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Chapter 9

Abby

W hen I wake, I'm in my bed again. This time I'm alone.

Stretching out my stiff muscles, I get up and head out to find my mates. They're in the study a few doors down.

"Hey." Libby smiles, jumping up from the chair she was sitting in.

"Hey." I smile back, feeling awful that I've hardly seen or spoken to her since we've been here. "How are you? Your mom?"

"Mom is... dealing? The best she can at least. Your dad is a big help. But damn, he's a stage five clinger."

That makes me laugh. "He's crazy about her."

Libby smiles. "She's crazy about him too. Also, it's crazy that Frankie's dad is also her mate."

"What?!" My eyes swing over to my vampire mate who's leaning against the bookshelf.

She groans. "Really, Libby? I haven't had the chance to talk to her about that."

"Sorry." Libby grimaces.

"What do you mean your dad is also mateed to Megan?" I shake my head. "Holy shit."

"Weird, eh?" Frankie laughs. "You are now mated to my stepbrother and two of your own stepbrothers."

My brain tries to process that. "Too fucking weird."

"I'm glad he's mated to Megan. That man has been alone for too many years. She's just what he needs."

"I bet my dad is handling that so well." I sigh. "He doesn't share well with others."

"Oh, it's going amazing." Frankie laughs, letting me know it's the opposite.

"So, enough about that. We can catch up later," Libby says eagerly. "You saw him right?"

Licking my lips, I nod. "I did."

"How is he? Why isn't he back here?"

"Remember how my dad said that when you bring a soul out, they might not be the same way they were when they went in?"

"He's not our Zed, is he?" she asks, fear lacing her features.

"I honestly don't know," I admit. "It looks like him. Although now he's bigger, his wings are fucked up, and his eyes are black."

"Shit," Isaac says.

I look over to find him watching, perched on the edge of his seat.

"The good thing is, he doesn't seem to want to cause me any harm. He's not aggressive." I leave out the part about how he ran for the bars to get to me after he got a whiff my scent like a wild animal.

"That's good, right?" Libby asks.

"I'd like to see it that way," I tell her.

"What's the plan? When can he leave? How do we learn more?" Leo asks from his seat at a table, where he's playing chess with Noah.

"Dad said not to let him out until I know he won't hurt anyone."

"He didn't recognize you?" Libby asks.

Tears sting my eyes. "No," I whisper. "I don't think he did."

He looked at me like he wanted me, in what way I don't know.

Well, maybe I did based on how aroused he got.

But there was nothing that showed he knew who I was.

"But," I tell her. "I believe we can get him back. I can feel it." I rub my hand over my heart. "He's in there, somewhere. I just need to make him remember."

"How are you going to do that?" Luke asks.

"How do people normally help someone with amnesia get their mempry back? By telling them stories, talking to them, and trying to jog their memory."

"That is if it's even Zed inside that body," Luke huffs.

"Don't." I point at him. "It's Zed."

"How do you know?" Noah asks.

"I just know, okay? He's my mate, a part of my soul, my fate, my destiny. I'd know if it wasn't the man I'm madly in love with, okay?" I can feel the anger inside me rise. The more they question me the more pissed I am.

"Do you think I could see him?" Libby asks, wringing her hands together.

"Eventually, I'm sure." I try to give her an encouraging smile, knowing I can't make promises I can't keep. "For now, I think it might be too much. My plan is to go down there, sit with him, talk with him, and hope he remembers."

"This is our life now?" Luke asks. "We just sit here and wait while you deal with Zed. First we had to watch you risk your life for a week, wondering if you were ever going to come back. Now, you're, what? Going to spend all day, every day, inside that prison."

"Luke," Noah scolds. "What is wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?"

His words hurt. He's upset with me, and I get it. This can't be easy on any of them. But I hate that I'm the reason he's upset.

Why, though? He's my mate. He's supposed to be supporting me, not chastising me. I expected something like this from Isaac, but Luke? Where's the fun, playful, dirty-minded mate I know?

