13. Nightmares

Asher

There was a part of me that wasn't surprised to find my father's blacked out SUV still parked in the driveway — the same part that was absolutely annoyed I couldn't lose myself within my little pet without unwanted ears nearby. My jaw ached as I paused halfway out of my vehicle, my eyes locked on his.

Who was I to expect any different when it took a runaway child to force my father out of the safety of Italy?

The driver twisted around in his seat slightly, casting a weary expression back at me. "Is there somewhere else you need to go to first, sire?"

"No." I slammed the door shut and reluctantly started toward my home. With all of the emotions swirling within, I refused to let my pace slow down until I had slid the key into the lock and slipped inside. As I nudged the door shut behind me, I surveyed the dark room before me. The silence was deafening until I managed to catch the soft heartbeat that had quickly consumed me.

"Quinn retired to bed long ago." Salvatore's voice came from the couch.

I drew back slightly until the faint glow of his burning cigar finally registered. Tossing the keys into the bowl on a nearby table, I shrugged off my suit jacket and reluctantly approached him. "Where are your bodyguards?"

My father tapped the cigar against the glass ashtray. "They're out patrolling with one of your demon lords. The one called Cade, I believe."

Pressing my lips together, I nodded slowly and drifted into the living room to ditch my jacket on the empty couch across from the demon king. "And the others?"

Salvatore exhaled, releasing a large cloud of smoke while he balanced the cigar in between his fingers. "Returned to their duties, I suppose. Santino didn't leave until your pet decided to retire for the evening." He gestured at the couch. "Sit. We have much to discuss."

It was an order in its own way, but I wouldn't be the demon prince if I didn't respond with a little resistance of my own first. I scoffed softly and made my way over to the bar to grab a drink. Although my fingers itched to wrap around the bottle hidden beneath the counter, I managed to redirect myself to another favorite. Filling two glasses took far too little time and I soon found myself holding out one to Salvatore. "I assume you wish to know how the meeting with Calianna went."

He accepted the glass without objection.

Flexing my jaw, I eased down onto the other couch and relaxed against the soft cushions. "Li is terrified. She knows you've flown out from Italy and that you've recruited me to collect her."

My father reached out to set the cigar down so that he could enjoy sipping on the wine. "I must confess that I expected for you to return home with her tied up in your trunk — especially since I granted you permission to do so. Returning empty handed…"

I hummed softly. "If Calianna was going about this alone, then she would not have ventured far past the airstrip she'd landed at. Your men would have taken her back into custody once you arrived. The fact they didn't…"

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. "Are you suggesting that my own men are helping her elude capture, boy?"

It took everything I had to silence the chuckle clawing its way up my throat and simply focus on swirling the wine instead. "Not at all."

"You don't trust them."

An amused snort finally escaped. I raised the glass to my lips. "I don't trust anyone that doesn't work for me," I responded softly before I gulped down a mouthful.

To my surprise, Salvatore released a chuckle of his own. "Smart lad." He cupped the glass against his palm and shifted to lean forward. "Very well. If you're not concerned about my own men, then who do you believe is helping your sister remain out of my reach?"

"I don't know — yet." I tapped a finger against my glass. "Archer provided necklaces with a GPS built into them. I gave strict orders for Calianna to lift a body from the local morgue. All she has to do is cause a car crash that completely burns the corpse. One of the necklaces will be left behind as proof of death for you."

"I was not under the impression that you would risk a valuable opportunity to track her down to her hideout." His tone was dry, the absence of any emotion leaving every inch of my skin crawling. "What makes you think she'll take the other one?"

Although the hair was rising on the back of my neck, I managed to keep the nervous energy buried deep. All it would take was one slip up before he'd sense it and no demon got far with that kind of weakness. I simply gazed back at him. "It'll be too tempting for her not to. She believes it was one of Mother's."

His eyebrow twitched. "How curious."

"Calianna wasn't going to leave it behind." I smirked. "You buried anything of Mother's in your vault once she passed. Mother was nothing more than a symbol of resistance. Unnecessary stubbornness. It's the main reason why she looks up to Mother's memory. She'll take it with her…straight to where she intends to bunker down."

Salvatore narrowed his eyes into thin slits. "And this…mysterious ally?"

