26. Asta

" H ello, brother."

I'd known this was coming from the moment I sensed him the other night, which is why I'd ensured we stayed with Aeri. Honestly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. Rome has always thought of himself as the most important person in the room. I'm sure that hasn't changed since I saw him last.

"Hello, Rome," I respond, refusing to refer to him as my brother. I let my office door fall closed, turning to find him sitting in my chair with his feet propped up on my desk.

It's not as if anyone else is around to hear at this time. It's early, and the club doesn't open for a few hours yet, but I needed to get out of the apartment, away from her. She needs to be watched until we know what's going on, but I can't deny the strain that's had on me, even if just for the last few days, and I'm not the only one.

It's as if the whole damn house has lost its collective mind. The only one who seems somewhat normal is Aeri, though I'm pretty sure she's sick of both me and Kai at this point.

"Oh, don't be like that. Didn't you even miss me?" The smile on his face lets me know he's asking just to hear himself talk.

"What do you want, Rome?" I ask, attempting to cut to the chase and stop this useless back and forth. It's useless; I know it is, but that doesn't mean I can't try. Besides, it would be in our best interests if I could get information without showing any of our cards. For all we know, Aeri might be nothing more than a momentary amusement to him. But that could change should I give him any inkling that she means something to us–no, not us, Bast.

Bast, who swears the mortal is his mate…

It sounds crazy, but I can't say for sure he's wrong. None of us can.

I stay by the door, watching Rome as he assesses me. I'm not sure what he's looking for, if anything, but after a second, the corner of his mouth kicks up in a smirk that once upon a time told me we were going to get in trouble.

Now all that means is he's going to cause trouble.

Fantastic.

"Fine." Leaning back in my chair, he folds his hands behind his head, letting the chair recline, the picture of ease. "I guess the mortal saying is true. Can't teach an old dog new tricks. That stick must be too far up your ass for too long now for me to dare hope you might still have some fun left in there."

He's trying to get under my skin, and if I didn't have so many damn years of keeping my cool, he would know just how well it's working. Once, we were all a lot more carefree, look where that got us, not that I care much about losing my grace.

I used to, but now it's so bad being able to do what I want because I want to without reporting to a ruler and being expected to jump with no reasoning or even a thank you.

Rome knows all about the days when I used to be more relaxed, though. Back then, he was like a little brother to me, always following me around.

Of all of us, I'd dare say I was closest to him and Kai.

"Yes, I quite enjoy my stick, thank you." He barks a laugh as if I've just said the funniest thing, and I can't help but roll my eyes. "Don't you have things you should be doing? Orders to follow?"

His laughter cuts off as his smile slips from his face. It's a low blow but effective, and really, I couldn't care less if he's offended; he made his choice.

"Well." He drops his feet from my desk with a huff, and I know my hit landed. "You'll be happy to know I'm not here for you. I simply came to collect something." His eyes light up and it makes my skin crawl being on the receiving end of his gaze right now. I'm not sure what this ‘something' is, but I have a sinking feeling about it, or should I say her?

"No." The word slips out before I can really stop it or think about what I'm saying, but it doesn't really matter. It's the only answer he's going to get, whether it be from me or the others.

"No?" He raises a brow at me, almost as if in disbelief, and I can imagine he isn't used to hearing that. "How can you tell me no when you can't possibly know what's going on, Asta."

"I don't need to know what's going on, but you're messing with the mortal we need to keep around in order to stay undetected. Find another one."

He stands so abruptly that the chair falls back behind him, but he doesn't seem to notice it as he slams his fists down on the desk.

"You find another one!" he shouts before he seemingly realizes how much of his hand he's just shown me. He quickly composes himself, running his hands down his shirt before running his fingers through his hair and pushing it out of his face.

He can act like he's not crazy, like he's God's perfect subject, but we both know that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Rome's fucking unhinged on the best days and dangerous on his worst, and that's saying something considering the fact that I spent years torturing souls in the underworld.

"There are billions of mortals for you to have live with you, pick one. Hell, pick five! I don't give a fuck, but Aerilynn is mine!"

"You have no claim to the mortal, and I have no obligation to give her to you. I'm sure you'll understand why what you want isn't a concern of mine."

I expect him to lose his cool again, like he did earlier. At this point, I'm on the lookout for an attack. I know how much Rome hates being told no.

Instead, he simply shakes his head, looking at me as if I'm an inexperienced angel trying to fly, and he's been doing it for years. It's insulting, but worse, it's frightening because that means he knows something I don't, something he thinks will put him ahead.

