"So, you can understand that when I discovered I was pregnant a few days later, I knew I needed to escape him before he found out. I hadn't known he was a demon, thanks to his highly powerful demonic energy, he shielded so many of the signs. And I hadn't wanted to be pregnant at such a young age, but he was able to do something to combat my monthly contraceptive spells without my knowledge. Imagine my surprise seeing a positive pregnancy test, and knowing that it was a demon who had gotten me pregnant. That's unheard of. Trust me, I know my shit about demons," she trailed off, turning and walking into the kitchen and opening up the cupboard that held all the liquor.
"I'm going to need a stiff drink to continue this conversation." She shook her head as she pulled out several bottles and carried them over to the table. Gran snatched the Bailey's and dumped a healthy measure into her coffee. Fischer moved to the kitchen and snagged the coffee pot, which was thankfully, nearly full. Guess it's a good thing the Wildes witches were addicted to coffee at all times of day, we were going to need the caffeine.
"So, you're telling me that my sweet Saige, the innocent and goodhearted green witch, is actually sired from a beast? I won't accept that. It's not possible. There is nothing demonic about her," Bette swore, shaking her head.
"Well, actually, it makes sense. Her powers have been fucking up for weeks now, her temper, her body temperature... now that we know Larson is her father, all of those signs back it up," Fischer chimed in with a degree of nonchalance that really wasn't appropriate in this situation and I shot him a severe look when he simply sat back in his seat, sipping his spiked coffee.
"What do you mean her power has been fucking up?" Laurie asked, worry marring her features and I again had to wonder if she was genuine. Fischer wasn’t calling her out, so I decided to wait to ask him afterward.
"Anything she used her magic on was dying. It started out fine, and then turned to ash. Then a couple weeks ago, she sent out a burst of magic so powerful into the ground that she raised a damn jungle in the yard. Not to mention, she astral projected twice to Besmet... or maybe that was dream walking? We'd thought astral projecting before, but dream walking is a strictly demonic power, and she was asleep those times, so maybe that's what happened? Then she definitely projected when she was awake and was in a damn coma for hours. Gran made a tether to keep her here, but as you can see," Kai pulled the broken necklace from his pocket and dropped it on the table, "it didn't stop them from taking her."
Laurie and Gran both sucked in a sharp breath and my body was itching for a fucking fight. I needed to split my knuckles and push myself until my muscles screamed for mercy. I didn't know that I would be able to calm the fuck down until that happened.
"Who is them? Who exactly took her?" Bette asked.
"Larson and Johnny. Or, is that even his name? I'm a little confused on those details..." Kai wondered as he removed the top from a bottle of vodka, brought it to his lips, and took a healthy pull. He slammed it down on the table, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and stood up to start pacing.
I ran a hand down my face. "Johnny is, or was, our handler. We've known him since we started at Radical ten years ago. He's always been a good dude, maybe a little on the quiet side, but we often hung out together when we were at the training facility between jobs. Turns out, he's also a demon, and has a shapeshifting ability, because he transformed right in front of our faces into a tall motherfucker with red hair and more freckles than a cabbage patch kid. Saige said he's the one who she'd spent time with during her time in Besmet, that he'd kept her safe," I explained to the two witches who were looking more and more uneasy by the damn second. Well, welcome to the party, girls.
"What did she say his name was?" Kai tapped Fischer on the arm, getting his attention.
"Bram. She said his name was Bram," Fischer responded, a glint in his eye that promised blood.
"Oh shit," Laurie gasped and we all turned to her. "Oh no, no. That's not good. You're positive? Fuck!"
Gran snarled, slamming her hand on the table. "Spit it out, girl! Who the fuck is he?"
Laurie shook her head, the look of defeat in her eyes had my heart clenching in pain.
"Bram is the Prince of Besmet. He's the heir to the throne, and he's insanely powerful, and rumored to also be, well... insane."
"My granddaughter is with her demon father and a psychotic prince?" Bette shrieked.
"I just can't see Johnny being some evil demon prince, can you?" Kai asked, but there was a thread of worry there that even I felt.
