Page 23

23

DUKE FINDS OUT

“Nat.” Duke peered at his beautiful assistant. “What’s wrong?”

When he’d gotten back from his meeting, he’d found Nat pale and drawn, fine lines creasing his forehead. Nat had cheered up slightly when Duke said they were going out for a pizza lunch, but he had still looked worried until Duke told him they could bring Wanda along.

Nat had been especially quiet on the walk through downtown, fidgeting.

“If... If I say that something bad happened, are you going to believe me?” Nat mumbled when they’d been walking for a while under the shade of some trees.

Duke slowed down. “Why wouldn’t I believe you?”

“Because you haven’t known me for very long.” Nat looked so worried that Duke’s chest squeezed. “And you’ve known some people for a lot longer.”

Duke was starting to get a bad feeling about this. “People like who?”

“Like... Like your staff.” Nat hugged Wanda tighter and squirmed.

“Nat,” Duke growled, something fierce swelling in his chest. “Did someone bully you?”

“Someone came up and—and said I didn’t deserve my position,” Nat mumbled, looking at the ground. “But it’s not that. It’s... I think she wants to get rid of me.”

Duke had his phone out even before he was fully conscious of it, dialing Hubrie. His eyes were glowing. He could feel them glow. He didn’t care. “Who the fuck threatened you?”

Hubrie answered with a drawl that cut off the moment he caught Duke’s tone. “Yeees, Hell M—What do you need me to do?”

“Nat,” Duke growled. “Who was it?”

“Kylie,” Nat mumbled, looking at his feet.

Over the phone, Hubrie hissed. “I knew she was a bitch!”

“You knew?” Duke snarled.

“She was only passive-aggressive the one time I saw her with Nat,” Hubrie said. “No outright threats at that point.”

“What did she do today?” Duke asked.

Nat paled. “She called me a whore and—”

“Terminate her immediately,” Duke snapped at Hubrie. “Pack up her things, escort her out. If she’s not in the building, make sure she doesn’t come back.”

Nat gaped. “But you didn’t even hear everything!”

“Well, tell me,” Duke said, two hundred percent done with Kylie’s crap.

“She found out that Wanda’s also a demon,” Nat mumbled.

“Fuck.” Duke rubbed his temples. “Hubrie, put a tail on her too.”

Nat’s mouth fell open. “That’s... You don’t think I’m exaggerating? You don’t think doing all that is too much?”

“Nat. Sweetheart.” Duke ended the call and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Then he leaned in to cradle Nat’s face. “My priority is to keep you and Wanda safe. Am I pissed? Yes. Do I want to get out there and destroy something with my bare hands? Also yes. But I know that you and Wanda need me more than anything else right now.”

“But your staff—”

“Is just my staff. If someone demeans you, they’re gone. No questions asked.”

Duke wanted to punch whoever had put that look on Nat’s face. The look that said Nat didn’t think anyone would go to such lengths for him.

Nat blinked hard. “O-oh. But what if I abuse your trust?”

“You won’t; I believe in you.” Duke waited for Nat to nod. “C’mon, let’s get some pizza to go. We’ll eat in your nest instead.”

Nat cheered up, walking with a tiny spring in his step.

They went to Duke’s favorite pizza place—a hole-in-the-wall pizza shop with several thin-crust pizzas laid out, and more on a menu that you could order. Duke ordered four whole pizzas to go. Nat picked the toppings on two of the pizzas, and Duke picked the toppings on the other two.

While they waited for the pizzas to be ready, Duke hauled Nat onto his lap and made faces at Wanda over Nat’s shoulder.

“She’s adorable,” he whispered in Nat’s ear.

Nat blushed a pretty pink. “She’s my everything.”

That would change in the future, but Duke didn’t mention that. He ran his fingers over Nat’s belly, knowing that Nat’s pants were black for a very good reason. They were already soaked through with Duke’s cum; Duke would put another load in him sometime this afternoon, when he squeezed out some free time.

