Chapter Thirteen

Delta sat at the bottom of the stairs, happy that Damon had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. She was such a cutie, though Delta had refused to look until she was all cleaned up and swaddled.

Thankfully, he hadn't passed out. Neither had Raidh. Casimir, on the other hand, hit the floor like a bulldozed tower when Damon's stomach began to open.

Everyone had stared astonishedly at the warrior. Except Elvine. She hadn't stuck around to witness Casimir's finest moment. As soon as she'd seen how much pain Damon was in, she'd said, "When pigs die,"

and then, as quickly as her swollen belly allowed her, she'd escaped.

As strange as it had been to see the delivery method in which the baby was born, Delta couldn't deny how beautiful it had been to see a life brought into the world.

Now daughter and fathers were resting, and Delta sat there, too afraid to go into the kitchen to get something to drink.

Every time he stood, convinced he could do it, he sat back down. Delta knew it was all in his head, but it felt like the kitchen was mocking him, daring him to enter so it could reveal the horrors trapped in its walls.

His leg started to bounce as he chewed his lower lip and wondered if he'd ever be able to step foot in there again. But good memories were trapped in there too. Like making out with Kalen while the food burned, and…that was it, but still.

"Three months later and I still have nightmares."

Raidh sat down next to Delta and clasped his hands between his legs. He poked his tongue into the inside of his mouth, causing his cheek to bulge. "My father paid vampires to kill me."

Delta's leg stilled.

Raidh let out a small huff of humorless laughter. "Almost succeeded."

Staring off into some past memory, he brushed his fingers over his forearm for some reason. It seemed the kitchen wasn't the only place where bad memories were stored. "One took me down, ripped my neck open."

Delta couldn't decide which would be worse. Getting shot in the stomach or having his neck ripped open. Both sounded terrifying and resulted in the same possibly fatal outcome. One just seemed less… evil? Was that the word he was looking for? Maybe gruesome?

"Now I live with two vampires."

Raidh looked at him, his eyes haunted. "How ironic is that?"

Whoa. Pump the freaking brakes. Vampires ? Delta's mind was definitely scattered because Raidh had mentioned vampires four or five thoughts ago, and it was just now registering.

Even so, for a brief moment, he was too stunned to speak. The small guy was opening up and sharing a painful experience, and Delta wanted to tread lightly. But he couldn't think of a polite enough way to ask how Raidh had survived such a brutal attack.

Now Delta was inwardly panicking that vampires were actually real. He was still trying to process the fact that demons, shifters, and fairies, shit, fae existed. Now vampires? What next? Bigfoot? Aliens? The Grim Reaper?

If those were real, Delta didn't want to know.

"Oh god."

Raidh's expression turned apologetic. "You had no idea vampires existed, did you?"

Delta shrugged. "At this point, I don't think anything can surprise me."

His gaze flicked toward the kitchen doorway before glancing away. His nightmare, not ten feet away, lived in the same house too. "Who are the vampires?"

"Arion and Damon."

"Okay, I stand corrected."

Delta snapped his head around to stare wide-eyed at Raidh. "Somehow, I'm not shocked that Arion is one. He has this intense look about him. But Damon? He's Kalen's son. How is he a vampire and not a wolf shifter like his dad?"

Leaning forward, Raidh rubbed the shin area of his pant legs. "I'm sorry, but that's not my story to tell."

It was the one Kalen had promised to explain to Delta. "I just wanted something to drink."

He curled his arms around his midsection then started to chew on his bottom lip again.

"Damon, really?"

Yep. He was still stuck on that.

Raidh grinned, his smile as soft and pretty as freshly fallen snow. "You have so much to catch up on, Daddy Frost."

"Don't."

Delta groaned and tilted his head back. "How would you feel if you found out you're a grandpa while you were in your twenties? Us young'uns have to stick together."

The guy's chuckle was even better, making Delta think of the soft tinkling of wind chimes. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm 1,217 years old. But I don't feel a day over 500."

Delta gave his head a little shake, listening for anything that might be rattling around in there, like his marbles. Apparently, his hearing was on the fritz as well, because he could have sworn he'd heard an astronomical number that couldn't be real. Then again, Kalen was over three hundred, so why the hell not?

Raidh poked Delta's leg. "Did I break you?"

"I was already broken."

Even before his mom had passed, Delta had allowed her to make all the decisions for him. Practically letting her become his brain. Anything she'd said, Delta had just gone along with, never giving it a second thought.

Maybe if he'd taken control of his own life, he wouldn't have fallen victim to Leo. Sure, the guy stalked his house, but Delta could've easily called the cops on him.

