Page 19 of Demon’s Desire (Lovers of the Damned #3)

Onyx continued down the hall. “Yes, keep up or I’ll leave you behind. I don’t even know why I’m bothering to bring you.”

Nico caught up with him. He’d let Onyx get away with that lie for now. He had enough going on with his brothers. Now wasn’t the time to confront anything else.

Onyx cut him an indecipherable look. “Are we going to have to fly to your shop to beat them? I can’t remember where the apothecary is from here. My brain is still back on your couch.”

Nico couldn’t help his satisfied smile. “Don’t worry. It’s around the corner.”

Onyx followed him there. He seemed relieved when they got to the apothecary, and his brothers were nowhere to be found.

Nico opened the shop and turned on the lights, and Onyx hopped onto the counter, sitting with his legs dangling over the edge.

He didn’t even wince as his ass landed on the hard wood.

Nico scrubbed at the scruff covering his chin. Desire for Onyx to squirm, bottom sore from his spanking, made everything else fade away. Onyx shouldn’t forget Nico or his lesson as easily.

Onyx gripped the edge of the counter and tipped his head back, exposing his pale throat and arching his back. He was more than gorgeous. Nico was mesmerized. Nothing could have pulled him away.

Onyx straightened and rolled his shoulders, shaking out his limbs. It was almost like watching a performer get into the zone before going on stage. Onyx cracked his neck to either side, then fixed his attention on Nico. “Don’t make me regret bringing you.”

Before Nico could promise not to, or scold Onyx for assuming the worst, the bell on the front door clanged. Nico turned to face the other demons.

Dante entered first, shirtless, and with dark gray horns protruding from his hair. “Thank you for letting us meet here,” he said as if Nico had done him a great favor.

“Not sure why you’re meeting us at all,” Ash grumbled as he closed and locked the shop door. He, too, had his horns out, and Nico caught a glimpse of the wing tattoos on his back. “This isn’t any of your business.”

Nico crossed his arms, staring the big demon down. “Maybe not, but Onyx asked me to be here and I hope you’ll respect that.”

Ash stopped short, his gaze flitting over Nico’s shoulder to Onyx. “What are you two doing together?”

“Ash,” Dante hissed in warning.

He was ignored. Ash stalked closer, muscles bulging as he flexed

Nico didn’t let himself react to the obvious intimidation. “It’s none of your business what we’re doing. I don’t have to explain myself. Weren’t you the one who wanted me and Onyx dealing with Rowan? Together.”

“No, Dante—” Ash began.

“Ugh. Who cares.” Onyx hopped off the counter. “I swear, an immortal life is too long to have to put up with you, Ash.”

“All I’m saying is we didn’t have to meet here,” Ash muttered. “We could have gone to your place.”

Onyx tensed like Ash’s suggestion was offensive. “I’m not telling you where I live.”

Did the others not know? Nico tried not to let his smugness show. He might not have Onyx’s address, but Onyx had trusted him with a piece of himself he apparently kept close.

Ash rolled his eyes. “I could track you if I really wanted.”

Dante clapped a hand over his face, muttering something to himself before removing it. “I thought we were starting to get along better than this, Onyx.”

The sadness in his eyes tugged on Nico’s heart. What the hell had happened between these three?

Onyx wasn’t so moved. He huffed, face turning splotchy red. Nico half expected fire to erupt from his fingertips. “I thought so, too, Dante. Then someone learned our identities, and you didn’t even bother to tell me.”

Nico’s heart sank. He didn’t want to be the cause of any animosity between Onyx and his brothers.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Dante pointed at Nico. “You’re inviting him along now, so what’s the harm? You said you weren’t mad at Ollie for letting things slip.”

Onyx marched forward, and Nico could practically feel the air vibrating with his fury.

“You’re missing the fucking point. I’m not mad about who said what, or the fact that our secret got out.

You didn’t tell me. All the time we spent together guarding your birds, you never thought—hey, I better update Onyx.

I had to ask who the hell Nico was, and why you were trusting him with your mates. ”

They’d forgotten him.

Nico’s chest ached at the pain in Onyx’s tone. He hadn’t found out that Nico had discovered demons until the night they’d met. No wonder Onyx had taken out his anger on Nico. Of course he’d lashed out.

Onyx pushed people to test whether they cared, and his brothers had failed.

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you the second it happened,” Dante said, seeming blind to the depth of the problem, like he wanted to push past forgetting to keep Onyx in the loop and be done with it.

