Page 18

Ryian

“Somebody” — Memphis May Fire

“The grocery store lady?” I asked with a frown.

“Yep,” Anson replied with a nod. “She taked Daddy.”

“What did she look like?” I was confused because I had no idea what he was talking about. A grocery store lady took a grown-ass man?

“Rather than asking a small child to describe a woman he doesn’t know, I might have a more effective method,” Séamus offered.

I jumped as I hadn’t heard him approach. Part of me wanted to snarl at him to get away. He scared the shit out of me, and something in his gaze told me there was something he wasn’t saying.

“The longer you wait, the less chance you have of finding him,” Séamus calmly reasoned. “This will not hurt the boy, because I don’t want to hurt him. I give you my word.”

For a few moments, I clung protectively to my son as my worry battled with the desire to find Dalton. It had been five days, and we were no closer to finding him than the day he disappeared. What if he was… no. I didn’t want to even think that.

I rested my forehead against my son’s blond head. The minutes seemed to audibly tick by. Finally, I glanced to my uncle with tears in my eyes. He looked to his president, who nodded.

“It’s okay, Ryian. If Séamus gives you his word, then no harm will come to your son,” Boomslang assured me. The rest of the club members all stood in the background, silently watching everything unfold. Knowing they were loyal to my uncle and, according to my uncle, to my uncle’s family was some comfort.

“Okay,” I whispered.

Séamus held out his arms, and I handed my son over to God only knew what kind of creature. I prayed Boomslang was correct, because if he wasn’t, I would find a way to slaughter them all.

Séamus took my son and sat him on the table, then pulled up a chair where he took a seat in front of Anson.

“It’s okay, Mommy,” Anson said as he blinked at me from his perch.

Séamus placed his hands on either side of Anson’s head and closed his eyes. Anson stared blankly at the man, and I didn’t like that one bit. But he didn’t appear to be hurting in any way.

After what seemed like forever, Séamus dropped his hands, and Anson blinked.

“I told you. It’s the grocery store lady,” Anson insisted as he crossed his arms stubbornly over his little chest.

Séamus actually chuckled. “Yes, you certainly did.” He turned to me. “You may return him to his grandmother. Then I need you to come back.”

I swallowed hard, then scooped up my son and hurried him back to the room with my mom. I kissed his head. To him, I said, “Mommy loves you. Thank you for being a big, brave boy.”

My mom stared at me in question.

“I’ll explain later,” I told her before I hurried back out to the common area.

The men were all talking. They turned to face me.

“I know where Dalton is and who has him. We need to go get him now. Tomorrow may be too late. She’s young and doesn’t fully understand her abilities. Tomorrow is the full moon; she will be planning to breed with him,” Séamus explained.

What he said sunk in, and I practically screeched, “She what?”

“I didn’t think a succubus could breed with a demon,” Mako cut in, the center of his brow tugging down.

“They can’t. But Dalton isn’t a demon. He’s the product of one of the original fallen angels and a human. Though she was an Amplifier, she was still human, which makes Dalton more of a super nephilim. Two totally different things, though a bit related,” Séamus explained. “A succubus can get pregnant from a human but will normally utilize certain herbs to prevent pregnancy or simply not have sex during the full moon, as that’s when they are fertile. They aren’t overly maternal and usually don’t want children.”

“Then why the hell does she want one with Dalton?” my uncle asked.

“Annette is a young succubus. She’s been a bit of a wild child. Her father promised to keep her under control, but obviously, she slipped the leash. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say this is all about the power and status she would gain,” Séamus explained. He didn’t look pleased, but I can promise his displeasure had nothing on mine.

“Annette? As in that little blonde bitch who worked at the grocery store back when Dalton did?” I snapped. Fury burned through my veins.

“That explains why she insisted on that consultation,” my uncle confirmed, with an angry scowl. “She said a friend got a tattoo from him, then used Daddy’s pull to squeeze in a consultation with Frosty weeks before he had an opening. I didn’t realize she knew him.”

“Who the hell is her father?” I asked, confused.

