The Devil's Dilemma

Tales from the Tarot

Alex J. Adams

The Devil’s Dilemma
Copyright© 2024 by Alex J. Adams
All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in are view.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or any companies is completely coincidental. Any names, characters or place names are from the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. 

The author does not consent to any AI programme reproducing, replicating or summarising any part of this work for any means.

First Edition

Cover art by Fae Quin
Cover design by Amanda Meuwissen
Formatted by Amanda Meuwissen
Beta Reading: Sheena Smith, Thera Tiffany Rhodes
Editing: Tanja Ongkiehong

Contents

Fullpage image

Acknowledgements

1. Austin

2. Dante

3. Austin

4. Austin

5. Dante

6. Austin

7. Dante

8. Austin

9. Dante

10. Austin

11. Dante

12. Austin

13. Dante

14. Austin

15. Dante

16. Austin

17. Dante

18. Austin

19. Dante

20. Austin

21. Dante

Epilogue

The End

What's Next?

Tales from the Tarot

About the Author

Also By

Acknowledgements

I can’t believe how long it’s been since Amanda messaged me and asked if I was interested in joining twenty-one authors in a collaboration centred around tarot cards. Of course I said yes, I would be more than interested and when I drew the Devil card, it seemed an easy card to write about.

But then, Dante and Austin had completely different ideas and the story morphed so much when I wrote it, going from a short 35,000 word novella to a 55,000 word novel! They just wouldn’t stop talking.

Thanks as always to Tom Doyle. I couldn’t do any of this without him. Thanks also to my admin team for hearing me complain when the words aren’t flowing. My Beta ladies, Sheena, Thera and Joanne. My fabulous reader group and everyone else that supports me.

Love always to the family for putting up with me when I’m struggling. Thanks for the food and the tea!

Much love, Alex  

Chapter one

Austin

“So what’s the plan?” I took a swig from the ice-cold bottle of beer. What did Joel have up his sleeve this time?

We’d hit two casinos and were already three-quarters of a million up. The deal was three hits. Then we’d split the profits and disappear.

“The next one needs to be the big one. Seven hundred and fifty thousand won’t get us far split four ways. Barely enough to keep Pete here in designer shoes for a week, let alone the rest of his life.”

“Cheeky fucker.” Pete took off his designer trainer and threw it at Joel, narrowly missing his head.

“Bastard. You’re not getting that back now.”

Joel scrambled to get to the trainer before Pete did. Honestly, it was like working with children.

Joel, Pete, Freddie, and I had been friends since primary school. We’d grown up on the same council estate, all of us from broken homes.

We’d played truant from school, spending more time around town than we ever did in lessons. We’d stolen booze and cigarettes and spent most of our days under the bridge that spanned the canal, getting drunk, and when we weren’t doing that, we’d be getting high.

At some stage, we’d all been in trouble with the police, although I’d like to think my misdemeanours had been less than those of the others. At least I didn’t have a criminal record, unlike the troublesome trio.

Not sure how I’d avoided one, though. Maybe it was my angelic looks and quiet nature leading the police to believe I couldn’t possibly commit the crimes, but somehow I’d escaped punishment, only ever spending one night in the cells.

The others, however, were easily recognisable, with their many tattoos and piercings. They were picked out in a lineup every time.

I, on the other hand, had no distinguishing features. I dressed smartly in trousers and a shirt, but I was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, able to talk myself into anywhere, and charm the pants off our target, man or woman. I’d been told I had the gift of the gab. Some said I must have kissed the Blarney Stone, but strangely, I always knew the right thing to say or do to put people at ease.

Never did they imagine I was conning them out of their life savings or, in the last few cases, stealing from two of the biggest casinos in the city. Was it stealing if I was winning it fair and square? Although fair was a stretch.

I had a knack for winning. Didn’t know why or how, but if I betted on the horses, mine would place ninety-nine per cent of the time. If I played roulette, more often than not, I’d be taking home a wad of cash. And at blackjack, I’d win almost every time, even though I didn’t count the cards.

Grandpa swore I’d been blessed at birth, but if that was the case, how come Dad had upped sticks the minute Mum passed away, leaving me with his dad to bring me up? If only my home life had been as lucky.

I’d been seven. An impressionable age. Grandpa had done his best, but then I’d fallen in with these guys, and things had gone from bad to worse. Petty crimes initially, gradually progressing to jobs that would see me in prison for a few years if I got caught. Thankfully, that had never happened, but I’d not been the best grandson, that was for sure.

I loved the bones of him, but being bad was infinitely more interesting than toeing the line, no matter what he said. I lived for the thrill, the excitement, the adrenaline rush as we once again got away with it. There was nothing like it.

“Hey, let’s get this sorted. I have to get home and cook tea for Stan.” I didn’t have all night to sit around drinking and smoking, unlike these three. Since Grandpa had taken a fall at home a few months earlier, he couldn’t do much. He had people going in, but I took over his care at nighttime. It was the least I could do.

“Okay, gather round, guys,” Joel said.

Joel had mirrored his laptop to display the next hit in glorious HD on the huge plasma TV on the wall.

“This is Temptation, the biggest casino in the county. They take upwards of three million each week.”

“Where’d you get this information from?” I asked. Joel always had the facts and figures, and he’d never been wrong yet.

“I know a man. The less you know, the better, but this is legit info, bro. It’s the next hit, I’m telling ya.”

“When?”

“A couple of days. A week tops, but the minute we hit this joint, we have to get out of there fast. If we get caught, it’s lights out for all of us.”

For the first time, a sliver of unease crept up my spine, and I shivered. This was bigger than anything we’d ever attempted.

We weren’t big-time crooks, and this sounded way out of our league.

“What do we do?” Pete was normally the lookout. He was big, brawny, and as thick as pig shit. Joel was the mastermind, if you could call him that, and Freddie was usually my wingman, sticking close, ready to pull me out if he saw anything amiss.

If anything, I took all the risks. It was likely my life on the line this time, and the word ‘no’ lay on the tip of my tongue. I wasn’t doing it, but that much money was too tempting to turn down.

Plus, I had the luck of the Irish despite being from the wrong side of the Irish Sea. Liverpool, to be precise.

“Pete, you stand watch like you normally do. Any signs of trouble? You let Freddie know, and he’ll drag our lucky little leprechaun here out of trouble.”

I hated when he called me that. I was tired of him touching my head every time he walked past to see if the luck would rub off on him.

Good job we were mates. Or he’d have my fist in his face. I might look like butter wouldn’t melt, but no fucker messed with me and got away with it.

“I should go in alone. That casino is as fancy as fuck. You lot will look totally out of place in there. I say we hit it late one night, maybe a Friday or Saturday when it’s crowded. That way, I can blend in a little more. I can rent a suit. Look the part, you know?”

Joel bit the inside of his cheek, a habit he had when he was thinking.

“I don’t know, Aus. We’ve always done things together, and from what I’ve heard, the guy who owns it is a bastard.”

“Then explain why we’re hitting it.” More to the point, why I was going in alone.

“Because…”

“Because what?” I didn’t see them putting their lives or criminal records on the line. This one was going to be all me if we wanted it done right.

“Because he’s fucking rich. More money than sense. Here, look.”

The photograph that filled the screen took my breath away. I glanced around at the others. Had anyone heard me?

“Fucking horns?” Freddie snorted.

“He plays the devil. It’s a gimmick. They’re stuck on or some shit.” Joel laughed.

I didn’t care what they were. He was fucking gorgeous. Impressive sharp cheekbones, white-blond hair, and were his eyes orange?

The guy on the screen definitely appealed. To me anyway. My friends knew I was gay, but they never gave me shit about it. I might have shared a kiss with Joel, but that was a long time ago when we were both unsure, both experimenting. We’d moved on since.

“His name is Dante.”

“You know that’s another name for the devil,” I said.

“Eh, he looks like a dick.”

I disagreed.

“But, guys,” Joel said. “It’s a fucking big deal. If we wanna get out of here, we’ve gotta hit that. Get as much money as we can. Me and Freddie can come in, hang around the sidelines, and watch if it makes you feel better, Aus.”

As much money as I could. I shook my head. Why the fuck I was even thinking about it?

Could they blend in? I had my doubts. Unless… I frowned and nibbled on the loose skin around my fingernails. I’d heard stories about a shop. A shop that could give you what you wanted without having to ask. It couldn’t give you money. Nothing like that. Grandpa used to tell me stories when I was much younger, before my world fell apart.

It was a fairytale; it must have been. Tales from an old man to get young Austin to sleep, but if it could give me something to help…

Joel nudged me. “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. We need to go carefully. I think it’s risky.”

“Think of the money, and from what you said, he’s got loads to spare.” Freddie rubbed his hands together, his grin infectious.

The other guys laughed and slapped each other on the back, clinking their beer bottles.

As far as I was concerned, it was far too early to be celebrating. There was still much to do. Lots of arrangements to be made.

I had travel plans, needed to sort out passports, and stash Grandpa somewhere safe. I wouldn’t have him brought into this. If there was even a whiff of suspicion, it’d finish the old man off. Maybe I was being selfish not to take him with me, but I had a plan, and at his age, he couldn’t travel.

No, the best I could do for him was to move him into a home. A big fancy one where they didn’t ask questions but would keep me updated. I’d already started getting fresh papers. He needed to be as invisible as me.

Now I knew which casino we were hitting and that the owner had a reputation, I couldn’t risk leaving Grandpa to suffer the consequences.

Unease skittered across my skin, but I shoved it down. I had to keep my eyes on the prize. There was no time to go over it more. I had to leave.

“If there’s nothing else.” I stood and dropped my empty bottle in the bin.

“Nah, you get off, mate. Say hello to Stan.” We bumped fists, and I left them to it. I walked home and pulled my collar up against the cold and rain.

“Grandpa.” I opened the door, shrugged out of my coat, and hung it on the rack. Water dripped onto the floor. I should wipe that up. I didn’t need him falling again. But first I wanted to speak to Grandpa.

“In the kitchen.” His once firm voice was now frail and quiet, making it difficult to hear.

He sat at the kitchen table, looking fragile, a mug of tea in front of him, hardly touched.

“You want another?” I poured the cold drink down the sink and put the kettle on.

“That’d be good, Austin. Where’ve you been? With those boys again? They’re nothing but trouble, always have been.”

“They’re my friends, Grandpa.”

“Pah. Friends, my arse. They’d leave you dead and dying if it suited them. I hope you’re not getting yourself into anything you can’t get out of.”

I sighed. How many times did I have to listen to this bollocks? He’d always hated them, but I guessed he had every right to.

“Pie and chips okay for tea?” I ignored his usual warnings, yanked open the freezer door, and took out a couple of chicken pies and some frozen chips. At least when he moved into a home, they’d feed him decent food. Not the shit he ate here. As much as I tried to get him to eat better, he insisted the carers brought him what he wanted.

Normally pie and chips.

“You’re a good boy, Austin.” If only he knew the truth.

“Remember the story you used to tell me when I was little? The one about The Magic Shop.”

“What you wanna know about that for? It was just a story.”

I placed a mug of hot tea in front of him and sipped my own, watching him closely.

“Humour me. I’m interested.”

He pulled the red plaid blanket farther onto his lap and cupped his mug.

“I heard of it when I was a lad, but there was talk of a magic shop that could give you anything you wanted. The Owner would look at you and instantly know what you needed. It’s just an urban legend, though. The tales have been told for years. No way it’s still around.”

“Did you ever visit it? Is that how you know about it?”

“It’s a story, son. Ain’t no truth in it.” But the twinkle in his eye said otherwise.

Funny, but I didn’t believe him.

“Where could I find it?”

“Huh? Weren’t you listening? There’s no such shop.”

“You know, for an old man, you’re shit at lying.”

A sly smile appeared on his face, and I knew then the rumours or urban legend or whatever you wanted to call it, were true. I just needed to find that shop.

And I had a feeling I was going to need all the help I could get with this next job.

“If you really need it, it’ll show itself to you. That’s all I got.”

“How will I know?”

“You just will.” He drank his tea and stared off into the distance, his mind elsewhere.

Fat lot of good that did me. I was none the wiser.

He said no more, and I busied myself preparing my lunch for the next day. Not wanting to raise suspicion with Grandpa, I worked at a local pub as a barman. That way, he wouldn’t query where I got my money.

The others gave me stick for working, but I wasn’t like them and wasn’t willing to live off state benefits and our ill-gotten gains.

It all helped in staying under the radar. Why would I need to commit crimes when I had a job? That was my thinking anyway.

We ate in silence, despite me encouraging him to tell me more about The Magic Shop, and before long, it was eight in the evening. Time for his bed.

Since his fall, he could no longer climb the stairs, and we’d converted the front room to a bedroom. So that was where I took him once he’d completed his nighttime routine.

I tucked him into bed, kissed his forehead, and said good night. I loved the old goat, as stubborn as he was sometimes.

I double-checked the doors were locked and went to my bedroom. Not much had changed since I was a child. I slept in the same single bed, only the covers had changed. I looked at the same jaded posters stuck to the wall, the same blue curtains hanging precariously from the rail.

I gazed with sadness at the picture on my nightstand. Mama and Dad smiling. A sign of happier times. I tamped down my emotions. No time for that. I had work to do.

I turned on my laptop. What the fuck I should search for?

Magic shop? Old magic shop? Nah, that brought up too much stupid shit.

Magic shop that disappeared? Could it be that simple?

I perused the results, seeing nothing of interest, until there, almost at the bottom, was an entry.

“Looking for something? We have what you need, even though you don’t know it yet. Find us at the junction of Somerset Road and Glyne Place. What are you waiting for?”

Was this it? Was this the place I’d been looking for?

It couldn’t hurt to check, right? It’d have to wait. No way I would leave Grandpa alone, but I’d have time to check it out before work tomorrow.

But what did I need? I didn’t know, but we couldn’t afford to fuck this one up. There was too much at stake.

My phone rang. It was Joel.

“What? You missing me already?”

“Ha ha. Hilarious. No, I wanted to check you were all right with this. You didn’t seem as enthusiastic as the last couple of jobs.”

What could I tell him? That I’d got a weird feeling when he told me which casino it was? He’d say I was being fucking stupid, and I probably was, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

“I don’t know, Joel. If this goes wrong…”

“It won’t. We’ll do it the same as the other two. You go in there, play your games, and walk out with all the money. Simple as that.”

And that was the thing. It was all on me. All of this relied on me being able to win. What if I couldn’t this time? Worst of all, what if I got caught?

To be fair, this was the first time we’d done something like this on such big a scale. Usually, we concentrated on stealing goods rather than cold, hard cash. The last two jobs had been a breeze. I hoped the third time was the charm.

None of us wanted to be career criminals, and this way, we’d have enough money to see the back of Liverpool and, for me, the terrible memories it held.

“What if I fail?” I finally voiced my fear.

“You’ve never let us down yet, Austin. You won’t this time.”

Hopefully, his faith wasn’t misplaced.

Chapter two

Dante

“Are these real horns?” The guy in my bed giggled and stroked them. I shuddered. Yes, they were real fucking horns, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

I sighed. “No, they’re implants. A gimmick. I’m supposed to be the devil, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” He bit his lip seductively, his eyes wide. “You were definitely a devil in the sheets last night.”

And he’d been a fucking saint, despite whispering in my ear all the dirty things he was going to do to me. I’d received a sloppy, half-hearted blow job, and he’d moaned too fucking loud as I’d rammed into him from behind.

It was a wonder I’d got off, but the moment I’d placed my hand around his neck and squeezed, his moaning had stopped as he’d gasped for breath.

Tempted as I was to choke the life out of him, I’d relented, and the moment I’d come, I’d let him go, not bothering to see if he’d finished, but when I’d returned from the bathroom, he lay on his back, his dick limp, a dreamy smile on his face.

Guessed he’d liked the choking after all.

But why the fuck was he still here? I never allowed anyone to stay the night. I must have crashed before kicking him out.

I had things to do today, and I didn’t need him fawning over me, stroking my horns.

“You should go.” I hopped out of bed and grabbed a pair of silk lounge trousers from the wardrobe.

“Aw, can’t we go again?” I turned to him, trying hard not to let my anger show.

“You. Should. Go.” His face paled.

Sometimes, the devil in me slipped out at the most inopportune moment, and this was one of them. I wasn’t trying to scare him, but as he scrambled from the bed and ran from the room, half-dressed, I knew I’d failed.

It didn’t matter. One of the boys would catch hold of him before he left and sort it out. Either wipe his memory or some shit. Either way, he’d forget the night he’d spent here.

I’d forgotten it already.

I hated mornings, rarely rising before midday, but today it was barely ten. No wonder I felt restless. The sex had been disappointing, and I’d only managed five hours of sleep. Hopefully, the day improved.

I brewed some coffee and looked out over the Liverpool skyline from my apartment above the casino. Another wet and dreary day. It was times like this I missed the heat of hell. I could go back, I supposed, but it was no fun there anymore.

All that weeping and wailing and there was nothing to do there.

At least here I could play with the humans. Everyone needed a hobby.

Except boredom was setting in. I had everything I wanted. Expensive cars, jewellery, designer clothes, top-class prostitutes. There was nothing I wanted for.

So why did I feel this way?

The casino was doing well, making me more money than I knew what to do with. Perhaps it was time, time to move on, time to make some changes.

It was worth thinking about.

A knock on the apartment door brought me out of my head.

“Come in.”

My second in command, Conrad, walked in. At six feet ten and three hundred pounds, he towered above everyone. No one messed with him.

“Did you see him out?” Why did I care?

“I did, boss, but you need to stop showing them the other side of you. Makes it harder for us to wipe the memory.”

I shrugged. “He deserved it. He didn’t go when I told him to. What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Nothing much other than the usual running of the casino.”

“You mean we don’t need to torture anyone today?”

“Sorry, boss. Just the usual shite.”

“Well, that’s fucking boring. Can’t we smite anyone today?”

Conrad laughed, a booming sound that rattled the windows.

“We could take a trip to purgatory. That’s always fun.”

I blew out a breath. “Not sure I can be arsed.”

I’d never felt so lethargic and, well, pointless. Occasionally, I longed for the old days of death and destruction.

You’d think being the Dark Lord or Prince of Darkness, things would be far more entertaining than they were, but frankly, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“We could always go cause some mayhem somewhere.”

I smiled wickedly. “Let me get dressed.”

We’d arrived at our destination in minutes. Being the devil had its perks, and I could travel to anywhere in the blink of an eye. Any part of the world, above or below.

Dressing for battle, I’d donned my black cargo trousers, black long-sleeved top, and black Doc Martens.

Conrad wore his suit, and while he didn’t possess as much as me in the way of powers or ability, he was a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.

Chaos reigned in the little-known country in Europe, intent on overthrowing its government. We stood for a moment and observed, imperceptible to the masses surrounding us.

“What do you think?” I asked him. Had we arrived a little late to start the war?

“Looks like they started without us.” He sounded disappointed.

“Yeah, fancy that. We could still have a little fun, though. How about we torch the place?” I watched with glee as men and women alike laid into the government soldiers, knocking them to the ground and swarming them. Death and destruction. That was what this called for.

“What? No. We’re not going to do that today.”

“Such a fucking spoilsport. I suppose you want to pick a side.”

Admittedly, we had no interested parties in this conflict, no allegiance with either side. Did we pick the underdog or side with the government?

“Let’s toss for it.” Conrad took a coin out of his pocket, the one we always used when faced with an impossible decision.

I’d had it specially made, horns on one side, a pointed tail on the other.

“Heads for government, tails for the people.”

Still invisible amidst the sea of people, he tossed the coin high into the air and let it land on the floor.

We bent to see the result, our heads bumping.

“Jeez, watch the horns, boss.” Conrad straightened and rubbed his head.

“It’s tails.” I held the coin for him to see. “Let’s get to it.”

We never actually got our hands dirty. That wasn’t our way, but with the power of suggestion, the tide that had turned in favour of the government slowly ebbed away.

For each government soldier who stood, we infiltrated their minds, instilling the notion that the government was bad, but revolution was better.

As each one looked to the capital and the palace where their president lived, we took that as a victory for the people.

Slowly their numbers grew until a sea of people marched in rebellion, intent on taking back their country and land.

Okay, so this time we were probably doing good here, but it wasn’t always the case. In fact, most of the time, we did it for fun because we could, with no care for how evil we were.

I was the devil, for fuck’s sake.

And those who died? Well, we sent their souls to hell. May they rest in peace.

As much as we’d had fun today, it wasn’t enough.

We’d been here all of two hours, and already boredom was setting in again.

“Do you ever think there’s more to life than this?”

Conrad and I sat atop a hill, watching the revolution unfold.

He shrugged, his wide shoulder knocking into mine.

“Why do you ask that? What’s wrong with you?”

He was my second in command but also my best mate, and we’d been together for the best part of five hundred years. Being the Lord of Darkness was sometimes lonely. Not everyone understood me.

Conrad did.

I’d watched him in battle, a formidable opponent, only to be killed by his betrothed in a cowardly fashion while he slept.

Good old poison.

I’d seen a need for his services, got an idea where he could assist me, and made him an offer he ultimately couldn’t refuse.

The rest, as they say, was history.

I sighed heavily and lay back, my hands laced behind my head, my ankles crossed.

“I’m bored with everything. Nothing excites me anymore. Remember years ago we’d cause wars and disasters? What do we do these days? Fuck all.”

“You have the perfect life. You have money and looks. You live a charmed life, even. No boss to answer to, and don’t get me started on your sex life.” He ticked each one off on his fingers.

It was true. I’d had sex with anyone I’d wanted to, and a few I hadn’t, but sometimes the urge was all consuming, and if it was offered on a plate, who was I to refuse?

I drove the best cars, owned houses, private jets, and yachts. I did what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted. Yes, I had no one to answer to, but it wasn’t enough.

“What do you do when you’re not with me?”

“I’m always with you. You’re my boss. I take care of you.”

“No, but when I’m asleep or in the basement or the bedroom, surely you’re not hanging around outside waiting for me to finish.”

“Well, no.”

“So, what do you do?”

“I restore cars and… Nah, I can’t say it.”

“Go on. You can tell me. I’m not gonna laugh.” I was genuinely interested. Maybe it was something I could do too.

“I brew beer.”

I sat up quickly.

“Beer? You brew beer?”

“See, this is why no one tells you things.”

“What? People tell me things all the time.”

“Yes, when you’re torturing them, but how much do you know about any of the staff at the casino?”

I drew my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them as I watched the scene below us. I knew nothing about anyone, but then I didn’t need to. Did I?

The thing was, no one feared me anymore. People should bow down at my feet like the olden days, except no one did. Devil worship wasn’t outdated, but there was so much more to occupy people these days.

Back in the day, there was no TV, no gaming consoles, and no mobile phones. Now, there were so many more options.

I longed for days gone by. Days where darkness ruled the world. Days where I was worshipped and feared. Days where the mere thought of me struck terror into the hearts of all. It seemed people were immune to the horrors I wrought, seeing it all in movies and TV shows.

At least addiction was still a thing, one I wholeheartedly supported with my gambling business.

Maybe that was my problem. I’d gone soft, but try as I might, the abject terror people used to feel when faced with me didn’t happen anymore.

Those not in the know thought the horns were a marketing ploy. Only my closest staff—most of them handpicked by Conrad—knew the truth.

But those who crossed me felt my wrath, saw a side to me that terrified the skin from their bones, and if they didn’t, I’d make them regret their poor choices over and over again until there was nothing left.

I was the devil.

“I’m not one to mingle, Conrad.”

“Ha. Understatement of the year. No one expects you to mingle. You’re the boss.”

“Do you have a wife? A significant other?”

“Dear God.”

“Don’t say his name. You know we’re not on the best of terms.”

“Sorry, habit.”

The big man and I were not the closest of friends, as you could imagine.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

He gazed into the distance.

“Conrad?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” He got to his feet and brushed the dirt from his trousers. “Looks like this is about done. We’d best get back.”

I stood and placed my hand on his shoulder.

“I guess some things you never recover from.”

He grunted, and I activated the portal.

By the time we returned to the casino, it was midday, and we were about to open the doors. Most establishments around here operated twenty-four hours a day, but I couldn’t be arsed with that.

Midday to two a.m. was more than enough. Gamblers flooded through our doors every day of the week, and I made more money than I knew what to do with.

I was fucking rich, and if you worked for me, kept on my good side, you’d never be left wanting either. After all, money was the root of all evil.

“What’s next, boss?”

“For you? Nothing. I’m going back to bed. I want to be up later to oversee. You could take the night off.”

“Nah, I’ll be back later. I’ll grab some shuteye. Be back for eight.”

He walked out of the casino, and I went back up to my apartment.

As I walked inside, I screwed up my nose. I’d need to get rid of the smell of sex and booze. Otherwise, I’d never get to sleep.

A maid came by every day, but I couldn’t wait. Once done, I showered, climbed into bed, and closed the electric blinds until the room was pitch black.

Several hours later, I woke, changed into my usual attire of a black suit and tie, and made my way down to the floor.

I nodded at Conrad, who stood at his habitual place by the front door, and I walked to my favourite spot by the bar.

“Whiskey on the rocks.” Like I needed to ask. It was the same drink I had every night.

I sipped my drink while I observed the floor. Plenty in tonight, including a rowdy bunch of men who’d need keeping an eye on.

I didn’t need to say anything into the comms we all wore. Several of my men already approached them.

We’d not kick them out. Not yet anyway, but at the first sign of trouble, they’d be on their arses out of the door.

And if they resisted, well, some of them might find their way down to the basement. It would depend on my mood and how generous I was feeling.

Or how evil. The two were interchangeable at any point.

But they behaved, and at eleven, most were beyond drunk and left with no incident.

Well, fuck.

There went another chance to liven up my night.

The rest of the evening passed quietly, much to my disgust. No one caught my eye, so no repeat performance from last night.

Something needed to change, something needed to happen, and at this point, I’d settle for anything.

Chapter three

Austin

The shop was right where Google said it would be, at the junction of Somerset Road and Glyne Place.

How had I never seen it before? I’d been down this road countless times, yet walked past it every single time.

I stood in front of the gloss red door, the shiny brass knob sparkling in the morning sunlight.

Tentatively, I approached, my hand slick as I twisted the knob. It turned with ease. I slowly pushed the door open, the creak loud in the quiet.

I stepped into the store, and my eyes gradually adjusted to the dim interior.

The shop was cavernous, much bigger than it looked from the outside. Tall cabinets containing glass bottles of every hue lined the walls, and the wooden floor bore scuff marks and scratches from shoes and boots.

Old tomes piled on bookshelves full of cobwebs threatened to topple at the slightest breeze. I sneezed as a cloud of dust spiralled in the air, floating down to settle again on the glass counters.

The smell of incense filled the air, a heavy, cloying fragrance reminding me of a childhood spent at Mass in ancient churches.

“Can I help you, son?” I whirled around, almost losing my balance, but a firm hand steadied me. Where the hell had he come from?

A strangely dressed man had appeared at my side, towering over me. His top hat added inches to his already impressive height. His origin was unclear. Clean shaven with obsidian eyes that glinted in the store spotlights and jet-black hair, he looked Asian but, on closer inspection, gave hints of a Mediterranean heritage.

He was like no one I’d ever seen.

A jolt of electricity surged through me, and I jumped. A knowing smile flitted across his face. He released me, walked to the counter, and pulled out a box from beneath it.

He rummaged around inside it, mumbling, digging out knickknacks of all shapes and sizes. He inspected each one meticulously, then shook his head and put them to one side.

I’d still not said a word, mesmerised by the man and what he was doing. Was he The Owner?

A steady pile of items grew on the smooth wooden counter.

“A-ha!” He held a shimmering object aloft. “Here it is.”

He offered it to me, and I took it, a little anxious about what it might be.

