Chapter Twenty-Three

Sephie

Battista took a deep breath. “There are unseen forces in the world influencing humanity. Think of it like a game, if you will. Your job, in each lifetime, is to figure out how best to defeat the evil forces that prey upon humans. Much like the young women last night. Again, I don’t know details, but I’m fairly certain they’re being controlled by outside forces.” He was looking at me as he was talking. I saw his eyes go wide, which likely meant my eyes had turned dark. He put his hands up in front of him, like he was trying to calm me. “I’m in no way defending them or their actions. It’s only to illustrate my point. People sometimes unconsciously agree to accepting these unseen forces. They give them control because they’re too weak to do it themselves. Once you’ve accepted evil, it’s very difficult to get rid of, unless you’re a very special person. Those women were not, for the record.” He looked from me to the rest of the guys. “You gentlemen, and lady, however, are.”

“How do you know this?” Adrik asked.

“Because we’ve been waiting for you. The powerful people I’m connected to and your father is connected to …” he paused for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. “We’re from very old family lines that have been keeping an eye on humanity for a very long time. We try to stay out of most of it, only stepping in when necessary. But we’re watching everything. We’ve known about Ricardo for years. He made his deal very early in his life. Martin did too, but he’s so much younger that his deal was only recently made.”

“What kind of deal?” Adrik asked. I could feel him starting to get uneasy about the subject. I grabbed his hand, my fingers playing lightly with his. “And what do everlasting consequences mean?”

Battista looked at me, a coy smile on his face. “I’d still like to know how you knew about that, but that’s a conversation for another time.” He took a breath, once again contemplating how to say what needed to be said. “Some people try to game the game, if you will. Rather than working to better themselves or learning the lessons they need to learn, and signed up to learn, let the record reflect, they find demons that are willing to make deals. It sounds great to the person, but the consequences are, well, horrific.”

“Like selling your soul? Is that what you mean? I thought that was just a phrase people said,” Misha said.

“It is, but it’s also a real thing. Like I said, there are unseen forces at work in this world that most people know nothing about. The ones who do, either realize the danger they pose, or are greedy and want to try and use them to their benefit. That never works out well,” Battista said.

Adrik chuckled, his hold on me tightening briefly. I didn’t need to search his eyes to know where his mind went. “Ricardo got a raw deal then. If he was promised greatness, his demon oversold and underdelivered.”

Battista laughed. “You’re not wrong, but you’re also not considering exactly who you are either.”

“And that is …?” Adrik asked.

“Not only the King of the Underworld in this city but the world by the time you’re done,” Battista said.

I felt the goosebumps rise over my entire body. I glanced quickly at Misha who was having the same reaction. I looked over at Adrik, who looked as surprised as I was, but there was also the familiar look that meant my eyes had done something new as well.

Battista continued, “You’ve surrounded yourself with the people needed to make it happen. Every single player in this who has stayed loyal to you will serve you in making this happen.”

“Um, that’s one person. Basically one person has stayed loyal to Boss,” Ivan said, sarcastically.

“Yes, but he’s an integral piece of the puzzle. Trino holds more power than you realize. The people in the entirety of South America love him for bringing peace. Just as the people of the city love you for bringing peace. He was smart when he rose to power. Get the people to back you, keep their favor, and you’ll forever remain in power,” Battista said.

Adrik was quiet for a few moments. “We’re still working on how to fix the chaos in the city. I don’t know the first thing about the rest of the world,” he said.

“You don’t need to. The rest of the world is watching you. Once you fix the city and fix Trino’s problem, they’ll come to you. There will always be a need for the underworld and what goes on there. People need bad just as much as they need good. What sets you and Trino apart, however, is that you control the amount of bad. You have rules to what you’ll allow and what you won’t, and your rules are always for the benefit of the people, not the other bosses.”

“What is Ricardo planning? Do you know?” I asked.

Battista sighed. “We’re not completely sure. We’re still working on gathering as much information on him as we can, but both he and Martin caught the attention of very powerful demons. They’re old. They’re careful. They know this is their one chance at establishing any kind of power in this world and they’re patient enough to not fuck that up.” I saw the surprise on his face once again, which meant my eyes were likely dark.

