Page 15

Angelo

I ended up walking in on the tail end of a party I hadn’t been invited to.

Roy hadn’t even bothered to put me on the list, guessing (correctly) that I wouldn’t have kept quiet about his plans.

The son of a bitch had proposed to Fifi on a commercial property he’d bought from Bea. The cake and decorations made the interior of the realty office too bright and sweet-smelling for my taste. Then again, I wouldn’t have been thrilled with the development even if they hadn’t thrown an after-engagement party in my place of business.

Mating was one thing. I’d claimed Lydia as mine in a proper demonic fashion. Not this… romance stuff Fifi enjoyed. I would much rather play games with my infernal mate than chase children on a sun-soaked lawn.

Fifi, on the other hand, looked transcendent, happiness pouring like light from her skin. Her demon was closer to the surface when she touched her betrothed, making her appear brighter, younger, and more fiercely predatory than I’d ever seen her. No one could deny she was a beautiful succubus. If Roy ever did anything to wipe that look off her face, I’d find a nice, secluded place to stash his body.

Some of her enthusiasm dimmed when I gestured for her to join me in her office. At first, I thought she’d tell me to F off. I’d probably earned that sentiment by now. But after a moment, she broke away from a group of well-wishers, dragging the strapping sasquatch in her wake.

Fifi wasn’t outwardly intimidating, certainly not as menacing as the wall of muscle who decided to stand sentry by her door, ready to thrash me if I said or did something stupid near his girlfriend. Well, fiancée now. She had a rock on her finger and everything. Mother would admire the ring, even if she hated what it stood for.

“Do I say ‘congratulations’ or wait patiently for you to read me the riot act about what not to do while I plan Roy’s bachelor party?”

Fifi’s lips quirked, and she couldn’t help an adoring glance upward. She looked at the brutish sasquatch like the moon and stars shone out of his broad, overly muscled frame. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the male physique. It could be intriguing in the context of the female he was with but almost never by itself. I preferred the fairer sex. Still, I supposed he ticked enough boxes of conventional attractiveness to convincingly snare an odd duck succubus.

“You owe me five bucks,” she said in a lilting sing-song.

I raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know the bet you’ve got going, or will it just piss me off?”

Roy shrugged. “I was sure you’d react badly to our engagement. And if you had reacted badly, I would have taken it very seriously, and Fifi would have hated that. I don’t like anything that makes Fifi unhappy.”

“Your point?”

He frowned at me. “I don’t get why, but I know she loves you.”

I dared a glance at Fifi. I didn’t want to meet her gaze for too long, sure she’d see the mortifying truth the instant we locked eyes. I’d gone completely insane. I had betrayed every ethos I once held dear because... the ‘why’ didn’t matter. Not when I was with Lydia. To my horror, I found my sister watching me with a small frown on her face.

“I’m beginning to think your underwhelming reaction to the news is less about me and more about you. What’s happened now? Did Lydia break up with you for your idiocy last night?”

The note of worry in that last question almost made me smile. Fifi had too big a heart to be a demon. We were selfish creatures. Or we should have been. I knew I shouldn’t want Lydia the way I did. Even if it felt insurmountable to slap a label on it yet, I knew without a doubt that I’d been locked into a Koloth’s mating bond. It should have frightened me, made me angry, disgusted me. I wasn’t built for this.

Instead, I hated to admit it, but I was thrilled. Utter insanity to feel this way. Fifi would laugh herself sick when she pieced it together.

“Sort of the opposite.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you aren’t the only one bound by a foreign nation’s customs and rituals.”

“What is he going on about?” Roy asked her. Fifi shook her head.

“Except, I don’t think Lydia meant to do it,” I continued and by this point, I was pacing. “I mean, we consulted the coven when Lydia had some physical changes occur. But the long and short of it is, Lydia and I...”

I paused. It seemed a bit indelicate to describe what we’d done. ‘Sex’ was too tame a word. ‘F-ing’ was too harsh and blunt to adequately describe it. I’d gone deeper into Lydia than I’d ever been into a woman’s mind before. Usually, it was just a flickering image or a breathless thought that urged me in the right direction. Sexual tableaus were as varied as the people in them, so even a sex demon enjoyed a little silent prompting now and then. With Lydia, it hadn’t just been a mingling of energies. She’d given me more than that, and it floored me. She hadn’t said it aloud or even to herself, but she...

She loved me.

It was the only explanation for our current predicament. Koloths mated for life and were fiercely loyal. And that should have frightened me. Now, I was just grateful. It’s hard to argue with a fact when it’s got its magical hooks into you. And the truth of the matter was that I wouldn’t be mated if she didn’t feel deeply for me. And I liked it. Craved it. Wanted her now more than I ever had before.

“You had sex,” Roy said bluntly when I failed to come up with the right words.

“Yes. And unbeknownst to either of us, the Koloth’s magic was seeping into Lydia’s soul. When we were together, it sparked something. She looks... different. Demonic, like us. I don’t know if it’s reversible, and she’s understandably freaked out. But she’s even more freaked by the mating bond she initiated. It’s apparently permanent. So plan for a double wedding, sister mine. It’ll save you on venue costs.”