I shrugged. "Exposed. I'll know who it is as soon as I pinpoint her location."

Silence leaked into the living room as the king stared at me while I sipped on my wine. After a moment, his lips curled into a small grin and he murmured, "Two birds with one stone. Strategic."

"I prefer to see it as three." I shifted to wipe a stray droplet trailing down my chin. "Returning Calianna to you…Removing Marcillo from power…and taking down whoever he has recruited to help him."

My father responded with a pleased grunt. He tossed his head back to finish off his glass before he abandoned it on the coffee table. "Very well. It seems you have things in order."

Weariness flooded me as he eased onto his feet, leaning over just long enough to recover his lit cigar. "Will you remain as my guest until the segment has aired?"

"There's no need. I trust things will be carried out as you intend." He tugged his suit jacket down. All it took was maneuvering his shoulders a little bit before all of the tension was forced from his body. Plopping the cigar back in his mouth, he grinned. "I am curious, though, with your…pet. There is no denying the blood that runs through her veins. Her humanity shrinks with each passing day that she remains in your presence."

I eyed Salvatore. "Is this your way of requesting that I toss her to one of the others and be done with her?"

The very idea left me nauseated. There wasn't a single fiber in my body that wasn't aware of how much Quinn had her hooks in me — and the poor girl didn't realize how valuable that kind of control was. I had been just a young boy when the feud between my parents finally hit a critical point.

Any king would simply strike down the disobedient queen and be done with the chaos. But Brielle had the same hold over Salvatore that Quinn did with me. The chaos was simply allowed to endure for far too long before his control snapped. Calianna was nothing more than a small babe when our mother's blood stained those floors.

I was old enough to register the balance had crumbled, royal turning against royal. It was a weakness I had vowed never to have, burying myself in any pussy that would get me hard. Not exactly ideal when it came to looking for a possible queen of my own — but it did work with avoiding any unnecessary ties while I was still just a prince.

Especially when I had been led by the belief that my time to even find one had closed.

Did that mean I would be willing to toss Quinn aside should that be his order? Hell no. I was hooked all the way to the depths of my corrupted soul and black heart. The time for severing these ties had long since passed.

Salvatore simply chuckled and shook his head. "I have no issue with calling her my future daughter-in-law, should that be your chosen path. My concern lies more with how you will react to those marking her with the same title you'd given her. Will you be able to control that rage when they mock her mixed bloodline or will you behave as a king?"

What the hell is this?I eased forward to set my glass down on the coffee table before I stood. My father's gaze never strayed from me as I straightened my back and brought myself to my full height — almost a foot higher than him. "Is this your way of approving Quinn?" My voice was soft, controlled.

There was no place for false hope here.

The edges of his lips twitching was all I needed for confirmation. "It appears she is just as addicted to you as you are with her, my boy. It's quite unexpected considering how the pair of you crossed paths." Cocking his head slightly, his smirk merely grew. "I think we both know how one begins doesn't matter. What does is how you both respond to the impending challenge."

Chills trickled down my spine as his words started to sink in. He was accepting Quinn into the family, there was no doubt in my mind about that. There was something about her mixed bloodline that fascinated him — especially when it came to her loyalty to me now. I tugged my shirt down, using it to help distract myself from all the frazzled nerves buzzing beneath my skin. "You've always been one to speak your mind, Father. It is quite unexpected for you to beat around the bush like this."

"It is, isn't it?" Salvatore mused. He tugged the cigar loose from his lips. "Very well, my boy. I will be upfront with you. Quinn has accepted her bond with you, as you have with her. Perhaps the only concern lies with the part of her that is still human. It would be foolish to believe she will embrace our ways without hesitation."

Tucking my hands into my back pockets, I simply stared the demon down. "Quinn has no reason for such hesitation. Humanity failed her from the start. Her own mother denied her everything that one is obligated to give their own blood. The only thing Quinn received was an occasional roof over her head with scraps she had to fight for."

That didn't include the endless abuse Quinn had suffered at the hands of her own mother. The burns faded more with every day the demonic blood within her overtook her humanity, but the scars were still there. It was the tip of the iceberg of everything she'd endured.

My father arched an eyebrow. "You sound positive that she will not resist the call of our kind."

I spread my hands and scoffed. "If the resistance was still there, she would have attempted to kill me several times over, Father."