"See, that's where you're wrong because when it comes to Aerilynn, well, I do, in fact, have a claim to her." With a snap of his fingers, a golden contract appears in the air before me, leaving me momentarily blinded by the glow.

I'll never understand why everything in heaven has to be so flashy and bright. Hell is literally full of fire and brimstone and isn't as bright. It makes no sense.

I've seen this type of contract before, and despite how long ago it might have been, I understand the general idea. It's binding, in the most permanent kind of way. The signer gives up a soul for whatever they are looking to achieve.

By the looks of this contract, that something would happen to be riches.

Money.

Some mortals gave up their immortal souls to have money. Of all the things I'll never understand about mortals, that would be pretty high on the list. They can't take it with them when they die, and it doesn't do them any good in the afterlife, so why do so much for it?

Just when I think it can't get worse, I look to the bottom to find the terms that are specific to each who sign.

In exchange for the soul of a female descendant.

I don't need to finish reading it to know I won't recognize the signature, but I don't need to.

Aeri.

Someone in her family line was stupid enough to make a deal for money, and they weren't even man enough to give up their own soul, instead giving her up years before she was even alive.

Mortal greed knows no boundaries.

I keep my face carefully neutral, letting my eyes trace over the contract as if I'm still reading it, as if I really give a shit what's there. No, I read what I needed to. Now, I just need to get myself under control without ever letting Rome know I've lost it.

This shouldn't have any effect on me. As much as I hate to agree with Rome, he's right. There are billions of mortals to choose from. If we were truly desperate, I could easily coerce one or simply approach one of the girls who throws themselves at me damn near daily.

As much as Bast is my brother, I'm still not sold on the whole mate thing, but this isn't an expression of anger on his behalf.

No, this is my own rage, and I'm not in a position to examine what that means or why right now.

"She belongs to me."

Those four words take me over the edge, and I feel my careful control as it slips through my fingers like water. The lights flicker, the temperature rises, and I don't need to see myself to know I'm half-transformed; the excitement dancing in Rome's eyes says it all.

"It seems I'll be seeing you soon, brother."

Before I can respond, he disappears, but even after he's gone, I can still see that stupid, self-satisfied smirk on his lips.

With a roar, I walk over to my desk before flipping it into the wall.

"Fuck!"

So much for taking time at the club to get my thoughts together. It's a wonder the club is even standing after my visit with Rome. Let's hope the others can share the same restraint when I let them know about Aeri's soul.

Despite having a driver take me to the club this morning, I don't much feel like dealing with anyone. I decide to skip the mortal way of getting from one place to another in favor of simply teleporting back to the apartment.

Not all demons can teleport. I guess it has to do with power levels, but since I was powerful before the fall, that's something that I just got to keep. Kai can as well, but Bast and Talian can't, and of course Ruin can; all angels can.

I teleport back into my room to ensure the mortal isn't around. Mortals don't do well with things that can't be easily explained in a way they think it should be. That's one of the main reasons we don't let them know about our existence; there's no real consequence if we don't. We won't be dragged back to hell or dropped into the pit of lost souls for it, but the panic that comes with them knowing simply isn't worth it.

I'd thought having Kai suppress Aeri's memories of us would make our lives easier, but now I'm not so sure that's the case or that it will even be possible moving forward.

Fucking hell, here goes nothing.

The house is quiet, which isn't surprising. It's still early, and for the most part, we all tend to mind our own business until Aeri wakes up. It's strange when, just last week, our instinct had been the opposite. I'd purposefully avoided being around her any more than I had to be, at the time I thought we all had. When actually, it was only me and Kai. Bast and Talian seemed to have had no issue getting close to her.

Had I been paying better attention, I would have realized just how damn wrong I was.

Bast.

Of all the fucking things I thought might happen with moving a mortal woman in with us, him taking an interest in her wasn't something I would have ever even suggested as a joke.

As if he can hear my thoughts, the demon of lust chooses the next moment to leave his room. He doesn't so much as glance my way. He's been carefully trying to avoid me without seeming suspicious since he broke the news about thinking Aeri is his mate.

He's doing a terrible job of being subtle, but I haven't cared to call him out on it. I've had other things to worry about and wasn't really sure I had anything to say to him. Now I do.

"Rome paid me a visit down at the club."

I don't need to look to know Kai is beside me. I can feel his power twisting around the room at the same time Talian's does as he exits his room.

Well, that was easy.

"What did he want?" Kai hisses, and it literally comes out as a hiss from his snake side. Make no mistake, Kai is strong and dangerous, almost equal in power level to myself, but typically, he doesn't give things his energy.