“Don’t be worried. It happens when I get angry,” I said flippantly. “Think of them like a warning system. As long as you’re not the cause of the anger, you have nothing to worry about.”

He smiled, but didn’t look away. “I have a feeling they’re more than just a warning system.”

“What do you mean?” Adrik asked. I could feel that he was feeling overly protective of me.

“When someone invites evil in, the evil takes over. It runs the show. The person’s soul is basically pushed to the background, if not ejected completely. Like I said before, it’s very difficult to rid yourself of evil once invited in. Most people are incapable and will gradually devolve into worse and worse humans. Again, like those young women. You, however, have flipped the tables, so to speak,” Battista said, a sly smile on his face.

“How so?” I asked.

“Everyone has some evil in them. You can’t have a purely good existence in this world. Just like you can’t have a purely bad one either. There’s going to be both. In fact, there needs to be both. The issue becomes when the evil gets out of balance. That’s what they wait for. They wait for people to shift just enough to their evil side that they can find a way in. It happens in any manner of ways. Sometimes they whisper to you, trying to get you to do evil things; they try to get you hooked on drugs so you’ll be more suggestible. If you’re strong, then they try to break you to give you a reason to shift the scales in their favor. They want you angry. They want you hateful. If they can’t subtly do it, they give you a reason to hate the world. I’m guessing that every single one of you has been given plenty of reasons to hate the world, but you’ve chosen not to,” Battista said. Once again, I felt the goosebumps rise over my entire body. “With you, my dear, your eyes changing to black shows very clearly that your demons work for you. It’s virtually unheard of. I have no idea how you’ve managed to do it, but it’s not only a warning of your emotions, it’s a warning to other demons that you own them.”

I heard Adrik’s sharp inhale beside me as he listened to Battista’s words. I glanced at Misha, who was also shaking off the goosebumps he felt. Ivan’s sly grin caught my eye as well, as I glanced around the room.

“I’m not entirely sure of the dynamics of the group, but I would be willing to bet that you’re all connected somehow and that you all complement each other. You’ve been able to stay one step ahead of everything that’s happening as it’s happened. The fact that Trino is still alive is a testament to how powerful you all are. We didn’t find out about Martin’s deal until it was almost too late. We set in motion a plan to ensure Trino’s safety, only to find you had already gotten to him. His men are loyal to Martin, as we now know you found out much earlier than we did. I’m not completely convinced we would’ve gotten to him in time,” Battista said.

“She even made it so he could see his dying mother one last time,” Vitaliy said. Battista looked at me surprised.

“And clearly you know things we do not,” Battista said.

“I didn’t know his mother was dying until after I told him to leave, to be fair,” I said.

“My point still stands,” Battista said, crossing his arms across his chest. “Now, we have information about the mayor. You’re going to need him on your side. His police commissioner is trying to frame him, but Henry is the one who’s on the take, not the mayor. The people in the city like this mayor, as well. He needs something to ensure they’ll love him. Why do I feel like you’ve already got just the thing to endear him further to the people?”

Adrik chuckled. “We’re still holding the doctor who created brawn. I think his face is mostly healed now. I had to wait to turn him over until he was recognizable.”

“We’re all still impressed that you didn’t kill him,” Stephen said quietly. “That was a stressful night.”

I felt Adrik’s arm tighten around me. His other hand held mine a little tighter as well. I knew he was still working through me being taken. We all were, judging by the looks on everyone’s faces as I scanned the room.

“You have to get to the mayor. The journalist you’re working with, he’s one of ours. He’ll have the information you need on Henry by the end of the week. We know you asked him to look at the mayor, but we helped him find the information on Henry. He must be exposed at the hands of the mayor, and the doctor needs to be arrested publicly. Because Henry is connected to Sal, we can connect him to Dr. Moretti as well. It will be a very neat package for the people. Your dealers have already spread the word on the street that you are responsible for stopping the brawn operation, as well as capturing the doctor. The people know more about what’s going on than you might think, but they need a big win to stay loyal to this mayor,” Battista said.

