Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

TALULLA

I don't remember falling asleep, but when I open my eyes again, the rays of sunshine lazily peek through the big window in front of the bed—Flynn's bed. I shift my gaze to my right and find the space empty, and for just a moment, that same feeling of emptiness pierces my lungs. Then they fill with air again when I hear voices in the other room, and I decide to get out of bed. Putting on the first clothes I find piled on the chair at the end of the bed, I make my way to the living room.

"Good morning, sunshine." Cassandra's voice is the first one that reaches me. It's soft, yet there's a tone of excitement. She's happy to see me.

I rub the palm of my hand over my left eye as I reply, "Good morning, crew." I turn to look at my vampire, his stare penetrating, and I suddenly feel weak in the knees. How can he just look at me like that? "Good morning, fangs," I say, the corners of my lips lifting into a smile that he clearly adores by the way he's looking at me now. His gray eyes create a thunderstorm in my chest.

"Good morning, darling. How are you feeling?" he replies as he gets to my side.

"I'm good. I didn't realize I fell asleep after we… talked. "

He snorts. "You needed the sleep." That, I certainly did. I feel like I still need to recover, but I also feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

"So, how did you guys wake me up? What happened?"

Asmodeus gets up from the couch to join us in the middle of the living room, and now that I can finally see his face, I spot a bruise on his right eye. "Asmo, what the fuck happened to you?" I ask, my eyes widening. The purple of his skin makes his irises look even darker than usual.

"So, when Cassie and your vampire took you away, I stayed to settle some stuff and, well… cover for you in the ring."

My jaw drops at his nonchalant attitude. "You did what?"

"Hey, calm down. I won. It's all good, you didn't lose your reputation."

I slap his arm so hard I can tell the guy is in pain. "I don't give a shit about my reputation! You can't do stuff like that, Asmodeus. You could have gotten really hurt."

He shrugs. "You do it all the time."

"Yeah, and I'm fucking trained to get beat up." The volume of my voice is getting higher with each word.

"You're not gonna do that anymore." The voice that I hear now is not Asmodeus's. It's Flynn's, and his tone is low, firm, and final .

I tilt my head slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what I said. You're done fighting."

"Flynn, I can't just stop. I have a debt to pay off," I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Taken care of."

"You did what?"

"Paolo won't need your services anymore." Flynn's tone is so casual I almost let it slide, as if it's okay for him to decide something so major for me.

I narrow my eyes on him. "You can't just do stuff like that without consulting me. This is a lot."

Cassandra and Asmodeus leave the vicinity as Flynn takes my hands in his. The contact sends electric shocks throughout my entire body. From the tip of my nose to the point of my toes. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about this, but you were dying in my bed, and I couldn't bear even the thought of you going through anything like this again."

I groan at his softness because why can't he just let me be mad for a second? "It's so much money, Flynn."

He smiles as he brings my hands to his mouth and kisses both palms. Such a gentle gesture coming from this dominant being who needs to be in charge at every moment. "It's the bare minimum, Talulla. What I did is the bare minimum, and you deserve so much more than that."

I shake my head in disbelief. "I don't think any man I've dated ever went past the flowers on a first date. I didn't know helping me pay my school debt was on the list of things I should've been looking for."

Then he lowers his head to me, his lips barely touching mine. "Don't ever mention another man dating you, touching you, or looking at you. I don't need to go into stalking mode and torture anyone else right now."

I raise one eyebrow. "Dramatic much?"

"Never again, Talulla."

And for a split second, his eyes turn dark red, a shade of anger I haven't seen in him yet. He would do it. He would go through the list of every man I've dated, one by one, and make sure they wouldn't walk again just for touching me. That should be enough to scare me off, yet it exhilarates me. But a pit in my stomach still keeps me grounded, a constant voice reminding me that what we have can't be real, because why would someone go through all this just for me? Why would he, a powerful vampire, decide to go through all this, knowing that I could stake him at any moment, and for good this time?