“What’s this? A casino chip?” I flipped it over and over in my fingers until it finally rested in my palm. Well, if this wasn’t a sign, I didn’t know what was.

The chip pulsed, and the heat radiating from it warmed my hand. It glowed, getting redder by the second, and the heat became too intense, unbearable, but as much as it burnt, I couldn’t let it go. Panic set in and my heart raced, fear slowly turning to relief as it cooled.

I looked pleadingly at the shop owner, who regarded me with a grin.

“Yes. I knew it. That’s what you came for.”

Honestly, I’d come here with no idea what I was looking for other than help. Curiosity had driven me to seek the shop and step inside.

I’d assumed I’d need to explain my wants to The Owner, but it seemed he’d known my needs before I did.

“What do I do with it?”

Was it priceless? The casino chip looked old, covered in scratches, with a small nick on the edge.

“Use it. What would you usually do with a casino chip?” He frowned.

“Gamble with it?”

He tilted his head. “Maybe? Or maybe it’s just an amulet. Protection? Assurance? What do you think you need it for?”

What did he mean by that? I’d come here on a whim, not expecting anything. Grandpa had been right, but he’d said nothing more.

“How much do I owe you?” Did I need to pay?

The chip couldn’t be worth much in its current state.

The man shrugged. “You’ll pay when the time is right.”

I looked down at the chip sitting in my palm. It no longer glowed and was now cool to the touch. As much as it had burnt my skin, it had left no marks.

“But wait. I have something else.”

He pulled a pack of cards from his waistcoat, a strange-looking deck like nothing I’d seen before.

“What are those?”

He shuffled the cards quickly, split the deck several times, and fanned them out on the counter.

“Tarot. Choose a card.”

“I’m not into parlour tricks.”

“I assure you this is no parlour trick. Humour me, young man.”

Where was that accent from? I couldn’t place it.

The backs were black, silver stars twinkling, blinking on and off the more I gazed at them. Did one call to me more than another?

I reached out my hand, then pulled it back again. This was stupid.

“Take a card. What harm can it do?” He smiled broadly.

Ah, fuck it. If it kept him happy.

I snatched a card from the counter and held it to my chest.

“Hmm, being coy. What are you expecting to see?”

“Something that’ll bring me luck.”

He tilted his head. “I think you have that already. I sense something in you, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Human parents?”

“What? Of course. What else would they be?”

“I’m just commenting on what I feel. What I sense from you. If you say so, young man. Now let’s look at your card.”

I pulled the corner back and sneaked a peek. What the actual fuck?

I presented it to him.

Of course it was the Devil.

“Ah, so many questions. So many answers. So much in your future.”

“Good or bad?”

He sucked in a breath. “I can’t tell you that. It’s not what this card is about.”

“What is it, then? What does it mean?”

“In a nutshell? Addiction, obsession, secrecy, cheating, sexuality, entrapment. The list is endless and so much more.”

Nothing to do with Dante, then. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not. Even so, the card’s description didn’t sound good.

“I get the impression that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

I didn’t know what I’d been expecting from my visit. Certainly not a tarot card or the casino chip now sitting in my coat pocket.

“I’m not sure what I wanted. For a start, I didn’t know if this shop was even real. My grandpa used to tell me stories.”

“Ah yes. I remember him well.”

“What? How could…” That lying old man. Wait until I got home. I’d be having words.

“Tread carefully,” the man said, his face now serious. “Something bigger is at work here.”

A noise off to the side startled me, and I turned away from him. I thought we’d been alone in the store all this time.

“What do you mean?” The spot he’d been standing was empty. Where in God’s name had he gone to?

The front door swung open, a flurry of leaves blowing in. That seemed to be my cue to leave, and I walked out into the street. Chill seeped into my bones.

Not only was the man nowhere to be found, but the shop had gone too. Well, it was still there, just not how it had been mere moments ago.

A boarded-up door replaced the shiny red one, the windows were dirty and cracked, and faded posters peeled as if they’d been hanging on the brick walls for years.

I tried the sticky, dull brass doorknob, but it didn’t budge.

Had I travelled in time?

An improbable and unlikely scenario, but I checked my phone all the same.

Yep, still the same date, but time suggested I’d only just arrived.

“Hey,” I asked a man walking by the now abandoned store, his small dog cocking his leg to pee on a lamppost. “Do you know when this was last open?”

“I don’t ever remember seeing it open. Looked like that for years.” He pulled up his collar, secured his flat cap on his head, and hurried away, dragging the poor dog behind him.

Weird didn’t even cover it, but as I put my hand in my pocket, my fingers touched the rough chip nestled there. I hadn’t imagined it, then.

I shivered and took one last look at the boarded-up store. Nope, too much weirdness for the day.

I ran, putting as much distance between me and the shop as I could.

I finally stopped a few streets away and leant against a wall to catch my breath. Fuck!

I called Joel. “I want to do this job as soon as possible.”

My run-in with The Magic Shop owner had spooked me. He’d known things no one could about me, and when he’d pulled out the Devil card, I had no idea what that meant.

I was no angel, that was true, but a devil? I wasn’t that bad.

“It’s gonna be a couple of days. Pete’s got himself tied up in something and is currently down the nick.”

“Fuck.” I slammed my hand against the wall. Tingles shot up my arm.

“Hey, take it easy. I said a week. It’s been only a day.”

I knew that, but I wanted this one done. The niggling doubt hadn’t gone away. It’d got worse.

Maybe I should back out?

“I think I’m out, Joel. I’ve got a funny feeling about this one.”

“What? Fuck, Austin. We agreed. We’d do three, then be done.”

“Then pick another one. This job has disaster written all over it.”

“No. This is the one we chose. We have the best chance to get as much money as possible from this one. The stakes are always higher at this one. The starting bets are higher. They command a more affluent clientele.”

“And you think we can win?”

“I think you can win. There’s a difference.”

“You put far too much faith in my abilities. I could lose every penny I win.”

“It’s never happened, so why should it this time?”

He had a point, but something didn’t sit right. I knew this was wrong, but how could I let my friends down? When we were much younger, we’d made a blood pact.

We weren’t the four musketeers, none of this all for one, one for all bullshit.

But we’d grown up together. Faced the same problems many had, but we’d chosen to stick together.

They’d never forgive me if I bowed out now, and I was no coward.

“Okay, then I’m still in.” I squeezed my eyes shut. God, hopefully, I didn’t come to regret my decision.

“Good man, good man. I knew you wouldn’t let us down.”

Despite having each other’s backs, I knew Joel couldn’t possibly be the mastermind behind these jobs, as much as he thought he was.

Someone higher must have been pulling his strings. I just didn’t know who. Joel came from a long line of criminals, unlike me.

Grandpa had always been an upstanding citizen, and so had Dad until he’d fucked off and abandoned me.

We’d never known Momma’s family.

The other thing was, I didn’t know what the effects would be of the chip The Magic Shop owner had given me. He’d said nothing other than it could help me.

And what had he meant about paying when the time was right?

When in fuck’s name would I know the right time?

The chip buzzed, a faint throb in my pocket.

“Austin?” Joel’s voice brought me back to the present.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Let me know when it’s going down. I’m on my way to work now. I’m in until late, so I won’t be around until midday tomorrow. We need to do this one sooner rather than later.”

“I get ya. Gotta go.”

And with that, he was gone.

I hurried to work, cutting it close. I usually arrived a good fifteen minutes before my shift started. Not today, though. I’d be lucky to get there on time. I rushed through the door and removed my coat.

“You’re late today,” Amber said.

“Yeah, had to make a quick pit stop. Took longer than I thought.”

“Well, you’d best get to it. Patrick’s not in the best of moods today.”

I didn’t need telling twice, and nodded to my boss, who glared at me.

The day passed without incident, but the chip in my coat pocket kept calling me, an invisible bond forged, a constant reminder of where I’d been this morning and what was on the horizon.

Several times, Amber had to raise her voice or nudge me to get my attention. I was too preoccupied with the whys and wherefores of what was coming. Like a storm brewing in the distance, a sense of dread filled me, and for the first time in forever, doubts crept in.

I didn’t want to let my friends down, but the thought this could all go tits up sat heavily in my gut.

And what would happen to Grandpa if I got caught? He’d have no one. Who’d look after him if I couldn’t take care of it before the job went down?

“What’s wrong, Austin? You’re distracted.” It wasn’t the first time she’d asked, but what could I tell her?

That I was about to go swindle the biggest casino around and hoped it didn’t all go to shit. Not to mention, I could be leaving my grandpa with nothing.

Things were getting out of hand, and the feeling of being trapped in a situation I couldn’t escape from grew stronger and stronger. But I’d committed to do the job. I had no idea where Joel sat in all this, but if I dropped out, I could be upsetting the wrong people.

Out of the frying pan into the fire, or maybe it was the jaws of hell.

Only time would tell. Right now, I had a shift to finish. I smiled at the next customer and tried to put the worrying thoughts from my mind.

After closing, Amber and I sat with a cold drink, resting our legs. Patrick was off in his office, putting the takings in the safe. Thankfully, he left us alone.

“What’s going on with you? I’ve never seen you like this. Is Stan okay?”

For now, yes. A deep sense of foreboding settled in my chest.

“He’s fine. Look.” I paused, swirling the ice in my glass, “if anything ever happened to me, would you look after him until I get back?”

“What the fuck, Austin? You’re scaring me.”

“Everything’s fine. I just worry what’ll happen to him if I’m not around.”

“It’s those guys you hang with, isn’t it? You know they’re trouble. What are you mixed up in?”

“Nothing, I swear. I could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow, and then where would he be?”

She didn’t look convinced, and for a split second, I regretted mentioning it to her.

She reached across the table and took my hand. “I don’t know what you’ve got yourself into, but take care of yourself, please. You’re my best friend.”

“And you’re mine. Just… look after him, okay?”

We said no more about it, but I could tell my words had shaken her, and when we said good night, she looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

I wiped a tear with my thumb and drew her in for a hug.

“It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

“If only I believed you.” And with that, she retreated into the darkness of the night.

If only I believed me too.

Chapter four

Austin

The next couple of days, I spent on a knife’s edge. I heard nothing from Joel, yet somehow I managed to get through each day.

I’d confronted Grandpa about the store again, but he’d smiled and sipped his tea. Frustrating old goat.

I carried the chip with me everywhere, even though I was not entirely sure what I expected it to do.

What had the man said? Use it for protection or assurance? I didn’t think I needed protection, but maybe an assurance that I wouldn’t be detected. That I’d be able to fly under the radar, go unnoticed.

As that thought settled in my mind, subtle changes began to happen. I’d be ignored in a line of people. Not that unusual, but when you were at the front of a queue, and they addressed the person behind you, not once but twice, that was weird.

The moment I spoke up, a look of surprise would appear on their faces, and they would mutter an apology, saying they hadn’t seen me. Maybe there was something to this after all.

I tested out my theory, starting small with some petty shoplifting, stealing from right beneath their noses.

As long as I didn’t speak, it worked, and I amassed a pile of chocolate bars, cans of soda, and anything else that took my fancy.

Even Grandpa failed to notice me a couple of times when I walked into the house, but the moment I removed my coat with the chip in the pocket, he’d look at me puzzled, then back to the door.

“I didn’t hear you come in.”

And when the chip wasn’t on me, he could see me. Maybe this could work.

I’d walked past the abandoned shop several times since visiting and not once had it looked like when I first saw it. The dull door didn’t morph into glossy red with a shiny brass knob. I must have imagined the whole thing, but the constant pulse of the chip in my pocket told a different story.

Slowly my confidence grew, and that gnawing doubt I’d been carrying around for the best part of a week faded, replaced with cautious optimism.

This could actually work.

One more test and I’d be happy.

Joel had called a meeting. I slipped on my light jacket, the chip tucked into the inside pocket. The last thing I needed to do was lose it.

I let myself into his house and strolled through to the open plan lounge and dining room where we’d held our meetings.

Pete and Freddie were already there, along with another man I’d not seen before.

Seemingly undetected, I listened as he spoke quietly to Joel.

“This Austin. He can get us what we want, yes?”

“I told you. He’s the real deal. It’s like he’s a walking lucky charm.”

“You’d better not be lying to me.”

“Uncle, why would I lie to you? He can get away with anything, probably even murder.”

“Well, let’s not go that far, but once this job is done, there’ll be plenty more needing doing. We could do with someone like him on the payroll.”

What the fuck? That was not what we’d decided on. This would be our last job. We’d all agreed, but as tempted as I was to walk straight back out the door and away from it all, I stepped closer.

Maybe I could work this to my advantage. If I could hide from everyone else, then why not Joel’s uncle?

“Where the fuck is Austin?” Pete walked right by me into the kitchen and returned with a couple more beers for him and Freddie.

“He said he’d be here. Don’t fret.”

I’d get no more information from hiding. Time to make myself known. I walked back to the front door, took off my coat, and hung it over the end of the banister.

“Hey, what have I missed?” I grabbed Pete’s beer and took a swig.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Pete asked.

“I had to run a few errands for Stan.” I turned to Joel’s uncle. “And who are you? I thought it was just the four of us meeting today.”

“Oh, this is Uncle Nick,” Joel said.

I offered him my hand, but as his sweaty palm touched mine, a shudder ran through me. Fat, pudgy fingers gripped my hand and squeezed. If he wanted a pissing contest, he’d get one, and I squeezed harder, all the while staring into his piggy eyes.

Why had I never met him before? I’d known Joel for years but never once had I met ‘Uncle Nick’.

“What’s he doing here?” I released his hand and slouched in the easy chair by the window, my leg slung over the arm. No way was I letting them see how rattled I was.

“Uncle Nick has an interest in this next job.”

“Maybe he should get someone to do it, then. I’m not giving up any of my share.”

“No one’s asking you to,” Uncle Nick said, but I didn’t believe one word.

“Then what’s his interest?” I refused to address him and talked to Joel directly.

“Don’t sweat it, man. Just do your stuff, which is why I called the meeting. We… I… thought about what you said about doing it on a busy night when you’d be less noticeable. With that in mind, we’re a go for Saturday.”

Fuck, that didn’t give me much time. It was Thursday already. It wasn’t impossible, though, and the sooner we got it done, the sooner I’d be out of here.

“Pete will sit outside in the car, waiting. Freddie and I will come in with you and keep watch, and if we see any of the goons coming for you, we’ll head them off. You just need to do your stuff. Move around so you don’t win too much at each table.”

“I know what I’m doing.” This wasn’t the first time I’d done this. Although the stakes were much higher this time.

The plan, as always, was I’d hand off the chips to Freddie and Joel so I never had too many at the table. We never wanted to draw unwanted attention. This casino was so big I could play most of the tables without arousing suspicion.

Having the magic chip would help me blend in so much more, and the anxiety I’d experienced a week ago had calmed until it was now a small inconvenience.

I was more worried about Grandpa.

“I’ve organised for my guys to go in and generally cause some mayhem. Rowdy drunks, that kind of thing. It’ll hopefully take any attention away from you.” Seemed Nick had more than a passing interest in our next heist.

“I’m sure we’ll manage. We did the last two times.”

“He’s only trying to help, Austin. Let him.” Joel’s wariness of the man standing next to him was patently obvious in his stance and tone.

I had no such reverence for the man.

“Let’s get this sorted, then. I have other plans I need to make.” Namely getting Grandpa out of here.

While Joel droned on for another half an hour, I never once took my eyes off Nick. Now I knew what he was up to, I was determined to get the job done and skedaddle before I could be brought onto the payroll.

My task was easy enough. As long as I had the chip, it should be a piece of cake. The confidence that had deserted me earlier in the week had returned, and I had no doubt I could achieve what we’d set out to do.

Yes, I could have walked away from it. Any sensible person would have, but pride, cockiness, call it what you will, prevented me from doing that.

This was a chance to get out, out of this life, out of Liverpool. The money we’d earned from the last two jobs was probably more than enough, but until this one was done, I’d not see a penny.

One more reason to stick around.

Saturday came around quicker than I wanted it to, and I’d not managed to do everything I’d planned. Nerves set me on edge all day, and I’d snapped at Grandpa for spilling his tea, then felt bad about it and eventually made him his favourite meal.

Chicken pie and chips.

“I’m out this evening. Sandra from next door is going to come in and make sure you get to bed all right.”

Thank heavens for Sandra. She helped out when I had to work late, and as far as both of them were concerned, that was where I’d be this evening.

“You’re all dressed up. You sure you don’t have a date?”

“No date. I thought I’d make an effort tonight.”

He eyed me suspiciously, and I didn’t blame him. I never dressed like this for work. At least I’d forgone the fancy suit.

Sandra turned up at seven thirty on the dot and sat chatting with him while I finished. I slipped on my coat and patted the pocket, checking the chip was still there.

I didn’t need to bother. The steady thrum of the chip ran through me.

Remembering how invisible I’d be, I made a point of saying good night to them both and left the house.

“I’m not sure what time I’ll be home, Sandra. Hopefully not too late.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’s okay. Get to work. Don’t want you being late.”

That put my mind at ease. A little.

I stepped out into the cold evening, my breath misting before me, and hurried to Joel’s house. We were planning on going in Pete’s car, grabbing a few drinks first, and then making our way to Temptation.

I wondered, not for the first time, if I’d see Dante there. His image had not left my mind since seeing it one week previously.

Maybe subconsciously, and that was another reason I’d not pulled out.

While the others knocked back their drinks, I nursed my soft drink for the best part of an hour. I preferred to be in control, and alcohol would only dull my instincts. I needed to be sharp, keep my wits about me, or else it could all end in disaster.

What was keeping me here? Absolutely nothing stopped me from getting up and walking out. Loyalty and friendship tethered me to these men in a way most people wouldn’t understand. Despite their faults, they were my adopted family, and I wouldn’t let them down.

Soon enough it was time, and I drove us to the casino parking close enough should we need to make a run for it but far enough away not to rouse suspicion.

Pete slipped into the driving seat. Joel, Freddie, and I walked up to the impressive building with the name Temptation in red capital letters on the facade.

“Holy fuck.” Freddie voiced what I’d been thinking.

Enormous glass-and-black doors led to an ornately decorated foyer, done in gold and red so bright it hurt my eyes.

“I think we’re in the right place.” Joel’s dry comment broke the tension, and we all laughed.

A redheaded woman greeted us. “Gentlemen, welcome to Temptation. Please check in your coats. I wish you a wonderful and lucky evening.”

Shit. The chip was in my jacket pocket. I’d need to transfer it without anyone seeing.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said and scurried to the men’s room.

I locked myself into a stall and leant against the door, breathing deeply. I slipped the chip into my shoe. A lot of these places patted you down before allowing you in. I’d spotted some security monitors in the hallway before the main casino and some pretty hefty men standing guard.

This place wasn’t messing around when it came to security.

I flushed the toilet and took another deep breath.

It was now or never.

Smiling at the cloakroom assistant, I checked in my coat and tucked the ticket into my pocket.

A behemoth of a man stood by the security barrier. He had to be at least six feet eight, maybe taller. He had dark hair tied in a low ponytail, and a black jacket stretched across an impressive back. We wouldn’t stand a chance against him if anything went wrong.

I’d just have to make sure it didn’t.

One of his colleagues wafted a wand in our general direction and waved us through into the main room.

The low, black ceiling gave it an intimate feel. The small lights set into it made it look like the night sky. It also bore a striking resemblance to the back of the tarot cards I’d seen earlier in the week. Our feet sank into a thick, black carpet. This wasn’t at all like the last few casinos we’d been in. This had money written all over it. Everywhere we looked screamed wealth from the deep green leather chairs to the subdued lighting.

A long bar ran the length of the room, and smartly dressed bartenders served drinks to patrons, dressed up to the nines.

I looked over at Joel and Freddie. Yup, I’d been correct in my assumption they’d look totally out of place. At least I looked halfway decent.

“Right. Let’s grab a drink and get started. Which table do you want to visit first?”

I looked around, and my heart stopped for a moment.

Dante.

He looked even better in the flesh, and as he walked by, his alluring scent wafted over me. I wanted to follow him and bury my nose in his neck. He was taller than I’d anticipated and so much bigger built in person.

“Austin. Let’s go.” Joel pulled on my sleeve.

“What? Yeah, of course.”

I needed to forget him and concentrate on the task at hand, namely stealing from him.

“I’ll start with roulette.” It was always an easy starter, and most newbie players played it.

Funny, but although I could feel the chip in my shoe, I couldn’t feel it. The buzzing sensation when I carried it was missing. What did that mean? I couldn’t afford to worry about it now. I had work to do.

“Let’s get started. As soon as we can, we fuck off out of here.”

I walked towards the roulette table, my insides quaking.

There was no turning back. It was now or never.

Chapter five

Dante

“Who is he?” For almost an hour, I’d watched the man sitting at the blackjack table, his furtive glances leaving me in no doubt what he was doing.

“We don’t know, boss,” Conrad said. “He’s never been here before.”

He was young, but then, compared to me, everyone was. Mid to late twenties, with dark curly hair. Slim, from what I could tell, pale arms resting on the green table.

“How much has he won?” I steepled my fingers and watched him intently on the CCTV.

“Hard to tell without counting it, but he’s won at every table he’s visited. He looks to have accomplices. Seems he’s handing off chips to them before sitting at the next table. They’re cashing them in, taking it in turns, then pocketing the cash.”

“Is he counting cards?” Hmm, winning all the time relied on an enormous amount of luck. That or magic, but sensors on the doors usually alerted us to any trinket or artefact and disabled them before they could make it to the floor. I’d made sure of that. No one was cheating me out of my money.

Except this guy clearly was. But how the fuck was he doing it?

Intrigued as I was, I should put a stop to it.

I watched for a few more minutes as he raked in the chips. He took a sip from a glass next to him and licked his lips. Something shifted inside me, but I pushed it down.

“Why did it take us so long to spot him?”

“There’s been multiple altercations this evening. Seems like every drunk has come out of the woodwork. We’ve had our work cut out trying to keep them under control before throwing them out.”

“A distraction?”

“Possibly. What do you want us to do with him?”

“I want you to pick off his accomplices, one by one, and take them to the basement. Let’s see what he does then.”

The basement was where I did some of my best work. No one escaped, and many didn’t leave alive. The majority found out that crossing me wasn’t in their best interest.

A thrill ran through me at the thought. Finally, something to do, worthy of my name. It had been too long, or so it seemed.

Conrad left, and I watched the man. He won the next hand and the next but lost the one after. He must’ve done that on purpose so as not to be noticed, but it was too late for that. He had my full attention.

Tempted as I was to allow him to continue winning, his lucky streak needed to end.

At the edge of the screen, Conrad silently extricated his friends with barely a scuffle, leaving him alone and unprotected.

“Do you want us to remove him now, boss?” Conrad asked over the comms.

“No. I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Leave him for a while. Are the other two secure?”

“In the basement. Waiting for you.”

I’d have some fun with them. The money meant nothing. I had more than enough. It was the principle of the matter. No one stole from me, and that cheating low-life was stealing from me.

No way could I let that go unpunished. I had a reputation to uphold, and if others found out it could be done, people would follow in their footsteps. A message needed to be sent.

His agitation showed as he looked around for his friends. He shifted in his seat, turning this way and that.

He said something to the dealer and threw his cards onto the table, then collected the stack of chips in front of him and stood.

I switched the camera view and followed his progress through the main room towards the foyer. If I wanted to catch him, I needed to make my move.

“Conrad, I’m on my way. Don’t let him leave.”

Fortunately, my office wasn’t far, and within a couple of minutes, I’d reached the foyer. Conrad stood off to the side, not interfering.

The man in question was at the coat check, flustered.

“No, that’s not my coat either. Look, you must have put the wrong number on my coat. It’s black, not brown.”

“Excuse me. Would you like to come with me?” I placed my hand on his shoulder, and he turned to face me. A flush reached his cheeks.

“I, erm, just need my coat. My friends are waiting for me outside.”

“I think we both know that’s not true. I’m not exactly sure how you’ve been doing it, but you and I need to talk.”

His shoulders slumped, and his chin dropped to his chest in defeat. He knew the game was up.

I nodded to Conrad and led the thief to a doorway down to the basement.

“How did you do it?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh, I think you do. I can hear your heart racing.”

“Yours would race too if someone had accosted you when all you were trying to do was get your coat, find your friends, and go home.”

He had a point, but I smelt the fear radiating from him. It nourished me, feeding a part of me I’d neglected for far too long.

I’d become apathetic. Everything had become too much effort, which for me was unheard of.

Modern life made everything far too easy, and maybe that was my problem.

“What do you want, and where are you taking me?”

The time to talk was over, and I ushered him through dimly lit corridors and down stairwells into the heart of the casino, a place not many knew about. Only Conrad and a few trusted employees were aware of its existence.

“I have to get back to my grandpa. He’ll be waiting for me.”

The worry in his voice was palpable, and his heart rate increased. An interesting fact, which I tucked away for use later on. This would not be a quick telling-off.

He and his friends had stolen from me, and they would receive their just punishment, however I saw fit.

I’d not decided yet how I’d play this. Someone needed to be taught a lesson, but was it this guy, or was someone else running the show?

After several more flights of stairs, we arrived at a door protected by a keypad.

I entered the twelve-digit number known only to me and Conrad. No one could enter here without one of us.

The door swung open, revealing a dark grey, spacious room. I felt more at home here than upstairs in the casino.

“Austin, thank God.” One man tied to the chair looked up, relief in his eyes.

So that was his name. Not that I cared. Knowing his name wouldn’t make me show him any leniency.

He struggled against my grip, trying to remove his elbow from my grasp, but that would never work. I was stronger than him in more ways than one.

“Don’t fight me. You’ll only make it worse for you and for them.” But I released him and forced him to the floor.

Conrad followed me and closed the door with a resounding click.

“Need a hand, boss?”

“Tie him to a chair with the others.”

I sat behind the only desk in the room and fired up my computer as Conrad tied Austin to the chair and tightened the ropes holding the other two men.

“So, who’s going to talk first?” I asked.

Silence filled the room. It didn’t matter. I had all day and night if it came to it. I didn’t need sleep, but no doubt these three would at some point.

Conrad sat on the sofa and got out his phone. We could both play the waiting game. We were no strangers to this.

Seconds passed, then minutes, and still no one spoke.

I browsed the internet, trying to find out who these men were, but other than a few minor offences, their records didn’t show anything on this scale.

Interesting that the one known as Austin had nothing, not even a parking ticket.

But it was clear to me they had an agenda.

I sent a few stills from the CCTV to another couple of casino owners, and sure enough, they’d pulled the same stunt there.

The estimated haul was just under three-quarters of a million.

“Empty their pockets.”

I walked towards the trio, the smell of their combined sweat assaulting my senses.

Conrad dug deep into the first man’s pockets and pulled out a stack of chips and plaques. Emptying the others revealed cash, but not that much. Maybe we’d got it wrong? Misread the whole situation, but my gut told me I hadn’t.

He did the same with the other guy, who carried much the same. Adding it up, it only came to about £200,000. Pocket change for me and not illegal, yet I knew deep down their intention was to win more.

“Now him.” I pointed to Austin.

But before Conrad could place a hand on him, I stopped him.

“Actually, I’ll do this one.” The thought of Conrad touching him aggravated me in a way I couldn’t explain.

I bent in front of Austin and looked deep into his eyes. Something was different about him. I couldn’t pinpoint what.

He couldn’t move, his arms bound behind the chair, and I slowly slid my hands into his pockets.

They were full of chips and some higher denomination plaques. He’d not had a chance to cash these in and was leaving the casino when I apprehended him.

I took them to my desk and laid them out. Most were high-value chips, totalling thirty thousand pounds. Twelve five-thousand-pound plaques gave him another sixty. Still not a huge amount, but at our casino, we carried plaques worth £25,000. He had ten of these.