I was sitting on the end of the bed that evening, thinking about everything that had happened over the last couple of days. I felt Adrik’s warm hand on my face. “You should stay asleep in the morning, love. I can see it. You’re exhausted again,” he said, his thumb rubbing lightly against my cheek as I leaned into his hand. I was still lost in my thoughts as he pulled me up to follow him to bed. He watched my eyes, his usual mesmerized expression on his face. “You’ve had so much to think about that you haven’t asked me what new thing your eyes did today,” he said, crawling into bed and pulling me into his lap.

“They did something new?”

He nodded. “When we were at Battista’s. You have a new color. Andrei’s going to be so happy,” he said.

“Shut up. They did not turn purple or orange,” I said.

“It wasn’t orange. And I wouldn’t exactly call it purple either, but it wasn’t your normal blue. Maybe violet, maybe indigo, but it was different,” he said, pushing a curl back from my face. He was still very amused while watching me consider everything. “Your mind is going so fast right now. Take a breath, love,” he said quietly.

I sighed, finally looking at him. “I can’t help it. I can’t get it to stop. Distract me?”

He put his hands on either side of my face, pulling me gently toward him. His lips softly brushed mine. “I thought you’d never ask,” he said, smiling against my lips. I felt my body start to relax as he pressed his lips against mine, capturing my bottom lip in between both of his. His tongue lightly ran over my lip before plunging into my mouth. I felt his desire for me come on suddenly and strongly. His kiss was urgent. He was making sure I could think of nothing else but him, and I loved him for it.

Once I fell asleep, more from exhaustion than anything, I found myself not on the familiar path outside the familiar house, but in the room that Adrik and I stayed in at Vitaliy’s house in Panama. I recognized it but was confused as to why I would be there.

“Hello, sweet girl.” I heard Lena’s soothing voice behind me. Her blue eyes that were so strikingly similar to the ones I’d fallen in love with were smiling at me as I turned around to see her. “I promised not to scare the men again, so your father told me how to make this happen.” She laughed softly. “I really did make them mad, but they were also so worried for you. I felt bad about that. There’s also the matter of them all being able to feel you. I wasn’t aware they were so connected to you or that I would send your visual representation of your emotions into turmoil when I came to you last time.”

I smiled at her. “They really do worry over me for everything. I kind of love them for it, I’m not gonna lie.”

“They all love you, Sephie. Even Vitaliy. He’s so much more like he used to be when he’s with you. He’s a very sweet man. He just doesn’t want anyone to know it. He’s why I’m here. He’s been talking to me when he’s alone.”

I smiled, thinking about Vitaliy finally being able to tell her all the things he’d kept inside for so long. “You need me to give him a message, don’t you?”

She nodded. “You told him I was resourceful and I am, but he doesn’t always pay attention to signs, so I’m here. I’m not able to see him in his dreams yet, but I will be soon if you help him. He’s blocking me because he doesn’t believe it’s possible. He’s jealous that I came to you instead of him, but he doesn’t realize I came to you because I can’t get through to him. He has to be open to it for me to speak to him. He’s not right now. And he’s cranky about it on top of that, so it’s nearly impossible for me to talk to him.”

“I just need to tell him to let you in? Can I tell him to stop being a cranky, stubborn bastard?” I said snickering.

She laughed. “I would love it if you did. I was with you when you went to the hotel the second time. I haven’t heard him laugh so loudly as when you told him to tighten up and stop being a cheeseball since before Adrik was born. It made my heart very happy, sweet girl. You’re good for him. You’re good for Adrik too. I knew he was special, but you bring out his full potential. His men too. You bring out their full potential. I saw what you did for Stephen. He’s a special case. We’ve all been rooting for him for so long. It was very questionable whether he could be saved. I’m not sure you realize how close he was to giving in to the evil that he’s been carrying around for so long.”