This is strange, and though I'm almost positive he would chalk it up to Rome being around, I don't really think I buy that.

"Don't be stupid Kai, he wanted her," Talian answers before I can as he comes around the corner, gesturing down the hall toward Aeri's room he just passed.

Kai groans, fisting his hands in his hair before letting his arms fall dramatically down at his sides. "Just because you and Bast have lost your fucking minds doesn't mean the rest of us have. Rome has no reason to want the damn mortal!"

"I didn't lose my mind. I'm telling you, she's my mate." Bast bites back, his eyes lighting with a fire that tells me he will one hundred percent burn this building down if Kai keeps pushing.

"He wants her."

"What?"

All three of them turn to look at me as if I've just said something crazy. Kai, I can understand, considering a moment ago he seemed to think that was the stupidest idea ever, but the other two…they assumed he was here for her from the moment Talian sensed him a few nights ago.

"That doesn't make any sense. What could he want with a mortal, and why this one?" Kai's face scrunches up as if the very idea disgusts him, even as his eyes dart to the wall that separates her room from the living room.

I'd be lying if I said his words didn't bug me a little bit, make me want to drop him out the fucking window and watch him splat on the pavement almost fifty floors down.

I don't do that, obviously, but I want to.

"He can't have her," Bast snaps, turning from the kitchen, and I don't need to ask to know where he's going.

I appear in front of him before he can make it down the hall, and he all but runs into my chest, too focused on the mortal. The second he touches me, I take us back to the living room.

"Sit," I tell him before pushing him down onto the couch. I can see he wants to get back up and argue with me, but he doesn't, and I'm grateful. I don't want to fight with my brothers, and this is probably the easiest part of what I need to tell them.

Talian flops back onto the couch opposite where I just sat, Bast, his eyes watching me, waiting for me to explain.

"Where did Kai go?" I ask, looking around but coming up empty.

Before I can decide what to do about his disappearance, he's back, followed by Ruin a moment later.

Talian lets out a sound of disgust at seeing Ruin but remains quiet. Bast all but ignores both of them instead, watching my every move. I'm not sure if he's waiting for answers or a chance to bolt down the hall to get to Aeri, but I keep a close eye on him either way.

"Tell them what you told me," Kai barks, causing Ruin to groan as he runs a hand down his face.

"Stop, there's nothing to tell. I shouldn't have even told you."

That catches not only my attention but the others as well. Whereas Bast was all but ignoring Ruin's existence a moment ago, he seems to be all ears now.

"You might as well spill it now," I tell him, not only for his sake but for my own. I know damn well we won't be moving past this until he shares whatever it is with the rest of us. Kai knew that too, judging by the self-satisfied smirk on his face as he dropped down on the couch next to Bast.

"Ughhh!" Ruin groans before he turns and walks toward the window, only to turn back around and head back toward the couch a moment later. "I'm literally not supposed to say, do you realize how much trouble I could be in if this got back to them?" Ruin demands, and it's easy to see how torn he is about this.

Ruin was never one for breaking the rules much, and honestly, he could get in trouble as it is just for being around us like this.

"Fine, we'll trade. I'll tell you what I know, and after you tell us what you know."

The words are out of my mouth before I can think better of them. What's that mortal saying, ‘Old habits die hard.' I can't say I enjoy watching Ruin lose his shit like this. Even if we aren't on the best terms anymore, it wasn't his fault we fell; we chose to follow Lucifer. Sometimes, I even think it's possible Ruin regrets how things worked out, but I could be imagining that. So I take pity on him, it's the best I can offer, though, so he either agrees or he can leave. We have more than enough going on right now.

Ruin stops dead at my words, and I can see the war happening inside his mind. Something about this mortal has him just as strung up as Bast and Talian.

Strange.

The room is quiet as Ruin deliberates what to do. He takes long enough that I'm about to tell him to leave when he drops onto the couch next to Kai with a nod in my direction.

Good. At least, that's one thing that's been handled for now.

"Now, what in Satan's name makes you think Rome would want Aeri?" Kai asks without missing a beat, and I get the feeling that question has been eating at him for a minute now.

"I don't think. I know he does."

Throwing his hands up, he glares at me across the room.

"Okay, well, how do you know that?" he demands with a low hiss as he fights to keep control.

"Because he told me. That's what he's here for, to collect on a deal. One in which some distant relative gave up the soul of a future female descendant in order to be rich. That future descendant just so happens to be Aeri," I sigh, hating that this has to be said aloud, that it's even true to begin with.

"He owns her soul."