“How did you win all this?” I walked back to him.

Every casino’s goal was to take money from the customers. No matter how hard they tried, the odds of someone winning big were small. If we hadn’t spotted them, they’d have walked out with over half a million pounds. I couldn’t let that happen.

But I was more concerned about who was stealing from me.

“Who put you up to this?”

“I’m telling you nothing. We just wanted to win some money.” I spun on my heel and faced the one called Joel.

“You think you can come in here and steal my money?” My temperature rose, a sure sign of my annoyance, but I needed to keep calm if I wanted more information.

“Not stealing if we won it fair and square.” Joel’s list of criminal records was the longest, but his transgressions were still only petty shit. Something didn’t fit.

“Well, Joel.” He paled. “Ordinarily, I would agree with you. People come here and win all the time. Sometimes big money, but I have this feeling that your intention”—I pointed to the three of them—“was to steal from me, and I have to ask why.”

“I’m not telling you shit.” I was on the right track, all right.

“Austin here. I watched him for a while, and no one wins that consistently. Not at blackjack nor at roulette. The odds are always stacked in the dealer’s favour. No doubt the other footage we have of him will show him winning consistently on other tables too.”

What was it about him? Something was masking him from me, not exactly hiding but muddying the waters. I couldn’t get a read on him.

“He’s just lucky,” the other guy, Freddie, said.

“No. Lucky is winning on a scratch card. Lucky is putting your hand in your pocket and finding a twenty-pound note. Lucky is finding that priceless heirloom in your attic.”

I stood before Austin and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. Definitely something. I opened them again and scanned his face, looking for any clue that would tell me what he was. He appeared human.

“You are an enigma,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.

“And you are in my face.” He jerked forward, but I jumped back out of his reach.

“Now, now, Austin. Play nicely.”

I’d had enough for the moment and settled back behind my desk. Conrad took up his usual spot on the sofa, and we sat in silence, letting them stew.

“You can’t keep us here,” Joel said.

He was probably right. Legally, they shouldn’t be tied up in my basement, but who was going to bother with a couple of criminals?

“Yeah, you have to let us go,” Freddie said.

I didn’t have to do jack shit. I was the devil and could do what the fuck I wanted. Who was going to stop me?

I didn’t have one ounce of compassion for them and could just as easily snap their necks as look at them.

But where was the fun in that? And I’d not had any fun in a long time.

“People will come looking for us.” Joel was definitely the chatty one.

Austin said nothing and stared ahead, but it was his anxiety I sensed the most. But where the other two feared for their own lives, Austin’s distress was different, more concern than anything. What had he said about a grandpa?

That had to be it.

I could answer them, but why should I? I’d do a little more digging into them, try to track down who thought it was a fucking good idea to steal from me, and mete out a little justice of my own.

Some might argue that, as a casino owner, I have to expect to lose money. I’d agree with that sentiment. That was the thrill for many people.

Beat the banker. Win the money. Break the bank.

Except it didn’t work like that. You might think you were winning, but ultimately, it was the casino that won every time.

I won every time.

So Conrad and I sat in silence, now and then watching the trio squirming uncomfortably on the hard wooden chairs before us.

They’d look at each other, mouthing words I didn’t care about. They could plot and plan all they liked. No one was getting out of here without my say-so.

No, scratch that.

No one was getting out of here.

Chapter six

Austin

Ifucking knew it. I should have listened to my instincts and pulled out this stupid fucking job when Joel first mentioned it.

But misplaced loyalty and greed had kept me here.

If only I’d listened to my gut, but I’d rushed in headlong, my only thought of getting the fuck away from the life I lived.

And what was it with the casino chip? Fat lot of good that had done. I’d be having a word with The Magic Shop owner if I ever got out of here.

But the longer we sat here, the more I doubted that would happen.

Why were we here?

Dante had more than enough money to spare, and we’d managed a paltry half a million. Nowhere near what we’d expected, but then we’d only been here for a few hours. If we hadn’t got caught, we’d have had plenty of time to amass more.

The burning question was how we’d been caught.

I’d tried not to attract too much attention. I’d shifted rooms, played on different tables, never staying at the same one for too long.

It had to be the blackjack table. I’d been so engrossed in the game I’d sat longer than I normally would, and the pile of chips growing in front of me had been begging for more.

What would happen to us? What was his plan for keeping us here?

Why did he care?

Joel and Freddie whispered and nodded to each other. Not sure what they were trying to accomplish.

We were well and truly stuck here, emphasised by the ropes around my wrists cutting deep.

No amount of wriggling my hands had helped to get them free. If anything, they’d tightened them.

“I need to piss,” Freddie said.

The big guy on the sofa didn’t move a muscle, and Dante still sat tapping away on his computer as if we weren’t even in the same room.

“Did you hear me? I need a fucking piss.” Freddie’s voice became louder, but no one moved or acknowledged him.

“Shut it, Freddie,” I said. We were in no position to demand anything, and honestly, I didn’t think these guys cared one way or the other and were content to let us sit for however long they wanted.

They both appeared so calm and collected. I’d bet this wasn’t the first time they’d tied people up here.

Except I’d seen a flash of something on Dante’s face. His orange eyes had glowed.

Despite my circumstances, I was drawn to his beauty.

A raw power simmered beneath the surface, like a beacon calling to me.

What the fuck was that about? I didn’t know. Our circumstances were less than ideal.

“Come on, man. I’m dying here.” Freddie’s pleas fell on deaf ears. What would they do if Freddie pissed himself?

I’d not yet looked around the room, more concerned with our predicament than where they held us.

The room was plain, utilitarian, mid-grey walls giving the impression of being in a box. The only furniture, a desk and a sofa, more than likely served a purpose, but I didn’t want to contemplate what that purpose was. A dip in the grey floor leading to a round drain definitely didn’t bode well.

The door off to the left, flush with the wall, was accessed by a keypad.

Seemed unlikely to be a bathroom.

Jesus, how long would they keep us here?

I’d not made provision for Grandpa other than this evening. Sandra would have gone home, and the carers wouldn’t arrive until morning. Normally, I’d be going home around two a.m. when I finished work. Would Grandpa be okay?

I took a shaky breath. Fuck, we were in deep shite. If Dante had any intention of letting us go, he’d have done it by now. Maybe he was teaching us a lesson, and by morning, he’d be setting us free with a rap on our knuckles and a warning not to do it again.

But that was unlikely, given he’d said nothing for a while now.

“I’m gonna fucking piss myself if you don’t let me go.” Freddie sounded desperate.

“Hold it, man. I told you not to drink so much,” Joel said.

For once, I felt sorry for Freddie, but there was nothing we could do.

“Look, let him go to the bathroom. I don’t want to sit here with the smell of piss in the room,” I said.

Dante tore his eyes away from his screen and looked at me.

“Why do you care? Surely you’ve more important things to think about. Your grandpa, maybe?”

“I beg your pardon.” How did he know I’d been thinking about him?

He switched his gaze back to his computer.

Soon enough, the unmistakable aroma of fresh piss hit my nose and Freddie’s sobs filled the silent room.

“For fuck’s sake, pull yourself together,” Joel murmured. Freddie had always been the weaker of the four of us. Joel invariably looked out for him more than me and Pete. I didn’t mind. Freddie had had a harsh upbringing.

A life of humiliation and parental abuse. It’d been a wonder social services had not removed him, but people like Freddie often slipped through the cracks. It wasn’t like he had been at school long enough for anyone to investigate further anyway.

“Freddie, everything’s going to be all right. A little longer. Be strong,” I whispered.

I shifted. My arse was getting numb from sitting in this stupid fucking chair.

“What do you want from us?” Joel asked.

Dante pushed back his chair, the legs scraping along the cement floor, and walked over to us.

“I want to know who put you up to this. This wasn’t some random job by amateurs. And that’s what you all are. Amateurs. You’re not fit to play in the big leagues. Petty theft, a few assault charges, but nothing on this scale.”

“It was all my idea,” Joel said. “Now let Freddie go.”

“You see, I’d really love to do that, but I know that’s not true. You, my friend, don’t have the brains you were born with. If you did, you wouldn’t have accepted this job. You’d have done the right thing and walked away. But you didn’t, and now you’re sitting before me with a friend who’s pissed himself and another who isn’t quite what he seems.”

“It was me,” he insisted. I’d give him his due. Joel was trying to take the heat from Freddie. Why wasn’t he giving up his uncle?

Dante chuckled. “Do you hear these clowns, Conrad?”

“Sure do, boss.”

“What was you, Joel? Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“It was my idea, okay? Austin can win at anything and never get caught. I thought we could use his talents to win as much money as we could in one night. We already hit two casinos, but we didn’t get enough.”

Jesus, someone needed to shut him up and now.

“So you thought you’d come to mine and what? Steal from me?”

“It’s not stealing if we win it fair and square.”

“And on that, I would agree. But you’ve just said yourself that Austin can win at anything. So by that logic, you were planning on winning money by means that weren’t fair. He is your lucky charm. Take him out of the equation. How much would you have won?”

We all knew the answer to that one. They’d have not won a fraction of what we’d taken home from the first two hauls, nor this one, although we had been nowhere near done before we’d been caught.

This would definitely have been the big one. The one to give us enough to escape.

Except I knew now that had never been Joel’s intention for him or me.

“Tell him about Nick.” I had no loyalty to that man.

“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Who’s Nick?” Dante asked.

“His uncle. Except I don’t think he is,” I said.

“Shut the fuck up, Austin.”

“Why? You had no intention of going anywhere, and what was it your uncle said? We should try to get Austin on the payroll. Don’t think I didn’t hear that.”

“How could you know that? You weren’t even in the house when we talked about that?”

“Don’t you just love dissension in the ranks?” Dante rubbed his hands, a wicked smile on his face. “Grab the popcorn. I’m enjoying this.”

No way I was telling anybody about the chip giving me some kind of invisibility, although right now, that particular benefit seemed to have deserted me.

“I heard enough. Who exactly is Nick? I’ve known you for years, Joel, and I’ve never seen him in your house, not once. Come to think of it, you’ve never mentioned him until recently. Makes me wonder what kind of ‘uncle’ he is.”

Dante rested against his desk, his arms folded, watching our exchange.

“This is so much more interesting than anything on TV. Carry on.”

“I’ve got nothing more to say.” I had no qualms about dropping Nick in it.

“Aw, that’s a shame. Just when it was getting interesting. Anything to add, Joel? I mean, I can easily find out who he is. I have my sources. You were a piece of cake to find, as were your friends. Where’s Pete, by the way? He’s part of your little gang, isn’t he?”

“I’m saying nothing else.” Joel had the same idea as me.

“What about you, Austin? I feel there’s so much more to you than meets the eye.” Dante stared at me intently, and I couldn’t tear my gaze from his. I should feel uncomfortable, scared. I should be begging for him to let me go, but I did nothing.

“I’m nobody. I guess I’m luckier than most.”

“It’s not just luck, though, is it?” He walked towards me and placed his hand on top of my head. “I can feel something in here.”

How was his hand so hot?

Before he’d led me away, I’d slipped on my jacket, and I was glad I had. The room had grown chilly, but his hand warmed me, sending a flush to my cheeks.

Despite the heat, I shivered at his touch. My shoulders dropped, and I rolled my neck, the tension leaving my body.

His hand slipped to the back of my neck. “Yes, I can feel you, Austin, sense you beneath your skin.”

I should care what that meant, but all logic disappeared at his gentle touch. Soft fingers caressed my skin, and when he took them away, my breath went with them.

“Don’t touch him like that.” Joel had no claim on me, and Dante seemed to think so too.

“I can touch whomever I wish. You have no right to dictate to me.”

“You’re just a jumped-up wannabe, pretending to be the devil with your fucking stupid horns and orange contact lenses. Who do you think you are?”

“More than you’ll ever be.”

Was it my imagination, or had the tension in the room thickened? It was definitely hotter, way hotter than before, and most of the heat emanated from Dante. I didn’t doubt he was more than all of us put together.

Why did I have the feeling something bad was going to happen? That Joel’s taunts had woken something.

“Boss?” Conrad shifted on the sofa, a warning in his voice.

“No one disrespects me. Would you like to continue?” Dante’s voice was calm and even but held an unspoken threat. I opened my mouth to warn Joel he might want to stop talking, but the words wouldn’t come, no matter how much I tried.

“You’ve no fucking right to keep us here. When I don’t go home, my uncle will come looking. He knows where we are.”

“Are you threatening me, little boy?”

“Yeah, I’m threatening you. You’re just some two-bit casino owner trying to be something he isn’t. My uncle was right. It’d be so easy to step in and take over this business. You’re shit on his shoes.”

I had never heard Joel talk like this, ever, but now I thought about it, he’d changed over the past few months. We’d always been content with our lot, the minor jobs we did that kept us ticking over. I did it more out of boredom than anything. I already had a job; it just didn’t bring in enough money. When Joel had suggested these stints, telling how easy it was going to be because of me, I’d agreed, when really I should have said no.

And now look where we were. I’d put both Grandpa’s and my life in danger.

Joel fidgeted in his chair, rocking it back and forth.

What the fuck was he trying to do?

“Go on, see if you can get free. I can assure you Conrad has had a lot of practice restraining people. You’ll not escape.”

Joel kept trying to get free and eventually toppled over. His head banged on the floor with a sickening thud.

“You bastard. Let us go,” he shouted.

Gone was Joel’s anger, replaced by fear. Even I could sense it.

“Joel, don’t fight, please.” Freddie spoke for the first time since he’d soiled himself.

“Let us go. Let us go.” Joel continued to struggle, but it was useless.

A cruel smile appeared on Dante’s face, and a sick feeling of foreboding filled me.

I didn’t know what was about to happen, but I knew it couldn’t be good.

“Conrad.” Dante’s voice had dropped an octave, sounding much deeper than it had been.

Conrad righted the chair with Joel still in it as if he weighed nothing.

I’d not taken my gaze from Joel, whose eyes widened in sheer terror as Dante approached him.

My heart beat so quickly, and my breathing shallowed. Dante’s horns, once white, were now black and tinged with red, and had grown to at least six inches.

What the fuck?

“You fuck with me, and you suffer the consequences. I had considered letting you go. I thought maybe I was being a little unfair keeping you here. Perhaps I should have relented and let you go in the morning, teaching your little brain a lesson. But fuck that. You deserve everything you’re going to get.”

Just when I thought he was going to do something, he walked back to his desk and opened a drawer.

He took out two guns. Not semi-automatics but revolvers.

“Don’t shoot me. Please don’t shoot me.”

Tears ran down Joel’s face. I’d only ever seen Joel cry once when he was ten and his dog had died. He’d been inconsolable for a week before he’d shrugged it off. It was then he got into trouble, and we, being the sheep we were, had followed him.

He was the leader of our little gang, and seeing him now pleading for his life upset me in ways I couldn’t explain.

Dante picked up the guns, spun the barrels, and closed them with a resounding click.

“Oh, I’m not going to shoot you.”

So why the hell did he have the guns?

Conrad walked over to me and undid my hands. I shook them out. A tingle shot up as the blood pumped through them.

“You put so much faith in your friend Austin. He’s your lucky charm, remember? Well, let’s see how lucky he is.”

What the fuck? “No way. I’m not doing it. I’m not shooting him.”

“If you’re as lucky as he says you are, you won’t. What do you have to lose?”

“My fucking best friend. That’s what. I can’t. I won’t.” My voice trembled, and my knees shook. This was fucking unreal.

“Austin, Austin, Austin.” Dante approached me, a gun in his outstretched hand. “Take it. Go on.”

How could I escape this?

“No, I can’t. Don’t make me.” I shook my head and backed away.

“Then I don’t have a choice.” He put the muzzle at Freddie’s temple. “You either do this, or I kill Freddie.”

It was an impossible decision. How much did I trust my luck?

Chapter seven

Dante

If Joel had just kept his big mouth shut, we wouldn’t have been standing here now. Me, with a gun against Freddie’s head, handing another to Austin.

But here we were. I’d heard the warning in Conrad’s voice, but the devil in me had had enough. I’d been good for far too long. It was time to have a little fun.

“Take the gun, Austin.”

I offered it to him, and once again, he backed away, shaking his head. Gone was the colour from his cheeks, but right now, I needed him to take the gun.

“Do it, Austin,” a terrified Freddie said. “I don’t want to die.”

“I’m not killing Joel.”

“But you’re lucky. You won’t kill him.”

Austin looked at me, the indecision clear on his face, until, eventually, he took the gun from me.

“I’ve never shot a gun.”

“Just point and shoot. It’s ready to go.”

I cocked my gun, the click loud in the quiet room.

“You can’t make me do this.”

“I can’t, but I can give you some encouragement. Do you want to see Freddie die?”

He turned away from us, the gun dangling by his side.

I didn’t want to shoot Freddie. He seemed most inoffensive. This was about Joel and his smart mouth. If he hadn’t brought that shit up about me being fake, I might have thought about letting them go, but I couldn’t let that slide.

I was the fucking Devil.

And what better way to prove a point than to have his friend do it? That might have seemed cruel, but I owned that shit.

I wasn’t here to make friends.

“Freddie thinks you should do it. Tell him again.” I pressed the gun harder into his head, and he whimpered.

“All right, I fucking heard you.” Austin’s voice broke, and when he turned to us, tears were streaming down his cheeks. He glared at me with pure hatred. “I fucking hate you.”

I shrugged. As if I gave a fuck.

By now, Joel was a blubbering mess, heaving sobs racking his body.

Austin pointed the gun at Joel. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger. The kick of the gun jolted his arm.

Well, damn. Seems he was lucky after all. Either that or he’d missed.

Joel continued to cry, and Austin opened his eyes, relief clear on his face.

Except he wasn’t done.

“Best of three,” I said.

“What? I did what you asked.”

“And you’ll do it again.”

“I can’t. Shoot me instead.”

“Now, where’s the fun in that? I need to see just how lucky you are. Your friends here think you’re the luckiest person in the world. Why don’t we prove it?”

Conrad removed the gun from Austin’s still-trembling hand. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d missed his target.

“You might only need one more shot. Come on, I know you can do it.”

I nodded to Conrad, and he handed him the gun again, cocked and ready to go.

“God, I’m sorry, Joel.”

“God won’t help you. You’d be better off asking the devil for help.” I winked at him and smiled.

He took a shaking breath and aimed again. He seemed calmer this time, although his outstretched arm shook as he took his next shot.

Joel screamed, and I thought he’d done it this time.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Austin fell to his knees and dropped the gun. “I’m done. No more. I’m not doing it anymore.”

Disappointment sat heavily with me. He’d not killed Joel, and that in itself would have been a fitting end, but the revelation that Austin was indeed more than he seemed pleased me.

What he didn’t know was that I’d loaded the gun and had added two blanks. How on earth had he found them both times? Did it suggest he was as lucky as they said?

Now I had a dilemma.

A devil’s dilemma.

I couldn’t allow Joel’s words to go unpunished, and as Austin had done what I’d asked of him, it would have been cruel of me to kill Freddie.

Wouldn’t it?

“Please just let us go. I promise we won’t do anything like this again. We’ve learnt our lesson.” Austin looked at me pleadingly. I believed he was sorry, but I still couldn’t let it go. I held a grudge. What could I say?

“I’m sorry, Austin. I can’t do that.”

I clicked my fingers, and Joel went silent, his head slumped onto his chest. I had no choice but to show them who was the boss, that they couldn’t do what they’d done and think it was okay.

The room was eerily silent.

“You may think you can win, Austin, that the odds are in your favour. But remember this—the house always wins.”

Conrad removed Joel’s body. He’d dump it somewhere, sending a message to his uncle that I wasn’t one to be messed with. They’d think twice about trying that stunt again.

That left me with Austin and Freddie. Austin was back in his chair, arms bound behind him. Neither said a word, but Freddie cried quietly.

“Who the fuck are you?” Austin finally asked after glaring at me for the last ten minutes.

“I’m your worst nightmare.”

“Why did you kill him?”

“If you don’t know now, you’ll never understand. You think this is all a gimmick?”

“I don’t care. You’re a murderer. You murdered him in cold blood.”

“Did you think I’d be lenient? He’d confessed to his sins.”

“He didn’t fucking sin. His worse trait was listening to his fucking uncle, and now he’s dead.”

As much as Austin wanted me to feel bad, I didn’t have a conscience or any remorse for someone who was out to steal from me, especially as I didn’t know them.

Freddie, I had a little more compassion for. He seemed the type to be easily led, taken advantage of. Yes, I’d threatened his life, but he’d never been in any danger. I’d known Austin would do as I asked.

I’d been testing Austin, testing his resolve, and testing his talents. And he had many. Talents I wanted to know more about.

So I couldn’t let him go. My ego wouldn’t allow me to release him without finding out his inner secrets.

“You mess with the devil, you suffer the consequences.”

“Devil? You’re no more of a devil than I am.”

“You’d be surprised.”

He glowered, his jaw clenched.

“Let Freddie go. He’s done nothing. None of this was his fault. He’s always looked up to Joel and done whatever he said.”

Freddie no longer served a purpose, and Conrad could wipe his memory. He’d have no recollection of tonight at all, unlike Austin. I wasn’t letting Freddie go because he’d asked but because I had no need of him.

Austin was a different matter, and while I couldn’t be sure he’d keep his mouth shut, it didn’t matter. No one had ever got the better of me.

Many had tried and failed. This Nick would be no exception.

No, Austin was a riddle I wanted to solve, and wiping his memory wasn’t an option. How had he won so frequently? What was it that made him special? All these things I needed to learn.

Something inside him called to me, and that hadn’t happened in a long time.

As much as his release wouldn’t cause me any issues, a voice inside me said I needed him, needed to keep him close, and I intended to do just that.

We said no more, but all the while, I felt his gaze on me and even as I tried to settle into my work, it was impossible. My skin prickled, my palms were sweating, and every sinew in my body was taut. I was on edge.

No one ever had me feeling this way before.

It was weird, though. His insistence that he was human didn’t sit right with me. I was usually able to sense a human or a vampire or a shifter. Their make-up was unique; none were like the other. Austin was none of those things, nor was he human, no matter what he said.

When I said Austin was an enigma, I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t get a read on him. He had no defining indicators. Everything was wrong with him.

Yet why did he feel so right?

The door swung open, and Conrad entered.

“All done?”

“Yes, boss. Left him where he’d be found. What do you want to do with him?” He pointed at Freddie.

Freddie widened his eyes, no doubt thinking he was due for the same fate. I had some compassion when I wanted to.

“Do what you usually do and return him.”

“Don’t kill him,” Austin said. “He’s done nothing to you. Not that Joel had either.”

“We’ll wipe his memory and return him. He’ll have no recollection of tonight. Not of me or Conrad, nor what happened to Joel.”

“You’re a bastard.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“What are you going to do with me? You have to let me go.”

“I don’t have to do anything, and especially not because you said so. I have use for you.”

“What the fuck do you want me for? I can’t do anything.”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. You can do so much, and I intend to find out your limits.”

Freddie’s whimpers drew my attention away from Austin. Conrad wouldn’t wipe his mind here. He’d probably need the help of another due to what he’d seen and how long it had been since Joel’s death.

The sooner he could wipe it, the more success he’d have, but it had been a few hours.

Reluctantly, Freddie left with Conrad, his cries gradually receding.

Now what to do with Austin?

I rarely kept people alive once they’d visited the basement. Normally, it was a place of torture, but tonight had been different. Did it have something to do with Austin?

Being alone with him now, I couldn’t shake the intensifying sensation he was more than human. I was sure he felt something too.

His heart rate quickened, as did his breathing.

I needed to get out of here, away from his intoxicating scent that fed my arousal. The part of me I’d tried to hide away for years surfaced. The need to possess, to own and control, would and could overpower me if I allowed it.

Just a few hours earlier, I’d told Conrad how bored I was. Tonight had changed that.

The thrill I’d experienced when Austin took control of the gun. I’d seen nothing quite like the luck he had. Anyone else would have taken Joel’s head off.

I’d checked the gun, made sure I’d loaded it correctly so four bullets remained in the chamber. The odds of him shooting both blanks were unfathomable, astronomical even. I was sure I could learn more, and that was my sole reason for keeping him around.

He’d hurt my ego. First, with the amount of money he’d been able to win from the tables, and second, his failure to kill Joel.

I’d unconsciously moved closer until I stood behind him and put my hands on his shoulders.

He tensed beneath my touch, taking shallow, shuddering breaths.

“What do you really want from me?”

“I want…” What the fuck did I want? I had no explanation for keeping him around.

I slid my hands down his arms and undid the ropes securing his wrists.

It was a risk. Who knew what would happen with his luck?

“Get up.”

He rolled his shoulders and complied, standing tall.

I’d give it to him. He had balls. Bigger men than him had cowered at my commands, falling to my feet to beg for my forgiveness.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No, but I will not release you either.”

I led him to the other door in the room and entered the key code. The door opened with a hiss, and the light came on automatically.

The all-white room was small, six feet by six feet. Enough space for a bed, a toilet, and a washbasin. It wasn’t fair for me to leave him in the other room, but I couldn’t let him anywhere else in the casino either.

Here, I could keep an eye on him because of the cameras monitoring his every movement. Right now, though, I couldn’t trust myself to be around him.

It was time for me to leave.

“You’re leaving me here?”

“Here, where there’s a bed or in the other room tied to a chair. Which would you prefer?”

“I’d prefer to go home. I have people who rely on me.”

I knew he meant his grandfather, but how dependent he was on Austin I wasn’t sure.

“That’s not going to work for me.”

“Staying here doesn’t work for me, but here I am. Your captive.”

“Hey, let’s not use those words. They sound so… illegal.”

“It is illegal keeping me here. You have no right.” His voice rose, and his energy spiked.

Why could I sense his emotions so much?

“I’ll do what the fuck I please. Now sit your arse down and do not shout at me again. You will regret it.”

The time for niceties was over.

Surprisingly, he plopped down with a thump, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“I’ll send Conrad in with some food. Make yourself comfortable.”

The door closed behind me with a click. The lights would stay on for a while unless he moved, the lights being on motion sensors.

I was taking a risk keeping him here, and I was doing it for purely selfish reasons.

I was the devil. I could do what the fuck I wanted. No higher power to answer to. I was the higher power.

He’d be safe down here. No one other than Conrad and me could enter either room.

I walked over to my desk and sank down in my chair. I clicked the mouse a few times and brought up the security camera footage.

He sat on the bed, his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. There was no sound, but his lips were moving.

If I were a gambling man, I’d put money on him cursing me out for locking him away. Ironically, I wasn’t. What was the point when the house always won?

Chapter eight

Austin

The door shut behind Dante, and I could breathe again. Finally, take a much-needed deep breath to calm the nerves surging through me.

His presence was exhilarating, sending shockwaves through my body as if it recognised him and was reaching out. After everything he’d done, after what he’d made me do, how could I feel that way about him?

I’d been willing to risk killing my best friend, but had I had a choice?

It was that or lose Freddie. To be honest, I didn’t think any of us were making it out alive, but at least he’d taken pity on Freddie and released him.

The same couldn’t be said for Joel.

“You fucker.” The words bounced off the cold walls. I shuddered at the horror of what had happened. I was sure the grief would follow.

What came next? That was what I needed to know, but sitting alone in my prison, I couldn’t think clearly.

How long would he keep me?

I lay on the bed and took out my phone.

Of course there’d be no fucking signal in this box he called a room. I couldn’t even message Amber and ask her to look in on Grandpa.

He’d be worried if I didn’t go home, but not half as worried as I was.

What if he woke in the night? What if he needed me? What if he took ill, and I wasn’t there?

Fuck. I had to get out of here, get home.

But how?

Wait. The casino chip might be able to help me. I took it out of my shoe.

It was warm. Hardly surprising, but there was nothing else.

