Chapter 22

Chapter

Twenty-Two

FLYNN

D o I want to spend my free time with Asmodeus Gratiadei? No, I truly don't. But Set Drusus is someone I haven't seen in a while and someone I don't particularly despise either. If he can help find who is behind these deaths, then it will be a faster solution to finding out who tried to hurt Talulla. I can't believe she forced me into this situation.

I could ask Monica, probably bargain something else for it, but the reality is that she is too loyal to her customers, and she would never give out the name, just like she would never let me compel her to tell me the name. And after what I'll have to endure, maybe it's better if I never mention her name again. Even if she did save Talulla.

I decide to drive. Asmo, in the passenger seat, remains silent after giving me the address.

"We're making a stop along the way," I state, gripping the steering wheel so tight I feel the piece of leather-covered plastic mold between my fingers.

"Please don't make me clean blood so early in the morning. I'm wearing new sneakers."

"We're not going to kill anyone right now… If they behave, of course."

Asmodeus rolls his eyes. "I knew I should've driven."

"Hey, you can apparate out of here any time you want. I didn't really ask to be in your presence, but here we are."

"Listen, I know you don't particularly like me, because I am of the male species and Talulla likes me—"

I snort. "That's not entirely true."

"Oh?"

"I haven't been given a reason yet to like you. My judgment could change."

He laughs at my words. "You're an asshole."

"I know."

"Fine, let's go play with Paolo."

"Thank you."

We park right outside the warehouse, the place that only a few hours ago almost became the burial of my soul. I was ready to rip everyone's head off. I was ready to give all of them a reason to end me because seeing Talulla unconscious in my arms gave me the only reason why I would want to die. Living a life where she isn't breathing is not something I desire.

"Flynn," Asmodeus starts, pressing his hand on my chest to stop me. "We question him, and we leave."

"I'm not going to eat him for breakfast if that's what you're worried about."

"You wanted to last night."

"Last night, I was a little upset." I scratch my throat. "And don't boss me around. I don't like being told what to do."

"So, no sudden urge to change your ways?"

Is he really worried about me biting into some innocent's neck? "No, I'm not going to bite anyone." I roll my eyes. "See, this is why it's hard for me to like you. You have no faith in me."

"You're a vampire."

"An old one who knows how to control himself," I reply. "God, you're unbearable."

"Fine, I'm sorry. Let's get this over with so we can go admire a dead body in my basement."

I knock on the large metal door, and not even a minute later, Paolo opens it, not really surprised to see us in front of him.

"Good morning, sunshine," I say, smiling nice and wide and making my fangs visible.

One of his eyebrows lifts up. "Is she okay?"

I shake my head. "You don't get to ask how she's doing," I reply, my voice turning into a growl. Asmodeus grabs my arm, and I swear if he touches me again, I might rip his hand off. "Take your fingers off me," I say, turning to look at the wizard beside me.

He ignores me and goes back to looking at Paolo. "We have a couple of questions."

Paolo nods and lets us walk in, then he closes the door behind us and locks it. "How do you know about Talulla?"

"I didn't. One of my superiors saw her and told me to accept her request."

"One of the Caputos?"

"Yes," he says, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "They've dealt with other supernatural beings in the past. I think they just saw the easy money."

‘What happened last night?"

"You tell me. She seemed tired when she walked in, but after I talked to her, she was okay."

"Did you give her anything?"

"What? No, only a water bottle."

This is when I grab him by the throat and push him against the closest wall. "You call a water bottle nothing?"

"It was in the fridge. A brand-new water bottle."

Asmodeus cracks his neck. "Do you still have this bottle of water?"

"If it's still here, it's in the changing room."

"Great," I start, moving toward the back. "Pray the bottle is still there because if it isn't, I might have to play my favorite game."

Paolo's eyes widen when he sees the tip of my tongue pressed against a fang, crimson liquid dripping onto my bottom lip.

"He's just messing with you. He's truly harmless," Asmodeus says, squeezing the human's shoulders. "Just don't disappoint him though. I really don't want to clean up another mess."

Well played. Maybe I don't despise being in his presence too much.

"The bottle is there. I know it is. No one came in to clean yet."

That I can tell. The smell of sweat and dried-up cheap beer is still everywhere. The plastic cups are mostly contained in big, black garbage bags, but the ambiance is still the same as last night.

I enter the changing room, and the faint scent of fresh strawberries hits me. Even after so many hours, her essence still lingers here. I close my eyes for a moment, remembering that Talulla is okay and at school. She's back to normal and with me. Mine once again.