"Nothing makes sense. Why do they want her? Khol said she has a higher purpose to serve or something..." I recalled, trying to replay everything that had happened in that conference room, but it was difficult because when I'd been in there, helpless to do a damn thing to help her, I'd lost my fucking head. Fuck, the way she'd looked at me... like I'd shattered her with my bare hands, I'd never get that look out of my memory.
"The prophecy," Bette breathed. "It spoke of saving a race, having to find her five before turning twenty eight, which is tomorrow. What if this... Bram," she spat his name from her mouth as though it was poison, "is the fifth? And where in Jupiter's cock is Sloane?"
Kai growled at Sloane's name and I swallowed down my own.
"Sloane decided he was going to be Larson's bitch and feed him information that we knew nothing about. Like the fact that Laura, who we were looking for, was actually Laurie, aka Saige's mother," I explained and the anger inside of me rose up like a fucking beast.
"He also lifted her hair from a brush in her bathroom and mailed it to Larson. That's how he was able to conduct a paternity test to be sure," Fischer supplied like it was no big fucking deal and I pinned him with a stare so harsh a weaker man would've hid under the table, but not Fischer. Not when he was like this, anyway. And this time there was no Sloane to pull him back from the dark. It was worrisome.
"That motherfucker," Kai snapped, completely disgusted with our supposed brother.
"He's at the apartment, as far as I know," I looked to Bette, hoping that she would be okay with what I was about to ask. "We were actually hoping that we might be able to stay here, that way we can work on this around the clock and figure out how we're going to get Saige back here safely, where she fucking belongs."
She looked at the three of us for an uncomfortably long amount of time before giving a stiff nod, but I knew it wasn't going to end there. Oh no, Bette Wildes was livid, and Saige had to have gotten her fire from somewhere.
"You can stay here until we get her back. But I want to be very clear, so listen closely. You hurt the most precious thing in my life, I'm not happy with any of you right now. That girl has gone through enough, especially after her relationship with Bryce, she doesn't need any more boys pretending to be big men. So either step the fuck up or get the fuck out. I'll let her make her decision when she returns, but the least you three owe her is getting her back here safely. It's late. There's nothing we'll be able to do for her tonight, we’ll sleep and reconvene in the morning. Her shifts at The Pig will be covered by one of you, work it out. I'll not see her livelihood suffer because of this. She will be back, and when she is, she won't be drowning in work. I'm going to call Miranda and cancel her birthday party festivities. Laurie, you're staying in my cottage now, so get your shit and get over there." Bette stood, walked over to the kitchen, and picked up the entire casserole of eggplant parmesan she'd prepared for dinner.
"I'm taking this with me, you three can fend for yourselves."
And with that, she stormed through the house and out the backdoor.
"I'm going to go grab my things then I'll be out of your hair, I think I still have some of my old demon texts hidden at Mom's, so I'll look through those tonight. But this isn't going to be easy. From what I know, you can't get into Besmet without a demon escort. They have to be the one to open the portal, there's no other way in," Laurie explained, taking her coffee mug to the sink.
Fischer was eyeing her, his face carefully blank, and I
wondered what he was reading from her.
Laurie disappeared up the stairs, and Kai and I both looked at Fischer, waiting for his report.
"She's blocking me. There were a few hints of anxiety, some shock, anger. She's strong, but not like Saige and Larson, so I don’t think she’s a demon. Either she knew what I was capable of, or she trained herself to keep her shields up at all times, just in case. Regardless, it's interesting. Only trained witches are able to accomplish what she just did," Fischer pointed out, crossing his arms as he chilled in his chair.
"Well then, we'll be watching her even closer and we'll find out who Laurie Wildes actually is. Let's try to get some rest so we can hit the ground running in the morning."
Kai and Fish both drifted away, and I remained in my seat in my little witch's kitchen. Her scent was everywhere, her presence surrounded me and my throat constricted when I thought about how she'd screamed and fought like a bobcat as she was dragged into that portal. Fucking hell.