I felt a pain in my chest as I thought about everything Stephen has had to endure in life, but then I immediately felt my anger when I thought about his sisters. She put her hand on my shoulder. “Sephie, I’m allowed to tell you this, because you’re still not sure you actually did it and we’re under a bit of a time crunch here. You took Stephen’s pain and allowed him to transfer it to them. You took the evil he’s been carrying around from his sisters and what they did to him when he was a child and you helped him give it back to them. That’s what broke them. The human mind can only withstand so much. Once the psyche is completely broken, they’re useless to the evil forces inside them, but it also traps those demons in that body. It creates a sort of hell for both until the body dies. That’s Stephen’s gift. He knows how to break the person. He used you to deliver it because he doesn’t know how yet.”

“I knew he was always going to be the one to mindfuck people, but that sounds extra horrific.”

She had a sympathetic smile on her face. “It does sound horrific, but it’s also the only way to save that person’s soul. You’re ultimately doing them a favor. Not in this lifetime, but in the next. If they continue to give in to evil, it will eventually consume them completely. The middle sister was close to that happening. That’s when Ivan can see them—when they’re close to being consumed or have already been consumed. When that happens, the soul dies. There’s no chance at another life after that. What you’ve done and what Stephen will eventually learn how to do is to give the soul another chance. Not in this body, but the demon will separate from the soul when you and he break their psyche, and the soul will have a chance at coming back and trying again in a new life. So, it sounds horrific, but it’s the only way to save the soul when the person isn’t strong enough to get rid of the evil on their own. Not many people are. You’re saving souls, Sephie. Stephen will too, once he learns how. Ivan is going to help. You three have known more evil than most people and are best equipped to deal with it. The others will provide support for you in their own ways as well.”

I inhaled deeply, thinking about what she’d just told me. I sat down on the end of the bed. She sat down next to me, placing her hand on top of mine. “I know it’s a lot, sweet girl, but you can handle it. You all can handle it. You’re the strongest group of people we’ve ever seen. Just what you’ve all lived through while still holding onto the good inside you proves that. You’re all meant for such great things.”

“I know. I’m actually glad that you told me this. I think Stephen is still struggling with everything, but this will help him. It helps me too. I still think his sisters deserve everything that happens to them, but I’ve found myself feeling the slightest bit guilty over what happened. Battista made me wonder if maybe it wasn’t their fault.”

“Everyone has a choice, Sephie. Remember that. Every single person, no matter what happens to them, can choose good, or they can choose evil. You can be influenced, of course, but it’s still your choice. It’s only your choice. They made their choices, and now they must live with those consequences. As you’ve told at least two of the guys, Karma will use you to deliver justice. You didn’t decide their sentences, but you delivered them, Sephie. And you saved their souls in the process. So that’s enough of feeling guilty,” she said. Her tone was very maternal, almost like she was chastising me.

“Dammit. Scolded by a ghost,” I said under my breath.

She laughed. “You’re so much like your father. But you’re also very stubborn. I need you to believe in yourself, sweet girl. They all need you to believe in yourself.” She paused, looking at me like a mother would look at a daughter. She smiled sweetly at me, taking my hand and inspecting my ring. “He is quite possessive of you, and I think it’s one of his best qualities. You’re going to need to be patient with him. Your connection with him is going to get even deeper, but it’s going to also get deeper with all of the guys. He might find he struggles with jealousy at first.”

I looked down at my hand, smiling. “I kind of think he’s adorable when he gets jealous. I don’t ever want to make him jealous on purpose. He has nothing to worry about, but I find it very endearing when it happens.”

“He does have to share your time with five other very attractive men. It’s understandable, but you’re also quite good at making sure he knows he has nothing to worry about.” She brushed a curl back from my face, her sweet smile still on her face. “I do miss him. I know I talk about Vitaliy more than Adrik, but I miss Adrik just as much. He just doesn’t need me as much. Especially now that he has you. You’re so good for him.”

“He’s good for me too. I can’t live without him now that I have him,” I said.

“You two are meant for great things. But for now, it’s time for you to go back. Adrik is trying to wake you up. I seem to have caught you when you’re not decent as well, so he can’t move you.”

“Jesus, again?! How do I keep getting embarrassed in my own dreams?!”

Her laugh was the last thing I heard as everything faded to black in front of me. I felt Adrik’s hands on me, lightly running through my hair, over my back. I heard his voice softly urging me to wake up. I took a deep breath, picking my head up to rest my chin on his chest so I could see him.