"Fuck." Luke rubs his face with his hands. "I'm afraid, okay. All of this is a fucking lot. I don't know how to feel. I'm jealous, angry, sad, worried; I'm fucked up inside okay?!"

My heart hurts, and I make my way across the room to him. I wrap my arms around him tightly and relax into his touch.

"I love you," I tell him. "I'm safe. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Luke wraps his arms around me just as tight, like he's afraid to let me go.

"You know I'd do the same for you, right?" I pull back to look into his fearful eyes. "I'd fight just as hard for you."

"You would?" he whispers, insecurity thick in his question.

"I'm sorry you think otherwise. The fact is, we haven't had much time to really spend together, to get to know each other since we've accepted our bond marks. I can see why you might feel that Zed or Leo would mean more to me than you or the others. But that couldn't be further from the truth. I love you all so damn much, each in a different way, but no one less than the other. You're all my mates, a part of who I am. Without you— all of you—I'm not me. I'm not whole. Please, please, be more patient with me. I promise it won't always be like this."

"Fuck." Luke kisses the top of my head. "I'm sorry. Zed just got resurrected, and here I am bitching about stupid shit."

"It's not stupid. You have every right to feel how you do. Your feelings are valid."

"Thank you." He leans down and kisses me. "I love you too."

EVEN THOUGH I WANT to run straight back to Zed, I don't. I spend a few hours with my mates doing my best to smile, laugh, and enjoy the time with them.

But after a while, they can tell I'm getting antsy and send me on my way.

This time, I go alone, bringing a chair and some snacks with me.

When I get to Zed's cell, I find him sitting on his bed. He's still naked, but looks a lot better than yesterday. He's eating something, hunched over the bowl as he shovels food into his mouth like he's starving.

Just as he's done with that bowl, it disappears and is replaced by another. How long has he been eating?

It's like he's endlessly hungry. But then I remember, he was down there for over a week. Is he trying to replace what he missed? Or does he need it for his body to recover? Maybe he needs more to fuel his new body?

During my inner ramblings, I didn't notice that Zed stopped eating and is now staring at me.

"Hi." I wave lamely. "It's me, Abby again."

He cocks his head to the side, blinking.

"Abby," he says my name slowly, his voice deep and raspy.

It sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine, I'm so damn happy he can talk.

"Yeah." I smile, a rush of excitement filling me. "Abby. And you're Zed."

He raises a brow, but doesn't say anything else.

I'm not going to just keep standing here, so I place the chair down and sit.

"Hungry, I see." I point to the bowl in his hand.

He looks at it and frowns before letting it crash to the ground. He stands up and walks over to the bars.

He's still fully naked, cock thick and heavy. I can't help but stare.

"Mine," he growls, and my attention snaps up to his face. He's right there at the bars, so close I can touch him.

My heart pounds as I swallow hard. "Yeah," I whisper. "I'm yours. And you're mine."

He lets out a deep rumble, almost like a purr in approval. "Yours."

My eyes sting with relief for how well this is already going. The reality is, what I brought back wasn't fully Zed, but I know he's in there.

He may never remember who I am, but right now as he crouches down before me, I don't seem to care. I can learn to love this version of him, can't I?

With a shaky hand, I lean forward and slide it through the bars. He stays deadly still as my hand makes contact with his cheek.

I gasp, eyes widening as I feel the familiar wave of power. That bond. It's humming bright and strong. I laugh in disbelief.

He has to be in there, how else would we still be bonded?

"Mine." Zed's hand covers mine, holding my hand to his face.

"Yours." I nod again. I will stick by this man's side no matter what. He's not a monster, he's not some evil creature that will only cause destruction in his wake.

What my father failed to acknowledge was that the souls he brought back in the past were all demons. Demons that already had a dark, damaged, poisoned soul.

Zed went in there with a pure soul. His chances of not turning into what others were brought back as were already high.