Fifi stared at me in shock before spluttering, “She what?”

“She enacted a mating bond with me. It’s quite similar to yours, I’m told.”

She and Roy exchanged a longer, tenser look before they both turned back to me. “How big an asshole were you about it?” Fifi asked.

“I wasn’t,” I replied curtly, frowning at her.

“According to you or according to the rest of the world?” Roy asked.

I gave him a look before I returned my attention to my sister. “The long and the short of it is that I’m not upset about it.”

Fifi and Roy appeared stunned.

“You aren’t?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No. It was an accident, and there are worse people to be tied to for life. At least Lydia’s smart, gorgeous, funny, and deliciously kinky in the bedroom. It could have been a troll like Ramona that I got stuck with. Or a literal troll.”

Fifi leaned forward, pressing the back of her hand against my forehead. I batted it away with a huff.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure you’re not delirious with fever or something. Because it sounded like you said you’re a happily married man.”

I scowled at her. “Don’t test me, Fifi. I will scrap with you the way we did when we were kids. I still feed more. I’d kick your ass.”

“No you won’t,” Roy answered, giving me a frown.

“My God you are boring,” I managed in response.

Meanwhile, a broad, creeping grin had replaced Fifi’s confusion, and her eyes sparkled.

“You love her.”

I frowned at her. “Keep provoking me and see what happens.”

Fifi leaned back in her chair and laughed—not the exultant laugh I’d feared but a pleased one. She had every right to mock me for my hypocrisy.

“Fine, you grumpy asshole. I won’t poke you where you’re still tender,” she said.

“How does Lydia feel about this?” the only dud in the room asked.

“Embarrassed about the out-of-control magic. Scared and intrigued by her new form. She’s worried that I feel deceived.”

“Do you?” Fifi asked.

“Of course not. I knew her magic was unpredictable from the start.” I paused, smirked, and then settled on a much lighter jab. “And besides, to Mother and Father, it will look like I found a beautiful and powerful halfling to have my children. I’m still coming out ahead of you in their familial affection. I think it might be enough to weasel back into Father’s good graces if we do things the traditional way, as they’ve been urging.”

Fifi crossed her arms over her chest. “Participating in a fertility ritual and then trapping ourselves in a private ski lodge until we’re confirmed to be pregnant? It has too much Cro-Magnon vibe for my taste. I think I’ll stick to Sasquatch traditions, thank you very much.”

“Your loss. I’m sure your beastly groom-to-be would love to see some of the negligee our realm has come up with.”

I didn’t have to look up to know Roy’s interest was piqued. Any male regarded the stuff as decoration, easily discarded to get to the prize beneath.

It was Fifi’s turn to scowl. “Cheater. You just had to mention the ritual clothing, didn’t you?”

“I’m trying to help you. If you let Mother win on small issues, she becomes less insistent on the larger ones. Agree to a ritual now, and she won’t continually badger you about setting a date. If she has a guaranteed grandchild, you’ll have a free pass back into their good graces.”

“You call getting smashed, doing sex magic, and getting knocked up a small thing?” she asked, sounding genuinely outraged.

“No, I don’t,” I replied firmly. “I imagine it will be difficult for you at times. But don’t deny you want his child.” I said the words with distaste as I looked at the man in question, who seemed pretty happy at the thought of having children with Fifi.

Fifi sagged a little and nodded. “We’ve been trying. No luck so far.”

“Because you haven’t been home often enough, sister. You need to stimulate your magic. Thus, the ritual.”

“You manipulative bastard,” she sighed, but there wasn’t much anger in her tone now. “You’re probably right. I do need to make an appearance. Dad’s miffed that I missed the family events for three years running.”

“I’m glad you have next month’s agenda so well thought out. Now can we focus on the reason I actually came here?” I asked.

“What was the reason again?” Fifi asked.

“I want to build or adapt a home on our books with your help. Lydia’s flat is too small, and her place might go up like a tinderbox now that she’s manifesting fire powers. Ivan moved after the Grave Eater incident.”

I couldn’t even blame the ill-tempered dragon for it. If I’d been mauled within an inch of my life and watched Lydia dragged off to be torn apart by an abomination, I wouldn’t have wanted to stay either.

“So?”

“So, I’m thinking Ivan’s fire-proofed home would do nicely, but I need your help to make it feasible. What do you say, Fifi? Spot me this once? I’d like to make sure Lydia’s safe.”

Fifi beamed like a proud schoolteacher who’d finally hammered the answer into Timmy’s thick skull.

“I’m sure we can work something out.”

Fifi’s phone rang, and she answered it with a pleased smile, but the expression dropped a moment later. She held the receiver to her shoulder and mouthed ‘Taliyah.’ I held my hand out for the phone, which she handed over reluctantly.

“Angelo Stedham speaking,” I said.

“Come to my office, Angelo. I’ve just received the footage from the camera facing the parking lot. I think you should see this.”