And his gut—not a great body part to reference right now—told him his uncle was behind the shooting, not Whichello. Leo had Delta's phone number. The demon did not.

But he could be wrong. First, what did he know about demons? Diddly squat. He was gullible enough to think Whichello was charming. His own judgment was not something he would eagerly rely on. And second, for all he knew, a demon could possess the power to snatch phone numbers out of thin air, even from a different realm.

His money was still riding on Leo, though.

"Aren't we all broken in some way?"

Raidh stood and turned to face him. "I'll go get you something to drink."

Delta simply nodded, unable to meet the man's eyes.

Raidh squatted in front of him, tilting his head until he caught Delta's eye, and then smiled. "That doesn't mean I think you're a coward, Delta. We all process trauma in different ways. Whatever helps you cope, right?"

"I don't think sitting ten feet from the kitchen I'm too afraid to go inside of would be considered coping,"

he quipped.

"At least you're sitting by it and not upstairs. I want you to keep something in mind."

"Tell me, oh wise one."

He grinned.

"Hardly. I'm a hot mess."

Raidh's snort was cute. "Keep in mind everyone in this house has suffered in some way or another, even Kalen. The Frosts believe when you're at your lowest point, that's when you lean on each other, not shut everyone out."

He patted Delta's knee then headed into the kitchen.

"How am I the grandpa but you're a fountain of wisdom?"

he grumbled to himself. "You look even younger than me."

Delta rested his elbow on his knee, his chin in his palm.

"Mind some company?"

Glancing over his shoulder, his gaze landed on Hercules, the demigod of strength. That didn't quite encapsulate what Kalen truly was. But damn if he wasn't a cavity of sweetness to look at.

"Come to impart some wisdom?"

Delta turned back around and crossed his arms over his bent knees, gazing into the living room. Was that a wall of knives?

Kalen walked down the steps and sat next to him, leaning back on an elbow. "Do you want me to impart some wisdom, muffin?"

Delta's body instantly reacted to his mate's all-consuming presence. The air around Kalen just felt like it emitted masculinity and prowess whenever he entered a room or walked down the steps.

He just had a quiet, commanding way about him that made a person feel safe and noticed. Like they mattered. At least, that was how Delta saw him.

"Maybe just sit with me for a moment."

His gaze once again drifted toward the kitchen just as Raidh walked out with a drink in hand and gave it to him.

"Here you go. I'm heading back to my room."

He patted Delta's shoulder before heading up the stairs.

Iced tea with the smell of sweetness like little popping fragrances filling his nose. Delta stared at the drink, noticing Raidh had even added some of the floating strawberries to his glass. His hand began to shake, causing the tea to slosh over the sides.

Kalen took the glass and set it on the other side of his large body. Just because Delta could no longer see the drink, it didn't stop him from staring at his wet hand and or the dark spots on the T-shirt he'd stolen from Kalen.

"I thought he was Damon's mate."

Delta was so focused on the tea droplets on his hand that he jumped slightly when Kalen whipped off his shirt and used it to wipe them away. His mate then draped the shirt over Delta's lap, covering up the dark spots so he couldn't become fixated on them next.

"Because you hadn't met Casimir yet."

Kalen's voice was soothing, rumbling through Delta like a quiet thunderstorm.

"Yes."

Delta stared at his mate's pajama bottoms, studying the red-and-black plaid patterns. The thin pants looked really nice on his mate. The colors suited him. "He played along. I was uneasy at first, but then he disarmed me."

"You can't blame yourself."

Kalen caressed Delta's arm with his pinky.

"I should have gone with my initial instinct. The one that made me uneasy in his presence. I knew something wasn't right, but I easily dismissed it."

His gaze detached from the pants and landed on Kalen's bare chest then glided over his tattoos. "He contacted me right before I went down to the kitchen to get something to drink."

Delta told him about the text message. "But I thought the text was harmless."

"Sweetheart, you were dealing with a master manipulator. I almost fell for his ‘I'm a moron' act."

Kalen kept his touch light, as if the man was afraid he would break Delta's concentration if his caresses were any firmer.

For the fourth or tenth time, Delta glanced toward the kitchen. "He wanted me to help him with something then switched it by saying he wanted to show me something. It wasn't until later that I figured out he'd been trying to get me outside the entire time. His sly smile was what rattled me."

Finally, he looked up into Kalen's diamond-blue eyes. "It's the same smile I've seen Leo use when he's up to no good."

Kalen scooped Delta off the steps and gently placed him on his lap then curled his strong arms around him.

