redder by the second, she decided against it.
“I’m—”
“A thelac nest? Really, Caith? I knew you were half demon, but I didn’t realize that made you stupid.”
Oh Hell no.
“Excuse me?” The two words were deadly calm, the quiet before the hellstorm, and Sam didn’t seem to realiz
e the danger lumbering forward.
The angel glared at her. “They would love nothing more than to father the next generation of Morningstars with you. What would it be like for them to have a connection to the High Lord? What power would they have?”
Caith snarled at him and refused to acknowledge he was a little bit right. “I wouldn’t—”
“You wouldn’t have a choice.”
She fought to steady her breathing. Rushing into a confrontation with anger riding her shoulder was a straight trip to failure. “You believe that I can’t protect myself?”
“It didn’t look—”
Caith held up her hand, using a hint of power from her fathers. Her mother’s blood would hurt Sam, she just wanted the asshole to shut up. “You don’t get to speak any longer.”
His pale blue eyes widened in surprise when his lips remained clamped together.
“Just because I don’t destroy everyone I come across doesn’t mean I can’t.”
She kept her stare on him as snippets of hellfire eased forward to coat her skin. Her fur emerged just as carefully, impervious to the heat that enveloped her body. Behind that were the twining glows of white and green from her pure of heart dad and her father who lived and died by the earth.
The only parent’s genes that didn’t physically alter her appearance were Papa Leth’s. He’d stormed the walls of Jerusalem during the crusades, fueled by belief in On High and strength alone. A passing glance at her didn’t reveal Papa Leth’s influence on her body, but one second in battle against her and her opponents were quick to realize their mistake.
“I can level this city, Sam, but instead, I choose to cling to the parts of me that remain good. The parts that love Jezebeth and my bar and my fathers. Because if the part of me that belongs to my mother and Uncle Luc had control, I would have scorched the hotel to the ground last night, destroying hundreds of people, the vamps, and you. If that bit took control, my home for hundreds of years would have been ashes with a single thought.” She blunted the strength of her fathers and battled her hellfire back into place. She swallowed all that power and placed the cage around it once again until she looked just as human as everyone else. She leveled her brown-eyed gaze on him, showing him her control just as she’d shown him her strength. “But I love my home.”