But surely dismissing Onyx now would make things worse.

Dante sighed as if he was exhausted. “Is that why you didn’t tell us Luc found you?”

Onyx seethed. “Oh, right, because I’m nothing but petty. Tit for tat. How did you even find out about Luc?”

“My birds. I told you they were keeping an eye on who turned up. They saw Luc on the bridge.”

“That was last night. If you saw Luc, why didn’t you call me immediately?”

“You can’t be serious?” Ash groaned. “You didn’t need to be told. You. Saw. Him. Too.”

Onyx threw up his hands. “Just as you saw him disappear on me after spouting thirty seconds worth of bullshit. Why are we even having this conversation?”

Ash stepped forward and loomed over Onyx. “Because you didn’t try to trap him. You did nothing, and then kept it from us. Whose side are you on?”

Nico’s pulse raced. The shop was dead silent for a full minute. Onyx seemed primed to blow, his body quivering. Nico longed to pull him close, run his hands through Onyx’s hair, and tell him it was okay.

But Nico wasn’t sure it was okay.

“I can’t believe you’d ask me that.” Onyx’s words came out so chillingly calm that Nico’s neck prickled. “I thought we were brothers, Ash.”

Ash’s eyes narrowed. “But you’ll always be his brother first.”

Dante sucked in a breath.

Onyx cocked his head, sharp as a bird of prey. “And you aren’t?”

“No.” Ash puffed out his chest. “Luc is no one to me. Not anymore.”

“So only you and Dante can sever your ties? Even though you knew Luc centuries before I was born. Even though your bond with him was always stronger than mine. I’m forever linked to Lucifer by my blood, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Is that what you’re saying? I’m not my own person, able to shape my relationships. I’m just Lucifer’s little brother.”

Ash hesitated, hopefully realizing how much he’d fucked up. Nico didn’t know the half of it, but if Ash really did think all that, it didn’t sound like the kind of thing that could be taken back once it was out.

“That’s not what he meant,” Dante cut in.

Onyx didn’t look at him. “Let Ash speak for himself.”

“Fuck, Onyx.” Ash deflated. “That wasn’t what I meant. It’s different for you. That’s all. Your relationship with Luc isn’t the same as mine. You’re actual brothers.”

Onyx’s eyes flashed. “Actual brothers. How clever of you, Ash. Didn’t realize you had the deductive reasoning required to make such an obvious observation.”

“Prick,” Ash growled.

“If all you wanted was to accuse me of betrayal, you can go.” Onyx pointed to the door.

Ash didn’t budge. “We need to know what Luc said.”

Fuck, he was bold, there was no doubt about that.

Pushing Onyx now was nothing like what Nico had done back in his apartment.

Nico had called Onyx out and confronted his blatant lies, wanting him to open up, giving him the connection Nico suspected he’d come for.

Ash was pushing when the outcome might be disastrous for everyone.

“Of course. You need something from me.” Onyx clenched his fists at his sides.

“If I say it was nothing important, I bet you’ll call me a traitor again.

You love floating that possibility. Proving you wrong is the only reason I’m going to tell you what Luc said because you don’t deserve shit from me right now. ”

Onyx took a steadying breath, but Nico wasn’t sure it calmed him. “Luc asked for my help. I told him to fuck off. He asked if I believed he wanted to make things right, and I said no way in hell. He was up to his usual manipulative crap.”

“Help with what?” Dante asked.

“Didn’t say. Which is one more reason to call bullshit.”

“I agree.” Dante elbowed Ash, who grunted in apparent affirmation. “Thank you, Onyx. If the birds spot anything else, I’ll call right away.”

Ash turned and left the shop without another word. Onyx’s gaze followed him until he disappeared from sight.

Dante waited for Onyx to look at him, but his stare remained on the front of the shop. Eventually Dante asked, “Are you sure you’re safe?”

“Perfectly.” Onyx still didn’t look at him.

“If you’d let us protect your house like we’ve done with mine, I’d feel better. It’ll be stronger with all three of our magics.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Onyx turned away, still not looking at Dante, and walked behind the counter.

“It’s not like Luc is going to kill me. We still need to trap him, and if we can’t track him, we might have to let him come to us.

All I’ll say is, maybe you should bother to show up when he finds me again, instead of calling me twenty-four hours later. ”

Dante’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, okay. If you change your mind about protecting your place, we’ll be there.”

Onyx disappeared behind the curtain to the back of the shop without replying.

Dante glanced at Nico apologetically, shook his head, and left.