No tingles, no comforting sensations, no buzz. It was like all the magic it possessed had vanished the moment I walked in here.

Was that why I’d been caught? Maybe the effectiveness had worn off. Had it even been there in the first place?

Fucking fairy tales. And I had been stupid enough to believe them.

I turned the chip over and over in my hand, looking for any sign I hadn’t been duped. Nothing happened. It was a useless casino chip.

The door creaked, and I slipped the chip into my pocket. Regardless of whether it was useful, I didn’t want anyone to see it.

Conrad walked in, a tray of food in one hand, a carton of juice in the other.

“Dante said to bring you some food.”

I checked my watch. Six a.m.

At least the carers would be in to see Grandpa in an hour. Hopefully, he’d be okay until then.

“I’m not hungry.” My stomach growled.

He raised an eyebrow.

Bacon and eggs, and buttered toast. It looked and smelt so fucking good, and my mouth watered.

I took the tray from him.

It could have been way worse.

“He’ll be by later. He has a few things to do today. Make yourself at home.”

His voice was gruff, but it held no malice.

“Is Freddie okay?”

“He’s fine. I left him close to his house. He won’t remember a thing.”

Well, that was something at least.

“Do you know why he wants to keep me here? Why didn’t he kill me or wipe my memory?”

“Dante has his reasons. He doesn’t always share them with me.”

“So, I sit here and wait?”

“Yes.” He left and closed the door behind him.

I pushed the eggs around the plate, but hunger took over, and I wolfed down the food.

It was good, better than I’d expected, but as soon as I was done, tiredness set in.

I’d been awake for twenty-four hours, kept awake by the adrenaline rush from the previous evening.

Now that it was quiet and my belly was full, my eyes drooped.

I fought it for as long as possible, but finally, I had to succumb to sleep. Images of Joel slumped in the chair invaded my dreams.

Dante featured, of course. Why wouldn’t he? It was his fault I was here. He’d kidnapped me, held me captive with no rhyme or reason, and I had no idea when I’d be released.

The opening of the door woke me, and Dante walked in, his clothes more casual than before.

Black cargo trousers, a tight-fitting black T-shirt, and black Doc Martens. Not a hair out of place, but why was he wearing his horns?

A memory surfaced, an image of them longer and black, red tips like blood dripping down them. Had I imagined that?

I sat up, self-conscious of my dishevelled state. I wanted a shower, but this place held nothing more than a sink and a toilet.

“Sleep well?”

I snorted. Stupid fucking question.

“What do you want, Dante?”

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He exhaled, a smile spreading across his face.

“You. I’ve come for you.”

He stepped forward.

Nope, not happening. I scrambled back on the bed until I hit the wall. “Leave me the fuck alone.”

“I’m not going to kill you, for fuck’s sake. I thought you might want a shower.” He wrinkled his nose, and I had to admit the aroma in here was a little ripe. “I might be the devil, but I’m not an ogre.”

“You keep saying you’re the devil, and you’ve got the whole horn thing going on.” I waved my hands towards his horns.

“You humans. I’m sure you were put on this earth to amuse me. The big guy certainly had a sense of humour.”

What on earth was he talking about? Was he delusional?

They were implants, surely. And the orange eyes? He had to wear contact lenses.

I’d go along with it if it pleased him and got me closer to being released.

“Do I have to stay in here?”

Couldn’t he just let me go?

“Unfortunately, I’m not done with you yet. There’s so much to learn about you. Have you never been curious about this ‘talent’ you have? I am, and I’ve not known you long. Barely twenty-four hours. Did you know that there were four live bullets in the gun I gave you yesterday?”

“You bastard. I could have killed him!” I shouted.

His eyes flashed a darker orange. What the fuck? Contacts wouldn’t do that.

“But you didn’t, and don’t you find that fascinating? You had two chances not to kill him, and you won. You didn’t kill him. How could you have so much luck? I’m intrigued in so many ways.”

Luck was something I’d got used to, and I didn’t really give it much thought. I’d lived with it all my life, for every one of my twenty-nine years. It wasn’t new to me, just an everyday occurrence.

“I’m not sure I can tell you anything. I’m just lucky.”

He shook his head, his lips thin. “No, you are much more than that. So much more. But come, let me take you to get freshened up. I have a few things I want to test you with, and I can’t have you walking around smelling like that.”

The fucking nerve of the guy. But the closer I got to the exit, the more chance I had of escaping.

I grabbed my jacket and followed him out of the room. The smell of stale piss that had permeated the other room was gone, and we headed upstairs.

Had there been so many stairs? By the time we reached the top, I was panting.

Dante, on the other hand, hadn’t broken a sweat.

I eyed the door. How far could I get before someone took me down? I wagered far enough, and while Dante spoke to one of his security men, I made a dash for it.

As if the door heard my prayers, it slid open.

I ran past the delivery man who had given me an escape path, breaking away from the man who would keep me captive.

“Stop right there,” a voice shouted. Did they really think I would?

I made it as far as the car park, but huge arms wrapped around my body, and I was unceremoniously tackled to the ground, the little air I had in my lungs forced from my body.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” I cursed at the weight pinning me to the ground.

A pair of Doc Martens appeared in my line of sight. I didn’t need to look up to see who was standing before me.

“Now, why did you do that? I thought I was being nice, but now you’ve made me mad.”

The heavy soles pressed my fingers into the concrete, cracking the knuckles. I shut my eyes and winced at the pain shooting through them.

I made no sound, not wishing to give him the satisfaction.

“Get him up. Bring him to my suite.”

The feet stepped away, and I was pulled to my feet.

“Move.” It had to be Conrad. “Now you’ve done it.” He frogmarched me back into the casino, my feet barely grazing the ground.

“Wouldn’t you have tried to run?” I asked, still struggling to get my breath. Goddammit, my fingers hurt.

“All you had to do was play along, do as he said. Now you’ve annoyed him. You really shouldn’t have done that.”

What was he going to do? He wasn’t some big-time gangster. He was a fucking casino owner. A hot one at that, but that was beside the point.

He was a nobody. Except even as I said the words, I didn’t believe them. The things I’d seen him do.

How had he killed Joel with a click of his fingers? How had his horns grown and his eyes flashed?

No way was he the devil. That was stupid. The devil didn’t exist. But maybe, just maybe, there was something more to him. Deep down, I knew he was something else and why my body reacted to him when he was near. After all he’d done, I couldn’t explain that.

We stopped in front of a lift, and the doors opened. Conrad pushed me inside and pressed a button, all the while keeping a hold of me. Not that I could go anywhere.

A minute later, the lift opened into a lobby, several doors leading off it. Conrad walked me down to a set of double doors, rapped on it, and opened them both.

Wow. A wall of windows overlooked the city. I’d never seen it from this angle, and although parts of it were undesirable, from here, it looked amazing.

Dante lounged on a black leather sofa. If Grandpa were here, he’d be telling him to take his boots off the furniture.

But he wasn’t. All I’d been trying to do was get back to him and away from this place.

Away from Dante and the uncertainty I felt when I was around him.

“Leave us,” he commanded.

Conrad let me go, leaving me standing in the centre of the room, unsure what to say or do.

“I should kill you, you know. No one disobeys or disrespects me, and you have done both in the last twelve hours. You’ve stolen from me, you’ve cheated, you’ve argued, and now you’ve tried to run away when all I wanted to do was help you.”

He spoke calmly, his voice even, and that was more terrifying than if he’d raised his voice.

“Once, I’m willing to forgive, but this is twice, Austin, and I can’t let that go unpunished. I’d planned a day of simple tests for you, but now you’ve angered me, and that’s never a good thing.”

An apology sat on my tongue. But why the fuck should I say sorry? I’d done nothing wrong, yet here I was in a room I didn’t know with a man I knew even less.

His unruffled demeanour intimidated me more than the face he’d shown us last night. I actually feared for my life.

I could beg, drop to my knees, and plead for forgiveness, but for what? Nah, he could go fuck himself. Consequences be damned.

He rose from the sofa and stalked towards me. He stopped inches away from me, but I refused to back down, refused to avert my gaze, refused to be intimidated.

I puffed out my chest and stared him straight in the eye. If he was going to kill me, I’d make sure my defiance would live with him for the rest of his natural life, no matter how long that might be.

“Kill me if you’re going to.”

He barked out a laugh.

“Oh, I’m not going to kill you. I’m too nice for that. I’m going to make you suffer. That is infinitely more enjoyable.”

He stroked his hand down my face, a soft gesture in complete contradiction to his cruel words. I leant into his touch but then stopped myself.

What the fuck was I doing?

“I need you to get undressed.”

“What?”

“Well, unless you want your clothes to get wet, you’ll need to take them off.”

Of course. That was the reason we were here. The reason he’d removed me from my prison cell.

“Where’s the bathroom?”

He pointed to a door, and I walked towards it.

“I said undress.”

“Here?”

“Where did you think I meant?”

No way I was doing that. It was humiliating, but maybe that was the point.

Well, if we were making a point…

I removed my jacket first, then my shoes and socks. Thank fuck I’d put the casino chip into my pocket.

Not that it mattered, but I still didn’t want anyone seeing it.

While I stripped, I maintained eye contact.

I’d hoped to make him uncomfortable, but it did nothing of the sort.

If anything, the obsidian black pupils widened.

He wanted a show. I’d give him one.

Slowly I unbuttoned my shirt. His quickening breathing spurred me on until I was standing in my underwear.

I wasn’t bulky, didn’t have defined muscles, but I was fit enough.

“What’s that?” He pointed to my birthmark, a weirdly shaped mark on my left breast.

“It’s a birthmark.”

He reached out his hand but faltered at the last moment.

I looked down. Yep, it was the same as always. Grandpa had said it was the kiss of the angels, and if you squinted a bit, it resembled an abstract angel.

I’d been self-conscious of it in school, but as the years passed, I’d forgotten it was there.

I fingered the mark. Nope, nothing different at all.

I looked back at Dante. Was that a note of worry on his face?

“You can touch it if you’d like. It doesn’t hurt. See?” I took hold of his hand and pressed his fingers lightly to the mark.

A sudden surge of what I could only describe as electricity passed through his fingers into my chest.

He jumped backwards, and I fell to my knees as pain seared through me.

“What the fuck?”

I groaned and clutched at the mark.

God, the pain was more than I’d ever felt. I could barely hear, barely breathe, barely see straight.

“Who are you? What are you?” Dante’s voice reached me as through a fog. “It can’t possibly be.”

Be what? I didn’t understand. My vision went dark, and I slipped into oblivion.

Was this the end?

Chapter nine

Dante

What the fuck was he?

From the first moment I saw him, I’d known he wasn’t human, but I hadn’t been able to figure out what exactly he was. But after touching the mark—the mark of the angels—everything had become clear.

The birthmark would have been put there to protect him, to shield him from the likes of me. If we’d never met, he would have lived the rest of his life unaware of what he was or the power he could wield.

This was why I was drawn to him. Like attracted like. But while he’d been placed on this earth for whatever purpose, I’d fallen from grace, banished here many, many years ago for all eternity.

My story was well known, but many thought it was a myth, a fairy tale told in years gone by to strike fear into the hearts of men, women, and children.

Little did they know it was true.

I’d gone by many names, performed many roles. People mistakenly thought I lived in hell, and I’d visited on occasion, but my home had always been here on earth, condemning unfit souls, those that were unworthy to ascend to the lofty heights of heaven.

I couldn’t leave him on my floor, nor could I take him back to the basement. Not like this, and for once in my life, I was afraid.

Afraid to touch him.

Was he dead? Had the shock killed him? I bent and tentatively placed my hand on his back. He looked so pale, all colour seeming to have left him.

The gentle rise and fall of his breathing moved my hand up and down.

Not dead, then. That was a relief.

But I didn’t doubt there would be consequences.

My touch would have removed the protection, leaving him exposed. The urge to keep him safe yet at arm’s length warred inside me.

“Stop being a fucking coward and pick him up.” And now I was talking to myself.

I slipped my arms around his back, scooped him up, and carried him swiftly to my bedroom.

I laid him gently on his back, the mark of the angel now a dark red against his white skin. It hadn’t looked like that before.

As he slept, I watched him, unable to tear my eyes away from him. Would he ever wake from the apparent coma he was in?

Was he sleeping or something more? Time would tell.

Goose bumps appeared on his skin, and I manoeuvred him so he was beneath the covers. Slowly colour returned to his cheeks, and his breathing became more even.

Fuck, I needed a drink.

I took one last look and walked back into the lounge. I poured a healthy shot of whisky and drank it in one.

What the fuck was I going to do now?

His clothes were scattered on the floor. I couldn’t leave them there, and he still hadn’t had a shower.

I picked up his clothes, shook them out, and folded them. A brown casino chip dropped on the floor.

It wasn’t one of ours. What was he doing with that?

I placed the clothes on the sofa and eyed the chip, reluctant to touch it with my bare fingers.

With a cloth, I picked it up and held it up to the light.

It warmed my hand, even through the cloth, and looked old and worn, nicked at the edge.

This chip was made of wood, whereas we used plastic ones.

I walked into the bedroom and put it on the nightstand. Maybe it was a lucky charm? Or carried sentimental value.

It didn’t feel right to throw it away.

Austin didn’t seem to have moved and didn’t look to be waking up anytime soon. The plan I had for him would have to wait.

Had things changed since the angel mark? It still didn’t explain his lucky streak, and that was what interested me.

I couldn’t let this get in the way of what I wanted. And what I wanted was answers.

My ego still wouldn’t let me forget how he’d bested me or how he’d escaped. He deserved much more punishment than I was willing to mete out.

But just because he carried the angel mark didn’t mean he was an angel, only that he had their protection.

And that raised even more questions. The answers might lie in his past. Likely, his parents were angels. Probably his mother or grandmother. The angelic line usually moved through females.

Perhaps a visit to his grandfather was in order, but he would want to know where Austin was and why I was keeping him captive.

I checked my watch. It was early afternoon. The casino would have been open for a couple of hours. Normally, I’d make my way down, but today was different. It wasn’t every day an angelic being collapsed on your floor.

I called Conrad.

“Can you come up? I have something to show you.”

The lift opened, and I swung open the door.

“You have to see this.”

I led him into the bedroom and indicated a sleeping Austin.

“What did you do to him? Don’t tell me you fucked him.”

“Hey, what do you take me for?”

“You really want me to answer that?”

“He collapsed on the floor. I had to carry him here, but that’s not all. Look.” I pointed to the mark on his chest, still looking raw.

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s an angel mark.”

“Nope, still not getting it.” I forgot Conrad didn’t have the knowledge I did, having only been with me for the last five hundred years or so.

“An angel mark is put there for protection. Protection from the likes of me.”

“Still not understanding why he’s in your bed.”

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to lose the little patience I had.

“I touched the mark. He passed out. I put him in my bed.”

“Annnddd?”

“I need to know more about him. I especially need to know about his lucky streak, but now this adds another layer to him.”

“So, what do you need me for, boss?”

“Find out what you can about him and his family. Does he have any siblings? Where are his parents? That kind of thing. From what I picked up from him, he lives with his grandfather, but no idea of anything else.”

“Why is it important?”

“It just is. Please do as I ask.”

Austin stirred, a small moan escaping him. A fine sheen of sweat covered him. I touched his arm. He was burning up.

“Here.” Conrad handed me a damp cloth.

I sat on the bed and dabbed at Austin’s brow, trying to cool him down. The mark seemed angrier than before, but I daren’t touch it. Not after what had happened last time.

“I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

Conrad left. I carried on bathing Austin until he finally cooled down.

He slept soundly, no longer agitated. In fact, he barely moved. His breathing was so shallow I leant in close to make sure he was still alive.

I had no idea how long I sat beside the bed. Who was he? What was he? All kinds of scenarios ran in my head, but I didn’t come any closer to answers.

Was it a coincidence he’d ended up in my casino? Why did I feel a strange pull towards him? But more than that, why did he need protection?

“Have you even moved?”

I turned. Conrad stood behind me in the now dark room, the only illumination coming from the streetlights outside.

“What time is it?”

“It’s almost eleven.”

“I should be downstairs on the floor.”

“It’s fine. I’ve seen to it. There’s nothing for you to do. I assumed you’d still be here, seeing how he seems to have your full attention.”

“Did you find out anything?” I took one last look at Austin and led Conrad into the lounge, flicking on a couple of lamps.

I poured another whiskey and offered one to Conrad. He declined, and I took my glass and gazed over the city.

How many others like him were out there, or was he the only one?

I’d not heard of anyone this century having the mark, so why him? Why indeed?

“Other than a grandfather, he has no living relatives I could find. His mother died when he was six. His father left him a year later. He’s lived with his grandpa, as he calls him, ever since. After a nasty fall, the old man’s ailing, though.”

“Do you have his mother’s name?”

“Not yet. I’d need to dig around a little more to get that information. All I know is he works at a bar in the city and has done for a while. Other than Joel, Pete, and Freddie, he has one other friend. A girl called Amber. He works with her at the bar.”

“So he’s a loner, then.”

“He has a handful of close-knit friends, but that’s it.”

I knew almost less about him now than I had before. Well, nothing useful. It was his past that intrigued me, not the present.

For the first time today, I felt weary.

“I need to sleep.”

The events of last night, coupled with today, had me exhausted.

I couldn’t sleep in my bed, though.

That was occupied by a particularly attractive man who might or might not be an angel.

The moment I laid eyes on him, I’d known there was something about him, but never had I expected him to be the exact opposite of me.

Where I was darkness, he was light. Except that still didn’t feel right to me. The serenity and calm I’d normally associate with angels was missing with Austin.

Yes, he didn’t carry the corruption or immorality I did, but he wasn’t beyond reproach himself. I sensed his misdeeds, as I did with many people.

That awareness helped me decide if they belonged up in the clouds or down with the sinful and wicked.

He had grey areas, traits that would give others pause for consideration.

“Well, you can’t sleep in there.” Conrad’s voice startled me from my thoughts.

He was making up the sofa, plumping the pillows.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Although I was glad he had.

I unlaced my boots and slipped my shirt over my head. My trousers were next, leaving me in my boxers.

“I’ll be back in the morning to see how sleeping beauty is in the other room. Get some sleep, boss. I have a feeling it’s going to be less boring around here for a while.”

He left the apartment, and I turned off the lamps. I pressed the button to close the blinds, leaving the room in semi-darkness, but as tired as I was, sleep evaded me.

I lay awake, listening for any sounds that Austin had woken up, but everything remained silent. Not even the sounds of the casino downstairs infiltrated the apartment.

I’d wished for something exciting, something new. Sometimes you needed to be careful about what you wished for.

Austin had come into my life when I’d thought about moving on. No way I could do that now. If the angel mark had been breached, there was a chance that every demon within five hundred miles would sense him and come here.

I’d got him into this mess. Admittedly, it was inadvertent, but nonetheless, I had taken him captive. I had touched the mark and removed the protection. That made him my responsibility.

One question I’d failed to ask was why I didn’t have the compulsion to kill him now the mark had been broken.

I’d drive myself mad trying to sort it out in my head. I needed to sleep, but it wouldn’t come.

I lay awake on the sofa.

Several times, I slipped into the bedroom, but he didn’t wake up. How long would this go on for?

Earlier, I’d not really had a chance to look too closely. I’d been more concerned with what he could do.

But now, standing over him, I realised how very different we were. How my looks identified me with light, yet his were darkness.

I’d stared deep into his brown eyes, trying to fathom what lay beneath them.

He was shorter than me, slight in stature, whereas I was strong and muscled. Austin had what I would now identify as a halo of brown curls that framed his face with little to no stubble. Unusual for a man his age, but considering what I knew now about his possible heritage, it made total sense.

Angels tended to be soft of skin. If I had to describe him, angelic or cherubic would be an apt depiction.

There was no denying my attraction to him.

I paced the floor, still in my boxers, the room too warm.

Heat radiated from him like a furnace. It wasn’t natural to be so hot.

I grabbed the cloth again, doused it in cold water, sat on the bed, and wiped the sweat from his forehead and cheeks.

His breathing became laboured, and his eyes moved rapidly beneath the lids.

What the hell was going on?

I placed the back of my hand on his forehead. He was as hot as hell itself and showed no sign of cooling down.

Reluctant as I was to leave him, I went to the kitchen, emptied the ice tray, and wrapped the cloth around the cubes.

Moans and groans came from the bedroom, and I rushed back. Austin was shaking uncontrollably, his whole body quaking.

His head thrashed from side to side, and his flailing arms knocked the lamp from the nightstand.

I attempted to pin his arms to the bed, but he was surprisingly strong.

This couldn’t be good.

What else could I do? I stood back. His frantic movements shook the bed.

Had he been possessed? Pretty sure I’d know if that had happened.

Several moments passed. Moments I thought it was the end of him, but slowly his breathing returned to normal, his movements slowed, and his eyes flickered open.

“Where the fuck am I? And who are you?”

Chapter ten

Austin

Where the fuck was I, and who was the man standing next to me?

How had I got here? More to the point, who was I?

“Austin? Are you okay?”

Was I Austin? Was I okay?

I sat up, and the bedclothes fell to my waist, revealing a red mark on my chest. What the hell was that?

“Don’t touch it,” he said, his voice laced with panic.

I looked at the hot-as-fuck man standing next to me in just his boxers.

Had we been in bed together?

“Why not?” My voice broke, my throat as dry as a desert.

“Wait there.” He walked from the room, returned a moment later, and handed me an open bottle of water. “Drink this.”

I did as he said and propped myself up on the pillows. Why was I in this bed? Was I ill?

My skin felt clammy, my muscles ached, and I was so hot. Was I coming down with a fever?

“Do you remember anything?” he asked, and I patted the bed next to me. He was intimidating, not least of all because of the fucking horns sticking out of his head.

And were his eyes orange? I’d never seen that before. Or had I?

“I’m not sure.” Pictures flashed before me. Memories? An old man, a gun, a strangely dressed man, a casino chip. A woman whose face sent love flooding through me, emotions so strong I feared I’d break down and cry.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the image away. It was beautiful and painful all at once. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders. She wore a white cotton dress and a smile so brilliant it outshone the sun.

“Austin.”

I opened them again. A lamp in the corner cast a soft glow on the room.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Why am I here? Have we had sex?”

“No, no. You passed out, and I brought you in here. It’s a long story.”

I took another sip of the water and placed the bottle on the nightstand. “I have time. A lifetime, maybe?”

He sat next to me on the bed, but not too close to make me uncomfortable, one leg bent. He blew out a breath.

“You remember nothing about the past few days?”

I shook my head. It was all a blur, broken images of people I thought I knew, places that seemed familiar.

He reached across me and plucked something from the table next to me.

“Do you know what this is?”

He gave me what looked like a casino chip, warm to the touch and ancient in appearance.

The image of the strangely dressed man popped up again. He’d handed this to me, telling me it was for protection.

“I don’t recall.”

This was fucking annoying, to say the least. Grandpa wouldn’t be happy if I’d stayed out for the night and not told him.

“Grandpa. I have to see him. He’ll be worried.” My heart raced.

“Thank fuck you remember something.”

“Where is he?”

“At home, being looked after.”

That was a relief, and as I sat there, small parts of my memory returned, yet I still couldn’t remember the man sitting next to me.

“Are those real?” I pointed at his off-white horns.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, they’re fucking real.”

“Why do you have horns?”

“We’ve been over this. Devil? Remember?”

Surely, I’d remember something like that.

I barked out a laugh. “You’re not the devil. There’s no such thing.”

He glared at me. “I can assure you I’m very real.”

I prodded him in his hard chest, and he rocked backwards. “You feel real to me.”

“Concentrate, Austin. I need to know what’s going on.”

“How the fuck should I know? I only know my name because you called it me.”

“Don’t you remember anything at all?”

I leant back against the pillows. How had I got here? Something to do with money. A casino.

Yes. A casino. Playing blackjack and roulette, tucking chips into my pockets. Lots and lots of chips.

Then stairs going down. A grey room with three chairs, then just two remaining.

What had happened to the other one?

A gunshot, a slumped body in a chair. I inhaled sharply. The face of my friend, now lifeless.

“You remember.”

“It was you. You did it. He did nothing to you, and you killed him.” I clenched my jaw, the anger I’d felt previously returning with a vengeance.

“We already went over this. I’m more concerned about what happened today.”

“When you touched the mark.” What the fuck did that matter?

All my memories flooded back, ending with me collapsing on the floor.

“You carried me here?”

“I couldn’t leave you lying there. But what do you know of the mark?”

“I always had it. Grandpa joked it was the kiss of the angels. It’s just something he said.”

“What do you know of your mother?”

“Why do you want to know? She died when I was six.” That was the woman I remembered, her laughing as we played in the garden, picking flowers, chasing bugs. Life had been beautiful then. She’d been beautiful, and then the unthinkable had happened, and she’d died.

Dad had refused to live after that until he’d eventually decided I wasn’t worth sticking around for and left.

Dante—yes, that was his name—Dante didn’t need to know all this. These were my secrets to keep.

But now I needed to go home to Grandpa. I’d left him alone long enough.

I threw the covers back and planted my feet on the floor.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home. Let me go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, and when I explain why, you’ll understand. Anyway, it’s late. Do you think he’d like you knocking on the door at this unearthly hour?”

He’d be worried sick. I knew that. Hopefully, Amber had listened to me and, when I’d not turned up for work, would take care of him like I’d asked.

But by God, I was breaking out of here tomorrow and going home. Dante could go fuck himself.

But he was right about it being too late, so I crept back into the bed.

“Talk. Now.”

He blinked at me, those orange eyes glowing again. Was he really the devil? “Watch your tone. You seriously have no idea, do you?”

“Just tell me. Then we can get on with whatever it is you have planned for me, and I can go home.”

“This mark on your chest. It means something. Your grandpa wasn’t telling stories when he said you’d been kissed by the angels. This mark is known as being ‘angel blessed’.”

I frowned. This made no sense. Why would an angel be blessing me?

“It’s why I asked about your mother. What was her name?”

Tears threatened to fall as they did each time I thought of her. It was almost impossible to say her name, but I forced myself, as it seemed important to him.

“Calista. That was her name.” I’d always thought it was beautiful, that it suited her perfectly.

He nodded as if it meant something to him too.

“Do you know anything about her family? Her mother? Did she have any sisters?”

I knew nothing about her, now I thought about it. “No. I just remember her.”

“How did she die?”

Now that was personal and not for sharing with someone like him.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“It could be important.”

I didn’t care how vital it was. I wouldn’t tell him. The memory of that night was too painful to remember.

She’d gone to bed, saying she had a headache. I’d never known her to be ill, young as I was. Sure, Dad took to his bed when he had a cold, but she’d never once come down with anything.

But that night in November was a night I’d never forget.

I’d gone to her room and lain with her for a while until it was time for bed. She’d kissed me on my forehead and called me her gift from above and told me how much she loved me.

She’d looked tired, but then I’d thought it was because she was ill. A six-year-old shouldn’t remember things like this, but this memory was seared into my brain. I’d never forget.

Grandpa had ushered me out of the room, telling me she needed to rest, and all night, I’d tossed and turned, wanting to go to her. Worrying if she’d be okay.

The following morning, I’d rushed to her room, but the bed was empty, and that was it. She was gone. Dad had said she’d got worse, and they’d taken her to the hospital, where she’d died.

My life had changed from that day onwards.

Gone was the happy home, replaced with a house full of sorrow and grief. For twelve months, I tried to make Dad happy, but he said I reminded him too much of her. He sank into a life of alcohol and drugs, then disappeared into the dead of night, never to be seen again.

Now here I was, the horror of that night coming back to me like it was yesterday.

What right did Dante have to those memories? No, I’d tell him nothing of the woman who had been the light of my life. She was with the angels now. That was what Grandpa had always said, and that was where I’d told myself she was.