"And you wouldn't be knotting her." His lips curled into a pleased smirk as an unfamiliar heat graced my cheeks. It didn't matter if the room was basked only with a faint light, he could still detect the change all the same.

Gritting my teeth, I opted for a silent response. It was far from enjoyable to have him reminding me of the reaction Quinn caused every time we fell into bed together. The bastard had raised a valuable point. Even if she embraced the call of her demonic blood and stepped into our world with open arms, there were still the critical steps she would have to take for the rest of our kind to accept her. Challenges that would have to be conquered just to prove she was more than worthy of being my queen.

Still, the fact Salvatore had brought it up left me weary. I drew back slightly. "You don't trust your own men," I murmured. "You anticipate something happening on the flight back to Italy."

He responded with an amused snort. "It would certainly give them the chance they've been waiting for, my boy. I've remained behind our family walls for so many centuries. I would be quite disappointed if they didn't take it. Which means you…" He gestured at me with the cigar. "...must be ready to take my place. Track your little sister down. Handle her disobedience any way you see fit as long as the threats she's allied herself with are removed from the equation."

I tensed.

Salvatore simply spread his hands to perform a small bow that I'd never seen him offer anyone else. "May your reign be long and your strength pass on not only to your queen…but your future heirs."

Strange chills trickled down my spine at his masked blessing. I was quick to respond with a bow of my own to avoid the demon feeling insulted that his gesture wasn't returned. It wasn't one that I anticipated ever receiving, no matter how much I obeyed his increasingly insane demands. While I was relieved to hear it, it also simply confirmed the deep fear buried beneath everything.

Salvatore Aeternus did not expect to make it back to Italy alive.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the demon used the tips of his fingers to put the lit end of his cigar out. My eyes honed in on him as he blew on the embers until there was absolutely no life left within it. "Are you planning to travel tonight, Father?"

"Why delay the inevitable?" My father tugged the handkerchief from his front pocket to wrap around the cigar before returning it. When it was hidden from sight, he reached out to seize his cane. As soon as his fingers curled around it, he leaned heavily on it. "It is time I return the peace of your humble abode back to you. You can't explore this relationship of yours if I'm just around the corner, now can you? All I ask is one thing."

My lungs grew restricted, making it impossible to draw a full breath of fresh air. "Yes?"

Salvatore crossed the room until he'd shrunk down every inch of distance between us. There was a hint of a desire for him to reach out, to grab something to remind me of his rank. He resisted, keeping an iron grip on that cane. He simply stared me down with those dark eyes. "Ensure she is the one you wish to rule by your side as queen. Call upon the old ways to confirm what your soul senses. If she is the one meant to take the throne beside you, then she must prove to the rest of the demon kind that she is the right one. She needs to win over their loyalty. Do not give her the crown until she proves what she must."

I gritted my teeth until my jaw throbbed with agony. It should come as no surprise that my father would request testing someone's loyalty thoroughly. Quinn might have passed the little tests he'd flung her way, but the old ways would call upon her to prove herself to the rest of our race. No one could rule without loyalty from their own kingdom.

There were five tests called for by the old ways, several of which I doubted that she would hesitate with. One of them left me concerned. Quinn had gone from the belief that she was nothing more than a bastard child with a foot in each world, only to discover that her father had left her with one hell of a legacy. The old ways would call for her to acknowledge that, while the original ruling bloodline ran through her veins, it didn't give her the ultimate right to the throne.

If our roles were swapped, I doubted that I would have the will to restrain myself from seizing what was rightfully mine.

"Asher."

I jolted slightly, sucking in a sharp breath. "I will put her through the tests," I promised softly.

Salvatore lifted his jaw slightly. "That's all I can ask of you, my son. The rest will be left entirely up to you." While it was clear that wasn't the last of what he wanted to say, the rest of the words were sucked dry when the backdoor was tugged open. His eyes shifted toward the two bodyguards leading the way inside, Santino bringing up the rear.

All it took was one look between Santiago and my father for an unspoken request to be registered. He dipped his head slightly and announced, "I will fire up the car, m'lord." He threw a quick glance at his companion before he tore through the house and was out the front door. It wasn't long until the SUV outside revved to life.

