20. Austin

Chapter twenty

Austin

I sized up the group of people outside the casino. How many were gathered there, every one of them intent on killing me?

I should have turned tail and run, taken Dante up on his unspoken offer to take me somewhere I’d not be found, but I couldn’t do that and leave the only person I cared about behind.

Who knew what would befall Grandpa if I was no longer around? Nick had already threatened his life. Who was to say any of these wankers wouldn’t do the same, given half the chance?

No, my place was here, and whether I lived or died, I’d do it for him, and maybe I’d get to see my momma again. Wouldn’t that be a blessing in itself?

I stood as close to Dante as possible, aware of the consequences if we were split up. The bond had definitely got stronger. Dante had only seen the mark grow, but I felt it inside me, flourishing with every passing moment.

His friend Mal had talked about us not being able to keep our hands off each other, but he’d not mentioned the most important part. Once the bond had been created, it continued to grow unbidden inside me. The sex definitely helped, but it wasn’t the only thing.

It needed nurturing, to be tended to carefully until it was fully formed. That was mainly down to me and whether I wanted it. Whether I wanted to remain with Dante. The bond would know and reject him with no ill effects for either of us.

I’d asked Dante if the bond could be broken, but now I knew that if I chose to, I could sever the bond at any time. But was that what I wanted?

Did I want to break it? I wasn’t sure I did. When I lay in Dante’s arms, a warmth had suffused me, a feeling of love and contentment, the likes I’d not felt in a long time.

Not since Momma had died. When she’d gone, she’d left a hole inside me.

With the advent of the bond, it had begun to close ever so slightly, leaving me with the irrepressible feeling this was the right thing to do.

After all, the stories had foretold this—the prince of darkness and the boy with the light in his heart.

This fight would be the ultimate battle, the one to end it all. I hoped and prayed it wouldn’t be the end of me. Dante was immortal. He couldn’t be killed. I, on the other hand, was more than aware of my mortality.

But Dante’s kiss had solidified my decision to remain strong within the bond, to help it mature and grow.

Hopefully, this wasn’t my time. I had so much more to give, and Momma had trust in Dante. It was the best I could do.

But if the moment came, could I make the ultimate sacrifice if demanded of me?

Time would tell.

Side by side, we stepped out into the car park, backed by Conrad and a handful of his men.

Surely not enough to tackle the swarm of people before us?

I took Dante’s hand, urgently needing the comfort only he could give me.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Stay close, and don’t lose sight of me.”

No chance of that happening. We were in this together.

A wave of his hand and a shimmer of light dropped from the sky and encased us.

“What just happened?” I asked. Silence surrounded us. No blaring sirens or honking cars or the sounds of city life I was accustomed to.

“He’s placed a shield around us so no one can see what happens here. Can you imagine the news reports?” Conrad answered.

How had this become my life?

A gigantic man stepped forward from the crowd. He couldn’t be human. I’d never seen one that big.

“Hand over the half angel, and we’ll go. We don’t want a fight.”

Well, that was reassuring. Not!

“We both know that’s not going to happen. He’ll not be leaving with you or anyone else for that matter.” Dante’s voice rang out across the car park.

“Then prepare to meet your maker,” the giant said. I took a step back, not wanting to be here anymore.

That portal to somewhere sunny would be great right about now.

“You still want to stay?” Dante asked, reading my thoughts or emotions. I wasn’t sure which.

I had no choice. Staying was the only option.

“I’m good. Let’s get on with it, though. I’m getting horny again.”

He laughed, put his arm around my shoulder, and kissed my temple.

“As soon as we’re done here.”

The crowd surged forward, pushed by the impatient ones at the back.

This was it.

Conrad stepped up first, working his way through the men. The clanking of swords and knives filled the air as others joined the fray.

Dante held back. Why? He’d been straight into it at the park. Why was he standing still now, letting his men do the dirty work?

Then it hit me.

It was because of me and the fear of what would happen.

Not on my watch.

I released his hand and advanced, unsure what effect I could have, but I had to try. His men were fighting to save me. The least I could do was to stand tall with them in solidarity.

“Austin. No,” he shouted. The searing pain I’d felt before in my chest had me doubling over, but I fought through it.