Now, I just need to spend some more time with him and be confident that he will not cause any harm to anyone once I let him out.

Frankie

"FRANCESCA."

"Dad."

He stops me just outside the castle. My patrol shift just ended, and I'm going to head down to the prison to see Zed.

It's been a week of Abby spending most of her time down there, and every time she comes back, she seems a little bit brighter than before. She says even though he doesn't remember her, he enjoys being around her. She's positive that he's harmless' he's shown no aggression towards her. But before she lets him out, I need to see for myself.

"How have you been? It's been a while since I've seen you last. I heard Zed is alive."

"He is." I nod. "I haven't been down to see him for myself. I was just about to head there. Abby says he's doing good."

"Megan's been asking about him." He shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Megan, huh?" I smile. "How's that going by the way?"

He narrows his eyes. "It's fine."

"Lies." I laugh. "I can tell by the way that vein on your temple twitches."

He lets out a heavy sigh and scrubs his face with his hand. "Okay, not fine. While you're all dealing with this, we have our own shit to deal with."

"Like what?" I frown.

"Like the fact Abby's mother, Veronica, followed us into Hell."

"What?!" My eyes widen.

"Yeah. And Lucifer is furious."

"Rightfully so." I cross my arms. "Damn. Has he kicked her out?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He takes a deep breath. "Because Megan won't let him send her away."

"Why..." Megan is a sweetheart, always trying to see the best in people.

"Because she's not just Lucifer's fated mate. She's Megan's."

My lips part until my jaw is practically touching the ground. "You're fucking shitting me, right?"

"Oh, how I wish."

"So, let me get this straight. Megan's fated mate was Michael. Lucifer's fated mate was Veronica. Michael left Megan because she was too low level for him, crushing her heart and leaving her to raise their son. Veronica left Lucifer because he was, well... the king of Hell and she's pure blood, leaving him to raise their daughter."

"So far, everything sounds about right." My dad nods.

"Then, years later, Lucifer meets Megan, finds out they're mates. Now, Megan has met Veronica and found out they're mates too?"

"Yup."

"This is all so fucked up." I can't help but laugh. "And Zed is both mine and Abby's step brother. Wait!" My eyes widen. "Are you her mate too?"

"No fucking clue." He groans. "I've been too afraid to find out. I have enough to deal with."

"And I thought we were stressed as fuck." I blow out a breath. "Sorry about... all of that." I wave my hand.

"We'll deal. Just need Lucifer to chill out."

"Good luck with that." I snort out a laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if the place burns to the ground by the end of the week." I wonder how Abby is going to take this when she finds out. I know she had a bit of a heart to heart with her mom, but I don't know the details and I don't know her thoughts about what she wants to do regarding her relationship with her mom.

Letting my dad get back to his own shit show, I head over to the prison to see my best friend.

When I get there, I find him lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Dear god, man, put on some clothes." I cover my eyes, shielding myself from his monster cock.

Hearing him move, I give him a second to get something on before moving my hand away.He's right in front of me, the bars the only thing separating us now, and it makes me jump back in surprise.

Holy shit this man is tall. He's towers over me.

"Shit, man." I whistle. "You have grown into a big boy, haven't you? You've been eating all your wheaties?"

He frowns at me, cocking his head to the side. "Abby?"

"She's okay, big guy. But it's just me right now."

His lip peels back. "Mine," he growls.

"Who, Abby?" He nods. "Yeah, she's yours. But she's also mine."

Oh, he does not like that.

"Mine," he growls again, this time louder and more sternly.

I sigh. "Hi." I ignore his possessive bullshit. "I'm Frankie. I'm going to assume you don't remember, that's cool. But we were best friends. I'm the one who calls you on your bullshit. And right now, I'm gonna call you on it again. So, Abby has mates. You are one of them. Me?" I point to myself. "Is another." I'm not going to mention the other four guys just yet. "You're going to need to learn how to share if you ever want to get out of here."

"Frankie?" he says my name clearly, as a question.

