Page 16 of Wreaking Havoc (Demon Bound #1)

15

Sascha

S ascha slept like the dead—no more fever dreams to mess with his head, not even lingering anxiety to force him awake two or three times over the course of the night, as had happened so often in the past.

He’d been soothed by demon sex, apparently. Or, more like, soothed by the big demon body pillow he was currently drooling all over.

Kai had changed to human form in order to fit in the bed when they’d gone to sleep, but at some point in the night, he’d reverted back, his feet now hanging over the edge.

Sascha would have to get something custom-made, if the big lug really was planning on sticking around.

He rose up on one elbow, wiping some of his drool off Kai’s chest. The demon was sleeping, his gorgeous face as alluring as ever, even unconscious. Although, there was something about him awake—mischievous or demanding or arrogant in turn—that was even more attractive.

It was a bit annoying that his silky black hair wasn’t even the slightest bit disheveled—Sascha could feel the unwieldy spikes his own blond locks had configured into over the night. Meanwhile, Kai’s horns jutted elegantly out of the smooth surface of his hair, the tips brushing against the headboard.

Sascha slid up carefully under the covers, keeping an eye on Kai’s closed lids. He got up to his knees at the head of the bed, peering closely at the horns. He couldn’t quite see where the base of them began. He laid a finger on one. The texture was rough, like a goat’s horn.

Or, at least, Sascha assumed. He’d never actually felt a goat’s horn. Papa hadn’t exactly been keen on taking his brats to petting zoos over the years.

Sascha began to stroke the horn more firmly, getting a better feel for the…consistency of the grain, maybe? What were the correct terms for horn qualities?

“You know, the base of a demon’s horns are incredibly sensitive, zaychik.”

Sascha pulled his hand back with a start. Kai’s eyes were open now, and he was staring at him with amusement. “Oh! Sorry, I—”

Kai ran his tongue over a fanged incisor. “By all means, continue. But you might get more than you bargained for, hm?”

Sascha’s gaze dropped down to where there was now a quite sizable bulge tenting up the bedcovers.

He scrambled off the bed, much more quickly than he usually moved in the morning. “Nope. No funny business,” he scolded from a safe distance. “You broke me last night. And my ass is a national treasure. As such, it must be protected.”

Kai’s venom had definitely worked some sort of magic—Sascha probably wouldn’t have been able to walk if it hadn’t—but he was still a bit sore, and he didn’t feel like testing his limits with Alexei in the house. His brother’s eagle eyes would notice if Sascha came downstairs with a limp in his step.

Kai propped himself onto on elbow, smirking at him. “There are all kinds of ways to engage in ‘funny business,’ as you say. But all right.” He tilted his head toward the pile of packages he’d left at the door the night before. “Why not open a few of those?” His grin widened. “A safe distance from the big, bad demon.”

Smug bastard.

But Sascha did love a good unboxing. He glanced at the packages, the proof of his impulsive online shopping. Now that they were in front of him—with Kai watching him so closely—his cheeks were growing hot with embarrassment. He hadn’t exactly held back when ordering. Would Kai think he was silly? Too frivolous to be worth his time? Not manly enough or something?

He could picture his father’s face—or Ivan’s for that matter—if he saw some of what Sascha had ordered. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.

Although, Sascha hadn’t exactly been the pinnacle of masculinity in any of his and Kai’s encounters. He’d summoned the guy with blue nail polish, for fuck’s sake. And Kai wasn’t some asshole mobster with outdated ideas on gender stereotypes. He was a demon from another realm who thought Sascha’s soul was delicious and his yoga pants were cute.

So Sascha hustled over to the boxes, grabbing the first one within easy reach. He recognized the brand—some nightwear he’d ordered. He swallowed with a dry throat, then ripped the tape off and lifted out the first set.

Right. Some pink nightwear he’d ordered. Little satiny shorts with a matching short-sleeved button-down. The heat in Sascha’s cheeks spread to the tips of his ears just from looking at them. So pretty .

Kai was staring intently, his eyes blazing. “That’s for you to wear, zaychik?”

“Um…yes?” Sascha answered, his head suddenly filling once again with visions of his father scolding him for effeminate speech, his men murmuring among themselves whenever Sascha walked a certain way.

But it wasn’t any sort of mocking condemnation that left Kai’s mouth. It was a long, pleased rumble. “Perhaps you should see if they fit,” he crooned. “And then come back to bed wearing them.”

Oh. Oh. Kai was into it. Like, really into it, judging by the way he was looking at Sascha like he wanted to eat him alive.

Sascha shot him a mocking glare. “I’m not going anywhere near that monstrous dick of yours. Behave.”

Kai grinned. “Open another,” he urged.

Sascha ignored him, digging deeper into the box instead. There were two more pajama sets in there, as well as a pale-blue silk robe with a pattern of bright-orange and -yellow flowers.

He moved onto the next boxes after letting Kai admire each piece, which he did with slightly alarming intensity. There were some bright, tight shirts, some flowy pants similar to Kai’s but in an array of colors. Business wear that was made to make a man actually look good, not just like an office drone. Nothing beige, nothing boring.