I staggered forward, ignoring Dante’s shouts. I punched and kicked at anyone who came near me, knocking some down but taking blows left, right, and centre, but nothing compared to the excruciating pain that worsened as I moved farther away from Dante.

I picked up a knife, stabbed a man in the neck. The evil glint in his eye left me in no doubt he would have happily killed me where I stood.

He fell to the ground, blood spurting from the gaping wound in his neck. I shuddered. I’d done that, but I couldn’t stop. Not now.

The more I advanced, the thicker the crowd grew as if they recognised who I was. Dante’s shouts grew louder.

I chanced a look behind me. A look of pure evil contorted his face. His beautiful features were replaced by the terrifying expression of a man intent on killing everyone and everything in his path.

Knowing I was the cause made me uneasy, but how could I allow others to die, to sacrifice themselves for me because of who I was, because of who my mother was and the fact that she’d given birth to me?

A thought out of nowhere hit me, and a sense of calm came over me. This was the day she’d died, and I knew that this was the time. The exact date and time of my mother’s death would be the time of my demise.

A roar sounded behind me, distracting me, and I fell to my knees. A knife protruded from my chest. I looked up into the face of my killer.

Freddie.

How could he? How could he do that to me? We’d been through so much together, and here I was, dying at the hands of my best friend in the world.

“Why?” I choked out the only word I could.

“You killed the only man I loved. You killed Joel, and I can never forgive you for that.”

So this was how it ended. Not at the hand of a demon but at that of a friend.

The shouts got louder as I tumbled to the floor, my heart slowing as drop by drop, my blood leached out, colouring the ground a vivid shade of red.

“Noooo.” Dante, but there was nothing to be done. For the shortest time in my life, I’d felt the love of a man. The love that equalled my momma’s.

I should have been upset, but I knew I’d be seeing her again, and my heart sang with joy.

The crowd parted, and Dante appeared, his form now back to normal. Tears stained his face, something I never thought I’d see.

“I’m sorry,” I said, the pain in my chest gradually easing. “I couldn’t let them die for me. It wasn’t right.”

He knelt beside me and placed my head in his lap.

But where had everyone gone? He was the only one I could see.

“You stupid, beautiful man. Why did you have to do that? I could have kept you safe.”

“It was Freddie.” The last of my energy swept away.

“I should have killed him when I had the chance. But don’t worry. He’ll not see another sunrise.”

“Don’t kill him, please. He did it for love, the same as you would.”

“I can’t let it go, Austin. I won’t let your death go unpunished.”

I nodded, understanding his reasoning. If the devil was seen to be lenient, the meagre hold he had on the world would be stripped away, and he’d be left with nothing.

As much as I hated he was right, it had to be done.

I sighed. God, I was tired. A glowing light flickered to my right, and I smiled, knowing who it’d be.

“Momma?”

“Oh, my poor boy, I couldn’t tell you this part of the prophecy, but you are your father’s son, and he would have stolen the moon and stars for both of us and sacrificed himself.”

“Can I come with you? Is it my time?”

“Austin, don’t you fucking leave me.” Dante brought me back to the here and now, and the light faded into the distance.

“Momma, don’t leave me.”

“It’s not your time. You’ll know when the time is right.”

The light disappeared completely, and slowly the pain returned, more severe than before. I coughed, droplets of blood landing on Dante’s pale hands.

“Am I dying?”

“Not if I can fucking help it, you’re not. I can’t see anything with this knife in the way.”

Before I could tell him you should never remove a knife, he pulled it out of my chest and threw it across the ground away from us.

He frowned. “What the…?”

“What’s wrong?”

He barked out a laugh. “Well, fucking fancy that.”

Slowly but surely, my strength returned, and I was able to breathe easier, although the pain in my chest persisted.

“That sneaky bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

What the fuck was he talking about?

“The amulet the shop owner gave you. The one we hung around your neck to protect you from me before we completed the bond. The knife must have hit it.”

“But there was so much blood.”

My once grey shirt was soaked in my blood, so why on earth wasn’t I dead?

“I don’t fucking know, but there’s definitely a hole where it’s been pierced. Let me take a look.”

He removed the chip from around my neck and showed it to me. Yep, definitely another hole in it. I put my hand to my chest and touched a bump with my fingers, fingers that came away red with blood.