They were heading back to the office when Nat twitched.

Duke frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw something.” Nat had paled, his breathing coming quickly.

It was worrying enough that Duke stopped. “What was it?”

Except Nat grabbed his hand and pulled him along faster than before. “I thought—I thought I saw Giblin.” His voice shook. “But maybe it’s just someone who looked like him. He’s not there anymore.”

Giblin. His ex, the one who had crushed his fingers.

Duke lengthened his strides to match Nat’s, looking around. He wasn’t sure what he was searching for, aside from a cruel alpha. But no one seemed to match that description.

He tucked Nat against his side, his senses on high alert even after they’d made it back to the office.

* * *

Nat woke up screaming that night.

Duke jolted awake, turning on the lights and grasping his omega gently. But Nat only thrashed harder, tangling himself further in the sheets.

Duke hurried to untangle him. “Nat. Sweetheart. It’s me, Duke.”

Nat’s eyes were open, but they didn’t contain any recognition. Duke weighed his options: he could stay in his deep red demon skin, or pull his glamour back on to appear human.

He decided to stay in his Hell-skin, because it wasn’t a demon who had given Nat these nightmares.

He lowered himself to the pillows so Nat wouldn’t feel as threatened. He grasped Nat’s wrist with his fingertips, stroking him lightly. “Nat.”

Nat clutched at the sheets and swallowed several breaths. Then he blinked. “Duke?” he asked shakily.

“I’m here. You’re safe,” Duke murmured. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Nat shuddered, his lower lip wobbling. “It was so bad,” he whispered. “He was beating me. He wouldn’t stop.”

Duke’s fangs lengthened. “Was that your imagination, or a memory?”

“A memory.”

A snarl ripped out of Duke’s throat. He hurried to stifle it when Nat flinched; he released his mate and leaned away. “Sorry,” Duke said around his fangs. “I just—I want to kill him.”

Nat blinked rapidly. “That—That makes me feel better. I know I’m weak—”

Duke growled. “No. You’re not weak.” He made sure his claws were sheathed before taking Nat’s hands into his own. “Nat, you’re damn fucking strong for leaving him, and staying away from him. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”

Nat’s lower lip wobbled. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“Not even your friends?”

Nat hunched into himself. “I’ve never told them I feel this way.”

“Sweetheart.” Duke gathered Nat into his arms and pulled Nat on top of him, so he wouldn’t feel trapped. “Your friends will agree with me—you’re a very precious person. I admire you a lot, and I don’t think less of you because of your past, okay?”

Nat scrunched up his face. “But I’m just...” He raised his hand with the middle and ring fingers missing, scarred stumps at their knuckles. “I’m not right.”

“You are right. You’re so right for me.” Duke brushed his fingers through Nat’s hair. Then he took Nat’s hands, and kissed all his knuckles. Even the scarred ones. Nat’s eyes grew wide. Duke let his mouth linger on the roughly healed stumps, breathing with him. “See? I’m not running away.”

“W-why?”

“Because I care about you. The funny things you say. Your love for Wanda, Teddy, and Mallie. You’re perfect as you are.”

Nat sniffled. He swiped at his eyes with his other hand. “Most people don’t say that to me.”

“And I’m not most people.” Duke cupped the back of Nat’s head, rubbing their cheeks together. “The funny thing about life, is that you learn not to care so much about what everyone thinks. Just a few people. People who matter.”

Nat looked into his eyes as though he was seeking reassurance.

“Do I matter to you, sweetheart?”

Nat nodded.

“Is my opinion more important than other people’s?”

Nat nodded again.

“Then you should trust me. I think you’re amazing.” Duke smiled even though he didn’t much feel like smiling.

Nat carefully leaned in, tucking his face against Duke’s shoulder. “I think you’re amazing too.”

Duke’s heart skipped a beat. He pressed a kiss to Nat’s hair and rubbed his back. Over in the crib, Wanda was still asleep—because they had soundproofed it.

