23. Kairhyse

23

Kairhyse

M y little demon has ruined my palate.

It's been three weeks since I've fed on Xeraphine and I'm finally beginning to feel the need. She's been such a tease, and honestly after this attempt at feasting on another, I am going to just take the risk of death and break into her apartment.

Thinking about the toy deep in that cunt of hers and how badly I wanted to replace it with my cock, has me stiff. I should have just slipped my shadow in there to help her take the edge off.

"I offered the premier feed," the blonde I had my fangs sunk into whispers through her heavy breathing. "That monster can have me for free honestly." Her arm moves behind her, and I think she's trying to grab my said monster. I shift her before she has the ability to do so, and pull from her shoulder.

"No, not interested, just sit and do your job."

"Your cock says otherwise." She rolls her hips, and I sink my fangs back into her roughly. The shriek she releases would surely bring the staff running, but I don't care. I wrap my arm around her chest and hold her tight as I pull her blood into me. "Stop! That hurts!"

My hand moves to her mouth and covers it as she again tries to tell me to cease what I paid for. I know I'm hurting her, and it is purposeful .

I don't want to kill her, but I'm going to teach her a lesson.

The moment I am satisfied, I tear from her neck. The soft pop as my fangs withdraw from her flesh elicits tears and a whimper from her.

"Listen to your clients," I whisper and place her on the bench beside me before moving to stand. "You aren't safe, even here. Piss the wrong one of us off and we can snap your neck in an instant. For your own good, do as your told."

The staff are rushing through the door now.

I haven't visited a feeding clinic in quite some time, and already I can sense that I may not be welcomed back. But it doesn't matter. This only confirms that I've been irrevocably ruined by my girl, to the point where she'll either sustain me or lead me to my death.

After settling the payment and leaving a generous tip for the blonde attendant—perhaps enough to afford her a few days to heal from the bruise that will likely consume her entire shoulder—I step outside. With my phone in hand, I immediately pull up Xeraphine's location.

To my surprise she isn't at home, but is instead at a restaurant not too far from me. Like any adept stalker, I get into my car and head toward her. I wonder if I'll be disrupting another date; that thought intrigues me. She must be feeling the decline in her energy, and while she should have a few more weeks, I'm sure she's just as hungry as I was.

The Beast is a restaurant and bar that doesn't exactly scream upper class, but it's far too fancy for Xeraphine's taste. That likely means she's busy with her second job of hunting down Dominic and Dante.

Then there are the other three, and if I'm honest, I want to obliterate the entire Hause structure to find out who hurt her. It sounds cliché, burning down my world for a girl who won't even let me cook her pancakes, but I'm ready to do it.

I'm such a hopeless fool because she's not the kind of girl who wants anyone to do that for her. She's determined to handle it herself. However, I'll be damned if she denies me the opportunity to watch at least.

As the elevator dings at the top floor, I step out, my eyes scanning for her pale skin, the stark contrast of her onyx hair and silvern eyes .

"Good evening, do you have a reservation?" The host smiles, his hand tapping at a tablet.

"Yes, I believe my date has already arrived." I pull my phone from my pocket, and zoom in to see exactly where she is sitting. "I'll find her, thank you." Without waiting for a response, I brush past him and begin roaming.

It's quiet, hushed conversations and giggles serve as background noise as I weave through the tables. It's then I see that signature bright pink hair. Sydni is flushed with a blush as she's enamored by the man in front of her. I'm immediately surprised it isn't Xeraphine that is sitting across from her.

The butterfly is biting her lip and stifling a giggle, which is a good sign. Are they on a double date?

Speaking of her date, he looms large in stature, with broad shoulders and tawny skin. I observe intricate, bold-lined geometric patterns inked into one of his arms. Though they vanish beneath his short-sleeved shirt, I catch a glimpse of the design creeping up the side of his neck.

Despite his imposing presence, his smile is genuine. Sydni appears to be thoroughly enjoying herself; she practically bounces out of her seat with each laugh.

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm here alone for a reason." Her voice brushes the edge of my mind and I shift my gaze over my shoulder, seeing Xeraphine sitting at a high-top at the window. A man, nearly my height, looms over the table, leaning in and fixing his gaze on my little demon.

"Of course, I won't impose myself on you. I just remember seeing you being rushed out of the club that night we met—" Excuse me? "—and figured I'd check to make sure you were alright."

My eyes narrow as he reaches across for her hand, but she swiftly pulls away. I can tell she's making an effort to remain neutral and refrain from immediately lashing out at him.

"I was waiting for someone, and they weren't stupid enough not to show up," she huffs through a forced smile.

