13. Dante

Chapter thirteen

Dante

I ’d expected Austin to return home, so I wasn’t shocked when he walked through the door.

I was surprised we’d been found so quickly, but Conrad knew what to do, and I watched with mild apprehension as he and Austin left via the back door and disappeared from view.

That left me with Stan.

“Where’ve they gone?” He shuffled into the kitchen.

“Nothing to concern yourself about. Can you tell me where Austin’s room is? I need to grab a few things for him. He’s coming to stay with me for a few days.”

“Oh. Are you his boyfriend?”

“Erm, no? We’re just friends.”

“Ah, only I saw the way you looked at each other. I might be old, but I see things.”

What was he talking about? I dismissed it. He told me where to find Austin’s room, and I left him alone downstairs.

I found a bag and threw some clothes in it: underwear, shirts, trousers, a pair of trainers.

A photograph on his nightstand caught my eye, and I bent to look closer.

The woman must be Calista. She looked every bit the angel she was. There was no mistaking it. No time to think now, though. I placed the picture on top of the clothes in the bag and zipped it shut.

I glanced around the room. Except for the photograph, it was devoid of any belongings, any personal touches. How could he live here for twenty-some-odd years and not leave his mark?

I tucked his laptop under my arm and went downstairs.

That just left Stan to deal with, and then I could get going. I could protect him from whoever was outside.

He greeted me at the bottom of the stairs and slipped something into my pocket.

“Give this to Austin and tell him to look after himself.”

“He’s coming back.”

“I know, but all this talk of his mom today will have upset him. He never got over her death, and the anniversary of it hits him harder each year.”

“When is it?”

“In a few days’ time, actually. 9 November 2001 was the day everything changed for that boy.”

Interesting. Everything that was happening might not be all that coincidental.

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

“If anyone comes to the door looking for us, you haven’t seen us. Do you understand?”

A glazed look appeared on his face; my words were sinking in. It helped he was old and easily swayed, and if people did ask him, they would believe him.

“If anyone comes to the door, I haven’t seen you.” He repeated my words several times. Yes, he’d be fine.

“I’ll look after Austin. He’ll be back with you before you know it. I’ve left my number in your phone, and if you need anything, call or get someone else to. Okay?”

He nodded, his eyes clear again.

“Take care of my boy. He’s all I have.”

That tugged at me more than it should. Since when did the devil have a heart?

Since meeting Austin, it seemed.

I left the way I came, ignoring the three men walking towards me. The glamour I had cast would shield me from them. As far as they were concerned, I was a district nurse visiting an elderly patient.

Certainly not the devil.

I drove back to the casino and went to my apartment, where Conrad and Austin were waiting for me.

“Is he okay?” Austin paced the floor, wringing his hands.

“He’s fine. Nothing will happen to him.”

“Why did you go to see him?”

“I needed answers. You didn’t have them, and I knew of no one else.”

“I could have come with you. Instead, you locked me in here.”

“Because people are after you, and the fact that they found you within minutes suggests we were right to leave you here. Now will you please stay put?”

He sat on the sofa, shoulders slumped, fidgeting with the ring on his index finger.

“Here, I brought you some clothes and your laptop.”

“I can’t stay here.”

“You can and you will. I can take the sofa or stay downstairs in the other room.”

I could have moved him back to the room in the basement, but it didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

The compulsion to keep him close to me and not let him out of my sight drove that home.

Whoever wanted him would stop at nothing until he was dead at their feet.

“Now.” I sat in the chair opposite as I’d done that morning. “You said you saw your mother. Tell me what happened.”

He sighed and leant back, his shoulders still tense.

“I’ve seen her twice now. The first time in the shower earlier today. She told me I had to trust in myself and—”

“And what?”

“And to trust you too.”

A strange thing to say, but who was I to argue with an angel? Not strictly true. I’d argued with many an angel, which was one of the reasons I was down here on this sorry excuse for a planet.

“And the next time?”

“When you killed me. She read me a story in my childhood bedroom.”

“Oh, and did we have naptime afterwards?”

“I didn’t need to. You killed me, remember?”

Touché. I had indeed taken his life, but in my defence, I’d brought him back from the brink too. He should be grateful, except judging by the look on his face, I doubted he was.

“What was the story?”

He seemed reluctant to talk, but when he did, the story about the dark prince and the boy with the light in his heart sounded like something I’d heard many, many, many years ago. So long ago, in fact, I’d forgotten it, tucked it away in the recesses of my mind, only for it to come to light now.

Surely, it wasn’t referring to me, and no way the boy was Austin.

Too fucking far-fetched for words.

“Well, it seems clear cut to me.” I’d forgotten Conrad was in the room.

“Why do you say that?” Austin asked him.

“It all makes sense. Dante is the dark prince or prince of darkness, and you were born to an angel. The angel that told you, you were the boy.”

Maybe I didn’t want to think he was the one I was going to protect with my life. Although I couldn’t deny the attraction I’d felt towards him from the moment I saw him on the CCTV screen less than forty-eight hours ago.

So much had happened. It felt like a week.

By now, it was early evening. The casino was open, and I was once more neglecting my duties.

“I’ll go down and make sure everything is all right,” Conrad said, seemingly reading my mind.

“Do you want some food? I can get some sent up from the kitchen.”

“I guess, although I’m not that hungry.”

“You’ve not eaten all day.” I sent a message to the kitchen, took a couple of beers out of the fridge, and handed one to him.

“I can’t forgive you, even though Momma said I should.”

I didn’t care if he forgave me or not. Or did I?

“You have every right. I haven’t forgiven you for stealing from me and making me look a fool. I call that even.”

“You killed me.”