The remaining bodyguard peered at him with a hint of curiosity. "Should I call and have the jet refueled?"

"Yes." Salvatore pulled away, grabbing the last item yet to be retrieved. He managed to flip the hat over with one graceful movement before he tugged it onto his head. While the demon shuffled out of the living room to carry out the command, he shifted his focus back toward me. "Remember what we've spoken about, Asher. I expect a report as things come to play out. Understood?"

Carry on as if we don't expect anything to happen.

I pressed my lips together and managed to stifle the urge to object to the underlying warning. There was absolutely no point in trying to argue with him, not when the threat on his life had been crystal clear for centuries. The fact that Calianna's wayward behavior had indeed forced him out of Italy only ensured those standing against him had at least one chance to act.

They were going to throw everything they had at him while they could.

"Yes, Father," I murmured softly.

When Luca returned, stating the jet was being refueled, Salvatore offered a final nod my way. It was the only thing he was willing to offer as a farewell.

Santino didn't dare break the silence until the door slid shut behind them. He released a whistle that had me glaring over at him. The noise cracked into silence under the weight of my surfacing rage. He jammed his hands into his pants pockets and offered a sheepish shrug. "Why did that feel like a final conversation?"

I gestured at the wine glasses, dismissing them with a wave of my hand. The TV flipped on as I took the main couch with a soft huff. "Because it was. He anticipates his enemies using this chance to eliminate him." I started flicking one finger against another, willing the TV channels to change until I managed to locate the local news.

The demon lord reluctantly eased down onto the couch across from me. "Is that what's bothering you?"

Raising an eyebrow, all I gave him was a brief glance.

He released an amused snort. "No offense, boss. I'm used to you being on edge, but it's been even worse lately — especially after your father's unannounced visit. I know it's not the issue of pussy…"

"Is there a point to this conversation?" I growled.

His grin simply grew for a moment before it faded entirely. "Something's bugging you. What is it? Aside from the angel prince going dark and your sister running away from home."

A weary sigh escaped me. I leaned forward, clasping my hands together so that I could rest my chin on them. Although my eyes were fixed upon the TV, I was barely paying attention to the current story. "Salvatore wants me to enact the old ways to ensure Quinn is fit to rule by my side."

"That figures."

The comment was so casually dismissive that it was enough to rip my attention from the TV. I stared at him, shock tearing through my veins with a mixture of a searing heat and a mind-numbing chill. "Excuse me?"

There was the desire to flash that smirk at me again, yet the demon lord managed to bury it with the desperation of avoiding raw wrath. He simply gazed back at me calmly. "Your father is a smart man, Asher. He's always been very strategic, even before he took over the throne. No rule goes smoothly, but it certainly helps to have a queen on the same page as you. What baffles me is why you're concerned."

I blew out a sharp breath. "You were there when I bought her, Santino. Quinn was supposed to be nothing more than a pet I could play with until I grew tired of her."

"Until you knotted her."

My upper lip curled to expose my demonic fangs. "Are you going to bring that up every chance you get?" I growled.

He couldn't stifle the laugh clawing up his throat this time. "I can't imagine the look that was on your face when Nico walked in on the pair of you that first night. Still, I fail to see what has you so concerned, boss. You've taken that collar off. She hasn't tried to kill you. Hell, I'm sure she's enjoying the sex as much as you are."

"She's still half human," I countered.

"Quinn was half human." Santino arched an eyebrow at me. "Seems like you fuck a chunk of that out of her every time, boss." He paused, studying me intently while I fumed in my own growing rage. After a moment, he clicked his tongue. "You're worried that lingering humanity will prevent her from taking on the challenges the old ways call for."

There was so much irritation tearing through my veins that I found my throat scorched. A part of me yearned for the wine still stashed at the bar and it took everything I had not to budge off the couch. Not when Nico's words were still burning from the depths of my mind. I already had a fair portion weighed down with the guilt of drinking any of it in the first place.

Whose death are you mourning, Asher? Yours?

As Fate would have it, I would be mourning my father"s death before long. The carefree lifestyle I had carried while he maintained most of the rule from the family home in Italy would dissipate and it wouldn't be long until I endured the stress of the challenges I'd have to deal with myself. Most princes had time to put their chosen mates through those called by the old ways.