"That's me." I give him a beaming smile. "And, you have a little sister named Libby and a mom named Megan. Who by the way are both very worried about you. So, if that big old brain of yours can start remembering shit, that would be amazing."

"Sister... Mom... Libby... Megan..." he repeats, saying their names as if he's trying to pinpoint where he's heard them before.

"You can see them once you get out of here."

He cocks his head to the side and smiles. "Your Abby's mate?"

"So you can form a sentence." I laugh. "Yes. I'm Abby's mate."

"Where's your mark?" he asks me, eyes searching my neck.

My hand covers where my mate mark would be. But Abby and I haven't done anything but kiss yet. "I don't have it yet." I clear my throat.

He chuckles, making me glare at him. "I do."

"Yeah, I know that." I roll my eyes.

"If you're really her mate, why don't you have a mate mark?" he questions.

"You know what? I liked it better when you were just doing one-word answers." I sigh.

"Lies. You're not her mate. I am. Me. She's mine."

"Hate to break it to you buddy, but she's not just yours. Like I said, you're going to need to learn how to share."

He growls, shifting as close to the bars as possible. That's when I notice he's still naked.

"And for the love of god, put some damn clothes on."

"Why?" He gives me a slow grin. "Abby loves seeing me naked." He reaches down and cups his cock. "Loves it when I'm hard for her. I can smell how aroused she gets. It makes me fucking feral."

"And that right there is the kind of behavior that will keep you locked up," I point out. "And ew, gross. You wanna know why I don't have a mate mark? Because we haven't had sex. When we have sex, it will show up. When two fated mates connect on an intense intimate level, and declare themselves to one another, our souls become bonded forever. I plan on doing both of those things."

"No," he growls.

"Yes." I nod. "I've been waiting to make sure you're okay before I take that step with Abby, but maybe I'll stop waiting. Just because you're being a possessive dickhead, I might do it tonight." I'm not and won't do something so important just out of spite, but he doesn't know that.

"Fuck you," he spits.

"No thanks, I only like women. Sorry, scratch that. I only like Abby." I wink.

"She's mine," he demands.

I sigh heavily. "And mine. You really are still the same stubborn man from before. I'm going to have to tell Abby about this. She's not going to be happy. Maybe she won't come back to visit for a few days."

"Don't." His face falls. Oh, he didn't like that. "I need her. She needs to come back. Please."

"Hey, woah." I raise my hands, all playing gone. "I'm sorry. It's okay, Abby will be back. Trust me, nothing will keep her away."

His eyes flick between mine and damn if it isn't creepy, those beady black eyes feel like they're looking deep into your soul.

"You won't tell her I was mean to you?"

"You weren't mean to me." I smile. "I was just fucking with you."

"Fucking with me? I thought you were into girls. The only one I want to fuck is Abby."

"Oh, trust me, same." I laugh. "And it's just a saying. Never mind."

His brows furrow as he tilts his head again. "I think I'm not going to kill you."

"Well, thanks." I laugh in disbelief. "But I don't think you can kill anyone. Not if you ever want to get out of here."

He growls in frustration, moving back over to the bed. I can't help but eye up his toned ass. Not bad.

He sits on his bed, his arms outstretched as he stares up at the ceiling. "Feed me!" he shouts.

What the hell?

But then a second later a bowl appears in his hands, and he starts eating like a starved animal.

"Huh." I blink a few times. He's done with me, more into the food he has than talking with me.

I leave him to eat.

That was one hell of an interaction, but I leave with a smile on my face. My best friend is in there somewhere, I can feel it. Although that possessive nature needs to go. He's going to lose his shit when he finds out he's got to share her with four other men.

Whenever Zed gets his memories back, he can be damned sure I'm going to tease the shit out of him over this whole caveman phase.

I can't believe he's here, he's alive. I really did think he was gone forever. But my strong, brave as fuck, stubborn badass mate made sure that didn't happen.

For the first time in weeks, I feel like everything just might be okay.

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