Stay strong, baby girl. I'm coming for you, and I'll cut down the demon king himself and set the whole realm on fucking fire if I have to.
The pain was indescribable.
Betrayed. Lied to repeatedly by the men I'd been falling in love with, and then there was Bram. Another liar. One who currently had his arm wrapped around my waist as he guided me to his living quarters in the castle. Larson hadn't been waiting when we arrived through the portal, and after I fought Bram, which was really just me pounding my fists against his chest as he grunted and took it, all of the energy left me. Like it had evaporated into thin air. My brain was shutting down, probably some kind of coping mechanism to keep myself from detonating. That was fine, I'd rather feel numb than feel all of that.
"Let me take you home, Goldie. You can rest, I'll get you whatever you want, food, coffee, anything," Bram promised, but I didn’t really care. All I could see in my head was Cam's pained expression, Kai's panic, Fischer's darkness, and Sloane— No, I can't go there. So, I let Bram lead me through the castle halls, my feet shuffling because the energy it would've required to pick them up off the floor was too great. I was spent.
Bram obviously noticed because next thing I knew, my feet were swept up and I was cradled against his chest. The desire to fight him over his macho bullshit was nonexistent. If I wanted to be completely honest, being held right now felt nice, I just needed to ignore the fact that it was a big red-headed lying fucker who had his arms wrapped around me tightly.
We reached the door to his place and he somehow got it open without putting me down and carried me straight to the bathroom that I hadn't been in the first time I was here. It was a massive space, easily bigger than my bedroom at the cottage. My eyes took in the huge shower with two benches that looked like they were made out of smooth multi-colored river rock on either side of the see through glass enclosure, jets built into the wall, and a rainforest showerhead in the middle of the ceiling. That wasn't the best part, though. There was a pool, a legit fucking pool against the far wall with steps leading up to a platform with the same smooth rocks as the shower.
Steam was rising out of the water and my skin actually tingled in anticipation of getting in and washing away the pain of the day.
He put me down, still standing close. "It's a natural spring, I just had the rest of the bathroom built around it. I thought you might like it?" Bram questioned, sounding vulnerable. But I wasn't able to speak yet. My throat hurt, my face was raw from crying, my eyes were still stinging. So instead of answering, I just began kicking my shoes off and pulling my shirt over my head.
"Goldie, can I take care of you? Please?"
I didn't answer, I just shimmied my pants down my thighs and stepped out of them, leaving me in my bra and panties. Was any of it real?
My lungs wouldn't inflate, and I felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw, a keening sound came out of my throat. I felt like I was underwater, everything was muted and then Bram's face was in front of mine, his lips moving, but I couldn't make out his words for a moment. Need to breathe.
"Breathe, princess," Bram encouraged, his hands rubbed my back and I buried my face into his chest and sobbed. They used me, they gave me to Larson, why would they do that? Why? Tears just continued falling as Bram stripped down to his boxers, lifted me into his arms once more, and carried me into the water.
He walked us out to the center, his height easily kept us both well above the water. Heat enveloped my body, the water was hot, and I imagined if I could feel things right now, it might feel great. As it was, exhaustion just set in further, making me feel like a boneless jellyfish.
"I know it hurts, Goldie. It will all be okay," Bram cooed, standing me on my feet and encouraging me to lean my head back to get my hair wet. I did as he wanted without a fight. He procured shampoo from somewhere and began massaging my scalp gently. I watched on as my tears hit the water, creating small ripples. With how I felt on the inside, the small physical disturbance that my heartbreak caused just didn't seem anywhere near enough. A tsunami wouldn't be enough.
"Want to hear something ridiculous? I had no idea who you really were. It wasn't until I saw you walk out of that grocery store and caught sight of you." He continued rubbing my head gently, moving down to my neck and massaging me there. "I followed you to your shop. You know, I called and called that number you put in my phone. I was worried, Goldie. When I realized that you were the woman that my team was claiming, I was angry. So, so fucking angry..." Bram trailed off, pushing me back to rinse the soap from my hair. I just floated there, letting him wash me. “That’s why I said what I did in your bathroom. I wanted you to feel like I did. My heart fuckin’ hurt,” he admitted, shaking his head.
