Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

AZIEL

"How many comments are we gonna get from your friend? I doubt he went far enough not to hear us."

I shook my head, my arm around his waist. "None. Callum isn't like that. It's Felix you'd get shit from. Besides, if I commented every time I heard Callum and his mate, I'd go blue in the face."

"I heard that," Callum grumbled. Declan was right, he didn't go far. Far enough to give us privacy, but close enough to watch our backs.

It wasn't smart, letting Declan fuck me like that where anyone could see us. But I needed it and I think he did too. He was still pissed. It was like a low level of tension in his shoulders, but he wasn't seething anymore. He had one hand tucked in my back pocket, and I didn't hate the possessive hold.

"Thank you for coming for me," I murmured.

Callum gripped my shoulder, leveling me with a look. "Always. Now let's get back. I checked with Felix while you were busy. They brought the boys to my place until the wards were up. Vivi should be done soon."

We walked to the end of the path and a little beyond it before teleporting back to the transportation tunnel. There was a longer line waiting to go to the human realm, so I showed Callum and Declan to the tear my family always used. I kept Declan up against me, since it wasn't exactly safe, but we passed through without issue and teleported back to Declan's shop when we were through. I hated having to release him, but I couldn't be seen holding Declan like that, so Callum teleported him instead of me. Mal was still there, standing near Vivi as she drew some runes on the doorframe. He relaxed when he saw us, letting out a heavy sigh.

"You found him."

Callum hummed, peering inside the big front window. "Where's Athena?"

"Hendrix took her home. She was really upset. He said he'd hang around until she felt better."

I grimaced, the guilt like a lead weight in my gut. "I'll go talk to her later."

Vivi stepped back, studying the runes before nodding once. "There. All done. Who did that one, though? It's clever, but if they already know you're here, it's not exactly useful." She pointed to the one the witches had done to hide Declan's shop.

"I need that one removed. It was done as a prank," Declan replied. I saw the muscle tick in his jaw, he still felt guilty for being okay with it, but he was a good man. Once he realized he was making a mistake, he fixed it. It was something I admired about him.

Vivi wrinkled her nose. "A prank? That's a lot of magic for a prank. It looks more like revenge if you didn't ask for it. Did you accidentally piss off a witch?"

"No. They tried to scam him and took offense when it didn't work. Can you remove it?" I growled.

"Not tonight. The warding took a lot out of me. But was it reported to the council? They should've taken care of it when it was created."

"I didn't notice," Declan admitted.

Understanding crossed her face, and she nodded. "Okay, well, I'll remove it some time this week. Both floors are warded and only those with good intentions can enter, so it won't affect business. Don't leave the windows open at night, it weakens the ward. And contact the council if you get any more trouble from the witches. I swear, people just pretend the council doesn't exist. It's there for a reason, you know. "

I got the feeling that message was more for me than for Declan. Vivi knew who my family was. She was the one who made me the teleportation blockers. She sent them through Athena because she didn't want to get on my uncle's radar, but she'd been suggesting calling the council for years. I always said no. They wouldn't step in without proof and getting some was too dangerous. I preferred to lie low and keep my head down.

Mal took Vivi home while Callum teleported Declan to his place to pick up Ollie. I followed to get Dante, and once we were inside and out of the way of the windows, Declan moved back to my side. It was comforting, and I leaned into him until the boys came racing out of the kitchen. Ollie skidded to a halt in front of Declan, pointing at Brandon as he followed behind them.

"Dec! We got to meet someone bigger than Dad!"

Declan snorted. "I'll say. Hey, I'm Declan. I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

Brandon was the quiet sort, bashful, and he didn't take offense to Ollie's comment. He shook Declan's hand before immediately stepping back and pressing himself up against Callum.

"They were fine. We mostly just talked. I was gonna make dinner if you're hungry."

Declan grimaced and scrubbed the back of his neck. "I appreciate the invite, but today has been kind of shit. My couch is calling my name. Raincheck?"