His sweet smile was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. “Were you talking to your dad again? You were laughing,” he said, his fingers lightly running down my face.

I shook my head no. “No, this time it was your mother. She still feels bad for how she came to me when we were in Panama, so she learned how to come to me in my dreams like my dad does. She had a message for Vitaliy, and she gave me insight about Stephen.”

He raised his eyebrow, curious as to what information I now had. “What message for my father?”

I was actually surprised he asked about that first, but I grinned at him. “I get to tell him to stop being a cranky, stubborn bastard.”

He laughed. “Please let me be there when you do.”

“I would never deny you such a pleasure,” I said.

“What insight about Stephen did she give you?” he asked. I explained everything she’d told me about Stephen’s gift. As I talked, he moved so I could see the goosebumps on his arms and across his chest. I laughed quietly. “We’ve always said he was the best at knowing how to mindfuck someone. We just didn’t know the part about saving them. It’s so much better once you know that part. I know we were all strangely okay with the possibility of him being a serial killer, but I adore the kinder, gentler vampire that he’s become. I’m glad he gets to stay that way.”

“Me too. You should tell him today. I can keep the others busy so you can have time with him.”

“Can you spare Ivan too? I think he’s going to prove helpful for Stephen in this.”

“Of course. I’ll make sure the Wonder Twins don’t get too jealous,” he said. He rolled us both over so he was on top of me.

“This. This is why I love you so much,” I said, pulling him down to me so I could press my lips to his.

He smiled against my lips. “All this time I thought it was my giant cock.”

“That is also why I love you so much,” I said, laughing. I wrapped my arms and legs around him as we both laughed at our silliness. “You’re my favorite. Tell the others,” I said, in between laughs.

“You’re my everything,” he said, smiling down at me.

While we were all in the gym that morning, Andrei was helping me in his normal, patient way, even when I was grumpy that I still didn’t feel as strong as I did before Ivan and I were taken. I always tested his patience, but he never got frustrated with me. He really was such a good trainer.

“So, I need to steal Stephen again. I know what his gift is, but I think he needs convincing of it. I also need Ivan’s help. I don’t want you and Misha to get jealous that you two haven’t gotten to babysit for a few days.”

He laughed. “We always prefer hanging out with you, but I know Stephen has needed you. We’ve all seen the change in him since he saw his sisters. It’s been good for him. I also saw what he had to endure as a kid. It’s a lot. I know he needs you. And I think you’re right. I think Ivan can help. They’ve both seen the face of evil.”

“You, however, are capable of seeing the good in people. That’s the glow you see. You’re seeing auras, Bubba.”

“How do you know?”

“I knew what you were seeing when you first told me, but my dad confirmed it. You and Ivan are kind of opposites. He can see evil, but you can see good. I think it’s why you only see it sometimes on Ivan, me, and Adrik. We’re all both. The acupuncturist is only good, so you see it on her all the time.”

“Stephen has it now too. After you broke his sisters. I noticed it the next day. It’s not as bright as you three, but it’s there.”

I smiled. “I need to tell Stephen first, but I’ll give you a sneak peek at what he can do if you promise not to tell.”

He readily agreed, looking at my thoughts. I replayed part of the conversation I had with Lena for him. “You can talk to Boss’s mom now too?” he asked, surprised.

“She had a message for Vitaliy. She felt bad for the way she came to me last time, because it worried you guys so much. She learned how to come to me the same way my dad does.”

He continued to look, taking in everything she’d told me about Stephen. “Whoa. That’s heavy. But badass.”

I giggled. “I completely agree, Bubba.”

Ivan and Stephen were with me in the penthouse later that afternoon, helping me make dinner. Andrei was helpful in distracting Misha, and Viktor was on his normal master of schedule duties.

“Viktor is going to be so happy tonight, Seph,” Stephen said, smiling.

“I know. I’m surprised he hasn’t had a meltdown because it’s been so long since I cooked. I feel bad about that. I’m going to have to make him cookies again to make sure he doesn’t hate me,” I said.

“He could never hate you, princess. But he does love you a little less when you don’t cook,” Ivan said, laughing.