I take a few strides to her table, and when she locks eyes with me, they roll, "Oh, fuck me." Her groan is gentle, and she rests her chin into her palm. "Of course you're here. Can't catch a Gods damn break. "

My gaze drags to the man, who doesn't shift or begin to move, "I'm that stupid person—"

"Yes… Yes, he is," she says dryly.

"So, piss off," I say.

He smiles, and I give him a strong, contempt one in return. I'm not sure if he knows who I am, but he doesn't say anything to me, instead only addresses Xeraphine.

"You've got my number now." I'll be deleting that the moment I have the chance. I'm irritated by his audacity. A mere Mundane, judging by his scent, daring to challenge me for possession of my little demon. "Please feel free to reach out with any needs you may have, gorgeous."

He better enjoy his tongue for the next several hours.

As he brushes past me, I see the smirk at the edge of his lips. Who the fuck does—

"Kai, why are you here?" Her gaze meets mine, brimming with irritation. It's my favorite look, second only to when she's orgasming. That's absolute perfection embodied.

Without waiting for an invitation or seeking permission, I simply take the seat across from her. This is the closest we've been since that night, and I'm craving her. "Little demon, you look equally stunning and furious, my favorite combination."

She rolls her eyes, "That isn't an answer, prick. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know," I chuckle, "stalking my favorite thing to bless this world." I'm not entirely sure if confessing that was wise, but the words slipped out without much forethought. "You are my favorite obsession, after all."

That quells the strange look she's giving me, and she clicks her tongue against her teeth, groaning. "Disgusting. Please leave, I'm on guard duty." Her gaze shifts from mine to Sydni. "That Shifter has slithered his way over to my princess. I'm just waiting for the right moment to decapitate him."

There's no doubt that she isn't joking and I'm incapable of stifling the laugh that bursts from my lips. Unfortunately, it's loud, and several heads turn in our direction. "Shut the fuck up." She reaches across the table and smacks my arm. "Gods, you are so annoying."

She sheepishly settles back into her chair and raises her hand, mouthing ‘sorry' to those who had turned to stare at us .

"Who cares." I turn in my chair so I can cross my legs. "Before I get to business, who was that guy?" I try to sound as casual as possible. "Swooning his way in here."

Her eyebrow cocks. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to take his tongue, if not his life, for flirting with you." There's no jest in my tone.

The exacerbated sigh she releases makes me so needy for her, I love getting under her skin. "His name is Alaric, other than that, I have no idea. Have fun." She squints her eyes, leaning forward and slightly tilting her head. "Are you jealous?"

I clear my throat, knowing I can't say what I really want to which is "he's flirting with what is mine" so, I go with, "No. He was bothering my little demon, that's enough of a problem for me."

As she's about to speak, I raise my hand to halt her. "Listen, we need to talk. While I am here to stalk you, as is basically my calling," I say, anticipating her long ‘ugh' that follows. "I want to give you something, and it's not flowers this time."

I pull out my phone and tap away before sliding it over in front of her. Her moonlit eyes meet mine. She doesn't look down, even though I'm eager for her to.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why me?" she presses, and while that isn't the question I thought she was going to ask, I have my answer.

"Why not?" It isn't all I'll give her, but it's where I want to start. "I don't think you want the answer to that question, because if you did, you wouldn't be sleeping in your bed alone. You wouldn't be using your toys on yourself, I would be." Her pupils dilate, and I'm pretty sure I'm beginning to see a shade of red filter under her cheeks. "So, I'll give you the creepiest answer so that you can still feel disgust when you look at me.

"You are a challenge I know that I will never conquer. A battle that will go on for countless centuries. A never-ending back-and-forth that will only die when one of us, or the world itself does," I say, noting her efforts to keep her breathing steady, though her accelerating heartbeat betrays her. "I've never enjoyed life more, chasing that tight ass around this city and across state lines."

Seeing her roll her eyes and scoff makes me chuckle before continuing, "Look at the phone, Xera, and let's talk. "

She releases a breath through her nose and peeks down. I can see her reading quickly, and when she picks up the phone and begins moving the page down, I've done the one thing I didn't think possible. I've given her something she needed beyond sex and feeding.

I'm not sure why, but that feeling of elation swells in my chest. Fucking Beyond, what have you done to me?

"Dominic and Dante," she whispers, "they reported to Ansford before Mortars… ten years ago…" Her swallow is rough, and I can see her hands tremble ever so slightly. "They were a part of… Oh my Gods."

Isabella had given me enough information for me to do some further investigation on my own. These files were not easy to get, but to see her react this way, it was worth the trouble I could get into if they found out. There is a plethora of emotions written on her face, but I swear she's happy.

"They were part of a group called The Clektic, with three other unidentifiable individuals. No names?" Her tone doesn't mirror the feelings I know she has. Inconvenient that the names were missing, but there was absolutely no trace of them. I shake my head, and she nods. She quickly looks over at Sydni, as do I; they are holding hands and laughing with one another.