“You don’t know him,” my uncle quickly assured me.

I pursed my lips and narrowed my gaze at him. Somehow, I didn’t believe him.

“I think the questions and answers can wait until later. I need to go,” Séamus announced as he tapped his very expensive-looking watch.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” I asked as I started for the door. I didn’t make it two steps before I was stopped by a hand grabbing my arm. Startled, I glanced down at it, then up into the dark blue eyes of the shadow daddy guy.

“You need to stay here.”

“What? Hell no! I’m going.”

“It might not be safe for you. You need to be here for your son,” he explained in a low and extremely patient tone. A chill skated down my spine. I had a suspicion if I fought him on this, he could flip a script in the blink of an eye. There was a coldness to him, and it made me wonder exactly what kind of thing he was. I made a mental note to ask my uncle.

He cocked a brow and smirked as if I’d spoken out loud. “I actually don’t need anyone to go with me.”

“He’s right, little gator,” my uncle agreed. “Stay here with your momma and Anson. If things go bad, he can’t lose both of his parents.”

My stomach bottomed out, and my heart clenched. “Please bring him back to me,” I pleaded.

“I’ll do my best,” he promised. Though that wasn’t exactly comforting, I knew it was the best he could offer. I hugged him and then stepped back.

Feeling helpless, I watched as a handful of the club members, including my uncle, left with Séamus. Though I knew I should go to my mom and my son, my feet were frozen to the floor.

“You look like you could use this,” I heard a woman say before a glass was held in front of my face. I turned and found myself face to face with a stunningly beautiful woman with sleek golden-red hair. Her green eyes were bright and kind.

“Who are you?” I asked. I didn’t remember seeing her before, and I certainly didn’t hear her approach.

“Name’s Davina. I’m somewhat of the bartender around here,” she gave me a half grin and wiggled the glass in front of me again.

“Hell, I’ve already guzzled one. What’s one more?” I muttered before throwing back the golden liquid.

Coughing, I handed the glass back to her since she reached for it. She chuckled. “So what did you think of ol’ Séamus?”

“The shadow daddy?” I replied with a crooked grin. It seemed the two large shots of whiskey had hit my empty stomach hard.

“Shadow daddy? Oh, that’s priceless. I can’t wait to call him that,” she said before busting out laughing.

“Do you know anything about a succubus?” I asked her, unsure if it was the right thing to do, but with the courage of a bit of alcohol, I did it anyway.

She curled her lips. “Yeah, I know a little. Nasty little bitches. They stay young by fucking the life out of men. It gives them a burst of power that’s almost like taking a drug for a human.”

“A human… not us humans? So, umm, what are you?” I whispered as I shivered.

As she stared at me, she rubbed the tip of her tongue over one of her canine teeth as if she was debating whether or not to tell me.

In the background, a few of the club members were playing pool in the corner, and the crack of the balls as they broke startled me. Trying to play it off, I laughed. “Never mind, you don’t need to tell me.”

“Actually, with you being Killswitch’s niece, I don’t mind you knowing,” she replied with a shrug as she brushed the long strands of her golden-red hair over her shoulder. Then she leaned in, and her canines elongated, and she snapped her teeth at me playfully.

My eyes popped wide in surprise.

It was then that it dawned on me that her canines were incredibly sharp. How had I not noticed that before? Without thinking about what I was doing, I pressed my hands over my neck.

She chuckled. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’re safe. I’ve already eaten this week.”

“This week?” I squeaked. “Don’t you have to, um, eat every day?”

Her pretty green eyes rolled. “Your uncle really needs to educate you.”

“I’ll say,” I muttered. “I should probably go check on my mom and my son.”

“They’re both sleeping. I could hear their breathing when I went by the room,” she told me, causing me to blink rapidly. She motioned to the empty bar along the back wall. “It’s not like I have anything else to do at the moment.”

“Um, okay.” If I was honest, in that moment, I was thankful for the distraction she’d provided.

This would go down as the strangest day of my life.

Either that, or I would wake up.