Neither Quinn nor I would have that gift.

It took everything I had to stifle a groan to where it was nothing more than an annoyed noise. "Just because that humanity is fading doesn't mean there isn't still some there. They're the bottom ring on the ladder, Santino. Any human in their right mind would come to this with demands."

The demon lord scoffed, rolling those silver eyes without a single damn about how much it irritated me. "You saw the same burns on her back that I did, boss. She was extremely underweight when you took her in, which means that bitch starved her more often than she fed her. I wouldn't be surprised if she admitted her sleeping conditions were just as shitty."

"What's your point, Santino?"

Those piercing eyes flashed with a mixture of emotions that I couldn't quite decipher. "You aren't going to know where Quinn stands on ruling by your side or taking on these challenges until you've spoken to her. She doesn't have much of a reason to make any demands for the human race. While you did originally buy her as a pet…You've taken more care of her than her own flesh and blood."

In other words, I'd probably earned more brownie points in her eyes than her own kind had.

I mused over his words for a moment, taking the chance to draw in a deep breath and trap the oxygen in my lungs until the organ started to burn with protest. When I released it, my heart was pounding in my chest. "Perhaps you're right."

Quinn was strong, far more than I had given her credit for when I brought her into my home. No one would embrace the hand they had been given like she had, even if the fate handed to her didn't remain for very long. Once the rawness of our bond became clear, she'd taken it in stride. Hell, she'd fought tooth and nail to impress a man that I didn't think would accept who she was.

As much as I wanted to dwell on those thoughts for a little while longer — to ponder what the approaching days might hold in store for us — panicked sounds from the guest bedroom were enough to shatter those thoughts. My stomach twisted into a painful knot when all it took was a quick glance at the TV to realize the regular segment had been interrupted. I eased off the couch, gesturing at it. "I want to see Calianna's stunt. If you don't see it in the next hour, call Archer. We'll take her down our way."

"Understood, boss."

While there was a part of me that yearned to linger behind and see if this was the emergency segment that I had been waiting for, I couldn't deny the powerful pull within me to go to my pet's side. As soon as I nudged the door open, the muffled whimpers had shifted into ragged gasps. The fear was coming off Quinn in waves. The beast within me would have been delighted at the sweet aroma — if it wasn't her as the source.

"P-Please don't," Quinn rasped. She curled up into a tight ball. It wasn't long until her entire body jerked, her back arching as if she was desperately trying to get away from something hot. "I promise I won't do it again! I won't steal from Timothy's garden — No!"

The rage tearing through my veins heightened to a searing pain that left me seeing red. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Quinn's subconscious had yanked her into an old memory, one where her own mother was no doubt unleashing a punishment on her. From the sound of it, for the simple fact that she had attempted to fill her empty belly. It wasn't long until my fingers were itching for answers.

Using my gift was certainly going to drain me at a time when I couldn't afford to lose my strength, but damn the gods if I was going to let her suffer alone.

Quinn's body stiffened as I slid my hands underneath her. There wasn't a part of me that could blame her for caving into the instinct to immediately pull away, especially when she was so consumed by the nightmare that her mind thought I was someone else. I was quick to scoop her up into my arms so that the heat from my body could start driving the tension away.

The noises coming from her were a mixture of ragged gasps and pained whimpers. Every single one of them simply fed the fire brewing within me. To hell with the weakness this would mean. Uncovering the source of her nightmare and helping it end officially was worth the new challenges I would face.

If that meant I had to burn down the entire world and send my kingdom along with it, then so be it. I would end this nightmare for Quinn Rossi.

Gritting my teeth, I bundled my pet up in my arms and wrapped her against my chest. I refused to let my grip loosen while she thrashed against me, her subconscious desperate to get free. "Shh, amor…" I pressed my lips against her hair.

There was a part of her soul that immediately relaxed in my presence. It could sense I was there — even if Quinn herself couldn't.

Scooting back until I rested against the headboard, I tucked my legs around the other side of her body. I started humming softly in my native tongue while I summoned my magic from the depths of my soul. It emerged with a frantic energy, both eager to please me and urgent to soothe our other half. As it leaked from my skin and sank into hers, I closed my eyes and set my chin on her head.

Alright, Quinn… Let's conquer this nightmare of yours.