Nat had probably woken Teddy and Mallie with his screaming, though. Not that Duke could hear—he didn’t have sharp hearing like some of the other species.

He rubbed Nat’s back until Nat relaxed in his arms and his breathing grew slower. Before long, Nat had fallen back asleep. Duke carefully tucked him back into bed.

He pulled on a pair of pants and made his way out of his bedroom, stopping in front of Teddy and Mallie’s door. There, he tapped quietly—enough that it shouldn’t wake them if they were asleep.

Duke opened the door as soundlessly as he could and stuck his head inside.

Two pairs of golden eyes gleamed at him in the darkness.

With a wince, Duke stepped into the room, leaving the door ajar so the hallway light spilled in. “Hey. Are the two of you okay?”

“Yeah.” Mallie nodded.

“Is Nat okay?” Teddy leaned into his sister.

Duke’s heart warmed. “He will be, I think.”

“What happened to him?” Teddy asked.

Duke hesitated. Nat had allowed him to decide how much he wanted to tell the siblings, but it still wasn’t Duke’s story to share.

But the siblings had lived through their own trauma, and…

“He had a bad dream,” Duke said. “Remember I said that he used to have a bad alpha?”

Mallie and Teddy shuddered. Their parents had gotten tangled with some criminals, who later murdered them in cold blood. The siblings had narrowly escaped because they were in school; they had come home to find their parents in a pool of blood.

Duke wasn’t surprised that they understood. He went over to them and pulled them into a hug. “You’re safe here. You know you don’t have to worry about that, right?”

“Would you pick Nat and Wanda over us?” Mallie asked suddenly.

Duke blinked. “Of course not. I would pick all of you equally.”

Both kids sagged, as though that had been something they had worried about.

“Hey,” Duke said gently. “This is your home. You’re welcome here for however long you want to be.”

The siblings looked even more relieved.

“We want to stay with you forever,” Teddy said hopefully.

Duke huffed. “Someday, you’ll grow up into adults, and you’ll want a place of your own.”

“Never,” Mallie said with absolute conviction.

“We’ll see about that. Now, go back to sleep. You have to wake up in a few hours for school.”

Both children whined. Duke ruffled their hair and left, slipping back into his bedroom.

* * *

Nat seemed to be feeling better the next day. He was humming to Wanda in the kitchen when Teddy and Mallie stepped in.

“Morning!” Nat chirped.

The children looked surprised. Mallie blurted, “Are you okay?”

Nat blinked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You had a bad dream last night,” Teddy said. “We heard you.”

“Oh.” Nat cringed, glancing at Duke. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay.” Mallie went over and wrapped her arms around Nat’s belly. “Sometimes Teddy and I get bad dreams too.”

“Oh, no.” Nat’s face fell. He hugged Mallie back, raising his eyebrows when Teddy came over to hug him too. “Bad dreams suck, but on the bright side, I remember how things are so much better now when I wake up. So I’m okay with that.”

“I hate that terrible things have happened to you,” Duke muttered.

Teddy and Mallie both looked at Duke surreptitiously. In a loud whisper, Teddy asked, “Are you going to kill someone?”

“The bad guy?” Mallie clarified.

Duke hesitated. “Killing is... not encouraged.”

“Unless it’s bad people,” Hubrie said. “People who have hurt other people.”

Duke sighed. “I’m not going to search out Nat’s ex to kill him. But. If he tries to hurt Nat again, I will stop him with whatever it takes.”

The children nodded solemnly.

“It’ll be a mercy killing,” Mallie said. “Mercy for everyone but the bad guy.”

Nat’s eyes grew wide. Duke prepared to correct her.

“That’s right,” Hubrie said. “And we want to be merciful to the good people.”

Duke buried his face in his hand. “Stop teaching them the wrong things, Hubrie.”

“But we want the good guys to win,” Hubrie said innocently.

Duke groaned. He would correct the children later. Right now, he had more important things to take care of.

Things like making sure Giblin Turkeyson never got to hurt Nat again.