“Nothing I could tell you about her would help. Don’t ask me again.”

He balled his fists, set his jaw, but he hadn’t earned the right to know anything about her.

“Fuck, Austin. That could be important.”

“I don’t care, but carry on. I need to know what’s happening.”

He walked to the window overlooking the city.

“Angel blessed means you are protected. Without knowing more about your mother, I can’t tell you from what. All I know is that when I touched the mark, the protection was likely broken.”

“Protection from who?” I didn’t need protecting.

“From the likes of me. Demons will come from five hundred miles or more now you’re unprotected.”

What the fuck was he talking about? Demons? I called bullshit.

“There are no such things.”

“Austin, how can you say that after what’s happened these past few days? And you. You’re an anomaly yourself. No one has that much luck, yet it pours from you. I have a theory about that, but the details elude me right now. You think my horns are fake. Touch them, look into my eyes, and tell me none of it’s real.”

I stared at him, silhouetted by the pale morning light coming through the window.

No one I knew had horns, but the guys had said they were a gimmick to get people into the casino.

I climbed out of the bed and walked towards him. He’d told me to touch them, so I would, and find out once and for all.

I stood before him. The urge to drop to my knees and bow overwhelmed me, but I fought it. I lifted my hand.

He closed his eyes, his nostrils flared, and I stroked one of the white horns protruding from his head. He shivered, but it couldn’t be from the cold. The room was like a furnace.

I brushed my fingers over the other one, and he moaned. A sound so sexual it was worthy of a porn star.

Had they been this big before?

They grew, slowly changing colour from white to black, the tips blood red. That had happened the night before, and I pulled away quickly.

How could they be real?

“Now do you believe me?”

“I shouldn’t.” But the evidence was right there before me.

Tonight had been weird. Talk of angels and demons. It was surreal, like a scene from a movie, not my life.

My life was normal. Well, except for the extreme luck, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. Until I’d walked into this casino.

Since then, not one thing had been the same.

Joel had died. Not by my hand, thankfully. There’d been talk of wiping minds. That right there should have been a red flag.

Funny how I’d accepted these things without a real argument. I’d contested them, as outlandish as they might seem.

“You know I’m right,” Dante said, his voice hoarse. “You know the truth. It’s there inside you, and I think now the mark has been breached, you will understand. I have an obligation to protect you now.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

My insides churned, and my mind was a jumble, full of the things he’d told me. It was too much to take in, too much to assimilate. I needed time alone to let it all sink in.

Remembering why we’d come here in the first place, I walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. I closed and locked the door, ignoring the hammering from the other side.

“I need time to think,” I shouted above the racket. “Let me have five minutes alone.”

“Unlock the door, Austin.”

“I can’t do that. Please let me shower.” And pee. I desperately needed to pee.

The banging stopped, and my mind settled.

I stood under the spray and washed away the accumulation of sweat and dirt from the past few days. All the while, I was thinking about what Dante had said.

It was unbelievable, but what other explanation was there for the events I’d witnessed?

Add in what he’d told me about my birthmark. As much as I wanted that to be wrong, I knew deep down inside what he’d said was true.

I was angel blessed. I could feel it, and when I closed my eyes, my head immersed under the hot spray, she appeared to me.

My mother, Calista, came to me.

“Trust in yourself, my darling boy. Trust your feelings and trust him.”

She was gone as quickly as she’d materialised, and I was left with a feeling of loss all over again. The tears came then. Tears I’d never shed. I cried for her passing, I cried for Grandpa and worried I’d never see him again, but most of all, I cried for the life I’d lived without her by my side. Guiding me and taking care of me.

Had she not died, I’d not be here now, but regrets would get me nowhere.

Now was the time to take back control of my life. I just had to get out of here.

Chapter eleven

Dante

How dare he walk out on me? This guy had no respect for me whatsoever. Did he not know who I was?

I’d asked this question several times since meeting him, and each time the answer was no, I didn’t think he did.

I threw on another pair of cargo trousers and a black shirt. I’d need coffee to get me through the day and put on a pot in the small kitchen in my apartment.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally emerged from the bathroom, a towel tied around his waist. He used another to dry his unruly curls.

“We still need to talk.”

“I’m tired of talking, Dante. It’s all we’ve done. Please can I go home?”

“I can let you go home, accompanied, of course, to grab some more clothes, but then you come right back here. I don’t know who or what could be looking for you now.”

“I don’t get it. Why suddenly are demons, as you put it, going to be coming for me? I’m nothing special.”

“That mark was placed on you for a reason, and I also wonder what the casino chip you’ve been carrying around has to do with things.”

He looked down and adjusted the towel wrapped around him. Someone was avoiding the subject.

“Where did you get it from?”

“None of your business.”

He was going to feel my wrath very soon unless he changed his attitude.

“I’ll ask you again. Who gave it to you, and why?”

“Look, do you have any clothes I can put on? Mine are dirty.”

I pushed off the counter and found what I was looking for in the cupboard in the bedroom: underwear, a T-shirt, and a pair of sweats. They’d be a little long, but it wouldn’t matter.

I turned my back, giving him some privacy, but watched his reflection in the window as he dropped his towel.

At least I didn’t growl, as much as I wanted to see his naked body.

What on earth was going on? Why this reaction to him? I could understand it before, but now I knew his heritage, we should be at each other’s throats. Not just verbally but physically too.

“You got any more of that?”

He reached around me, poured himself a mugful, and sat on the leather sofa. Nothing like making yourself at home.

“Talk.” I sat opposite him and waited while he sipped his coffee.

“I had misgivings about this casino job.”

“With good reason.”

“Are you going to let me talk or keep interrupting me?”

I gestured for him to continue and leant back in my chair.

“The others went off without a hitch, but the moment Joel told me we were hitting this one, it felt off to me. Grandpa told me about a magic shop.”

“I know the one. He’s been around for aeons. The Owner always knows what you want before you do.”

He blinked. Seriously, he was pushing his luck, and he had a lot of that.

“Yes, that one. He gave me the chip. When I asked what it was for, he gave some vague answer about it being for protection or assurance. I didn’t understand and still don’t. I don’t think it’s doing anything.”

I had a thought about that, but I needed it to settle for a while before I made a comment.

He continued. “I thought it was helping me be invisible, which was why I brought it with me.”

“Ah, let me just say that the security at the door disables any amulets, potions, spells, or suchlike. I can’t have people cheating me out of money. That wouldn’t do, now would it?”

Did he look embarrassed? He’d better.

“So, it didn’t work?”

“Not in the way you think. You won the money because of your luck, not because of that cheap chip. I’d like to test a theory, but continue, please.”

“I should throw it away for all the good it did me.” He flicked it in the air and caught it again.

“Here, let’s try something.”

I fished the coin Conrad and I always used out of my pocket. Austin had a fifty-fifty chance of getting this right, but we’d do the best of five. What were the odds?

He sat forward, and I flipped the coin high into the air. “Tails or horns?”

“Tails.”

Okay, that was one.

“Tails.”

Two for two.

“Horns.”

And again. No one could predict with such accuracy, but after five tosses of the coin, he’d guessed every one correctly. That was more than luck.

I wanted to test it further, but that would mean taking him down to the floor and watching him play. But there was more to him than just his luck, and I reckoned his grandpa would have the information we needed about his mother.

“So, what’s the chip for, then? The shop owner gave it to me for a reason, so what was it if it wasn’t to help with the job?”

“He said protection and assurance?”

He nodded.

I had another theory.

I took out my phone and texted Conrad, asking him to come upstairs. It was early, but I knew he’d be here.

Moments later, the door opened. Conrad looked no different from any other day.

“Give him the chip, Austin.”

“It’s mine.” He clutched it to his chest.

“I’m not saying it isn’t, but give him the chip. I want to test something else.”

He threw it at Conrad and watched with concern as he left the room.

Barely two minutes later, I felt so much animosity towards him I found it hard to stay on my side of the room. It hadn’t been this bad before, and I wagered it was the breaking of the angel mark that had caused this anger.

How dare he cheat me out of so much money? How dare he make me look stupid in front of everyone?

I should have killed him where he fell.

I clenched my fists, and the urge to wrap them around his slim neck grew with each moment.

How dare he sit on my sofa, sip my coffee from my mug?

I curled my lip and bared my teeth, my horns tingling as they grew longer than they’d ever done.

I was going to fucking kill him.

I leapt across the room and pounced on him. The coffee mug went flying, hot coffee spilling.

“What the fuck?” Austin tried to scramble away from me, but I was far stronger than him. No chance of escape.

I straddled him, my knees on either side of his hips, and pinned him to the sofa.

I revelled in the hurt I could inflict on him and smiled as I slipped my hands around his throat. His eyes widened as he fought for breath.

I squeezed tighter, forcing the air from his lungs. I sat on him, my arms bulging with the effort.

My cock hardened and pressed against his, but I was more than sure he wasn’t enjoying this half as much as I was.

He clawed at my arms and gripped my shirt, kicking his legs out, trying to dislodge me. I squeezed harder, digging my thumbs into his neck.

Slowly his movements lessened, his eyes rolled upwards, and his head lolled to the side.

Yes, this was what I’d wanted to do all along. To eke the life out of him until he was no longer in existence.

Then I was flying across the room, hitting the coffee table with a crunch, shattering it into pieces.

“What the fuck, boss?”

I shook my head and slowly came to my senses.

Conrad was bent over Austin, pumping his chest.

What had I done?

My head cleared. Fuck, I’d killed Austin.

I was no stranger to murder and violence. It was part of me, but the compulsion to steal his life and make him suffer had overtaken my every thought.

The chip wasn’t protection or assurance for the job he’d been sent to do, but protection against me and what I would do to him once the mark was broken.

There had to be an explanation.

“Do you have the chip, Conrad?”

“In my pocket. What did you do?”

He continued to work on Austin, and for once, I felt remorse for what I’d done.

Killing in cold blood was what I did, so why did I feel bad?

My heart was in my mouth as I watched Conrad struggle to breathe life back into Austin.

At least it had proved a point, but at what expense?

Conrad sat back on his heels, his arms by his side. Austin lay on the sofa, his eyes closed.

Now what?

I made my way over to them and stood next to the lifeless body. Well, fuck.

“What were you trying to do? Why did you kill him?”

“I was trying to prove a point. It just went a little too far.”

“You could say that again. Another body to dispose of. Two in two days. It’s becoming a habit.”

“I don’t need your insolence.”

He stepped away, and I knelt next to Austin. How did I tell his grandpa? And now I’d never find out about the angel mark.

Unless? The angel mark. What had happened the last time I’d touched it?

He’d passed out, but it had shocked him too. I could tell from his face.

Not wanting to delay further, I pressed my fingers to the mark. Austin gasped, his eyes flying open. Relief washed over me.

“Thank fuck for that.” Conrad moved closer.

“Don’t touch him.” I held out my hand, keeping him at bay.

Austin needed to come around on his own.

“Get the fuck away from me.” His eyes flashed with anger. “You killed me.”

He rubbed his neck marred with red marks. I winced.

“I brought you back.”

“Why? Just why?”

“I had to test the theory. I needed to know.”

“I fucking hope you figured it out.” His voice was hoarse, and his shirt was wet with spilt coffee.

I grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.

He snatched it from my grasp, cowering into the corner of the sofa.

“I won’t hurt you.”

“Again. You won’t hurt me again. I think that’s what you meant to say. Not sure I believe you.”

His hands trembled as he struggled to open the bottle. I took it and did it for him.

“How do I know you haven’t poisoned it?”

“You just saw me open the bottle.”

He snorted, then coughed and held his throat.

“The chip. It wasn’t protection or assurance for the job. I think it was from me. When Conrad left the room with it, I had an overwhelming compulsion to kill you.”

“Which you did successfully.”

“You’re alive.”

“No thanks to you.”

“It proves my thought that you and I are intrinsically linked somehow, and it’s something to do with the angel mark. I don’t know why or how yet, but it’s something much deeper than you or I know.”

“So, you’re saying The Magic Shop owner knew I’d meet you and needed protection from you? That makes no sense. Why didn’t you kill me before?”

“The angel mark protected you at first. I knew there was something different about you, so although you thought the chip was protecting you, it wasn’t. Not yet anyway. Once the angel mark was broken, so was your protection, so my instinct was to kill you. Then the chip protected you, and when Conrad left with it, so did the safety it offered you. The moment he came back in, the compulsion had gone.”

“I’m so fucking confused.”

“Okay, let me try again. The angel mark protected you from me until it was broken. The chip then took over, and when it disappeared, the urge to kill you hit me.”

I took the chip from Conrad and handed it to Austin.

“Keep this on you at all times when I’m around.”

“Why not just let me go and never see me again? And if the chip protects me from you, surely it does from everything else.”

That was always a chance, but I didn’t think so.

We could test the theory, but Austin had had enough of tests for now, and I needed to get back to work.

I’d neglected my duty for the past couple of days, but I also needed to check a few things and wanted to talk to someone.

A demon I’d known for years. A good friend.

“Look, I’m sorry I killed you, but it was important to establish some facts. We’ve done that now, but you should rest. Let me help you back to bed.”

I reached for him, and he recoiled, moving out of my reach.

Damn it if that didn’t hurt, and I had no idea why.

I stepped away from him and gestured for Conrad to help him, then watched from a distance as he assisted him back to my bed.

Tension simmered beneath my skin, ready to erupt at any moment at the thought of his hands on Austin.

I wanted to push Conrad away or, better still, chop his fucking hands off.

Where had that irrational thought come from?

I had to get out of here—and quickly—before I did something to my closest friend I would surely regret.

I put on my boots and stormed from the apartment, slamming the door behind me. Ignoring everyone, I stalked to my office and flung myself into the swivel chair.

Why did I feel so incensed?

I pulled out my phone.

“Perfect Shores Funeral Home.”

“Hey, Zeke. Itʼs Dante. Is Mal about?”

“Dante. It’s been a while. I’ll go find him. He’s with Jason.”

Mal and I had met when Zeke had tried to resurrect Jason’s dead husband. I’d got involved because shit like that didn’t always work. Zeke had been lucky he’d not been banished permanently to earth. I knew how inconvenient that could be.

Mal had petitioned on his behalf, and between us, we’d released Jason from the contract, nullifying it.

“Dante, how are you?”

“Mal, my favourite demon undertaker. How much do you know about angel marks?”

Chapter twelve

Austin

He fucking killed me!

And he did that to test a theory. Unbelievable. Was my life so inconsequential that he thought he could do that and then bring me back to life again?

Although Conrad had brought me back. I didn’t think he had anything to do with it.

I rubbed at the mark on my chest, where the imprint of Dante’s fingers still tingled.

The moment I’d felt my life ebbing away, as my last breath left my body, my mom had come to me again.

“Don’t stay here too long. Not yet, my darling boy. You still have things to do.”

“I want to stay here with you. I missed you, Momma.”

“I know you did, angel, and I’ve missed you every single day. I’m right with you, though, whether you know it or not.”

“Why is he killing me? I stole from him, but that doesn’t warrant murder.”

“He doesn’t know who you are to him yet, but he will. Give him time. He will regret what he’s done to you, and you will forgive him.”

“For killing me? I don’t think so. It’s the ultimate sin.”

“Not for him. For him, it’s second nature, but in time, he’ll realise.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t understand any of this.”

She kissed my forehead, and once again, I was a little boy sitting on her lap, a reading book in her hand.

“Once upon a time, there was a dark prince. He did a bad thing and got sent to earth to be punished. He hated it there and wanted nothing more than to burn it to the ground as revenge for what had been done to him. At first, it was easy, but as time passed, he was forgotten. No one knew who he was anymore, and life became meaningless for him. It was time to make a change.

“Then, one day, a boy was born. A boy with a light in his heart. A light so bright it would show the dark prince the way, show him that not everything was as terrible as it seemed.”

“Is that me, Momma? Am I the boy with the light in his heart?”

“Yes, angel. My sweet, darling boy. You have the light inside you. But evil men wanted to kill the boy because he would be the one who led the dark prince out of the darkness and restore balance.”

She stroked my hair like she used to do. My darling Momma. I missed her so much.

“Why did you have to leave? I love you so much. I lost my way.”

“You did, angel, but you will find it again, and when you do, it’ll be the most wonderful thing in the world. Because of you, there will always be a place for people to live.”

“I’m scared, Momma.”

“I know, my sweet child, but there’s nothing to fear. He will protect you with his life. He doesn’t know it yet, but you are the most important person in the world for him, and once he realises that, he will love you with all his heart and his being.”

“I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go back.” She looked as I remembered from all those years ago, not a line on her face. Brilliant blue eyes and the longest, blondest hair, with soft curls that hung delicately past her shoulders. Skin so pale, hardly a blemish. God, how I missed her.

“You must. It’s time. Be brave, my little soldier, and soon it will all become clear.”

“Why did you die?” I needed to know.

“It was my time. I’d done what I was meant to. I gave you life.”

My perfect dream ended, and I was left with tears on my face and a scorching pain in my chest.

Now I was lying in his bed, unable to sleep. Dante had stormed out of the apartment. Conrad had followed shortly after and locked the door, the click loud.

A prisoner once again.

At least it was better than the white cell I’d been in before. This one had a comfortable bed at least.

My phone was gone. Where had that got to? All I had was the casino chip and my thoughts, of which there were plenty.

I’d never enjoyed my company, always seeking to be with others rather than on my own. Today, I had no choice but to sit with my thoughts until Dante came back.

I was still trying to wrap my head around what he’d said about the casino chip and angel mark. If only he’d let me go home so I could visit Grandpa. He must have been beside himself with worry.

Lists usually helped me, but I had no pen and paper and didn’t fancy rummaging around Dante’s apartment looking for some.

I had some standards, unlike some people, it seemed.

From Momma’s story, I gathered Dante was the dark prince, and I was the boy with the light in his heart.

Did that make him the devil? I remembered little from Mass and Sunday school, and if they’d mentioned the devil, I hadn't heard it.

I knew the names Lucifer, Satan, and Beelzebub. Another was Old Nick. Ironic, as that was the name of Joel’s uncle.

But what was I supposed to do?

I walked over to the window. It was dreary and wet outside. I hated winter, preferring the summer months and feeling the sun on my face.

Was Grandpa warm enough? Were they looking after him?

I needed to get out of here. I couldn’t sit and wait for Dante to let me go.

I made my own luck.

I put on my shoes and jacket and headed to the door. I jiggled the handle.

Definitely locked. I looked around for the key, but of course no one would be stupid enough to leave it lying around.

Maybe a knife would work?

I found one in the kitchen and went back to the lock. No amount of jamming it in and wiggling it around made it spring open.

Goddamn fucking knife. How dare it not work? I threw it onto the floor.

“Stupid fucking door.” I kicked it again and again. Frustrated didn’t cover it. I had to get out of here.

I sat on the floor, my back resting against the offending door, and ran my hands through my hair. How the fuck could I get out of here without the key?

I elbowed the door, and a sharp pain shot through my elbow… and there it was. A subtle click.

Ignoring the pain, I jumped up and turned the handle.

It opened onto an empty lobby. I crept out and closed the door softly behind me, trying not to make a sound.

There was no one about, and the lift looked miles away.

A sign caught my eye. Emergency Exit. Well, this was an emergency.

I peered through the small round window. A set of stairs led down. I’d be less likely to be discovered.

I ran as quietly as possible to the bottom, where another door opened to the casino’s foyer. I carefully looked through the window. Other than a woman at the reception desk looking at her computer, no one was about.

I pulled the door open and sneaked through it, keeping my back to the wall.

“Don’t see me. Don’t look this way,” I mumbled. “Nothing to see here.”

As luck would have it, she turned away and I crept out the door into the fresh air and freedom.

I pulled up my collar, dug my hands into my jacket pocket, and walked away. No one shouted; no one stopped me.

Hard to believe I’d got away so easily.

I carried on walking, bracing myself for a hand on my shoulder accosting me, but the farther I got away from the casino, the easier I breathed.

My heart finally stopped racing until it slowed to a normal pace. The casino was a couple of miles from my house, but with no phone or wallet, I had no other option than to walk.

It didn’t take long, maybe half an hour. An unfamiliar car sat outside the house. Nothing fancy, about ten years old and black.

New carers, maybe?

Only one way to find out.

“Grandpa.” I let myself in and walked into the lounge. My heart stood still. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Language, Austin,” Grandpa chided.

I tightened my fists and drew myself up, ready to defend myself and Grandpa.

“Austin,” Dante said. “So nice to see you again.”

“Get away from him.”

“We were just having tea. Would you like to join us?” He smiled sweetly.

“What do you want?”

“Austin, I brought you up better than that. Don’t be rude to our guests.”

Guests? I only saw Dante, but Conrad strolled out of the kitchen, a mug in his hand.

“Tea.”

Too shocked to protest, I took it from him and sat on the sofa.

“Dante here said he was a friend of yours. He came to see if I needed anything. I got your message that you’d be away for a couple of days.”

“I didn’t send a message.”

“No, Joel did. Said you and the boys had gone away for a few days. I must admit I thought you would have called yourself, but he said you’d lost your phone.”

“Yeah, I have.” I glared at Dante. He’d obviously sent the message from Joel’s phone.

“These kind gentlemen have brought some food.”

Not convinced this was their only reason for visiting, I sat quietly and waited.

“It’s just me and Austin these days. His mother passed away a good few years ago now.” Grandpa gave me a sympathetic look, knowing how much it still affected me after twenty-three years. “His dad left a year later.”

“What happened to him?”

“You don’t have to tell him anything.” I leant forward and touched Grandpa’s hand. This was as painful for him as talking about Momma was for me.

“It’s okay, son. I don’t mind.” He turned to Dante. “Calista’s death hit us all hard, especially him.”

“How did they meet?”

“You know, I don’t rightly remember. One minute he was out partying every night. The next he was settling down and having a child.”

I sat up straight, my tea forgotten. Grandpa rarely spoke about them, and this was news to me. When my father had left, we stopped talking about them.

“Do you know where he met her?”

“What’s the name of that big festival? You know the one I mean. The one run by the farmer.”

“Glastonbury?” I didn’t think it’d been going that long, but it probably had.

“Yes. That’s the one. He met her there and brought her back home. I’d never seen a man so besotted.”

“What do you know about her?” Dante edged closer to Grandpa.

“Why all the questions?” For the first time since I’d walked in, Grandpa looked worried, glancing between me and Dante.

“It’s okay. You can tell him what you know,” I reassured him, as he got easily confused.

“She had no family. Only us, and when Austin arrived, she said her life was complete. She was a wonderful mother.” His eyes misted over, as did mine. Especially after my earlier dreams.

“I hate to ask.” Dante looked down at his hands, and I knew what he was going to say.

“Then don’t,” I snapped. “Can’t you see how upset he is?”

“You know how important this is. Don’t for one minute pretend you don’t want to know too.” He was right. I did want to learn about how she’d passed.

“She got sick. One minute she was fine. The next she was complaining of a headache. I’d seen no one take ill as quickly as she did. She went to bed. Austin here didn’t want to leave her, but he had school the following day, and she said she’d be fine.”

Grandpa looked over at me, an apologetic smile on his face. Did I want to know the rest?

“Philip, my son, sat with her. I stopped by a few times, but she was always sleeping. She looked pale and weak. Had I known she was so ill, I’d have called an ambulance. I regret that decision to this day.”

He dragged a hand down his face, rough hands scraping down his whiskers.

“Then he came downstairs and said she’d gone. I didn’t think he meant literally, but when I went upstairs, she’d disappeared. I questioned him, and he told me what he knew. I never told you this, Austin. You were already distraught, so I didn’t see a reason to make things worse. You were only six.”

“What do you know, Grandpa?” My pulse raced. What was it?

“He told me she was an angel. She’d said her work was complete. You were her work, Austin. The moment she gave birth, she became more fragile. You won’t remember, but she was slipping away from us slowly, and that night, she vanished from our lives forever.”

“Did no one ask where she’d gone?” I couldn’t believe that no one had noticed.

“Only us. No one else remembered her ever being here.”

That couldn’t be right. She’d taken me to school, met my teachers. I’d had friends around for birthday parties. How could no one remember her?

I walked into the kitchen and tipped the now-cold tea down the sink.

I leant against the counter, tears filling my eyes. She was as fucking real as anyone. She was my momma. I hadn’t imagined her.

A hand on my shoulder startled me. I spun around, expecting to see Grandpa, but it was Dante, a look of concern on his face.

“Why did you have to come here and bring this up?” I swiped at the tears.

“You know why. I needed to know more about you and why we’re linked.”

“We’re not fucking linked. I don’t care what she said.”

He took a step back, giving me some space.

“When did she say, but more to the point, what did she say?”

“Nothing.” I stepped past him, but he laid his muscular hand on my arm.

“You and I need to talk. We’ll make sure your grandpa’s okay. Then you’re coming back with me. It’s not safe for you out here.”

“Why isn’t it safe? I still have this.” I pulled out the casino chip and held it up for him.

“That only keeps you safe from me. The angel mark gives you no more protection. I spoke to a friend, and he confirmed it.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue more, but Conrad stepped into the kitchen. His huge stature made it seem smaller than it already was.

“We need to move. We’ve got company. A group of guys in the street, but I don’t think they know exactly which house we’re in.”

“Is there a way out if we go out the back door?”

“Yes, there’s a gate at the bottom of the garden. It leads to an alleyway that runs behind the houses.”

“Then we need to take it. Now.”

My heart tripled in speed. What of Grandpa? Would he be safe?

As if reading my mind, Dante touched my face.

“We’ll keep him safe. They’ll not know we were here. I promise.”

I had to believe him, and reluctantly I nodded. “Don’t let anyone hurt him. He’s all I have left.”

“I know. Go with Conrad. I’ll follow shortly.”

“Can’t I say goodbye?”

“Just go, Austin.”

How was I putting so much trust in him after all he’d said and done? But what was it Momma had said?

Trust in yourself and trust him.

“Okay. Look after him.”

Conrad hustled me out the door, and we ran. Down the garden, out of the gate, and through the alleyway. All the while, he checked behind us, making sure we weren’t followed.

Doors opened on a waiting car, and he shoved me in. I landed in a heap, and we sped away.

“Keep down.”

And that was what I did until the door opened again, and Conrad dragged me out of the car and into the casino.

This was where I was staying, then.

I had a lot to think about. A lot to talk about. It felt like this was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. One I was barely qualified to live, but for her sake, for Momma’s sake. I’d do what I could to survive.

Chapter thirteen

Dante

I’d expected Austin to return home, so I wasn’t shocked when he walked through the door.

I was surprised we’d been found so quickly, but Conrad knew what to do, and I watched with mild apprehension as he and Austin left via the back door and disappeared from view.

That left me with Stan.

“Where’ve they gone?” He shuffled into the kitchen.

“Nothing to concern yourself about. Can you tell me where Austin’s room is? I need to grab a few things for him. He’s coming to stay with me for a few days.”

“Oh. Are you his boyfriend?”

“Erm, no? We’re just friends.”

“Ah, only I saw the way you looked at each other. I might be old, but I see things.”

What was he talking about? I dismissed it. He told me where to find Austin’s room, and I left him alone downstairs.

I found a bag and threw some clothes in it: underwear, shirts, trousers, a pair of trainers.

A photograph on his nightstand caught my eye, and I bent to look closer.

The woman must be Calista. She looked every bit the angel she was. There was no mistaking it. No time to think now, though. I placed the picture on top of the clothes in the bag and zipped it shut.

I glanced around the room. Except for the photograph, it was devoid of any belongings, any personal touches. How could he live here for twenty-some-odd years and not leave his mark?

I tucked his laptop under my arm and went downstairs.

That just left Stan to deal with, and then I could get going. I could protect him from whoever was outside.

He greeted me at the bottom of the stairs and slipped something into my pocket.

“Give this to Austin and tell him to look after himself.”

