Page 30
Matty
T he room was dark and quiet, and everything was still. And yet Matteo already knew who was there beside him.
Maybe his body had registered the new weight on the bed, or maybe his brain had realized there should still be a light shining from the TV. He’d fallen asleep with it on, hadn’t he?
But there was no light when Matteo opened his eyes. Someone had turned it off.
“Matteo,” a familiar voice called in a crooning whisper. “Matteo, Matteo, Matteo.”
Matteo could just make out the dim outline on the edge of his bed. Close enough that they were almost touching. The man had his back turned, Matteo was pretty sure.
It didn’t matter. Matteo knew who had come to haunt him.
“Dominico,” he said. The one time Matteo had refused to acknowledge the apparition, he’d been made to regret it. “You’re back.”
“I heard you misbehaved while I was away.”
Matteo swallowed with difficulty, his throat dry. Of course Dominico had already been told. One of his spies had probably reported everything the moment it had happened. Dominico had no doubt hurried back early to ensure he’d be the one to mete out punishment.
“Maybe Luca will let me take something this time,” Dominico mused. “You don’t need all ten fingers to be such a wretched disappointment. Or toes, for that matter.”
All ten of Matteo’s digits curled in on themselves without his permission, but he tried not to move otherwise. Quiet and still was always the best option.
“You should have just done what the old bastard wanted.”
But Matteo couldn’t have. He’d been ordered to execute the wife of a traitor—a bloody message to deter any other defections. But the woman had been innocent; she hadn’t known anything about what her husband had done. She hadn’t done anything to warrant pain or death.
Dominico clucked his tongue. “Well, she’s gone now anyway. Begged and pleaded and wept for hours. Would’ve been quicker if you’d done it.”
Matteo bit back sudden tears. He’d known his refusal was a stupid, meaningless gesture. But even with a gun in his hand and Luca at his back, he hadn’t been able to pull the trigger. He’d never been able to. Not once.
The mattress shifted as Dominico turned to face him. Matteo’s eyes had adjusted to the dark now—enough to see that there was blood on the older man’s face. Probably on his hands and his clothes too, judging from past experience. Most likely Matteo’s sheets would be covered with it in the morning.
“He’s growing tired of you, Matteo.” Dominico rested a hand on Matteo’s face, and Matteo had to swallow down bile at the wet, sticky touch.
“But don’t worry.” Dominico started rubbing a calloused thumb over Matteo’s cheekbone.
“ I won’t grow tired. I’m going to keep you alive for ages, Matteo.
I’m going to find every tender spot you never knew you had and make it bleed.
I’m going to take off bits and pieces so slowly you’ll forget you ever lost them. ”
Matteo didn’t dare move. He hardly dared breathe.
Dominico grinned at him, white teeth flashing in the dark. “How’s your back, hm? Has it healed yet?”
It hadn’t. Matteo’s skin was still raw, the cuts scabbed over in places that kept breaking open and bleeding when he moved in the wrong way.
Dominico leaned in close, looming over Matteo, his breath hot in Matteo’s ear. “So quiet in the dark,” he whispered, the soft croon of a lover. “But don’t worry, Matteo. We’ll fix that. You’re going to scream and scream and scream.”
With a final pat to Matteo’s cheek, Dominico rose from the bed. “Time to make my report to dear Luca. But I’ll be seeing you soon.”
A crack of light illuminated the room as he opened the door. Enough for Matteo to see the bulge in his pants as he made his way out.
He did so love to make Matteo afraid.
Matteo stared into the dark of his silent room, feeling each second slip away.
Dominico would make his report, and then Luca’s men would come for Matteo.
They’d take him down to that horrible basement and tie him down, and Dominico would meticulously reopen all Matteo’s wounds, no doubt adding a few more to the collection.
It would hurt. Matteo would cry.
He always cried.
Luca might watch, or he might let his psychotic dog do it all on his own. It didn’t seem to matter much to Luca either way. All that mattered was that Matteo had refused to do what he was supposed to do. Refused to kill a weeping woman who hadn’t done anything wrong except choose a stupid husband.
And in the dark, with his back still burning from the last time he’d disobeyed Luca’s orders, Matteo couldn’t even decide if it had been worth it. Couldn’t figure out if it was morals or cowardice that stayed his hand each and every time.
It was probably cowardice.
And that made him just as bad as any of them.
Matty blinked at the wall. He didn’t know why he’d let his mind go there, back to that dark time. He couldn’t even blame the influence of sleep. He hadn’t been dreaming; he’d been remembering—one night like so many others.
Nightmare’s arm tightened around him. “You think of dark things, little mate.”
Matty shuffled to face him, peering up at his demon in the midmorning light.
Nightmare had done exactly what Matty had asked the night before: he’d fucked and fucked him until Matty had fallen asleep with Nightmare still inside him.
Matty had woken up in the middle of the night to Nightmare withdrawing carefully from his body, his shadows trailing over Matty to clean up the mess.
It had been the exact kind of comfort Matty had needed—or, more accurately, demanded. And yet the morning still seemed bathed in foreboding now that he was awake.
“Dark memories,” Matty told Nightmare.
It was obvious why they were bubbling up, even if Matty didn’t want to admit it. Because tomorrow night was the night Dominico would come for him. Matty was sure of it, despite the fact they didn’t have any confirmation. He could feel it.
“I could take them from you,” Nightmare offered, his white eyes flat as they bore into Matty. “The dark memories. I could do it with very little pain.”
Matty considered for only a moment before shaking his head. “Too much of myself is wrapped up in them, I think. I wouldn’t be me without them.”
“Who you are has nothing to do with that scum,” Nightmare hissed, his shadows swirling around him, as if in agreement.