"He told me to call him Mr. Fox then finally gave up the ruse. Told me if I made a sound, he had someone outside that would burn the house down. It wasn't until Arion walked into the kitchen that Mr. Fox pulled out a gun."

Delta slammed his eyes closed as a chill swept over him. The sound of the gunshot still echoed in his ears, but he forced himself to finish, to choke out the last of it. "I told him he would have to shoot me if he wanted to kill Arion. So…so he shot me."

Delta fell apart in Kalen's arms, trusting Raidh's wisdom that he could lean on the Frosts, Kalen Frost in particular, while he was at his lowest, most terrifying point. His mate hugged him tightly and rested his soft beard against the side of Delta's face as he cried against the man's bare chest.

When he felt like he had no more tears to give, he looked up at Kalen. "How am I even alive?"

He caught himself before he said he'd felt the life draining out of him. That wasn't something he wanted to face right now.

"Casimir, Raidh, and Elvine are Unseelie. Dark fae who possess magic."

Kalen explained what they did to save Delta's life.

"Kalen?"

His mate rubbed his beard tenderly over Delta's cheek. "Yes, muffin?"

"For now, I'm completely done with revelations. Will the ‘stuff' you need to tell me impact me in any immediate way?"

"No."

"Then our talk can wait."

He burrowed into his mate's arms and closed his eyes. "Shit, I have to go to work."

Delta shot up, totally forgetting about the diner. "What time is it?"

Friend or not, Roman Emperor was going to fire him for sure.

Kalen enveloped Delta back in his arms. "I already called and briefly explained what happened. You don't have to go in today."

He had to yank his head away from Kalen's chest. The guy seemed determined to keep it there. "You told him the truth?"

He searched his mate's eyes.

"You don't want any more revelations,"

Kalen reminded him, which only made Delta want to know. God, he was such a mess.

"Tell me."

Kalen sighed. "Roman is a snow leopard shifter."

Delta collapsed back against his mate's solid, warm chest. "Can we just bury ourselves under the covers until the world starts to make sense again?"

Kalen tightened his arms around Delta. "Baby, if we did that, we would never be seen again."

* * * *

"Look, we both despise Whichello. You want him dead because he killed your brother and father. The demon should pay for what he did to your family."

Leo tapped the back of his hand good-naturedly against Paul's huge bicep.

What kind of vampire parents gazed at their newborn bundle of evil and decided to call him Paul? It was such a human name.

Leo felt ridiculous even saying it while talking to a vampire who most definitely should have been named Killer or Muscles or, better yet, Not Too Bright.

The two had been talking for twenty minutes now, and that was the impression Leo had gotten so far. He'd just sat down at the bar when Paul had struck up a conversation with him.

Honestly, Leo wasn't even sure how they'd gotten on the subject of their mutual hatred of the demon. He'd just seen an opportunity to save his own ass and jumped on it.

"Whichello would string me up by my balls then eviscerate me so his demon buddies could feast on my entrails,"

Paul stated matter-of-factly.

Leo was shocked the guy knew such a big word. For someone as tall, broad, and deadly looking as Paul, he was woefully short-changed when it came to intelligence. His mother must've consumed tainted blood when she was pregnant with him.

"I have the perfect way to avenge your family's murders."

Leo had to sell the vampire on this, or he was totally screwed. "You won't even have to go near the scumbag,"

he replied in an affable tone.

"I'm listening."

Paul looked warily at him, but Leo saw the piqued interest in his eyes.

This was as easy as taking a shotgun from a snoozing grandpa's lap. Paul must have gotten through life using brawn, because he certainly didn't have brains. "My nephew."

Leo grinned conspiratorially.

Whichello wasn't after Delta. Leo had lied in hopes his nephew would turn to him for protection, but then he would drag him to the demon realm. Unfortunately, that plan hadn't worked. Just who in the hell were the men his nephew had cozied up to? For the past six months Leo had been all over Delta's life, coercing the guy into doing jobs for him. Not once had Leo seen him with any friends.

"I don't get it,"

Paul said, pulling Leo from his thoughts. "What does your nephew have to do with killing the demon?"

Leo downed the whiskey he'd easily manipulated the vampire into buying him. "Look, when I was in the demon realm, I had my nephew with me."

He spun on his bar stool then leaned back on his elbows. There wasn't one hot woman in the joint. Damn shame. "Delta and Whichello struck up a conversation."

The guy in the corner booth looks like an easy mark. "And let me tell you. Whichello was enamored with him."

More like infatuated if the goofy, dreamy-eyed expression on the demon's face was anything to go by. Thane, one of the guys Leo had pulled the heist with, had informed him that Whichello had never looked that way before, that the demon always wore a resting bitch face.