“He’s coming back.”

“I know, but all this talk of his mom today will have upset him. He never got over her death, and the anniversary of it hits him harder each year.”

“When is it?”

“In a few days’ time, actually. 9 November 2001 was the day everything changed for that boy.”

Interesting. Everything that was happening might not be all that coincidental.

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

“If anyone comes to the door looking for us, you haven’t seen us. Do you understand?”

A glazed look appeared on his face; my words were sinking in. It helped he was old and easily swayed, and if people did ask him, they would believe him.

“If anyone comes to the door, I haven’t seen you.” He repeated my words several times. Yes, he’d be fine.

“I’ll look after Austin. He’ll be back with you before you know it. I’ve left my number in your phone, and if you need anything, call or get someone else to. Okay?”

He nodded, his eyes clear again.

“Take care of my boy. He’s all I have.”

That tugged at me more than it should. Since when did the devil have a heart?

Since meeting Austin, it seemed.

I left the way I came, ignoring the three men walking towards me. The glamour I had cast would shield me from them. As far as they were concerned, I was a district nurse visiting an elderly patient.

Certainly not the devil.

I drove back to the casino and went to my apartment, where Conrad and Austin were waiting for me.

“Is he okay?” Austin paced the floor, wringing his hands.

“He’s fine. Nothing will happen to him.”

“Why did you go to see him?”

“I needed answers. You didn’t have them, and I knew of no one else.”

“I could have come with you. Instead, you locked me in here.”

“Because people are after you, and the fact that they found you within minutes suggests we were right to leave you here. Now will you please stay put?”

He sat on the sofa, shoulders slumped, fidgeting with the ring on his index finger.

“Here, I brought you some clothes and your laptop.”

“I can’t stay here.”

“You can and you will. I can take the sofa or stay downstairs in the other room.”

I could have moved him back to the room in the basement, but it didn’t feel like the right thing to do.

The compulsion to keep him close to me and not let him out of my sight drove that home.

Whoever wanted him would stop at nothing until he was dead at their feet.

“Now.” I sat in the chair opposite as I’d done that morning. “You said you saw your mother. Tell me what happened.”

He sighed and leant back, his shoulders still tense.

“I’ve seen her twice now. The first time in the shower earlier today. She told me I had to trust in myself and—”

“And what?”

“And to trust you too.”

A strange thing to say, but who was I to argue with an angel? Not strictly true. I’d argued with many an angel, which was one of the reasons I was down here on this sorry excuse for a planet.

“And the next time?”

“When you killed me. She read me a story in my childhood bedroom.”

“Oh, and did we have naptime afterwards?”

“I didn’t need to. You killed me, remember?”

Touché. I had indeed taken his life, but in my defence, I’d brought him back from the brink too. He should be grateful, except judging by the look on his face, I doubted he was.

“What was the story?”

He seemed reluctant to talk, but when he did, the story about the dark prince and the boy with the light in his heart sounded like something I’d heard many, many, many years ago. So long ago, in fact, I’d forgotten it, tucked it away in the recesses of my mind, only for it to come to light now.

Surely, it wasn’t referring to me, and no way the boy was Austin.

Too fucking far-fetched for words.

“Well, it seems clear cut to me.” I’d forgotten Conrad was in the room.

“Why do you say that?” Austin asked him.

“It all makes sense. Dante is the dark prince or prince of darkness, and you were born to an angel. The angel that told you, you were the boy.”

Maybe I didn’t want to think he was the one I was going to protect with my life. Although I couldn’t deny the attraction I’d felt towards him from the moment I saw him on the CCTV screen less than forty-eight hours ago.

So much had happened. It felt like a week.

By now, it was early evening. The casino was open, and I was once more neglecting my duties.

“I’ll go down and make sure everything is all right,” Conrad said, seemingly reading my mind.

“Do you want some food? I can get some sent up from the kitchen.”

“I guess, although I’m not that hungry.”

“You’ve not eaten all day.” I sent a message to the kitchen, took a couple of beers out of the fridge, and handed one to him.

“I can’t forgive you, even though Momma said I should.”

I didn’t care if he forgave me or not. Or did I?

“You have every right. I haven’t forgiven you for stealing from me and making me look a fool. I call that even.”

“You killed me.”

“Seriously, you need to get over that. It was an experiment that went a little awry.”

He looked at me wide-eyed. “I’ll forget you said that.”

“Look, we have to spend time together until I can sort out this issue with the angel mark. Once that’s done, you’re free to go your own way.”

“But I’m still a prisoner.”

I see-sawed my hand. “Yes and no.”

“Fucking typical. You should have been a politician.”

“I used to be one, but people didn’t trust the man with the horns.”

“I’m sure there are plenty with hidden ones. Yours are just visible. Anyway, you said you’d spoken to a friend. What did he say?”

“He agreed that when I touched your mark, I probably rid you of the protection you carried. Now I know what your mother said, I think it was meant to happen. We were supposed to meet when we did. I’ve never been a huge believer in fate, but these past few days have made me doubt that.”

“And you killing me?”

I was reluctant to tell him the next part. Mal had recently gone through a mating, and he’d found his soul mate in the strangest of ways.

His theory was that Austin was mine. I’d argued with him until I was blue in the face, but it was likely, as much as I didn’t want it to be true.

Yes, I couldn’t deny the pull, but fated mates? Fuck off. It was bullshit.

So I lied and told Austin what I’d said before, that the chip was protecting him and he shouldn’t let it go.

A knock on the door signalled the arrival of the food. I took the tray from the waiter and put it on the table in front of him.

“I didn’t know what you wanted, so I ordered a burger and fries. You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

Austin fell on the food without answering me and, before long, had demolished the burger and was eating his way through the fries.

“Hungry?”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

I winced at the name, but I’d got used to it over the years.

“It’s fine. Do you want mine too?”

He shook his head. “Nah, you eat it.”

He took another swig from his bottle, cleared his plate, and wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin.

“Fuck, I’m tired now.” He yawned and stretched. The T-shirt I’d lent him rode up, revealing a strip of white skin and a light covering of dark hair on his stomach.

I’d seen his body before, but why did I now have a flutter inside and an overwhelming urge to pin him to the sofa?

Not like earlier, when I’d choked him to death, but to kiss his abdomen and chest, make my way down to the borrowed sweats he wore, and slip them down his thighs.

Heat rushed to my cheeks and blood to my cock unbidden.

This was fucking ridiculous.

I threw my unfinished burger onto my plate and pushed it away. I was done eating.

“You should sleep,” I said. “Go to bed.”

He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, no doubt to argue.

“Not now, Austin. I’m not in the mood.”

“Take me back downstairs. I’ll sleep in the basement room.”

“You’ll do no such thing. I need to be near you at all times.” Fuck, that was not what I meant to say.

“Surely, I’m safer down there. Anyone could come in here, but it seems like the rooms downstairs have more security.”

He had a point, but I didn’t like that idea. Only a few had a passkey to the apartment, although the lift and stairs to the lobby were easily accessible.

But they would have to get into the casino first.

It’d been a while since I’d had to think so much about security. I grew excited at the thought of having something other to do than run the casino and the odd bit of mayhem Conrad and I got into.

“My bedroom. Now.” I was in no mood to argue.

“You’re not coming with me.” He walked towards the door.

“I don’t intend to. I don’t share my bed with someone who’s not willing.”

“I’d never share my bed with you, willing or not. How do I know you wouldn’t try to kill me in my sleep?”

“You don’t. Better lock your door, Austin.”

He flounced out of the lounge and into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

I made up the sofa with pillows and a blanket. Austin appeared again, picked up his bag, and retired to the room, closing the door a little quieter this time.

It was still early for me. I should be downstairs, not up here babysitting, but I couldn’t go down there looking like this.

I barged into the bedroom, doing my best to ignore Austin standing naked in the middle of the room. I took a shirt and suit from the wardrobe and, without saying a word, walked back out and into the bathroom, where I let out a breath.

I’d had many men in my bed, women too, but never had I wanted anyone as much as I did him. How I’d gone from hate to lust in such a short amount of time astounded me.

I undressed, willing away the hard erection forcing its way from my boxers. The door burst open, and in walked Austin.

“Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”

“I could say the same thing to you.” I glared at him. The sheer fucking audacity of the guy. He seemed to forget who he was dealing with.

Fuck, but he was equally annoying and sexy at the same time. The temptation to kill him warred with the desire to kiss him. I hadn’t decided which yet.

I stalked towards him, and a flicker of panic danced in his eyes. He retreated until his back hit the doorframe.

I gripped his neck and forced his head back.

“You try my patience once more, and I swear, you’ll regret it.”

Most men would cower. Some had pissed themselves, so I was unprepared for the flash of defiance on his face.

I slammed my lips to his and forced my knee between his legs. His cock hardened.

He placed his hands on my upper arms and shoved, but I was much stronger.

I pressed my lips harder, invading his mouth with my tongue. He struggled, but slowly his lips softened, and instead of pushing me away, he dragged me closer.

He tilted his head, giving me more access to his hot mouth. He rode my thigh, rubbing his erection against me. It spurred me on.

I released my hold on his neck and gripped his hips. I dug my hands in, not wanting to let him go. He ground into me, moaning now against my mouth.

Fuck, this was hot.

But just when I thought we were getting somewhere, he pulled away and dropped his head forward, meeting my nose with a crack.

“I’ll fucking kill you.” I clutched my nose, but blood was already dripping on the white-tiled floor.

“Leave me the fuck alone.” He stalked out of the room and into the bedroom.

I could barely see. My eyes were blurry, and the pain was excruciating.

I was going to fucking kill him. I wouldn’t wait for anyone else to do it. In fact, come tomorrow, I’d be letting him go and leaving him to his own devices.

No one, and I mean no one, got the better of me.

This was three times now and counting, and I could no longer let it go unpunished.

Chapter fourteen

Austin

Urgh, that man, devil, or whatever the fuck he was, was driving me fucking insane.

He thought that being nice to me, giving me a place to stay, and taking me out of harm’s way would make up for the fact that he’d fucking killed me!

I was struggling to let that go, although I couldn’t deny the kiss we’d shared was amazing. My cock had been ready to burst from the loose underwear I wore.

I’d been losing myself to it until the realisation once again sank in that he’d killed me.

I’d done the only thing I could think of, and that was to headbutt him. Thankfully, I’d not been tall enough to catch his horns. That might have hurt me more than it would him, but the satisfying crack as his nose broke was a reward in itself.

I had no doubt I’d pay for what I’d done, but I didn’t care.

He could do his worst to me. He’d already stolen my life once.

I’d left the door to the bedroom open. I was eager for another confrontation and stood, my hands on my hips.

I didn’t have to wait long.

Fuck, he was hot with his black horns and glowing orange eyes, streaks of blood running down his face. Why I found that such a turn-on, I didn’t know. He took my breath away, but this time in a good way.

He closed his eyes and inhaled, his jaw clenched. He rolled his shoulders, but I stood my ground.

“I should kill you… again.” He opened his eyes. I’d never seen them so dark, almost red now.

I’d angered him to elicit a response, and by God, I’d got one.

“You will kneel before me.”

“Fuck off. I’ll do no such thing.”

“Why do you defy me? Remember how I killed Joel? One click of my fingers and you would know no more. Is that what you want?”

Why did I take such pleasure from aggravating him? He’d had his chance to put his money where his mouth was.

But I was still standing. If he had any intention or inclination to kill me again, he would have done it by now. Wouldn’t he?

Unless, of course, his pleasure was torture, and that excited me more than I cared to think about.

“Kneel. I won’t tell you again.”

Against my wishes, I found myself on my knees. I tried to stand, but my limbs refused to move.

“Is this what gets you off? Forcing people to do your will.” I gritted my teeth.

He laughed, startling me with its ferocity.

“You know nothing.” He spat the words, and despite the racing of my heart, I was so hard it was painful.

His nose had stopped bleeding, and if not for the blood on his face, you’d not know anything had happened.

Whereas anyone else would have bruised or have a swollen nose, he looked as perfect as he had before. Immortal beings healed quickly, it seemed.

He undid his belt and released the button of his trousers.

I licked my lips and smiled.

His hands faltered, but then he continued to remove his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, defined abs, and deep chiselled V-lines. His arms were thick, his hands huge.

A trail of hair led from his belly button and into the front of his trousers.

He was the perfect specimen.

He toed off his shoes and slipped his cargo trousers off with ease, leaving him standing in just his briefs.

If anyone had told me I’d be kneeling before the devil and that he wore black briefs, I’d have laughed in their face.

But right here and now, I wasn’t laughing.

I was salivating, my fingers tingling with the need to touch him.

I parted my legs and sat back on my heels, showing him without words what his exhibition was doing to me.

I stroked the insides of my thighs, letting my hands linger at my groin. I burnt with desire for him, shocked by the ferocity of my feelings.

I craved his touch, even though I knew it wouldn’t be gentle.

He growled and moved closer to me, the tip of his cock peeking above the waistband of his briefs.

I reached for them, desperate to release him and set my gaze on what no doubt would be a perfect dick, but he batted my hand away.

He stood before me, so close his smell tickled my nostrils.

Dante gripped the back of my head, pulled on my curls, and forced my head into the heat of his groin. I inhaled deeply, savouring the scent of sweat, washing powder, and muskiness.

I was drunk on the essence, and if it wasn’t for Dante holding me upright and steady, I’d have fallen to the floor, intoxicated.

He tugged on my hair and tilted my head back. His eyes bore into mine, and I was powerless to look away. With one hand, he lowered the waistband of his briefs, freeing his cock.

I hadn’t expected it to be small, but this exceeded my expectations.

“I’m going to make you choke on it. Shove it so far down your throat you won’t be able to breathe.”

“Yes.” I panted. “I want that.”

I didn’t just want it. I ached for it and shivered with anticipation.

Droplets of precum leaked from the tip, and I held out my tongue, gathering them as they fell. I’d never seen so much. I lapped at the head, not wanting to waste a drop.

His eyes never left mine, and he bit down on his lip, his cheeks flushed, and still he held on to my hair.

Taking the initiative, I slipped the briefs down his thighs, finally able to take in the beauty before me. His balls, darker than the surrounding skin, hung low. I caressed each one in turn, and they tightened at my touch.

“Open,” he commanded. I didn’t hesitate and opened wide, ready to take him.

Inch by inch, he slid his thick cock into my mouth farther and farther, and just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, he pushed deeper, forcing it into my throat and cutting off my air.

I should have been worried, but even as I struggled to breathe, I closed my eyes and relished the sensation of losing all control and consciousness.

He wouldn’t kill me. He could have easily done that. Instead, he’d chosen sex.

“That’s it. Take it all.” Finally, my nose brushed his pubes. There was no more to give, and my eyes watered. My chest ached, as no air reached my lungs.

How much longer until I’d pass out? I didn’t care. I wanted this, wanted him, despite what had happened between us.

My longing for him was indescribable, even though I knew that without the protection of the chip, he wanted nothing more than to kill me.

Would that longing ever end for either of us, or were we destined to live in this volatile bubble until the danger passed?

He was danger, and that was what made him exciting.

He withdrew, and I gasped for air, resting my hands on my thighs, my chest heaving with the effort of filling my lungs.

Still, he held my gaze, and still, I’d do anything to please him.

How could he dominate my thoughts so much? I didn’t know.

It’d been mere days, and he’d never shown me an iota of affection. Until now.

He loosened the hold on my hair and brushed the errant curls from my face.

“So many conflicting thoughts. I don’t know what to do with you.” He spoke softly, almost as if talking to himself, voicing his inner musings.

“I don’t think you should kill me again.”

He chuckled, and the hardness in his face softened, his horns returning to normal. His touch was gentle, a lover’s caress, but I welcomed the change in him.

At first, I’d been reluctant to believe that he was anything but a normal human being, one with an ego so big he had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

But spending time with him, seeing him change physically, had proved to me he definitely wasn’t what he appeared.

But then neither was I. After Grandpa told us earlier that Momma was an angel, you’d think I’d be more concerned, but right now, I didn’t care.

I’d got to see her, and that was all that mattered. Trying to reconcile the fact that I was here for Dante was harder to take in.

But here we were.

“I don’t think I should either, but I can’t deny the pull I feel to do so again. Do you still have the chip?”

“In my jacket pocket.”

“Give it to me.”

I found the chip and handed it over.

“I think you should wear it.”

“How?”

“Like this.” One click of his fingers and the chip hung from a leather cord, long enough to hang around my neck. “This way, you can wear it at all times.”

I fingered the disc, which gave off a gentle pulse. I’d not felt it since entering the casino and had given up hope that I would. To be honest, I’d been ready to throw it away.

Maybe it had been temporarily disabled and was now coming back to full strength. With Dante around, I was going to need it.

Thankfully, his earlier mood had changed from murderous to amiable, but I desperately wanted to get back to where we’d been, with me on my knees and him standing before me.

I glanced at his groin, his briefs once again covering his semi-hard cock.

“You want more?”

I nodded enthusiastically. Oh, yes, I wanted more.

With no coercion, I fell to my knees, resting my hands on my thighs, palms up. I was more than ready for whatever he would give me.

He stepped out of his briefs and walked towards me, his cock swaying with each step.

I eyed it with anticipation, eager to have it in my mouth again. More than that, I wanted it inside me.

I’d never been so brazen, so willing to give myself to a man I barely knew, but somehow my body knew him. It didn’t feel wrong. In fact, it felt very right.

I straightened, coming level with him, but this time, I opened my mouth without being asked.

He smiled wickedly and tapped my cheek with his cock, teasing me, then did the same to the other one.

He painted my cheeks with his precum, and my breathing hitched.

Without warning, he pushed his dick deep into my waiting mouth.

It was even bigger than before. He gripped my head, holding it steady, and fucked deep into my throat.

He grunted with each thrust, going deeper with each one.

I braced myself on his thighs lest I’d topple over.

“Eyes on me,” he ordered, and I complied, lost in his penetrating gaze.

He quickened his tempo, and my throat became sore from the friction.

“So fucking good.” He groaned, and I saw stars, unable to breathe again.

I didn’t care. If this was how I was going to die, it was one hell of a way to go. I pulled out my cock and jerked myself off.

His punishing pace was relentless, and I was falling.

“Not yet. Stay with me.”

I struggled to obey, but the lack of air was making me light-headed.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” He shouted each word until a jet of hot spunk filled my mouth and throat.

There was so much I couldn’t swallow it all, but he continued thrusting until I’d consumed every drop.

My release hit me hard, and the light-headedness from before hit me full force, and stars burst behind my eyelids.

I swayed, but a firm hand steadied me.

“I’ve got you. Just let go. I’ll always have you.”

I sighed and lost myself to my feelings. Feelings of floating above everything, feelings of euphoria, feelings of contentment. It took a while for me to come down, but when I did, Dante stood before me, watching me intently.

“That has to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

What on earth did he mean by that?

“Surely, you’ve seen someone come before.” I wasn’t that memorable.

“Your skin glowed. I can’t explain it very well, but you looked as if you were lit up from the inside. It’s gone now.”

I looked down at my body, but it appeared no different to me other than the dark red angel mark.

What I did feel was bone tired.

“Here, let me help you.”

Dante lifted me to my feet and guided me back to the bathroom. He washed us both, and I couldn’t be more grateful for his help.

When I got back into bed, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Had Dante joined me in bed? I had no idea.

Chapter fifteen

Dante

Austin had fallen asleep the moment he’d crawled into bed. I’d showered, dressed, and went downstairs to the casino.

Conrad met me at the bar.

“Everything okay, boss?” He scrutinised my face. What was he looking at?

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Your nose looks weird.”

It was still a little tender, no thanks to Austin, but there was no bruising.

“Anything new?”

“Nope. Same as always.”

“I can’t believe I’m sitting here day after day, night after night, doing nothing but watch a bunch of losers gamble away their hard-earned money.”

“What’s the alternative? It’s what you chose to do.”

“I need more, Conrad. This isn’t cutting it anymore. I think it’s time to make some changes around here.”

“Is that wise?”

“Are you questioning me?”

He shook his head vehemently. “Nope, not at all. I just thought seeing how you had a good thing going here.”

“Money isn’t everything. I’ve settled, Conrad. Settled for an easy, boring life. I’m the devil, for fuck’s sake, and other than the odd bit of mayhem here and there, what do I do? Prince of Darkness? I might as well not exist.”

“What about Austin? He’s brought excitement.”

The image of him on his knees appeared in my mind, and my cock twitched. I wanted to race back upstairs and fuck him into the mattress.

“It’s not enough. I’m done sitting around waiting for trouble to locate me. Do you know who came to find us earlier?”

“I didn’t recognise them, and I’ve put out a few feelers with some old acquaintances, see if they knew who it was. So far, no joy.”

I had my methods of discovering who they might be, but it might take another call to Mal.

“I want someone outside my apartment while I’m not here. Put one of your best men on it. I can’t have Austin slipping out again, nor do I want anyone sneaking in. The lift is fine, but anyone could walk up the stairs. We’ve become complacent, but no more.”

“Why are you so interested in him?”

“You heard what he said, and between you and me, Mal knew of a long-forgotten prophecy about a boy with a light in his heart. Remember what his mother said? If that’s him, I must be the Prince of Darkness. Until I know what’s going on, we keep him safe.”

How could I explain how I felt about Austin? How he’d interested me from the first time I’d seen him.

No, I’d keep that to myself for the moment.

“I’m going out. I’ll be back by morning.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Stay here, watch the floor, have someone take care of Austin.”

I strode out the door and into the frosty night and called Mal.

“Sorry it’s so late.”

“No worries. Jason’s asleep, and I’m catching up with some paperwork. The lady we employed to replace Zeke still has a lot to learn. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for some men. Not sure what they were. Could have been demons, but pretty sure they were mercenaries. They found Austin today within minutes of him leaving the casino.”

“So, a tracker of sorts?”

“I don’t think so.” I thought about the chip but dismissed that, convinced it was protection from me, not anyone else. “The mark is broken. It has to be something to do with that.”

Mal tapped away on his laptop, swearing under his breath.

“Fucking computers. Hate using them.”

“Move with the times, my friend.”

He mumbled something and continued.

“I killed Austin, by the way.”

“You did what?” he shouted.

“Calm down. He’s fine. It was an experiment. He’s been carrying an amulet given to him by The Magic Shop owner.”

I didn’t need to explain to Mal who he was. Everyone knew of him and what he did.

“Start from the beginning.”

I’d already filled him in on the angel mark, and now I explained about the amulet and how I thought it was protection from me, that somehow our futures were entwined. I told him about the story his mother had told him. Mal listened without interrupting.

“I did warn you. Calista was a seer, and if she says that’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. You broke the mark. It was your destiny to do that. Austin carries the amulet to protect him from you until you complete the bond.”

“Bond?”

“Yes. The bond. Once that’s done, he’ll no longer need the amulet.”

“And the men who are after him?”

“Up to you how you deal with them. They’ll do anything to stop the bonding. They want you to bring hell back to earth.”

It was funny how all these things were happening now.

I recalled my recent conversations with Conrad about how I was tired of sitting still, that it was about time I went back to the old ways. The ways of the old devil who rained death and destruction on earth. Then Austin appears with his angel mark and amulet. The story of him and me, how he would bring about the light. These men were intent on killing him to stop that. Now I needed to stop them.

Everything happened for a reason.

“Where is he now?” Mal asked, still tapping away.

“In my bed at the casino. I can’t have him going home.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“A bit of both.”

“You’re already feeling something for him.”

“From the moment I saw him.”

“That’s what happened with me. You know what I’m like with humans. At least you got a part angel as your mate.”

“He’s not my mate.”

“Ha. Good luck with that.”

Before I could reply, my phone pinged.

“I’ve sent you the names of a few mercenaries in your area. Might be worth starting with them. Let me know how things go.”

“Thanks, Mal.”

“No worries. Go wreak some havoc. Business is slow.”

He ended the call, and I checked the names on my phone. A couple I recognised, but I’d hazard a guess these were of no consequence. But I might get more information from them.

My heart raced at the thought of doing something other than running a fucking casino. It had served its purpose, but it was time to up my game again.

I opened a portal and found myself in a pub not too far away. A handful of men sat at the bar, staring at me with their mouths hanging open. I clicked my fingers and locked the doors.

“So, gentlemen. Who paid you for that little stunt today?”

I knew no one would talk. They never did, and that made my job all the more enjoyable.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about.” A beefy guy stood.

“Oh, I think you do. You could help yourselves out and tell me who it was, or you can die an unpleasant death. What’s your choice?”

Several men looked nervously at each other. A few joined the man standing at the bar.

Okay, we were doing this, then.

I could have made it quick, but where was the fun in that? And as much as the odds appeared to be in their favour, they never were.

Six men faced me, with four behind, and when they lunged, I simply side-stepped, grabbed the nearest one by the throat, and lifted him off his feet. Another advanced from the right. I pointed to his chest, and he dropped like a stone, always a pleasurable sight. He crumpled, and the skin slipped from his face, revealing muscle and bone, then dissolved. Another joined the ranks below.

One or two faltered, but it was too late. I wasn’t about to stop now.

Normally, I liked to draw out my game, but as each one came close, I killed them where they stood until only two remained. One I had dangling by his neck, his face turning a delicate shade of purple.

He appeared to be the ring leader and most likely to give me the information I required.

I summoned a chair and he collapsed onto it but restricted his ability to move.

I did the same with the other and circled them, enjoying the sight of them struggling to free themselves.

“Let’s start again. Earlier today, you visited a house, looking for someone. Tell me who sent you and why. And please don’t even think of lying to me. I’ll know. Believe me, I’ll know.”

“We received a text. That was it. A £50,000 reward for anyone who could kill the guy.”

“How did you know who to look for?”

“They sent a picture with the text.”

“Where is it?”

“I don’t have the text anymore. They disappear after twelve hours. No record on anyone’s side, then.”

Damn it.

“And you don’t know who sent it?”

“I told you. We’re all mercenaries. We get paid to do a job. We don’t ask questions. We get paid once the job is done.”

“How do they know you’ve done the job?”

The talkative guy shrugged. The other stayed silent.

“I don’t know. The money just appears in our account once it’s completed.”

“Have you any idea who you’re dealing with?”

“You’re the guy who runs the casino. The one with the fake horns.”

And there it was. No one knew the real me. I was just that guy who ran the casino.

“They’re not fucking fake,” I shouted. “Do fake horns do this?”

Had Conrad been here, he would have stepped in, but he wasn’t.

My horns had grown, and my face contorted.

Shouts from both men confirmed they now knew who I was.

“I’m the fucking devil, and you will show me the respect I deserve.”

“Y-y-yes, master.”

Seriously, I didn’t think I was going to get much more information from them, and once again, I was getting bored with the whole thing.

Even a torture session could no longer hold my interest. What on earth was wrong with me?

Pissed off and tired, I ended their lives and left them tied to the chair. The remaining bodies had all disappeared. Only a few blood splatters here and there indicated that something had gone down here.

The two men tied to the chairs displayed no outward signs of torture, but their insides would be liquid, their organs pulverised.

I’d perfected this torture many years ago, and I was quite proud of it.

Scared the hell out of the coroners when they opened them and everything oozed out onto the table.

Some people deserved everything they got.

I returned to the casino just as it was closing.

“Good night?” Conrad asked, knocking something off my shoulder.

“Eh, could have been better.”

“You’ve got some blood in your hair. You might want to get rid of that.”

Fuck, and I thought I’d avoided it. I’d best have another shower before going to sleep. Couldn’t have Austin waking up to see me with blood splatters. Not that he’d bother. He’d caused it earlier with his well-aimed headbutt.

“Wanna tell me what happened?”

“Nope, but let’s just say we won’t be bothered by the thugs from earlier.”

“Ah, I see. Do I want to know? Any clean-up needed?”