"Okay." She continues reading over the information, "I knew Ansford had something to do with this, but they are so far up each other's ass it's impossible to get close to anyone. Kit was the first person from the Ansford Hause I've ever been able to meet. At least, knowing he was employed with them."

Kit Morrison, the one she had gone on that date with, wouldn't have been able to provide her with much anyway. She likely knew that, but an in was an in. I do feel bad about that, but I can provide her more anyhow.

"It's because they sign a death contract upon accepting a position within even the ranks of their cooks," I say, reaching out and putting my hand on her wrist to steady her shaking.

"You once asked where Mathas was before coming to Achille and the Hause Sidence. He was a bodyguard for Desiray Ansford." Her eyes widen. "Who is the daughter of—"

"Kor De Linos Ansford, the fucking head of his Hause."

I nod. "I want you to tell me what happened, but I already know you aren't ready. "

"I'll never be ready. You aren't my thera—"

"I don't want you to tell me because I'm a fucking shrink, Xera." Her eyes shift slightly from the phone to my hand, but she doesn't move to separate us yet. "I'm not here to argue with you about telling me. Go to my texts." She sets my phone down and gently pulls away from my grasp. I don't fight her, just watch as she goes to my messages.

I don't need to instruct her to open the one from Dominic, clearly labeled as such. "Their father's birthday, it's tomorrow night." She reads over the details of the invite, and when she looks up at me, she narrows her eyes. "Why are you showing me this?"

"We should go."

She doesn't respond immediately, and I give her a moment. I sense her mind assessing and calculating. It's written in her eyes, gently moving between mine.

"No, we shouldn't. I should."

I can't help but laugh, and just as I'm about to call her an idiot, I feel her hand on mine. "You need to understand something, Kai." Her firm tone and the physical contact she made makes me pause. I'm not to speak over her, and that is clear in this moment. "I didn't need you before, and I would work another ten years not to need anyone… ever. However," I see her nostrils flare and the irritation between her brows, "connections are all I've ever worked for. It's how I get to where I need to be, and you… You've just become a valuable connection.

"That being said, because I can see you're about to start smirking." I was, and the fact she grasps that makes me smile anyway. "With you there, you take away all my power. I have to be theirs for them to become mine ."

My cock is fully at attention, fucking Vayl, she's one powerful woman.

Once more, she casts a quick glance at Sydni before returning her focus to me, locking her gaze with mine. "I need you to text Dominic and tell him that you won't be attending. Tell him that we had a falling out and that you'd already extended the invitation to me well in advance—I noticed he sent it over a week ago to you."

I don't like the sound of this plan, not one fucking bit, but I hold my tongue for now .

"That I may show up tomorrow, and that if I do, he needs to text you to come collect me."

My questioning look prompts her to continue, "Dominic won't text you, but that will help once he is dead..." She pauses momentarily, as if carefully considering her next words. "And I want to ensure you stay completely clear of any involvement."

The thought of thrusting her against the window and pulling up her already too short dress to fuck her is so strong I know she can see it in my eyes.

To my surprise, she doesn't retort with a snarky remark, just gives me a grin.

"Do not come to save me, because Kai, I do not need it. They do, and all you will do, is save them. Which they do not deserve."

I may be in love with this woman, but I'm not even ready to admit that to myself.

"You have given me what I need…" Her eyes trail down to our hands, and she licks her lips, "For now."

As she gradually reclines, withdrawing her hand and folding her arms under her chest, she grants me the floor with a meaningful silence.

How am I supposed to follow that? She practically delivered a battle speech, and honestly, all I want to do is take those cherry lips of hers with mine.

So fucking perfect, I swear it.

I take a deep breath, "I don't like it because anything can go wrong. What if more of the five show up? What if they overpower you? What if—"

"They can do no more than they already have. I will survive, as I have before you ever showed up with that dumb ass face of yours." Her chin tilts downward as she smiles. "Worry about me, but don't get in my fucking way."

"What did I tell you about telling me what not to do, little demon?" I provide a toothy grin, indication that I'm not going to be shoving my cock in her mouth for doing it again. "Just so you know though," I lean back, watching her assess me, "I will kill them all if they take you from me."

Her lips part, but before she can utter a word, I'm already up from my seat and in front of her. "I have no doubt you'll be successful, Xera," I interject, "I'm just letting you know that your revenge will happen no matter what. "

She slips gracefully from her chair, standing before me with her chest pressed against mine. "You're so—" As she lifts to her tiptoes, I lean forward, eager to catch her next words. "—dramatic." Her tongue flicks my lips teasingly before she moves around me, leaving me rooted in place.

Fucking Beyond, maybe I am ready to admit it to myself.