Chapter Eight

Dakata

It was Friday night. Dakata had paced a hole in the carpet in his office, locking himself inside in the hopes that he could catch up on the endless tasks that seemed to demand his attention.

How’s that working for you?

Merihem’s voice floated into his consciousness. He’d been a nuisance all day, checking in with him every few hours. Dakata got that his friend was actually concerned for him, but the constant reminder of what day it was, just wound him up, and that made matters worse.

Fuck you!

Not in a million years or if you were the last warm body in the demon realm… Okay, maybe then I might. You know any hole in the storm.

It’s fucking ‘port in a storm’ and you aren’t funny.

Dakata sniggered, he couldn’t help it. He should block Merihem, he really should, but then he couldn’t bring himself to when he was using him to hold him accountable…

Was he?

Dakata threw his summoning stones on the desk to make a point at his demon chiming in. When Dakata sighed, it held the weight of the whole demon realm in it as he plonked himself back in his seat. The loud creaking noise indicated his level of frustration.

You want to go see him as much as me.

I do fucking not. Dakata darted out of the chair, flinging the thing back against the wall with a resounding thud. He didn’t notice as he went back to pacing, eyeing his wristwatch.

Would Silas be at the club, yet?

He reached into his slacks for his cell phone and clicked into the live feed app he’d discovered the club had when he’d lain awake the night before ruminating.

Seeing the band, he recognized from the week before on screen, Dakata’s gaze dropped to the bottom of the live feed where there were comments feeding up the screen and pictures occasionally. Something was creating a flood of comments.

Before he could think to scroll, something caught his demon’s attention.

Who is she?

Who’s who?

The woman daring to touch Silas.

That got his attention, and Dakata clicked into the comment feed, growling, and hating he got as annoyed as his other half. It was impossible to battle thoughts of anyone laying hands on the tree nymph. As hard as he might try, it was blatantly obvious he hadn’t succeeded.

His demon’s fury wouldn’t remain contained at the cute human female clutching at Silas. Her body pressed against his. They were smiling at the camera, then at each other.

What baloney is this! his demon snapped, making Dakata’s ears ring. We are leaving now.

Dakata, for reasons he didn’t want to think about, was already shoving his cell phone back into his pocket and reaching for his suit jacket off the back of his seat. Out the door and outside at a speed that had those he passed taking a step back.

Miller, I need the car now!

Miller pulled up to the curb as he reached it and got in the back seat having taken a moment to rethink his actions.

“Where to, sir?”

“Same place we went last Friday, and step on it.” Dakata signaled to Miller to move it without any pleasantries. He was too pissed at himself and his demon to worry about them.

The car moved to merge with the traffic that was heavier than the previous week. Of course it fucking would be. Last week, he hadn’t been interested in going to the damn club.

He watched out the window, fingers tapping on his knee as they crawled through the bumper to bumper traffic.

“What the fuck is causing this?” His uncontained anger was there in every enunciated word as he battled to keep his demon from breaking free.

“There’s a concert tonight. One of your bands is headlining at the huge stadium in the center of town,” Miller explained, his tone neutral with no infliction.

Clearly he got Dakata wasn’t in any mood to be told something that he should have remembered when the band made him a killing. “Fuck. Is there a detour we can take to avoid all this traffic?”

Say yes!

“There is, sir, but the detour will add twenty minutes to our journey time.”

Dakata slammed his fist against the cushion seat next to him, leaving an imprint he didn’t notice. His head thrust back, his neck muscles straining with the effort to hold on to the beast inside him.

Can’t you see this is the universe saying we shouldn’t be looking for Silas?

Lies! Our bond is real. You feel it. The Fates have spoken.

Fuck the Fates. Dakata was beyond pissed and he wasn’t in the mood to watch what he was saying, not with how much he hated the way he was feeling.

Contained.

Trapped.

Not something that ever ended well, whether in human or demon form.

“Sir, do you want me to take the detour?” Miller didn’t so much as look in the rearview mirror at him, reminding him he’d not given him a reply.

“Take it, and floor it where you can,” he answered around the elongated teeth, pushing forcibly from his gums. His demon was trying to tear the skin from his body. He was losing control, and that would not end well for anyone…

Stop and think about how you’ll scare Silas if he sees you like this.

Reasoning had never worked in the past, but Dakata was hanging on to his control by the thinnest thread of cotton right now, and was desperate enough to try anything. He breathed hard enough that his chest shuddered.

He’s ours. He will not fear us, you’re being silly.

Fucked if I am.

His demon side had the audacity to send a visual of him lifting his nose in the air and rolling his eyes.

He seethed, panted, and willed the car to reach their destination. Having left his summoning stones in the office, he couldn’t even call for his friend. However, did he really want Merihem there to see him in this state? He wasn’t that desperate… yet!

For the want of anything better to do, he slipped off his suit jacket to protect it if he couldn’t keep his human form, looked at his tie and removed that too, seeing as it was a particular favorite of his.

The shirt he left on, there was no point drawing any more unwanted attention than needed be. Because a big, dark red, scary demon with silver tipped horns wouldn’t draw attention?

Fuck his life!

He checked his wristwatch, recalling how long Silas had remained on stage the week before. It hadn’t felt long.

Back to reaching for his cell phone, he opened the app again, and his heart accelerated so fast he lost his function to breathe.

Silas stood in the center of the stage. The flower top he wore that covered just his chest and accentuated his cum gutters made him and his demon groan in delight, his body reacting.

His appearance this week was no less alluring through the tiny screen than it had been in person. He floated closer to the front of the stage, glowing under the lights, his movements fluid. His body swayed like the flowers he wore, reaching for the sun to soak up its warmth. To nourish… them .

Dakata’s growl was purely visceral, a warning to Silas to keep away, despite everything. He didn’t want this… he didn’t .

Then why are we heading to the club? He’s singing to us.

He didn’t answer. It was pointless, and he needed to conserve his energy for what was coming.

When the car slowed in front of the club, Dakata groaned at the length of the queue when he’d not planned for this. Silas’s voice floated out of the cell phone as he didn’t say a word to Miller and exited the car while it was still moving.

He ignored the long queue and walked up to the bodyguard, the same one as the week before. “I need in now!”

He eyed Dakata with wariness. “Ticket?”

“Don’t fuck with me, get Branson.”

The guy moved at a snail’s pace, rising to his formidable height, only he wasn’t anywhere near Dakata’s size. He was more than capable in either form of crushing the shifter if he got in his way.

“Do it, now. ”

Whatever he saw in Dakata’s eyes got him nodding and pushing open the door. “Go.”

He shoved through the crowd at the last dying notes of the song. When he pushed his way to the stage, growling and snarling, still clutching his cell phone, it was empty.

The sound of fabric ripping and the deafening roar blocked Dakata’s curse as his demon let everyone know he was pissed.