“It’s funny ‘cause it’s true,” I said.

We laughed and talked, but eventually the conversation came back around to Stephen’s sisters and everything that had happened.

“Have you heard anything from your parents?” Ivan asked, curious.

Stephen couldn’t hide his grin. “My mom called me. Apparently, they’re still mostly catatonic. She wanted to know what happened. She said my oldest sister wouldn’t talk about it. In fact, she said my oldest sister is barely talking at all. She went between being worried about them to angry at me.”

“Did she ask how you were at all?” I asked. I could feel my anger coming to the surface, once again feeling protective of Stephen.

He chuckled. “Don’t be mad, Seph.” He had no sooner said it than his eyes went wide as he looked at me.

Ivan caught on immediately to what just happened. “You felt her anger, didn’t you?”

Stephen nodded. “That was so weird.”

I laughed. “Welcome to the club, Yoden.” I walked to him, sliding my arms around his waist. He hugged me tightly, his vampiric vice-grip quickly becoming one of my favorite things about him.

“Shit’s about to get so much weirder for you,” Ivan said, laughing.

“I can actually help with that,” I said. Stephen loosened his hold on me, looking down at me.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Have you figured out the details of what happened to your sisters yet? It explains your gift,” I asked him.

He thought for a moment. “I showed you my memories, asking you to give it back to them. You did the heavy lifting. I just let you look into my head finally,” he said. He looked almost confused as he talked.

I couldn’t help but smile at him. This was why Lena told me. He was still in complete denial of what happened. “You’re not wrong, Yoden, but you played a much bigger role than you think you did.”

“I don’t understand,” he said.

Ivan, who was really very quick to catch on, suddenly got it. “He’s the one who broke them. He just needed you to make it happen the first time.”

I grinned at Ivan, then looked back at Stephen as he fully comprehended what Ivan had just said. “That’s your gift, Stephen. You know how to completely break people. You’ll be able to do it without me at some point, but Ivan is right, you just used me to make it happen. Bonus points too, because I didn’t need to touch you in order to borrow your gift.”

Stephen looked worried. “But I don’t see how this is a good thing. I might be a serial killer after all.”

“Oh, honey, no.” I wrapped my arms back around his waist. “Let me explain before you start beating yourself up.” I went through the details of everything Lena had told me in my dream. Ivan looked impressed. Stephen still looked worried. “It does sound horrific, but you’re thinking on too small of a scale, Stephen. You’re saving their souls. I’m still undecided if your sisters deserved another chance in the next lifetime, but ultimately that’s what you gave them. When someone gives in to the evil, to their demon, it eventually consumes them. That’s when Ivan is able to see them. He can see when they’re totally consumed or right before they’re totally consumed. When that happens, the soul will eventually die. There are no more chances then. The demon won. While they’re still broken in this lifetime, you kept the soul alive. The soul gets another chance to make it right in the next lifetime. Although it’s going to take quite a number of lifetimes for your sisters to clear their Karma, you gave them the chance to do that. Without you, their souls would’ve been consumed completely and would’ve eventually died.”

“I saw it on your middle sister right away. Your older sister too, when they went to leave. Hers was hiding when I first saw her, but Sephie brought it out,” Ivan said.

In his normal, quiet way, Stephen contemplated everything we’d just said. “I never thought I’d be relieved to know that I didn’t completely destroy them, but I am. I’ve dreamed about killing them in so many different ways, it’s alarming.”

“You never gave in to the evil you’ve been carrying all these years. I haven’t told you guys yet, but Andrei can see auras. Much like Ivan can see the evil in people, Bubba sees the good. He can see yours now, Stephen. He said it showed up the day after you saw your sisters.” Stephen still looked skeptical, but he wasn’t quite as worried. “We don’t always understand why we do things, but our souls know. Your soul knew what needed to happen and you listened to it. That’s the important lesson here.”

“They brought those consequences on themselves, Stephen. You didn’t condemn them, but you did hand down their sentence,” Ivan said.

Stephen was thoughtful for a few minutes, but he finally looked between me and Ivan. He had an uncharacteristic grin on his face. “Wait until Vlad hears about this. He’s going to be so excited.”