Looking around the space, I see the bench where she leaves her bag, the big gym bathroom with showers right in the corner where I've been dreaming to fuck her, and then, to the far left corner, on the floor, a bottle of water stands. "Bingo," I say to myself, making my way to it.

I march toward Asmodeus, handing him the water bottle. "So? Can you tell me anything?"

"Yeah, that we need to go home and test it."

"Can't you just tell me if there's a potion in this?"

"It clearly was made to look invisible to the eye," he starts, then after smelling the content, he adds, "and to have no smell, so no, I can't just tell you without testing it."

This means I don't have a reason to kill Paolo yet. My nostrils flare at the thought of having to let him go. "Fine, let's go meet Set." My teeth grind.

"Hey, it's okay. You can play with his organs another day." Asmodeus pats my back, and I snort at his choice of words because Paolo is terrified at this point.

"It's your lucky day," I tell him. "But if I see you anywhere close to her again, I might change my mind."

"I never wanted to hurt her."

"Good, don't start now," I say, following Asmodeus toward the exit. "And tell your wannabe criminal friends that if they mess with someone close to me again, they won't get the same treatment. I will rip them to shreds without giving them a chance to explain their actions."

Paolo simply nods. "Understood."

We get on the road once again, and after a few minutes of silence, I notice Asmodeus looking outside the window, deep in thought.

"Are you ever going to act on your feelings, or are you planning to suppress them for much longer?" I don't even know why I even bother asking. It's something I actually don't care about, but Cassandra has been decent with me, and he's been somewhat bearable to be around this morning.

The wizard's jaw tightens. "I don't think my personal life is any of your concern."

"Ah, I see, a bit of a touchy subject."

"Not that it's any of your business, but Cassandra needs time to heal, and she won't let herself go until she finds out what happened to her father."

"You might have to wait a long time for that."

"She's worth the wait. I'm sure you can somewhat relate to that," he replies, taking me by surprise. Because I do, in fact, understand that. He's seen how agitated I get when the topic of Talulla's safety is on the table.

"Well, I certainly hope you won't have to wait as long as I had to."

He turns his face toward me. "Can I ask you something?"

"I guess."

"Before Talulla, why did you want to take the cure?"

"Because I decided that it wasn't worth the wait anymore."

"Okay, but it's a cure. You wanted to be human again. Why?"

"When I got turned, I wasn't given a choice. I had to endure the loss of all my loved ones, knowing that I would remain the same. Yet, I was becoming a shell of a creature." My hands grip the steering wheel tightly as I continue my story. "I wanted to take the cure to feel something again. To feel real pain, real sadness, real everything before letting myself go. I haven't felt any kind of emotions—human emotions—since I left for war."

"Okay, but you were still human when you enrolled. What makes you believe you'll feel what you need to feel by taking the cure?"

"Hope never dies, Asmodeus."

"And what about now?"

The corners of my mouth lift up as I continue to look at the road. "You know why I want it now."

We turn into a subdivision of Palo Alto, a well-kept suburban area. The road is perfectly pristine. The trees are well groomed. And the houses are more like mansions than anything else. "I didn't expect the Drusus coven to have a place so out in the open."

"We like to blend in. It helps make us look normal."

I laugh at that statement. "Sure."

After parking the car in the driveway, we make our way to the big wooden entrance doors. Asmodeus doesn't even have to put the key in the lock before it slowly swings open.

Set Drusus awaits right behind it.

"Flynn Lancaster," he says, his lips curled into a smirk. "Can't believe it took you this long to come visit." His sandy blonde hair is up in a bun, and his dark eyes are the complete opposite of Cassandra's. They look like the definition of yin and yang. Sun and moon. Her with her black hair and light eyes, him with his blonde hair and almost black eyes.

"I've been busy these days," I reply, smirking right back at him.

"So I've been told." Set raises an eyebrow at me. "Talulla Popescu. Quite ironic, isn't it?"

"I guess I'm a bit of a masochist."

He chuckles. "Just a little… but it makes sense, somehow."

I tilt my head slightly to the side. "How?"

"You both are people who were forced into a life you didn't ask for."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Yes, because in our world, there are unspoken rules, and what Talulla and I have been doing isn't really seen as normal.

"Why would it? You're both adults. Just because your heart doesn't beat, it doesn't mean I will stop you from falling in love. Talulla needs to be cared for. She never really had that."

"That's all I want to do."

"Then we're all okay with it. I mean, Cassie and Asmo have been okay with it since you showed up."

"Thank you."

"Sure." He nods. "Okay, let's look at this corpse now. I already had to use a potion to stop the decomposition."