“There’s a small scar there as if you were stabbed months ago, yet we both know it just happened.”

I sat up, weak but alive.

“Where is everyone?” I looked around. The only person still with us was the man who had stabbed me in a fit of passion. Everyone else had disappeared.

“I don’t know, but it feels strange. I think you should go back inside. Can you stand?”

I struggled to my feet and was swept up into his arms.

“Take him to the basement.” He spoke to Conrad but nodded towards Freddie. We both knew what happened down there. We’d been lucky to get out with our lives, but Freddie wouldn’t be so fortunate this time around.

“Will you make it quick?” I couldn’t stand the thought of my best friend suffering, despite what he’d done. I had no clue about his relationship with Joel. Had it been one-sided? I supposed we’d never know now. Joel was dead, and Freddie would follow him shortly.

“I’ll do what’s necessary, but first I need to check out that wound and make sure you’re okay.”

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. The bond was still here, even stronger than before, and I could tell it was almost complete.

Hopefully, this meant I didn’t have to go to the basement with him. I dreaded watching him carry out Freddie’s punishment.

Instead of taking me to the bedroom, Dante marched into the bathroom and sat me on the toilet seat.

“Let’s get these clothes off you so I can take a better look.” He knelt beside me, carefully removed my shirt, and poked his finger through the very obvious hole, then cast it to the side.

“Un-fucking-believable.” His fingers lingered on the wound. It didn’t hurt at all. “There’s nothing there. A small blemish, that’s about it. It’s less than it was a few minutes ago.”

He sat back on his heels, a thoughtful look on his face.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”

He shook his head. “It can’t be, can it? Explain to me what happened when you got stabbed.”

“It fucking hurt.”

“What else?”

“I think I died. I saw Momma again. She told me it wasn’t my time, and then all I could hear was you.”

“I mean, it’s plausible.”

“What is? Stop talking in fucking riddles and tell me what’s going on.”

“Okay, I’ll try to explain in the simplest of terms for my benefit as much as yours.”

“I’m listening.”

“Freddie stabbed you right through the amulet, and you died. I’m sure of that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have seen Calista. You saw her last time you died.”

“When you killed me.”

He rolled his eyes. I was never going to let him forget that for as long as we lived.

“Yes, all right, when I killed you, but you saw her then too, and I think when you died today, the ‘hit,’ if we can call it that, was nullified. As far as it was concerned, the deed had been done. You died, and that’s why everyone disappeared.”

“But why did I come back?”

“Because as Calista said, it wasn’t your time. She sent you back, and here’s where it gets weird. I think you’re immortal now, and that’s why there’s no mark.”

“Don’t even think about killing me again to check out that theory.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, but I think it’s true.”

Where did I even begin unpacking that little nugget? But dying had taken it out of me, and right now, I was falling asleep sitting here on the toilet.

“Come on, get into bed and sleep. You need to recuperate, and I’ve got some things to take care of.”

“Can’t you stay with me?”

“You know I can’t. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can move on. I’m sorry because he was your friend, but he killed you.”

I climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. “Don’t be long.”

“Fuck. I forgot about the bond. I can’t go without causing us both pain.”

“It’s complete.”

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it inside me, here.” I pointed to the angel mark, now perfectly entwined with the horns of the devil. “I feel it beneath here, and I know it’s done. We are one now. I thought it would take days, weeks, or months, but I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe it was such a strong bond it didn’t need as long because it was written and came to pass.”

“So it’s you and me against the world. I do feel calmer, although when you walked away from me, the urge to raze every one of those motherfuckers to the ground was strong.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“It was meant to happen the way it happened. I firmly believe you were meant to die, and now it’s over.”

“So, your days of death and destruction are done?”

“Let’s not be too hasty. I’m still the devil after all. Killing is in my nature, and if anyone threatens you again, I will burn the world to save you. Never doubt that, Austin.”

With a lingering kiss on my lips, he stood. I grabbed his hand.

“Our love will grow, I’m sure of it. I can’t believe we’ve known each other less than a week, but I know this is right.”

“As do I. Now, get some sleep. I need you fighting fit. The bond may be complete, but I still have a few urges I need fulfilling.”

Finally, feeling content for the longest time, I watched him walk away from me. No pain hit me, just an exhilarating feeling of belonging in my chest, and I fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face.