Steam rose up from the water, swirling in mesmerizing patterns. Bram cleared his throat, but I didn’t move or give any signs of life. My lip trembled and I wanted to slip under the water and wait for this to pass.
"When Khol told me that he had a daughter, I couldn't believe it. I told you how our people have been having difficulty in the past years with fertility. Then he sent me to this tiny town, which was the absolute last thing I'd wanted to be doing because I couldn't get you out of my head. Don't you think this was written somewhere in the stars, Goldie? You and me?" he murmured softly, his touch soft and caressing.
He righted my body and went to work with the conditioner, it smelled exactly like the kind I used at home. Home. My heart stuttered in my chest, clenching tightly as I thought of Gran. Oh gods, Gran. She would be devastated when she found out about this. She'd already lost her daughter to demons, and now she'd find out I actually was one. Would I lose my green witch magic? I didn't think I could cope with that life.
"Shh, princess. Seeing you cry makes me feel seven shades of homicidal and there's nobody around for me to kill. Let me rinse your hair, hmm?” He poured water over my head and I kept my eyes closed. He continued talking but I wasn’t paying attention, all I could focus on was the shaking of my body. I think I’m in shock. “You're the first hope our people have had in a century, and things you don't understand yet are about to change for you. We won't be here forever, but you do need to be here to learn. I promise, this isn't as bad as it seems.”
Bram continued his pampering and he didn't push me to talk or make any demands. I allowed his lying ass to take care of me because I was exhausted. The energy for conversation eluded me, and I had no desire to dig deep and search for it. After we were done in the large pool, he carried me out and wrapped me in a huge towel before ushering me back through to his massive bedroom. I found myself parked firmly on the bed, my hair hanging limply around my shoulders, little drops of water making their trek downward before landing on the towel.
I must have been lost in my head when his bare feet suddenly moved into my line of sight. Where had he gone? "Do you need help getting your wet clothes off, Goldie? I won't touch you, or look, I just want to take care of you," Bram asked quietly.
Lifting my gaze to his for the first time since the shit show
in that conference room, I mindlessly mapped his face, trying to gauge his sincerity. He'd already seen me naked, so what did it matter? What did anything matter? I'm a fucking demon.
I stood and let the towel fall, turning to let him unhook my bra. He made quick work of it and I pulled it off, dropping it at my feet. Bram brought the towel up around me once again, drying my back and I dried my breasts, quickly, using my other hand to slip my soaked panties down.
"Here, princess. I know you love nightgowns," he told me, dropping one over my head and letting me slip my arms through before tugging it down as he pulled the towel away so I was fully covered.
Glancing down, I noted that this was a t-shirt style nightgown, my favorite. It was cream with a variety of cacti printed on it, along with the words, "Don't be a prick". Normally, I would have loved this. Yesterday, I would have laughed at the pun and been excited to have a new nightie. Now? I climbed into Bram's big ass bed and slipped under the covers, not even bothering to brush my hair.
The lights dimmed and I stared at the wall for minutes, or maybe it was hours? Time was irrelevant. I was no longer feeling time or anything at a normal rate. Everything was muted. So when the bed dipped and I felt Bram climb into bed behind me, I didn't move. When he started brushing my hair out, I blinked. And when he started humming softly, I cried silently. Then, when he slipped down beside me and pulled me against him, I slept.
My eyes flew open. Something wasn't right. I mean, this entire situation wasn't right, but something with me. Feeling numb clearly wasn’t an option for my body anymore, it felt like my very cells were zinging and rioting. My skin felt tight and hot, my nails were already digging their way into my neck and chest, trying to alleviate a persistent itch. Bram startled awake beside me, my restlessness wasn't just a disturbance to my own sleep, unfortunately. My other hand snaked down and clawed at my thighs, I was so fucking itchy.
The Magic Of Betrayal Page 23