“No, you don’t want to know, and no clean-up needed. A message needed to be sent. Do I think they’ll stop trying? No, I don’t, not with the money they were offering. I’m going to bed. These days seem to run into one, and I need some decent sleep.”

Except with Austin in my bed, it was unlikely I’d get any.

“See you later, boss.”

The elevator ride to the apartment was swift. I nodded to the guy outside the door and let myself in.

It was silent. I checked the bedroom.

Austin lay sprawled on his front, his arms and legs outstretched, barely covered.

I took a moment to admire him, the defined muscles in his back, the elegant hands with long fingers. Things I would never normally notice in a man were front and centre.

I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as he slept. Yeah, I was being creepy, but I didn’t care. Mystery surrounded him, a mystery I was determined to solve.

His mark, his amulet, his luck.

He stirred in his sleep and rolled onto his back, revealing the angel mark to me.

It was definitely darker than before. I reached out, hovering my hand a few inches away, tempted to touch it again.

Or maybe it was an overwhelming urge to touch him again.

Either way, I pulled back my hand and brushed a lock of hair out of his face.

He sighed, his eyes darting from side to side behind his lids, his limbs jerking. Was he having a bad dream?

He quieted, and his breathing evened out. He needed his sleep as much as I did. I was sure he’d seen more violence these past couple of days than he ever had.

I wasn’t exactly making a good impression, but then could he blame me? I was no paragon of virtue. I’d committed some heinous crimes in my lifetime and regretted none of them.

My only regret was allowing myself to be comfortable with the humans of this world as time had progressed, and now I’d lost my identity.

No one remembered me as I had been. So many books and movies were written about me, but not one depicted the real me.

Maybe it was time I reminded them who and what I was before we were lost to a world of nothingness and complacency.

Chapter sixteen

Austin

The next morning, I woke up alone in the bed. Not that I’d expected Dante to be there. No, what we’d done yesterday was a product of pent-up emotions and hatred.

Hatred for him and what I’d seen him do, and what he’d done.

One thing I couldn’t forget was the flavour of him on my tongue. I touched my lips, wishing to taste the tang of his release, but there was nothing.

I stretched, pointing my fingers and toes, tensing and releasing my muscles. I’d never felt so rested, yet the bed was no more comfortable than the one I had at home.

Home. My fear for Grandpa surged up again, although Dante had assured me nothing would happen to him.

What the fuck was I supposed to do on my own here all day? I made my way to the bathroom to pee, then followed the powerful aroma of coffee coming from the kitchen.

I poured myself a mugful and walked into the lounge, where Dante and Conrad were chatting with another man I didn’t recognise.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home.” Dante smiled.

“You won’t let me go home, so I’ll make the best of a poor job.”

The apartment was fancier than anything I’d stayed in, even my childhood home.

Which was full of painful memories and antique furniture.

This was modern and held no reminder other than of me on my knees in front of a man I should hate, but I was finding it harder to do with each passing moment.

I’d heard him return in the early hours of the morning, felt the bed dip as he sat next to me, smelt his subtle aroma.

I’d held still, not wanting to let him know I was awake, wondering what he’d do. I hadn’t expected the tenderness he’d shown after the events before.

Funny, but I hadn’t feared for my life, even if every sign was telling me he’d gladly kill me.

Instead, our animosity towards each other had manifested differently, one I’d happily repeat.

“Care to share your thoughts?” Dante smirked and looked pointedly at my groin. I glanced down. Fuck.

“I think you know where they might be.” I refused to be intimidated by him, devil or not.

I didn’t want to disturb them any more than I’d done already, so I grabbed the bag Dante had packed and my laptop and returned to the bedroom.

I dressed quickly and, sitting on the bed, logged onto my laptop and opened Messenger.

“What’s the Wi-Fi code?” I shouted.

“Here.” Conrad handed me a piece of paper. “It’s on here.”

“Oh, cheers.” I input the code and was bombarded by an influx of messages, most from Freddie and Pete.

“Where the fuck are you?”

“Why haven’t you come home?”

Questions, questions, and more questions.

I scoured the messages for anything about Joel, but nothing popped up. Social media had no further insights either. Strange, considering how he’d died. I knew Conrad had moved the body; he’d told Dante as much.

I sat back against the wall. What the fuck was going on?

Should I message Pete? A message from Freddie appeared.

Freddie: Austin? Is that you?

Who the fuck else would it be? But I tamped down my irritation and responded.

Austin: Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?

Freddie: Yeah. Wondering where you are. Am having bad dreams.

Austin: What kind?

Freddie: I keep seeing Joel dead and you shooting him. You didn’t, did you?

Fuck. I thought they’d wiped his memory.

Austin: I didn’t shoot him. Where is he?

Freddie: Nobody knows. He disappeared like you did. Can we meet somewhere?

Dante had me locked down so tight I wasn’t sure I could get away. I had to try, though, for Freddie’s sake.

Austin: Sure. Where are you now?

Freddie: I’m at home, but I could meet you at the park. You know, where we used to go. I need to get out of the house.

Austin: Sure. I can be there in an hour.

What excuse could I use? The easiest and most believable would be Grandpa, but even if Dante allowed me to go, he’d no doubt send someone with me.

That meant giving them the slip.

I had to try, though. I’d known Freddie far longer than Dante, and he needed my help.

I sauntered back into the lounge and leant casually against the wall.

“I need to go see Grandpa. I’ll not be long and be back in an hour.”

Dante frowned, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

As if I cared. He couldn’t keep me prisoner here. My life was my own.

“Look, I get you’re concerned, but I’ll be fine. I’m lucky, remember?”

“I said no.”

“And I said I’m going.”

“Austin.” Dante’s voice changed, and a tinge of black darkened his horns.

“Then send someone with me. Conrad will come with me, won’t you?”

Dante trusted him, and I’d stand a better chance of getting out of here with him. Not sure quite how I was going to give him the slip, but I’d figure that out later.

“Don’t drag me into this.” Conrad held up his hands. “Dante said no.”

“But I need to make sure Grandpa’s okay. Yesterday unnerved us both. He’s old, and I have to check he’s fine.”

I wasn’t lying. I might slip out to see Freddie, but I intended to visit Grandpa too. He wasn’t used to being on his own for so long.

As if sensing my need to go to him, Dante nodded. “Conrad, go with Austin and make sure you keep him safe. Do not lose sight of him for one moment.”

“I promise I’ll behave.” I crossed my fingers behind my back. Not that I needed the luck. I was born with it.

“Take the car and be back here within two hours. Understand?”

Conrad looked at me and shook his head. “You’ll be the death of me, I swear. No funny business.”

I smiled sweetly and put on my coat and trainers. Ah, my own clothes. I already felt better.

I followed Conrad out and into the parking garage under the casino, where we got into the car we’d arrived in the previous day.

He squeezed himself into the driving seat. It was a big car, but still his height made him look like a giant driving a toy car.

The streets became more familiar, but I kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Something wasn’t sitting right with me, and the ill-feeling I’d had before returned, a chill settling in my bones and not just from the frigid temperatures.

We pulled up outside the house, and I jogged up the front path and opened the door. Grandpa never kept it locked. He said if ever he needed help, he didn’t want them battering down the door to get to him.

“Hey, Grandpa. It’s me.”

“Austin? Is that you?”

“Yeah. Are you okay?”

“When are you coming home? I need my tablets, and there’s no one to cook my dinner.”

“Stan, you know that’s not true. Don’t believe him, Austin.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as Amber appeared at the kitchen door.

I rushed to her and hugged her tight.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Looking after him. I might need you to do it for a couple more days. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I don’t know what you’ve got yourself mixed up in, but I’ll take care of him until you come back. Just don’t take too fucking long.”

“It’s been a couple of days. Don’t tell me you’ve missed me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

As much as I’d regretted asking her, it had been the right decision.

“I need to slip out for an hour, but I need to get rid of the big guy. Can you help me out?” I whispered.

“Sure. Let me see what I can do.”

She winked and walked into the kitchen.

“Let’s go sit, Grandpa.” I led him back into the lounge to sit and tucked his blanket around his legs.

A crash, then a squeal came from the kitchen, and as I knew he would, Conrad dashed to help.

That was my chance to leave.

“I’ll be back soon.” I kissed Grandpa quickly on the forehead and left through the front as quietly as I could, needing as much space between me and Conrad before he realised I was missing.

No one was waiting for me outside the door, and I jogged the half a mile to the playground. I slowed and glanced around me. I didn’t see anything amiss, nor could I spot Freddie.

Where the hell was he?

The playground was where we’d spent much of our youth, secluded as it was behind a patch of trees. Many days and nights drinking, having sex, getting high. It brought back memories, not all of them pleasant.

I checked my watch. I wasn’t late, but that eerie feeling I’d had when we’d entered Temptation hit me again. Something felt off.

I waited at the treeline, not wishing to step out into the open yet.

I didn’t have to wait long. Freddie shuffled towards the swings, his hands deep in his pockets, his hood up, and stood with his back to me.

Slowly I approached him. He turned. My stomach churned, and bile rose in my throat. A split lip and a black eye. Who would do such a thing to him?

“What the fuck happened?” I hurried to him and dabbed the tender skin around his eye.

“I happened.” Joel’s Uncle Nick stepped into view. Where the fuck had he come from? I’d not heard him draw near.

“You fucking bastard. Why?”

“He said you killed Joel.”

“Whoa, now wait a minute.” I held up my hands and backed away. Fuck, four men blocked my way. When had they arrived?

He had it all wrong, but what had Freddie said? He’d seen me shoot him. No fucking way. Dante had killed him.

“Joel was my friend. I’ve known him for years. Why would I fucking shoot him?”

“You tell me, but you’ve fallen on your feet. Staying in the swanky casino with the fake they call the devil.”

Little did he know Dante was the real fucking deal. No pretending there.

“I swear to you I didn’t fucking kill Joel. I loved him.”

“I’d love to believe you, but here’s the thing, Austin. Joel was working for me. So, by definition, you work for me too. Here’s the deal. You get the money you stole, and you bring it to me. It’s as simple as that.”

“Not gonna happen. They took all the money back. I don’t have it.” And now it became clear. Nick was interested in the money and nothing else.

“I thought you might say that, so I brought some friends along to persuade you to do the right thing.”

More men appeared out of nowhere and closed in on my position. I was surrounded and had nowhere to escape.

I’d not be getting out of here alive, but there was no way I’d work with Nick anymore. I’d been too far invested before to pull out at the last minute with the casino job, although in hindsight, I should have done so for many reasons.

“Now, Austin, be a good boy and come with us. We have a lot to discuss.”

I looked at Freddie, who seemed fucking terrified. His hands shook as he swiped a tear from his face. I couldn’t risk them beating him anymore, but I couldn’t go with them.

I shook my head. “I’m not coming with you. Kill me if you must, but I’m done working for you.”

“Austin, Austin, Austin. You’re not leaving me with many choices here.”

I didn’t fucking care.

I bounced on the balls of my feet, readying myself to make a break for it. But I couldn’t take Freddie with me. He was a mess and in no fit state to run. Could I escape? Was there a gap I could sneak through?

“Don’t do it, Austin. There’s nowhere you can run to, and I’d hate for anything to happen to your grandpa. He’s such an old man, living in that house on his own with no one to look after him now you’re shacked up with the devil.”

“You touch him, and I’ll fucking kill you. You leave him out of it.”

“Like you did with Joel? How could you kill him in cold blood?”

“You have a problem with how he died. You take it up with me.”

Dante’s voice boomed across the playground. He strode towards us, his horns gloriously long and black.

I didn’t need him to fight my battles for me, but I was more than happy to see him today. Conrad must have told him of my escape, and he’d found me.

The moment he reached me, he placed a firm hand on my shoulder, and I knew I was safe. He’d not let anything happen to me.

“Stay close,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear, and despite the dire situation, I shivered.

“Go home. You’re just a wannabe, a poor lookalike. You think you’re the devil? You’re nothing but a fraudster. Do you not see how many of us are here?”

“I do, and I’m pretty sure you don’t know who half of these men are. Where did you find these monkeys? At the circus?”

“Oh, you think you’re funny, do you? I didn’t have to look far. The moment I mentioned Austin here, men came out of the woodwork, wanting a piece of the action.”

I looked over at Conrad, who’d joined us. Were these the men they’d warned us about?

“Seems you’re famous.” He grinned. He seemed to be enjoying this.

“I’m not gonna like this, am I?” I had a bad feeling shit was going to go down.

“Nope. I can almost guarantee it.” Dante smiled broadly, his perfect skin glowing in the dull afternoon light.

He pushed up the sleeves on his black top and cracked his knuckles.

“Ready?” He turned to Conrad and nodded.

“As always.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wishing to see the carnage I knew was about to happen.

I’d seen him kill Joel with a click of his fingers, but I had a feeling he would show these men no mercy, and for once, I hated being right.

Chapter seventeen

Dante

“What do you mean, he’s disappeared?” I should have known Austin would pull a stunt like this. Why on earth I’d trusted him, I had no idea. I thought he’d be safe with Conrad, but he’d given him the slip.

Lucky or cocky? I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter, but when I got my hands on him…

“I’m sorry, boss. One minute he was there. The next he’d gone. His friend Amber had an accident in the kitchen. I couldn’t leave her lying on the floor.”

“You know he planned that.” Gullible didn’t cover it.

“I know that now, yes.”

I sighed. “Where’s he gone?”

“No clue, but he can’t have gone far. He told his grandpa he wouldn’t be long.”

“He was in on it too?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m sure of it.”

“You let a twenty-something part angel get the drop on you, a five-hundred-year-old immortal.”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“I’ll be right there. Then we’ll go find him. I only hope he hasn’t got himself into any trouble.”

But the moment I’d rounded the corner, my poor dark heart almost stopped seeing Austin surrounded by at least fifty men and not all of them human.

He stood ready to flee, but I knew he wouldn’t get far before being taken out by at least one of them. They were quicker, stronger, more agile than him, and he’d not last a second, let alone five.

A burning fury filled me, and it was all I could do to hang back and not run in, ripping heads of everyone, leaving carnage in my wake.

My chest swelled as I inhaled, smelling fear and anxiety. Some from Austin, but most from the men invited by Nick, men intent on killing Austin.

I refused to let that happen, but if one of them touched him, the pent-up wrath and anger that had simmered beneath the surface for years would be unleashed.

Whether he was my mate or not, the pull I felt when he was near was all-consuming, and I knew it was my duty to protect him at all costs.

I pushed up my sleeves and nodded at Conrad. I’d tucked Austin between us, keeping him as safe as possible.

The men advanced, some with weapons aimed, others raising their bare hands, relying on brute force.

Nick stood off to the side, a trembling Freddie next to him.

He hadn’t deserved the beating he’d received. Another reason to exact my revenge.

I’d killed Joel swiftly. This time I wouldn’t be so lenient.

A human approached, a knife in his hand. He tossed it from one to the other, his stance offensive, a cocky grin on his face.

I sighed. This was going to be way too easy.

I grabbed his throat and lifted him off the floor, his eyes bulging. Austin gasped behind me, and for one moment, I lost concentration.

The guy swiped with the knife, catching me on the cheek.

Huh, that didn’t normally happen. I dabbed my face and came away with a smear of blood on my fingertips.

Austin was a distraction I didn’t need, but how else could I keep him safe from the horde of men that appeared to have grown?

Taking them down was easy. One clap of my hands and I could disable them all, but a lesson needed to be taught. One I was happy to teach.

“Keep him safe,” I said to Conrad. Time to put an end to this.

I felt Austin’s presence leave me and knew Conrad had taken him to safety. Dealing with this mob would be no trouble at all.

I snapped the neck of the man who’d cut me and dropped him to the ground. Another took his place, and with a swipe of my hand, I slit his throat. He landed with a thud, blood staining the ground.

Again and again, I took men down. I danced around them, easily avoiding their weapons and fists.

A man with a sword came close. That could come in handy. Using the heel of my hand, I forced his head back, and with a satisfying crack, he fell to the ground.

I grabbed the sword and sliced and stabbed my way through the men in front of me, killing all in my path.

Blood flew in all directions, splattering my face and clothes. One by one, they tumbled to the ground in slow motion. I could manipulate time to benefit my needs, so I’d slowed it down, allowing me to deal with the throng of attackers coming at me.

Not even breaking a sweat, I continued to fight my way towards Nick and Freddie. He was my goal.

A behemoth of a man approached, except he was no man but a demon taking advantage of the bounty on Austin’s head.

He grunted as he stomped forwards, the ground shaking with each step. Killing him would be a little trickier but not impossible.

He snatched the sword from my hands and snapped it in two.

Well, that wasn’t nice.

He threw his head back and roared, his arms outstretched. Some people liked to draw attention to themselves, but that was hardly ever a good thing.

I punched him in the gut. Ouch. I shook out my hand. It was like hitting a brick wall, but I wouldn’t let that deter me.

This one needed taking down.

“Hey, big guy.” I placed my hand on his head, sending a pulse of power into his brain. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he dropped to the ground, convulsing.

I stepped over him and moved on to the next and the next and the next until only a handful remained standing.

The coppery smell of blood filled the air, the playground looked like a battlefield, and here I was, mere feet from a terrified-looking Nick.

“Fraudster, eh? You might want to rethink that.” I lifted my shirt and wiped the blood from my face.

“I…I…”

“I fucking told you,” Freddie said to Nick, his face pale as a sheet. “I warned you what would happen.”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” Nick lifted his arm. I’d not sent him home for that to happen.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” I caught his arm inches before Freddie’s face and forced it backwards.

Nick howled, his arm hanging limp by his side.

“Now, you call off the rest of your men, or else they’ll end up the same way the others have. Then you take your little operation and go somewhere else.”

“I promise I will. You fucking broke my elbow. I need a hospital.”

“That you do. Now be nice to Freddie and get on your way.”

What was I saying? Since when had I been forgiving? Since when had I let things slide? This man hadn’t earned any of my sympathy. He’d manipulated and stolen from me and others. He’d beaten Freddie when he hadn’t been justified.

Nah, he didn’t deserve to live.

I flicked my wrist, and he dropped to the ground. Stone dead.

“You all right there, Freddie?” I asked.

He nodded, but he winced at the tiny movement. His face was covered in bruises and cuts inflicted by the fucker lying at my feet.

He’d brought it upon himself.

I stepped over mangled bodies and walked through puddles of dark blood. They shouldn’t have threatened Austin, shouldn’t have the intention to end his life.

In doing so, they’d signed their death warrants.

Ironic how they’d wanted me to burn the world to the ground, using him as leverage. I’d done it anyway, and while killing them hadn’t neutralised the threat, it had postponed it.

Austin was safe… for now.

I found Conrad and Austin standing in a nearby car park.

“Done?” Conrad asked.

“It’s done.”

“W-were they going to kill me?” Austin’s voice wavered.

I stroked his face. To be so innocent and naive. He might have committed crimes, but he’d been unused to the level of violence I’d performed today.

“Yes. They would have killed you. You’re safe now, but we need to get you back to the casino.”

“What about Grandpa? Nick said he’d kill him.”

“No one needs to worry about Nick anymore. Your grandpa will be safe. I promise.”

Unable to help myself, I gathered Austin to me and wrapped my arms around him. My unease slowly ebbed away until a calmness I hadn’t experienced in years washed over me.

Reluctantly he slung his arms around my waist and collapsed against me, breathing deep, shuddering breaths.

“It’ll be okay. I promise.” I had no business saying that, having no idea if it would indeed be okay.

Would I continue to savage the earth until I was satisfied, or would I succumb to my inner voice and complete the bond?

What exactly would that achieve, and was I willing to sacrifice myself for a man I barely knew?

“I’ll take care of that little lot.” Conrad walked back towards the playground. He’d clean up. He always did. No one would know anything had happened there.

Austin and I stood for a while longer until finally we broke apart.

“I need to get back to Grandpa. I said I wouldn’t be long.”

“It’s been less than an hour, but I’ll take you there now.”

We walked back to the house in silence. What was going through his head? Would he even want to return with me?

I was on the alert, watching the shadows, listening for any indication that anyone was lurking in the alleyways, but it was quiet, just the rustling of the leaves

As we approached the house, he broke into a run, and I dashed after him.

He stood on the threshold, but I waited a few steps from him. Would I be welcome inside? But Austin was upset by the events, and I reckoned he’d need the comfort of his family and friend, not me. I didn’t want our time together coming to an end, though. I wanted him. I needed him.

I needed him to soothe me, to still the destructive thoughts that had plagued me lately, but instead of saying goodbye, he surprised me.

“You’d best come in. I’m not walking to the casino later. I’ll need a lift.”

Elation. That was the only word I could think of to describe how I felt.

How had Austin burrowed so deeply into me? I was loathed to give him up. I had no explanation for it, but I knew it was the right thing.

A girl sat with his grandpa. The moment we walked in, she jumped up and ran to Austin.

“Is everything okay? I tried to stall him as long as I could.”

“So you were the one stopping my man from doing his job?”

“Hey, she was only doing what I asked her to do. Don’t scare her, Dante. It’s me you should be cross with.”

I wasn’t cross. Well, I was a little, but thankfully, everything had turned out for good this time.

“We shouldn’t stay long,” I reminded him.

“Where did you go, and why aren’t you staying here with me?” Austin knelt next to his grandpa and took his hand, but he spoke to Amber too.

“I can’t stay. I’m in a bit of trouble.”

“Is it to do with your momma?” Austin’s grandpa sure was astute. He hadn’t missed a trick.

“I’d love to say no, but I think what I am means that quite a few people would like to see me gone.”

Amber sucked in a breath. “What do you mean, what you are, and who the hell wants you dead? I warned you about those friends of yours.”

“It’s not them. If only it were that simple. When all this is over, I promise I’ll explain, but for now, I need to stay with Dante for a while. Only he can protect me. Please trust me on this.”

His grandpa patted his face. “You’ll come back to me when you can. I know you will.”

“Amber, can you help look after him?”

“You know I will.” She wagged her finger at me. “You’d best make sure nothing happens to him. If I find out he’s dead, I’ll be coming for you.” From the fire in her eyes, I didn’t doubt her for a minute. Thank fuck, Austin had such a fierce friend.

“It’s time.”

Slowly Austin got to his feet.

Conrad had arrived, and I could see the car outside, waiting.

“I promise I’ll come back.”

Without another word, we left the house. On the ride back to the casino, Austin stayed silent, and as soon as we entered, he made his way upstairs and straight to the bedroom, closing the door quietly.

Today had brought home that he was a wanted man, that people were trying to murder him. For me, it was an everyday occurrence. Someone was always out to assassinate the devil, but for him, it was new and would take some getting used to.

I showered and had some food sent up. He needed to eat and keep up his strength.

I knocked on the door, aware of the subtle shift from prisoner to occupier of my apartment, specifically my bedroom.

He didn’t reply, but I opened the door anyway.

He lay on the bed in his underwear, fast asleep, a frown on his face.

I hated seeing it there. Had I not touched the angel mark, the only thing he’d needed to worry about was me.

I’d caused this fuck-up, so it was up to me to fix it.

I couldn’t explain why, but it was an obligation that had fallen to me.

I tiptoed to the door. He needed his rest.

“Dante?” He peered at me through sleep-filled eyes.

“What do you need?”

“I need you to hold me. Can you do that for me?”

Chapter eighteen

Austin

I’d felt him before I’d heard him enter the bedroom, acutely attuned to his energy. It sounded ridiculous, but after the events of the day, I needed comfort.

After Conrad had led me away, the screams of the men ringing in my ears, I’d looked back despite his warnings.

I’d expected to be horrified by what Dante was doing to them, but I kept watching him, awestruck.

He moved with such grace and wielded the sword easily. He was not new to using one. One by one, the men fell, but the moment the giant confronted him, my heart leapt into my throat. Would this be the end of him?

I needn’t have worried. The man was no match for Dante, who took him down as Samson had done with Goliath.

But when he killed Nick, my stomach lurched, and I threw up the meagre contents of my stomach.

That had hit me more than anything else I’d seen that day. Maybe it was because I knew Nick.

We went home and said goodbye to Grandpa, but I was a mess, especially because I didn’t know when it would be safe for me to see him again.

The ride to the casino passed in silence, and we said nothing when we walked into the apartment. I wanted nothing more than to shut myself away and cry into the pillow.

I’d fallen asleep eventually, but the second Dante entered the room, I was awake. What would he do? Would he come to me? But he tiptoed to the door. Disappointment rolled over me.

“Dante?”

“What do you need?” You. I need you, but I couldn’t say that. Instead, I asked for comfort.

“I need you to hold me. Can you do that for me?”

He hesitated. I knew he was torn about joining me in the bed, but he kicked off his shoes and lay next to me.

“Hold me, please.” I snuggled into his side and rested my head on his chest, the solid thud of his heart in my ear.

Why was I surprised? Why did I think the devil wouldn’t have a heart?

“How are you feeling now? Conrad said you watched it all.” His voice rumbled in his chest.

“I’m okay, I guess. Sad because I don’t know how long this will go on for. I can’t put my life on hold indefinitely.”

I cuddled closer and threw my arm around his waist. His heart picked up pace, and his breathing became shallow.

How long had it been since I’d been in bed with another man?

Far too long and feeling his taut body next to mine, I reacted in a way any horny guy would. My cock swelled, and he shifted his leg, causing more friction.

I held my breath. What would he do? Would he shrug me off?

“Don’t start something you can’t finish.” His voice was thick.

Oh, if I started it, I’d be finishing it, and my cock absolutely wanted to start it.

I snuck my hand under his shirt, and his muscles tightened. I’d seen them once and traced each one with my fingers.

I wanted him so badly, wanted to crawl over him, wanted to carry on the kiss I’d so abruptly ended last time. Would he push me away?

Only one way to find out.

I climbed on top of him and straddled his hips. He pinned me with his gaze, the orange of his eyes glowing in the light.

He was perfect in every way. It was difficult not to see the beauty of the fallen angel he was.

Images of a ferocious, ugly devil, debunked by the man who lay beneath me. His skin was so pale and soft, no blemishes to be found. I ran a crooked finger down his cheek and, as he closed his eyes, traced the line of his mouth.

The angel mark throbbed, and a voice in my head whispered to me, insisting he was mine to take. Was that true? Why did I feel this burning fire inside? Why did I want him so much?

For a start, he needed to be naked. I was just in my underwear, but he still had his trousers and shirt on. They had to go.

I stroked down his arms and took his hands in mine, interlocking our fingers. His breath hitched. Had anyone had taken the time to do this. Despite his reputation as a seducer of men and women alike, had anyone taken the time to make love to him?

I was sure they had, but I didn’t want this to be an emotionless fuck. This meant something to me. He meant something to me. From the moment I’d seen his face, something had shifted inside me. A fierce compulsion to touch had taken over, but I’d refrained, especially after what he’d done.

But now, the fire inside needed to be quenched or stoked. I wasn’t sure which. I only knew he could do that for me.

“Do you feel it?” I asked.

“If you mean the urge to take you as mine? Then yes, I feel it too.”

My face flushed as his cock grew against mine.

I leant down and gently brushed my lips against his, his soft moans spurring me on.

With our hands still joined above his head, I nibbled and licked his jawline. He squirmed beneath me. I nuzzled the soft skin behind his ear and kissed down his neck and along his collarbone.

The shirt needed to go.

I released his hands and sat back. I stroked him beneath his T-shirt, his body quivering at my touch.

“Help me.” He sat forward, and I pulled the shirt over his head, revealing toned muscles. I threw it to the floor, my gaze never wandering from the V-line that had so tempted me before.

I traced it with my fingers, and the bulge in his trousers grew. I longed to see his cock again, feeling it sliding down my throat, cutting off my breath, and I wanted that again.

No, I wanted him inside me, filling me with his release. Only then would the intense burning be extinguished.