Leo had used Delta as a distraction because his nephew was exactly the type of guy Whichello licked his demon lips over. Gorgeous, which his nephew undeniably was, but also controllable. More like na?ve. Delta had relied on his mother to make all of his decisions.

If his nephew was that weak-minded, Leo would gladly provide the guy with a master. He was willing to bet his left nut that if he offered Delta to the demon, Whichello would call them even and Leo wouldn't have to die a horrific death.

At this point, he was willing to try anything. His luck with evading the demon wasn't going to last much longer, which meant he was running out of time to get his hands on Delta.

And what in the hell happened to Mr. Fox? The son of a bitch had taken the payoff then disappeared. Leo was still pissed the guy hadn't gotten the job done at the ice cream parlor. The last time he'd had contact with Mr. Fox was when the idiot had called to inform Leo that Delta was tucked away with a family of some rather large men.

Scumbags were so damn unreliable.

"But how does that help me ?"

the vampire asked.

It doesn't, moron . I couldn't care less what he did to your family. That's what they get for naming you Paul .

"I hand my nephew over to Whichello, and then, we wait for him to gain the demon's trust before we—"

"That sounds like it's gonna take forever,"

Paul interrupted with a sneer.

Leo had to remind himself not to lose his cool. Not only was the guy a massively built predator who could rip him apart, but Leo needed him. He didn't have time to find someone else as gullible as Paul.

"You've waited this long,"

Leo pointed out. "What's another month or two? Buy me another drink and I'll finish telling you my plan that you so rudely disrupted."

He'd just insulted the guy, but Paul bought him another drink. Leo had hit jackpot with this vampire.

"Like I was saying,"

he continued when his drink arrived. "I plant my nephew, then after he gains Whichello's trust, he'll get the demon into a vulnerable position so you can strike."

"Whichello is never vulnerable."

Jesus Christ. Did Leo have to break out the crayons and draw it out for him? "Sex, Paul. Men are at their most vulnerable when they're having sex."

Paul looked him over with an interested gaze.

"Sorry, but I'm as straight as an arrow,"

Leo replied.

"You don't have to be gay to get your dick sucked."

Paul turned so he could face Leo.

Shit, he needed to hurry this along so he could get the hell out of here. Leo had no qualms with different lifestyles. He just preferred women. "Are you in or out?" he asked.

"Give me the details and then I'll decide. But if I agree, I get to choose when this goes down."

Paul kept caressing him with a heated gaze.

Goddamn this bastard was infuriating. Leo didn't have that kind of luxury. He needed Delta now. "As long as you don't take a fucking week or more."

"Details,"

Paul ground out, which told Leo he needed to stow his attitude. The last thing he needed was to end up on the vampire's menu.

"My nephew is currently staying with a family of very large men. He shares his location with me by phone, though he's unaware of the fact."

Leo turned a little to conceal his crotch, which Paul kept eyeing. "You might want to take backup to snatch my nephew."

He narrowed his eyes. "Snatch, not shoot, or drain, or any other means of death. Simply grab him and bring him to me, unharmed , so I can get this plan started."

"I'll tell you what…"

Paul moved a little closer, crowding Leo, then bent and whispered into his ear, "Let me suck you off, handsome, and I'll consider us square. I'll grab four of my friends, and we'll ‘snatch' your nephew free of charge."

It wasn't free of charge, but Leo was short on time, and… Paul wasn't bad looking. "Nothing else? Just let you give me oral sex?"

Why on earth was Leo turned on by that idea? He'd never even considered sex with another guy, yet his cock was half hard as he contemplated Paul's counteroffer.

There was the fact the vampire hadn't even picked up on Leo's multiple mistakes.

He'd made it seem as if Delta would be in on the plan by stating he would "plant"

his nephew with Whichello, but Leo had said repeatedly that he needed the vampire to "snatch"

Delta, which would imply noncompliance.

He'd also said once Whichello was vulnerable it would be Paul who would strike, which contradicted his promise that the vampire wouldn't have to go anywhere near the guy.

And how in the fuck would they know when the demon had lowered his guard? Which only proved Leo was right to think Paul a complete moron. This was an opportunity he could not pass up.

"Just oral sex."

Paul winked. "I'm a sucker for gorgeous men."

He was a sucker, all right. But damn, if Leo was going to have his first blowjob experience with a guy, why in the hell did it have to be with someone named Paul ?

"Is it a deal or not?"

Paul tapped his bare wrist. "I have other things to do, Leo. I don't have time to wait around for an answer."

The vampire had nothing but time considering he was immortal. "Yes."

Leo's dick grew even harder. "We have a deal."