“Seriously, you need to get over that. It was an experiment that went a little awry.”

He looked at me wide-eyed. “I’ll forget you said that.”

“Look, we have to spend time together until I can sort out this issue with the angel mark. Once that’s done, you’re free to go your own way.”

“But I’m still a prisoner.”

I see-sawed my hand. “Yes and no.”

“Fucking typical. You should have been a politician.”

“I used to be one, but people didn’t trust the man with the horns.”

“I’m sure there are plenty with hidden ones. Yours are just visible. Anyway, you said you’d spoken to a friend. What did he say?”

“He agreed that when I touched your mark, I probably rid you of the protection you carried. Now I know what your mother said, I think it was meant to happen. We were supposed to meet when we did. I’ve never been a huge believer in fate, but these past few days have made me doubt that.”

“And you killing me?”

I was reluctant to tell him the next part. Mal had recently gone through a mating, and he’d found his soul mate in the strangest of ways.

His theory was that Austin was mine. I’d argued with him until I was blue in the face, but it was likely, as much as I didn’t want it to be true.

Yes, I couldn’t deny the pull, but fated mates? Fuck off. It was bullshit.

So I lied and told Austin what I’d said before, that the chip was protecting him and he shouldn’t let it go.

A knock on the door signalled the arrival of the food. I took the tray from the waiter and put it on the table in front of him.

“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I ordered a burger and fries. You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

Austin fell on the food without answering me and, before long, had demolished the burger and was eating his way through the fries.

“Hungry?”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

I winced at the name, but I’d got used to it over the years.

“It’s fine. Do you want mine too?”

He shook his head. “Nah, you eat it.”

He took another swig from his bottle, cleared his plate, and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin.

“Fuck, I’m tired now.” He yawned and stretched. The T-shirt I’d lent him rode up, revealing a strip of white skin and a light covering of dark hair on his stomach.

I’d seen his body before, but why did I now have a flutter inside and an overwhelming urge to pin him to the sofa?

Not like earlier, when I’d choked him to death, but to kiss his abdomen and chest, make my way down to the borrowed sweats he wore, and slip them down his thighs.

Heat rushed to my cheeks and blood to my cock unbidden.

This was fucking ridiculous.

I threw my unfinished burger onto my plate and pushed it away. I was done eating.

“You should sleep,” I said. “Go to bed.”

He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, no doubt to argue.

“Not now, Austin. I’m not in the mood.”

“Take me back downstairs. I’ll sleep in the basement room.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I need to be near you at all times.” Fuck, that was not what I meant to say.

“Surely, I’m safer down there. Anyone could come in here, but it seems like the rooms downstairs have more security.”

He had a point, but I didn’t like that idea. Only a few had a passkey to the apartment, although the lift and stairs to the lobby were easily accessible.

But they would have to get into the casino first.

It’d been a while since I’d had to think so much about security. I grew excited at the thought of having something other to do than run the casino and the odd bit of mayhem Conrad and I got into.

“My bedroom. Now.” I was in no mood to argue.

“You’re not coming with me.” He walked towards the door.

“I don’t intend to. I don’t share my bed with someone who’s not willing.”

“I’d never share my bed with you, willing or not. How do I know you wouldn’t try to kill me in my sleep?”

“You don’t. Better lock your door, Austin.”

He flounced out of the lounge and into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

I made up the sofa with pillows and a blanket. Austin appeared again, picked up his bag, and retired to the room, closing the door a little quieter this time.

It was still early for me. I should be downstairs, not up here babysitting, but I couldn’t go down there looking like this.

I barged into the bedroom, doing my best to ignore Austin standing naked in the middle of the room. I took a shirt and suit from the wardrobe and, without saying a word, walked back out and into the bathroom, where I let out a breath.

I’d had many men in my bed, women too, but never had I wanted anyone as much as I did him. How I’d gone from hate to lust in such a short amount of time astounded me.

I undressed, willing away the hard erection forcing its way from my boxers. The door burst open, and in walked Austin.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“I could say the same thing to you.” I glared at him. The sheer fucking audacity of the guy. He seemed to forget who he was dealing with.

Fuck, but he was equally annoying and sexy at the same time. The temptation to kill him warred with the desire to kiss him. I hadn’t decided which yet.

I stalked towards him, and a flicker of panic danced in his eyes. He retreated until his back hit the doorframe.

I gripped his neck and forced his head back.

“You try my patience once more, and I swear, you’ll regret it.”

Most men would cower. Some had pissed themselves, so I was unprepared for the flash of defiance on his face.

I slammed my lips to his and forced my knee between his legs. His cock hardened.

He placed his hands on my upper arms and shoved, but I was much stronger.

I pressed my lips harder, invading his mouth with my tongue. He struggled, but slowly his lips softened, and instead of pushing me away, he dragged me closer.

He tilted his head, giving me more access to his hot mouth. He rode my thigh, rubbing his erection against me. It spurred me on.

I released my hold on his neck and gripped his hips. I dug my hands in, not wanting to let him go. He ground into me, moaning now against my mouth.

Fuck, this was hot.

But just when I thought we were getting somewhere, he pulled away and dropped his head forward, meeting my nose with a crack.

“I’ll fucking kill you.” I clutched my nose, but blood was already dripping on the white-tiled floor.

“Leave me the fuck alone.” He stalked out of the room and into the bedroom.

I could barely see. My eyes were blurry, and the pain was excruciating.

I was going to fucking kill him. I wouldn’t wait for anyone else to do it. In fact, come tomorrow, I’d be letting him go and leaving him to his own devices.

No one, and I mean no one, got the better of me.

This was three times now and counting, and I could no longer let it go unpunished.