Every item received a grunt or rumble of approval from Kai, with a look in his eyes like he was imagining Sascha in each one. Or possibly taking Sascha out of each one.

When all but the last box had been opened, Sascha shot Kai a suspicious look. “Tell me, would you have fallen for any twinkish type you came across? Am I just the first?”

Kai looked surprised at the question. “Their soul would not have fit the same within my chest. It’s not just your looks, pretty Sascha. Although, I do like them,” he said with relish. “Very much.”

Sascha frowned down at the package in his hands. “But how do you know? How do you know they wouldn’t have fit the same?”

“I just do.”

“But how ?”

Kai cocked a brow. “Why do you continue to question it?” At Sascha’s silence, a slow smirk graced his lips. “Ah. You wish to test me. Very well, zaychik. You may continue to do so. I will not falter or fail. I am strong enough for the both of us.” He stretched languidly on the bed, ridiculously graceful for his large size. “Believe me when I tell you, no other ‘twinkish type’ would do.”

Sascha searched for something to say in response to all that. All that he came up with was a petulant protest: “You think I’m sweet though. I’m not.”

“You are,” Kai insisted. “I can taste it.”

“Hmph.” Sascha turned to the last package to hide his blush. A padded envelope, without any logo to identify it. It was small, the size of a book maybe, but an irregular, lumpy shape. He couldn’t think of what else he’d ordered. Some random accessory, maybe? He opened the flap and stuck his hand in.

“Oh!” Sascha pulled his hand back, flinching as he registered a sharp bite.

There was blood welling on his finger.

Sascha looked away immediately. Kai was already at his side, grabbing the package from his hand. He pulled out a knife, identical to the one that had stabbed Sascha two months ago.

A phantom pain throbbed in Sascha’s upper arm.

The knife had dark rusting on the blade. Sascha swallowed hard. “Is that—is that dried blood?”

He did his best not to gag as Kai sniffed at it. “Animal,” Kai told him. “Swine, I think.”

“Oh. Okay.” Sascha’s head was starting to feel fuzzy. “So they know where I am. The—Ivan’s mole must’ve…” he trailed off, trying to control his now labored breathing.

Then Kai’s broad form was in front of him, his large hands weighty on Sascha’s shoulders. “Listen to me, Sascha. You have me now. They cannot hurt you. We will wipe them out, zaychik. Every one of them who might wish you harm.”

He kept repeating the words, “You have me now. They cannot hurt you,” until Sascha’s breath evened and the woozy feeling in his head evaporated.

Kai kissed his cut finger then, and Sascha felt the intense heat of his healing powers. Kai grinned at him. “All better?”

Sascha nodded mutely.

“Come. I will feed you. Your brother is already downstairs, making much noise.”

Alexei was making “much noise,” banging cabinets like it was his mission to destroy Sascha’s kitchen or something.

Sascha shot a glare toward the back of his man-bunned head.

“What’s up your ass?” he asked, annoyed that Alexei was acting pissy when it was him who’d received a threatening pig’s-blood dagger in the mail.

Alexei whirled, casting a truly impressive scowl toward Kai, who’d made a beeline straight for the coffee pot. “Did your demon fail to tell you that vampires have excellent hearing?”

“What does that—?” The blood drained from Sascha’s face, then rushed right back. “Oh.” Right. The extremely thorough debauching he’d endured the night before, when he’d completely failed to muffle his voice.

Vampires or not, Alexei and Jay could have been half-deaf and they probably would have heard something .

He was pretty sure the heat in his cheeks could light the kitchen’s ancient stove at his point.

“It was some very impressive sex!” Jay, beaming at him from the kitchen table, didn’t seem to share Alexei’s annoyance. “Alexei was afraid you were going to go for another round this morning. We were going to go out for breakfast if you did.” He gave off every impression of being delighted by the idea. “I have to try a lobster roll while I’m here.”

Sascha rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t think they serve lobster rolls at breakfast. And the best place for them in town is closed for the season, anyway.”

“Oh.”

Jay looked so instantly dejected that Sascha was opening his mouth again before he knew it. “But you two could come back and try one in the summer?”

What was he even saying? He wasn’t going to still be here next summer, was he? He’d be back in New York, doing…

What would he be doing in New York? What exactly was waiting for him there?

He shot a despairing glance to Kai, only to find the demon mouthing the word sweet at him.

Sascha scowled back at him. Whatever. That didn’t prove anything. Who wouldn’t be sweet to Jay? He was one of the nicest people Sascha had ever met. What the hell he was doing with broody, tight-lipped Alexei was really anyone’s guess.

The exchange between Sascha and Jay seemed to have deflated some of Alexei’s ire though. He was looking at Sascha’s chosen outfit with what on anyone else might have been a neutral expression but for Alexei might as well have been wide-eyed disbelief.