"How did you cure me? Was I given something? Because I don't remember taking any—"

"You were sick, as in you had the flu—a crazy flu. Someone gave you whatever was given to the werewolves."

"Okay, well, thank you, Cass," I say, knowing she definitely gave me something to save me.

"Don't thank me yet. I had to cooperate with your new best friend," she says, playing with a strand of her silky black hair.

"Cassandra," Flynn growls.

"What? Were you really going to pretend you didn't have to call Monica Lazar?" she asks, resting her elbows on the table. "Because I certainly can't do that."

"Excuse me?" I ask, my voice clearly hinting at my sudden state of rage.

"After I called my mother, Evanora, and basically every witch I know, Flynn put two and two together and realized who brewed the lethal potion."

"So we know it's her. We finally have our killer."

"She might have procured the weapon, but she did not use it," Flynn spits out.

"Are you seriously protecting her right now?"

"I'm not protecting her. I'm just telling you that she doesn't do things randomly. Someone must have paid her a lot of money for it."

"Did you have to pay her to save me?"

He sighs. "Yes."

My eyes widen. "How much did she ask you?"

"It's not really how much. It's more what she asked me to give up, and I did it gladly."

"Flynn, spill it."

"It's not important. What's important is that you're here."

"She asked him to give up some Dante's stuff he has, and—"

‘Cassandra, I liked you more when you didn't feel this comfortable around me," he says, growling at her but staring at me. Analyzing me.

"Dante's notes? Are you fucking serious right now?"

"You need to work on your language."

I narrow my eyes at his words before replying, "That's the most precious thing you own, Flynn. Why would you do that? I can't believe you gave up something so valuable."

"Your life is way more precious than those notes, Talulla. I'd do it again if I was asked to."

"You… I can't even begin to comprehend what you did."

"And I can't seem to understand why you're so surprised by my actions."

"You basically just threw away millions of dollars."

Flynn shrugs his shoulders. "To save you."

"And what did she ask for afterward? Neil Armstrong's flagpole?" I ask, my arms now in the air.

Flynn laughs at my question. "The pole is still safe on the moon. Dante's notes were the most she asked for, and I am afraid of the repercussions this event might have with your father."

"Why?"

"Because she now knows how much you mean to me, Talulla, and she is an opportunist."

"I can't believe you went out with her. She literally looks like a snake."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Please, don't remind me of my stupidity."

I join in with his laughter. "Okay, well, I need to go see if I still have a job."

"It's Saturday."

"Yes, and I have a presentation to prepare for next week."

"Can I take you out for dinner later?"

"Can't we just stay in?"

"Whatever you prefer. I just want to see you."

I nod. "Sure, I'd like that."

"Wait, I'll come with you. I have a meeting for my dissertation in half an hour," Cassandra says, getting up. Asmodeus follows her. "I guess I'm meeting Set all alone," he says in a dramatic voice.

"What are you doing with Set Drusus?" Flynn asks, his fingers scratching his jaw.

"We're going to analyze Scott's body. Set might have… borrowed it…"

Then I hear Flynn laugh. A true laugh. A full-body laugh. "Of course he did. Good old Set, always ready to go over the limit." I don't think I could love a sound as much as this one. Pure serenity and tranquility are what Flynn's laugh radiates.

And then I do what I know my vampire will absolutely hate because he might be the love of my life, but he still needs to be taught a lesson—at least this once. "Fangs, you should join them."

"Wait, what?" Asmodeus and Flynn say in unison.

"Aw, look at you two, already finishing each other's sentences."

I can see Flynn's nostrils flare. "Talulla, you're gonna pay for this."

"You can punish me all you want later." I wink at him, grabbing my stuff.

"Actually, that's a really good idea," Cassandra says to Asmo, barely brushing his arm. The vicinity is already enough for him to relax. "The analysis of the body, not whatever you two weirdos do in bed."

Asmodeus's eyes roll. "Fine, but don't sink your teeth into anyone while we're out."