Their ire had Matty feeling weirdly calm despite the dark memories.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But one day, a long time from now, they’ll be so distant they won’t mean a thing to me.
They’ll have no power.” He scooted up in the bed until he could plant an easy kiss on Nightmare’s frowning mouth. “It’s something to look forward to.”
Nightmare stole another, deeper kiss from Matty before letting out a sigh. “The incubus is here with his mobster. I can hear them all chattering.”
Matty wanted to sigh too. He was loath to leave this cozy cocoon they’d made, one that was full of Nightmare’s warmth and his smoky scent. Loath to let time move on and take him that much closer to tomorrow.
Because one day, yes, those memories of the pain he’d suffered would be distant. But Matty had to face Dominico first, and that thought still made his throat dry and his palms sweat, even with his demon close at hand.
But staying in bed wouldn’t actually stop time, would it?
“Okayyy.” Matty dragged himself out of bed, tugging Nightmare by the hand up after him. He whirled with a sudden thought before they reached the door. “He doesn’t flirt with you, does he? Nix?”
Nightmare’s lips twitched up at the corners. “He doesn’t dare.”
Matty let out a breath, his shoulders slumping with relief. “Good.”
Nix was basically a gorgeous supermodel of a demon, and Ivan was incredibly protective of him. Matty didn’t want to make any moves that would piss Ivan off, but he also might not have been able to stop himself from snarling if Nix acted all flirty and seductive with Nightmare in front of him.
Matty led them down the stairs to find everyone gathered in the living room.
Sascha and Ivan were sitting next to each other on the couch.
Nix was next to Ivan with his legs slung over his mate’s lap.
Kai was standing at the arm of the couch by Sascha, his big arms crossed.
Chaos and Cooper were on the other side of the room in one of the armchairs together.
Everyone seemed to be getting along, although Ivan was eyeing Chaos warily. But Chaos was too busy nuzzling Cooper in his lap to take notice.
Nix’s eyebrows rose at Matty and Nightmare’s appearance in the doorway. “Well, well,” he purred, shooting Matty a wink. “We were told not to disturb you. I wonder why?”
Matty’s cheeks went hot, and Chaos let out a taunting, “Ooh! You’re asking for it, Nix!”
All eyes were on Matty and Nightmare now, and Ivan’s gaze was particularly appraising as he took in Nightmare’s tall, antlered form. “ That is what I was hoping to summon,” he said after a moment. “That air of menace.”
“Vanya!” Nix scolded. “You’ll hurt my feelings.” He dug his toes into Ivan’s thigh. “And I guarantee Nightmare wouldn’t let you bend him over any office desks, even at your most charming.”
Sascha let out a disgusted noise. “When is Ivan ever charming?”
Nix graced him with a catlike smile. “Oh, you’d be surprised.”
Ivan wrapped a hand around Nix’s foot, his gaze molten. “There’s only one demon I’ll be bending over anything, and he’s already mine to have.”
For some reason, Matty couldn’t make himself take a seat in their midst. He was suddenly frozen there in the doorway, unsure of himself.
Everyone here had so much history together, related by blood or a bond.
And they were so beautiful, the demons and humans both.
He felt small and inexperienced and wholly inadequate.
But then Nightmare’s arms wrapped around him, lifting Matty with ease until Nightmare was sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing the others with Matty tucked in his lap.
The room went silent, even Nix’s purple eyes widening in surprise.
“Comfortable, sweet?” Nightmare asked quietly.
“Yes.” Matty snuggled deeper into Nightmare’s lap, his momentary uncertainty gone. These were his friends, Sascha and Kai at the very least. And this was his mate. And Matty belonged. “Thank you, Scary.”
Nix choked on air, the opposite of his usual elegant poise, and Chaos cackled.
“I tooold you,” he sang.
Nix seemed to take a moment to get his bearings, and then he cocked his head at Ivan. “Well, maybe if you were Matty, Nightmare would let you bend—”
“Incubus,” Nightmare warned.
Nix immediately held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Sorry, sorry. Shutting up now.”
“Are we clear on tomorrow night?” Ivan asked, and Matty realized with a start that the mobster had directed the question at him.
He took comfort in Nightmare’s warmth as he answered, “Um, yes. Sascha and I will go out with Kai and Nightmare. Presumably Dominico has already realized I’m staying with Sascha, so it’s not like we have to be discreet.
Cooper and Chaos will arrive separately—Dominico won’t know about them yet. And you and Nix…?” Matty trailed off.
“We’ll be close enough to help out if necessary but not be seen,” Ivan finished for him. “My presence poses too much of a risk of Dominico pulling out.”
“What if Dominico doesn’t show?” Nix asked, looking at Matty with what might have been concern. “What if he just sends one of his men to grab you?”
Matty let out a breath, reminding himself he was safe. He and Nightmare had discussed this already, and he knew the answer.
“Then we let me be taken,” he said. “Nightmare will sense if you need to intervene before we get to him. And I won’t be alone.
” He pulled down the collar of his T-shirt just enough to show where one of Nightmare’s shadows was nestled.
Matty wasn’t sure if it was the same little guy as before or if they’d switched out.
It kind of felt like the same one though.
Sascha frowned, twisting his hands in his lap. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I don’t like the idea of you getting taken elsewhere. And if this Dominico does show…?”
“Then he’s mine,” Nightmare rasped, and the naked violence in his voice sent a shiver down Matty’s spine.
He gathered himself just in time to see Nix pinch Ivan’s thigh viciously. “Stop ogling him. You got what you got, and you should be grateful .”
Huh. Maybe it wasn’t Nix’s attention Matty needed to worry about. His demon had so many admirers—Matty just hadn’t expected Ivan to be one of them.
Table of Contents
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- Page 30 (Reading here)
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