Oh, right. The colorful flower robe Sascha had put on over his underwear before heading downstairs. He fidgeted with the sash. “ Well ?” he asked Alexei pointedly, sounding snippier than he would have liked.

Alexei’s gaze softened. “You look nice, Sascha. You always did like pretty things.”

“Very pretty,” Jay concurred, reaching a hand out to pet the hem. “And soft. Maybe I should get one? Although, I’m not sure when I’d wear it. Why have a robe when you can just be naked?”

Sascha coughed, choking on air. “Um…maybe for when you have guests?”

“Right.” Jay nodded seriously. “Good point. So maybe I should—”

“Jay, sweetheart.” Alexei came up to the kitchen table, stooping down to press a kiss to Jay’s tousled hair. “Please don’t buy a postcoital robe to match my brother’s. I don’t think I could take it.”

“Oh.” Jay’s lips formed into a slight pout. “Okay, I’ll choose my own, then.”

Alexei gave him another kiss before straightening. “So your, uh, escapades aren’t the only thing our ears overheard.”

Sascha crossed his arms, glaring. “I’m a grown man, I can take a bath with whoever I want.”

Alexei’s lips twitched. “The knife, Sascha.”

“Oh. Yes. The knife.” Sascha’s eyes darted to Kai, who’d dumped an entire bag of coffee grounds into the coffee pot and was adding what even Sascha knew was not nearly enough water.

“And you think Ivan has a leak? A mole?” Alexei pressed.

“That’s what he says. But they still shouldn’t have known. He hasn’t told anyone or visited or…” Sascha remembered all the calls and texts from Ivan he’d been ignoring. “Oh fuck.”

“What?” Alexei and Kai asked at the same time.

Sascha rubbed a hand over his eyes. “He’s been trying to reach me while I was sick. I said something stupid to him before getting feverish. Let me…”

He ran upstairs to where he’d left his phone charging overnight before glancing at it as he hopped down the stairs. “You think he knew they’d figured it out? Or…”

There were a number of voice mails from Ivan, but Sascha didn’t want to touch those. He looked at the texts instead.

Answer the phone, Sascha.

You’re testing my patience.

You want to play games? I can play, baby brother. Get the guest room ready.

Oh fuck. Sascha checked to see when the last text had been sent. Yesterday.

He cleared his throat. “Um, Alexei, maybe you and Jay should be heading back to Colorado?”

“What? Why?” Jay looked back and forth between them. “Is it because I wanted to copy your robe? I don’t have to get the exact same one.”

And of course just then there was a knock on the front door.

Alexei gave him a small smile, seeming to already know what was on the other side. “It’s fine, Sascha. It’s a reunion long overdue.” He put a hand on Jay’s shoulder. “He can’t hurt us. Not really.”

Sascha’s stomach twisted anyway. He was stuck in place for a long moment. He should change, shouldn’t he? He looked to Kai. No, he wouldn’t change. He was fine the way he was.

The knocking grew more insistent.

Sascha went to the front door, Kai right behind him, opening it to a face he knew better than his own. A face very similar to his own, although Sascha had never quite managed the icy cold of Ivan’s eyes.

Ivan must have come straight from the office—he was wearing a tailored black suit, one he wore with the ease Sascha had always been incapable of. He wasn’t glaring—he wouldn’t, not when he could be equally terrifying with no expression, his face a smooth and forbidding mask. “About time,” he said in a clipped voice. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

“A bathrobe.” It took everything in Sascha not to fidget with the damned thing. “I’m surprised you don’t have a key.”

“I misplaced it.” Ivan’s eyes tracked behind Sascha’s shoulder, and Sascha knew without looking that Kai was back in human form. “Who’s this? You hired your own muscle? Is that what your hissy fit was about?”

“I sent you one text,” Sascha sniped. “I don’t think that counts as a hissy fit.”

“You froze me out after. That’s the hissy fit. Let me in, Sascha.”

Sascha stepped back from the door with a sigh, Kai hovering over his shoulder like a forbidding guardian angel.

Ivan stepped inside, and his gaze flew immediately to the entrance of the kitchen, where Alexei was standing, Jay just behind him. For the briefest moment, pure shock crossed Ivan’s face, making him look relatively human. Then the cold mask descended again. “Alexei,” he said flatly. “You’ve returned.”

“Sascha needed me.”

“I see.” Ivan glanced at Sascha, his expression unreadable. Sascha felt a complicated rush of shame and defiance. He knew his brothers were at odds, and always had been. And he knew they both loved him, in their own ways. That Ivan loved him as best as he was able, and it wasn’t exactly his fault that his best had been stunted beyond belief by their upbringing.

And he knew, without a doubt, that Ivan would see this as a betrayal—Sascha turning to Alexei and away from him.

“Ivan, I—” Sascha started to say.

The slightest tensing of Ivan’s shoulder was the only warning before his hand was in his suit jacket and he was pulling out a gun, firing two shots into Alexei with no hesitation.

And then, for the second time in twenty-four hours, Sascha found himself behind a wall of leather.