Now that I looked at him, Declan looked worn out. He was disheveled and mussed from our forest fuck, but his eyes were also bloodshot and he was less graceful than normal, like he was running on fumes. Since it was my fault, I was determined to fix it. Felix, who had been hanging out in the kitchen, and Callum helped me get everyone to Declan's place before going back home to their mates. The boys didn't seem fazed by the events of the afternoon and were bouncing off the walls, so I let them pick a movie to get them to settle. After they were distracted, I nudged Declan to join them.

"Rest. I've got dinner."

He raised his eyebrows slowly, a smirk pulling at his lips. "Is this to make up for being an asshole? Because I'm not gonna say no."

I rolled my eyes, but I answered with a grin of my own. "Maybe. Or maybe it's because you look like shit. You let me take a break today. It's your turn."

He huffed out a laugh, pretending to scratch an itch on his face with his middle finger. But he didn't fight me, dropping onto the couch and kicking his feet up on the coffee table. The boys immediately mimicked him, snickering, and Declan watched them with a lazy grin on his face.

After I fed everyone, Declan headed to his room to take a shower while I watched the boys. I frowned.

"Why do you two seem so unbothered?"

Dante shrugged. "I told him the truth already. It felt wrong to lie like that. You never lie to me, so I thought it was better to be honest."

Ollie bobbed his head in agreement. "I overhear a lot about what's happening at my mom's work. She talks a lot. Not so much about my dad's, but he'll bring something up if Mom asks. Since Dante said he needed stuff to protect you, I told him I'd help."

My mouth fell open. "Protect me?"

"Duh. Dad said he'd hurt you if I didn't get any information." His expression darkened and his voice got quiet. "You're the only one who's nice to me. I don't want them to hurt you."

Dante and I had been living together for a few months now. I didn't think he liked me. Tolerated me, sure, because it was better than being at his dad's, but not enough to give a shit if I got hurt. It warmed my middle that he cared, and I was proud of him for making the choice I never even considered. I ruffled his hair, smirking when he grimaced and shoved my hand away.

"Well, you're smarter than me then. I'm not sure how long I'm going to have to grovel to make it up to Declan."

"Years. It'll be grueling," Declan commented airily as he joined us in the living room. He was shirtless, his hair still wet from his shower, a towel around his neck. My mouth went dry as my gaze trailed over him. When I got back to his face, he raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Subtle. Are you two spending the night? I don't mind, but you need a shower first. You're covered in dirt."

Glancing down, I huffed out a laugh. He wasn't wrong. The only clean part of me was my hands since I washed them to make dinner. Staying clean wasn't exactly on my mind when he attacked me tonight .

Ollie flicked his gaze between me and his brother, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Are you two dating?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Declan said we were in this together, and we fooled around together, but that didn't mean we were dating. It was the first time I wanted to, but I didn't think it was safe. And nine-year-old boys aren't exactly steel traps for information.

"Why are you so obsessed with my dating life lately? You better not be dating and fishing for information. You're too damn young," Declan interrupted.

Ollie flushed dark red, successfully diverted from the question. Dante still looked suspicious, but at least he knew to keep that to himself. He knew the consequences if he didn't.

While Declan bickered with his brother to distract him, I tipped my head towards the door to signal our departure to Dante. "We'll see you two later. It's a school night and I'm pretty sure Dante hasn't done his homework."

Dante made a face, which meant I was on the nose about that one, and when Declan shot a narrow-eyed look at Ollie, his grimace said he wasn't done either. It was a smart thing to get the boys home. But I still didn't want to leave. I could feel the wards, Vivi didn't half ass them, but it worried me all the same to leave them here unguarded.

Like he could sense my anxiety, Declan smiled softly. "We're good here. I'll call if something else happens and I won't bring random packages into the house without you checking them first."

Dante snorted, and I rolled my eyes. "I appreciate that. I'll see you tomorrow."

And he would. Until we could figure out how to get free of my uncle's control, I'd watch over him and Ollie every damn day. Maybe even after that. This was still new, and I didn't want to get my hopes up that I could keep him, but I wanted to enjoy it while I had it.