I shifted back a little, allowing me to undo his trousers.

“Here, let me.”

One moment I was straddling him. The next I was on my back, and Dante was naked, kneeling above me.

“How?”

“A perk of being the devil. I can shift through time and space if I so wish. This was a piece of cake.”

Oh my. His cock was a thing of beauty, and I imagined it filling me. I rolled my hips and clenched my arse as he stroked himself.

I wasn’t ready for him yet, but I would be. It had been a while since I’d had a cock up my arse, and the thought it was about to happen again excited me, but not like this. I wanted to be in control, wanted to be on top.

I sat up, my face close to his. “I like to be on top.”

“Oh, you do, do you? Well, not this time. I’m in charge.”

Was I good with that? Too fucking right I was.

He pushed me, and I sank back into the bed, wondering what came next. During our last encounter, he’d been forceful. I’d loved it and hoped he’d take the lead again.

“Spread your legs wide. I want to taste you.”

He pinned me with a feral look, and I was powerless to defy him, so I widened my legs as far as they would go, revealing myself to him like I’d done with no other.

I yelped as he licked me from root to tip, then sucked the head of my engorged dick into his mouth. He grazed me with his teeth, not to hurt, but it sent a tingle to my balls. I arched my back, pushing more of me into his mouth, my want overcoming anything else.

He pressed my hips down, allowing for no movement. I fisted his hair with one hand, gently stroking his horns with the fingertips of my other, surprised at their warmth.

He pulled off, a string of saliva connecting us. I was so turned on and could barely breathe.

Gripping my thighs, Dante pushed my knees to my chest and growled.

“Fuck, yeah.” He lay on the bed and attacked my hole with his tongue. He licked and lapped at it, loud slurping sounds filling the room. His hands kept my legs aloft, giving him access to it all.

I writhed beneath him, unable to contain my cries. Dear God, but if he carried on like that, I’d be done within minutes.

Without warning, he inserted a slick finger. I almost shot off the bed.

“You like that?”

Yes, I fucking liked it. He could do that all day long, and I’d never get tired of it, but it wasn’t fingers I wanted.

“I want your cock, Dante.”

“All in good time.” He dived back in, working me open with his tongue and fingers until I was ready for him.

“Now you get on top.”

He shifted onto his back, and when I could finally see straight, I climbed on top of him, but I wasn’t ready yet to succumb to him.

I kissed him, nipping his full lips. A bead of blood appeared. Oh fuck, what had I done?

“Hmm, you like to play rough. Me too.”

He sank his teeth into my neck, not hard enough to break the skin but with enough force to hurt. He worked his way around to the other side, kissing and biting. Flashes of need shot to my erect cock nestled between our bodies. It pulsed next to his, but it was no longer enough.

I broke away from him and sat up. He gripped my wrists tightly and held me so our cocks were touching. I liked it far too much. Sex had always been lacklustre, fulfilling a need but never satisfying me. But I knew that sex with Dante would be something to savour.

“I’m not going to be gentle.”

“Don’t be.”

He released my hands, and I leant forward, my hands on his hips for support. I lowered myself onto his cock.

I’d never had unprotected sex, but it was too late to stop now. As if reading my mind, Dante spoke.

“No need to worry about anything. I carry no diseases that can cause you harm.”

I nodded and, with my knees on either side of his hips, dropped lower. It burnt, but not from lack of lubrication. I was stretched so wide I thought I’d split, but I gritted my teeth and carried on. Finally, the huge head entered me, and I sighed with relief. His shaft was thick, but I took it effortlessly and slowly descended until my arse met his groin.

I was deliciously full, and I glanced down at the swell in my lower stomach where he filled me so completely.

Reluctant to move, I sat for a while longer, waiting for the discomfort to ease. He rubbed my thighs in a thoughtful gesture, not once forcing himself deeper.

He took my hands in his and laced our fingers.

“Move.” I rose an inch or two, then slammed my body back down again.

Fuck, that felt good. I did it over and over, each time lifting myself higher until he was almost out of me. Faster and faster, I rode him, holding on to his hands.

But it wasn’t enough. I needed him deeper.

My dick bounced between us, precum leaking from the end, dripping onto his stomach and mingling with the light smattering of hair.

I climbed off him. He had a deep frown on his face. Fuck, had that been the wrong move? But when I got on all fours and presented myself to him, he understood what I wanted.

His cock nudged my hole again, and without wasting another second, he thrust deeply. I’d never taken a cock so big, but he’d prepared me so well he slid inside smoothly.

Each thrust pushed deeper inside me, stretching my hole to its capacity. His movements forced me farther up the bed until I had to brace myself on the headboard to prevent me from banging my head.

I’d never been fucked so thoroughly in all my life. My heart beat so hard I feared it would crack a rib.

“This is not enough.” Dante sat back on his heels, his hands resting on the bed behind him, and took me with him until I was sitting on his lap, his cock still buried deep.

We carried on fucking. He drilled into me, and I gripped my dick and stroked until I felt I would explode.

A large hand came to my neck, and for a moment, I froze. The last time he’d done this, I’d lain dead for a few moments. Please. This couldn’t be the end.

He clenched tighter, and my breath limited, but as my air ran out, I floated. I still felt him pounding away, but I drifted into oblivion, and I was content. Not at all worried that Dante would once again end my life.

He squeezed and fucked me so hard I blacked out for a moment. The sensation of his hot release filling me brought me back.

My cock erupted, sending streams of white, creamy spunk onto the sheets.

He released my throat, but I took hold of his hand and slammed it to the birthmark on my chest. During our time together, it had throbbed with an intensity I’d never felt, yet this was the right thing to do.

I knew it deep inside.

I looked down at my skin, which glowed as before. Loud thunder crackled overhead, and the lights in the room flickered, then died, plunging the room into darkness.

I didn’t pass out, but instead, calmness and completeness rolled over me, a sense of belonging I’d never felt with anyone. Growing up, I’d always felt like an outsider, but right now, I felt I’d come home, that this was where I was supposed to be.

What had I done? I’d not consulted Dante, only done what I thought was right. What if it wasn’t?

But just when I thought I’d ruined everything, his arms surrounded me, and he kissed my neck, then whispered in my ear.

“It was the right thing to do. We are bonded. We are complete.”

What the fuck did that mean?

Chapter nineteen

Dante

“What the fuck does that mean?”

With my cock still firmly embedded in Austin’s arse, he hit me with a question I had no idea how to answer. I wasn’t even sure what it meant, although I had a pretty good idea after talking with Mal.

When Austin had placed my hand on his mark, I thought he’d pass out. I hadn’t expected the thunder and lightning that accompanied it, nor had I expected him to light up like a fucking beacon, burning far brighter than he had the last time.

“Let’s get cleaned up, and we can discuss it.” Hardly post-coital pillow talk, but I knew he wouldn’t back down until he had all the answers.

Finally, I extricated myself from him, went into the bathroom, and got a washcloth. He followed me.

“You could have waited for me in bed.”

“I couldn’t. I have an irresistible urge to be near you.”

Did I feel the same way?

“Go back into the bedroom and wait for me. I want to test a theory.”

“Really? The last time you tested a theory…”

“I know what happened last time. You ended up dead, but I no longer think you have anything to fear from me. If I’m right, the bonding removed my urge to murder you while you sleep.”

“Well, that’s good news at least.” He walked out of the bathroom, only to return seconds later.

If he felt anything like I did, he was in pain, and the pinched look on his face suggested he was.

“It hurts, right?”

He nodded. “Fucking right here.” He pounded his chest, and I knew exactly what he meant. Was this a permanent thing, or would it fade with time?

Only one way to find out.

With barely an inch separating us, we cleaned up and returned to the bedroom like a pair of conjoined twins.

How the fuck were we supposed to work with this?

I found my phone and dialled Mal’s number, mildly irritated by Austin’s proximity, but that probably was a symptom of the bonding.

“Dante.”

“What the fuck does the bonding entail?”

His loud laugh almost shattered my eardrums. At least someone found it funny.

“It’s different for everyone. Jason and I had time to get used to being fated mates before we cemented our joining. I’m guessing that’s not what’s happened to you.”

“No, it fucking hasn’t.” I kept my annoyance in check, for my sake and Austin’s. None of this was his fault.

I took his hand in mine and kissed his knuckles. The dull pain in my chest slowly eased.

“Tell me what happened.”

“What? All of it?”

“No, just the pertinent parts.”

Okay, so not the sex, then. Still, I had to give him more information than Austin or I wanted to tell him.

“So we fucked, we both had an orgasm, Austin placed our hands on his angel mark, and the room lit up like the fucking 4th of July, and now, we can’t move a millimetre away from each other without either of us being in pain.”

Mal sucked in a breath. “Wow, that’s some strong bond you have there. You shouldn’t be surprised, though. It was written. Calista said—”

“We know what she said. The prince of darkness, the boy with the light in his heart.”

Suddenly, the glowing skin made sense. It was his heart glowing, creating the effervescent light shining from him.

As much as I hadn’t wanted to believe the prediction, it was becoming patently obvious it was true.

“So what’s your problem?” He shuffled some papers. Was he still at work? I looked at my watch.

It was barely seven in the evening.

“Will it fade with time? With all due respect, we hardly know each other, and to think we can’t even go to the bathroom without each other. Things could get difficult.”

I glanced over at Austin, who was close to tears. It wasn’t ideal, but we needed to find out if it would get any better.

“Give me a minute. I have a book about it somewhere. Anyway, how come you don’t know any of this?”

“I know death and destruction. That’s what I do. Love and heart stuff is not my thing.”

“Gee, thanks.” Austin stalked towards the door.

Fuck, what had I said? I hadn’t meant it like that.

A searing pain hit me, and seconds later, he was glued to my side, a scowl on his face.

Unless we got this sorted, it was going to get old quickly.

I tapped my fingers on my leg. Mal was taking his time. I dared another glance at Austin. Wait, we were both still stark bollock naked. I sat straighter. Austin raised an eyebrow.

“We are not doing it again.” He folded his arms.

“Why not? It could be fun. Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”

“At least get off the phone first.”

“That’s not a no, then.”

He rolled his eyes. At least he wasn’t freaking out, unlike me. I might seem calm on the outside, but inside, I was a mess.

The devil with a mate? Unheard of and I should know.

“Okay, I’m back. It says here that the longer the bond goes on, the more the effects should lessen yet solidify. Contradictory, to say the least. To me, that suggests the effects are strong to begin with, but as time wears on, you shouldn’t feel them so keenly. You’ll still be bonded, but in time, you’ll be able to go about your normal lives without having to be so close to each other. Oh, hang on, there’s more.”

Mal muttered under his breath as he read, but my gaze once again went to Austin and his nakedness. My cock twitched, despite it being less than ten minutes since we’d last fucked.

“Right. The proximity thing has to do with strengthening the bond. You might want to stay close to a bed.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because you likely won’t be able to keep your hands off each other for a while.”

That would explain a lot and my current need to take him back to bed and fuck him all over again.

“What about the ones trying to kill me?” Austin tugged on my arm. “Am I safe now? Ask him.”

“Did you hear that, Mal?”

“I did. The stronger the bond becomes, the less likely that is to happen. As your relationship grows, the angel mark will develop. It’ll change shape, it says here. Has it changed?”

I peered at Austin’s chest. It looked bigger, but I couldn’t say for certain.

“Maybe? It’s not clear.”

“That’s all I’ve got, I’m afraid.”

“So I’m still in danger. Jesus, Dante.” Austin’s eyes flashed.

“Hey, don’t say his name.”

“I don’t know what to suggest,” Mal said. “Have more sex. Grow the angel mark, strengthen the bond until it’s unbreakable. Then you should be safe.”

There could have been worse ways to spend our time, but Austin was worried. As was I. How long would this go on for?

“I have to go, Dante, but let me know how it goes. Talk to you soon and good luck.”

I threw the phone onto the nightstand and sat on the bed. Austin plopped down next to me.

“So what now? Do we have to stay holed up here until it does what it’s supposed to? Can we break it?”

I never thought to ask, but did he want to? More to the point, did I? We hardly knew each other, having only met a few days ago. But I’d heard tales of matings where it had taken place within hours. When you knew, you knew, and I couldn’t deny the attraction I’d felt towards him the moment I’d seen him.

“Do you want to break it?”

Austin shrugged. “I don’t know. Yes? No? I’m so confused. I can’t say I don’t feel something for you, I just don’t know what that is, and now it looks as if we have no choice but to stay together. I don’t know how I feel about that. It’s sudden, you know?”

I knew exactly what he meant, but the closer he sat to me, the more my body screamed at me to take him again.

And by the way he moved his hand up my thigh, edging closer to my hardening cock, I knew we were on the same page.

I launched myself at him, flattening him to the bed, covering his lips with mine. He didn’t falter and kissed me back with abandon, invading my mouth with his tongue.

I placed myself between his legs. He spread them wide, and once again, I drove into him, my arms on either side of his body, supporting my weight.

His hands roamed my face as he placed eager kisses on my cheeks and neck.

“Fuck, Dante. Harder.” I did as he asked until my release hit me like a freight train.

I shouted, thrusting until my balls were empty. I looked down at the sticky mess between us. He’d been as close as I.

“I’m not sure how much more I can take.” He lay breathless on the bed, sweat trickling down his face.

“Me either. Who knew being fucked to death was a thing?”

Wait. Had his mark changed? At first, it had looked like an abstract angel. Now there were other markings. Was that a horn? Surely not.

“Your chest.” I pointed towards it. I wasn’t going to touch that again.

“What about it?” He glanced down. “I can’t see it properly.”

“Go to the bathroom. You’ll see better in there.” I followed him, and together we stood in front of the mirror.

It had definitely changed. “Do you see horns?”

“That’s what I thought. Does that mean…?”

“That we’re inextricably connected? I think it does.” He didn’t sound too happy about it, though, and a pang of disappointment shot through me.

He turned to me, a concerned look on his face.

“What?”

“Don’t be disappointed.” Had he felt that?

“I’m not.”

“I can feel it. Can’t you feel me too?”

I’d been so concerned with fucking him I’d not taken time to concentrate on him, but now I did, I sensed a feeling of resignation.

“You don’t want this,” I said matter-of-factly.

“It’s all so sudden. One minute I’m normal Austin, albeit lucky, and the next I’m the son of an angel, destined to bring light to the devil so he doesn’t destroy the earth. In addition, I’m also being hunted to stop that from happening. It’s been an overwhelming few days, so yeah, I guess I’m resigned to the fact that this is my life now.”

“It doesn’t have to be a bad one.”

“I know. I just don’t know what happens from here on out.”

“One step at a time. We’ll figure it out. At least let’s get showered. Maybe we can go longer than ten minutes this time.”

He smiled. “It’s good sex, though.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me.”

I turned on the shower, and we stepped under the spray, and as much as I wanted to go again, I refrained. Instead, I washed his hair, soaped him down, and let him do the same to me. Not going to lie and say I wasn’t tempted, but we both restrained ourselves.

Finally dressed, we went to the lounge. The food I’d ordered much earlier sat on the table, and even though it had gone cold, we tucked in, ravenous from our earlier exploits.

A loud rap on the door disturbed us.

“Yep, come in.”

Conrad strode in, a serious look on his face.

“We’ve got trouble.”

I jumped up.

“What do you mean? Trouble?”

“Hordes of them, outside the casino.”

“Hordes of what? For fuck’s sake, Conrad. Be specific.”

I instantly regretted my tone, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Demons, mercenaries. You name it, we got them. As a precaution, I’ve closed the casino and ushered the patrons into the main room. Used some bullshit excuse to get them in there.”

“Thank you. I’m coming right down. Give me a minute to get ready.”

“I’m coming with you.” Austin slipped on his shoes and went to follow Conrad.

“You’re staying here. I’ll not risk your life.”

“And how far do you think you’ll get without me?”

Fuck. I’d forgotten all about that.

“What’s going on? Anything I need to be aware of?”

It was only fair to let Conrad know.

“We completed the bonding, and because it’s so new, we can’t be any farther than a few feet away from each other without being in agony.”

“Oh, well, that’s just fucking dandy.”

“Do you think we planned it that way?” I glared at him. When had he become insubordinate?

“I’m sorry, boss. I wasn’t thinking.”

“What I want to know is why now? Why have they congregated now?” I deliberated on the question as we went downstairs, Austin sticking close to my side.

“I’ve no idea, but they started arriving about an hour ago. Maybe less.”

Right about the time we’d initiated the bond, but how could they know? Unless it was tied to the angel mark.

They’d known when it was broken. I could only assume they knew when it had merged with mine, for that was what the horns on Austin’s chest must have meant.

The devil’s mark, and once the bond was complete, the mark would be an amalgamation of both, forever adorning his chest.

With it would come its own set of complications, but that was for another day. We had to get through this one first.

We made it to the lobby, and I peered through the glass doors. The lights in the car park illuminated at least one hundred people.

“Sound the fire alarm and get everyone out of here,” I said to Conrad. “This could get ugly, and I don’t want anyone witnessing it.”

“On it, boss.”

The thought crossed my mind to remove Austin from the fray, to open a portal to anywhere but here, but that would cause too many problems. For one, I’d have to stay with him, and we had no idea how long we’d be away. And Austin wouldn’t want to leave his grandpa, even though he could lose his life today. I knew that much.

“Don’t even think about it. I’m not leaving.” His look was one of defiance. Yup, I’d been right.

“Then we need to fight our way out of this. Send a message that it’s over. I just don’t know how to do that right now.”

“Together, we’ll sort it out. You and me. We’re bonded. We’re stronger together.”

It wasn’t a battle cry, but it struck me deep inside.

We were stronger together, and fuck me if I didn’t feel it.

I pulled him close and slammed my mouth to his, kissing him with everything I had.

“Let’s do this.”

I threw open the doors and stepped out into the night. I would burn every fucker to the ground to save Austin.

Chapter twenty

Austin

Isized up the group of people outside the casino. How many were gathered there, every one of them intent on killing me?

I should have turned tail and run, taken Dante up on his unspoken offer to take me somewhere I’d not be found, but I couldn’t do that and leave the only person I cared about behind.

Who knew what would befall Grandpa if I was no longer around? Nick had already threatened his life. Who was to say any of these wankers wouldn’t do the same, given half the chance?

No, my place was here, and whether I lived or died, I’d do it for him, and maybe I’d get to see my momma again. Wouldn’t that be a blessing in itself?

I stood as close to Dante as possible, aware of the consequences if we were split up. The bond had definitely got stronger. Dante had only seen the mark grow, but I felt it inside me, flourishing with every passing moment.

His friend Mal had talked about us not being able to keep our hands off each other, but he’d not mentioned the most important part. Once the bond had been created, it continued to grow unbidden inside me. The sex definitely helped, but it wasn’t the only thing.

It needed nurturing, to be tended to carefully until it was fully formed. That was mainly down to me and whether I wanted it. Whether I wanted to remain with Dante. The bond would know and reject him with no ill effects for either of us.

I’d asked Dante if the bond could be broken, but now I knew that if I chose to, I could sever the bond at any time. But was that what I wanted?

Did I want to break it? I wasn’t sure I did. When I lay in Dante’s arms, a warmth had suffused me, a feeling of love and contentment, the likes I’d not felt in a long time.

Not since Momma had died. When she’d gone, she’d left a hole inside me.

With the advent of the bond, it had begun to close ever so slightly, leaving me with the irrepressible feeling this was the right thing to do.

After all, the stories had foretold this—the prince of darkness and the boy with the light in his heart.

This fight would be the ultimate battle, the one to end it all. I hoped and prayed it wouldn’t be the end of me. Dante was immortal. He couldn’t be killed. I, on the other hand, was more than aware of my mortality.

But Dante’s kiss had solidified my decision to remain strong within the bond, to help it mature and grow.

Hopefully, this wasn’t my time. I had so much more to give, and Momma had trust in Dante. It was the best I could do.

But if the moment came, could I make the ultimate sacrifice if demanded of me?

Time would tell.

Side by side, we stepped out into the car park, backed by Conrad and a handful of his men.

Surely not enough to tackle the swarm of people before us?

I took Dante’s hand, urgently needing the comfort only he could give me.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Stay close, and don’t lose sight of me.”

No chance of that happening. We were in this together.

A wave of his hand and a shimmer of light dropped from the sky and encased us.

“What just happened?” I asked. Silence surrounded us. No blaring sirens or honking cars or the sounds of city life I was accustomed to.

“He’s placed a shield around us so no one can see what happens here. Can you imagine the news reports?” Conrad answered.

How had this become my life?

A gigantic man stepped forward from the crowd. He couldn’t be human. I’d never seen one that big.

“Hand over the half angel, and we’ll go. We don’t want a fight.”

Well, that was reassuring. Not!

“We both know that’s not going to happen. He’ll not be leaving with you or anyone else for that matter.” Dante’s voice rang out across the car park.

“Then prepare to meet your maker,” the giant said. I took a step back, not wanting to be here anymore.

That portal to somewhere sunny would be great right about now.

“You still want to stay?” Dante asked, reading my thoughts or emotions. I wasn’t sure which.

I had no choice. Staying was the only option.

“I’m good. Let’s get on with it, though. I’m getting horny again.”

He laughed, put his arm around my shoulder, and kissed my temple.

“As soon as we’re done here.”

The crowd surged forward, pushed by the impatient ones at the back.

This was it.

Conrad stepped up first, working his way through the men. The clanking of swords and knives filled the air as others joined the fray.

Dante held back. Why? He’d been straight into it at the park. Why was he standing still now, letting his men do the dirty work?

Then it hit me.

It was because of me and the fear of what would happen.

Not on my watch.

I released his hand and advanced, unsure what effect I could have, but I had to try. His men were fighting to save me. The least I could do was to stand tall with them in solidarity.

“Austin. No,” he shouted. The searing pain I’d felt before in my chest had me doubling over, but I fought through it.

I staggered forward, ignoring Dante’s shouts. I punched and kicked at anyone who came near me, knocking some down but taking blows left, right, and centre, but nothing compared to the excruciating pain that worsened as I moved farther away from Dante.

I picked up a knife, stabbed a man in the neck. The evil glint in his eye left me in no doubt he would have happily killed me where I stood.

He fell to the ground, blood spurting from the gaping wound in his neck. I shuddered. I’d done that, but I couldn’t stop. Not now.

The more I advanced, the thicker the crowd grew as if they recognised who I was. Dante’s shouts grew louder.

I chanced a look behind me. A look of pure evil contorted his face. His beautiful features were replaced by the terrifying expression of a man intent on killing everyone and everything in his path.

Knowing I was the cause made me uneasy, but how could I allow others to die, to sacrifice themselves for me because of who I was, because of who my mother was and the fact that she’d given birth to me?

A thought out of nowhere hit me, and a sense of calm came over me. This was the day she’d died, and I knew that this was the time. The exact date and time of my mother’s death would be the time of my demise.

A roar sounded behind me, distracting me, and I fell to my knees. A knife protruded from my chest. I looked up into the face of my killer.

Freddie.

How could he? How could he do that to me? We’d been through so much together, and here I was, dying at the hands of my best friend in the world.

“Why?” I choked out the only word I could.

“You killed the only man I loved. You killed Joel, and I can never forgive you for that.”

So this was how it ended. Not at the hand of a demon but at that of a friend.

The shouts got louder as I tumbled to the floor, my heart slowing as drop by drop, my blood leached out, colouring the ground a vivid shade of red.

“Noooo.” Dante, but there was nothing to be done. For the shortest time in my life, I’d felt the love of a man. The love that equalled my momma’s.

I should have been upset, but I knew I’d be seeing her again, and my heart sang with joy.

The crowd parted, and Dante appeared, his form now back to normal. Tears stained his face, something I never thought I’d see.

“I’m sorry,” I said, the pain in my chest gradually easing. “I couldn’t let them die for me. It wasn’t right.”

He knelt beside me and placed my head in his lap.

But where had everyone gone? He was the only one I could see.

“You stupid, beautiful man. Why did you have to do that? I could have kept you safe.”

“It was Freddie.” The last of my energy swept away.

“I should have killed him when I had the chance. But don’t worry. He’ll not see another sunrise.”

“Don’t kill him, please. He did it for love, the same as you would.”

“I can’t let it go, Austin. I won’t let your death go unpunished.”

I nodded, understanding his reasoning. If the devil was seen to be lenient, the meagre hold he had on the world would be stripped away, and he’d be left with nothing.

As much as I hated he was right, it had to be done.

I sighed. God, I was tired. A glowing light flickered to my right, and I smiled, knowing who it’d be.

“Momma?”

“Oh, my poor boy, I couldn’t tell you this part of the prophecy, but you are your father’s son, and he would have stolen the moon and stars for both of us and sacrificed himself.”

“Can I come with you? Is it my time?”

“Austin, don’t you fucking leave me.” Dante brought me back to the here and now, and the light faded into the distance.

“Momma, don’t leave me.”

“It’s not your time. You’ll know when the time is right.”

The light disappeared completely, and slowly the pain returned, more severe than before. I coughed, droplets of blood landing on Dante’s pale hands.

“Am I dying?”

“Not if I can fucking help it, you’re not. I can’t see anything with this knife in the way.”

Before I could tell him you should never remove a knife, he pulled it out of my chest and threw it across the ground away from us.

He frowned. “What the…?”

“What’s wrong?”

He barked out a laugh. “Well, fucking fancy that.”

Slowly but surely, my strength returned, and I was able to breathe easier, although the pain in my chest persisted.

“That sneaky bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

What the fuck was he talking about?

“The amulet the shop owner gave you. The one we hung around your neck to protect you from me before we completed the bond. The knife must have hit it.”

“But there was so much blood.”

My once grey shirt was soaked in my blood, so why on earth wasn’t I dead?

“I don’t fucking know, but there’s definitely a hole where it’s been pierced. Let me take a look.”

He removed the chip from around my neck and showed it to me. Yep, definitely another hole in it. I put my hand to my chest and touched a bump with my fingers, fingers that came away red with blood.

“There’s a small scar there as if you were stabbed months ago, yet we both know it just happened.”

I sat up, weak but alive.

“Where is everyone?” I looked around. The only person still with us was the man who had stabbed me in a fit of passion. Everyone else had disappeared.

“I don’t know, but it feels strange. I think you should go back inside. Can you stand?”

I struggled to my feet and was swept up into his arms.

“Take him to the basement.” He spoke to Conrad but nodded towards Freddie. We both knew what happened down there. We’d been lucky to get out with our lives, but Freddie wouldn’t be so fortunate this time around.

“Will you make it quick?” I couldn’t stand the thought of my best friend suffering, despite what he’d done. I had no clue about his relationship with Joel. Had it been one-sided? I supposed we’d never know now. Joel was dead, and Freddie would follow him shortly.

“I’ll do what’s necessary, but first I need to check out that wound and make sure you’re okay.”

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. The bond was still here, even stronger than before, and I could tell it was almost complete.

Hopefully, this meant I didn’t have to go to the basement with him. I dreaded watching him carry out Freddie’s punishment.

Instead of taking me to the bedroom, Dante marched into the bathroom and sat me on the toilet seat.

“Let’s get these clothes off you so I can take a better look.” He knelt beside me, carefully removed my shirt, and poked his finger through the very obvious hole, then cast it to the side.

“Un-fucking-believable.” His fingers lingered on the wound. It didn’t hurt at all. “There’s nothing there. A small blemish, that’s about it. It’s less than it was a few minutes ago.”

He sat back on his heels, a thoughtful look on his face.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”

He shook his head. “It can’t be, can it? Explain to me what happened when you got stabbed.”

“It fucking hurt.”

“What else?”

“I think I died. I saw Momma again. She told me it wasn’t my time, and then all I could hear was you.”

“I mean, it’s plausible.”

“What is? Stop talking in fucking riddles and tell me what’s going on.”

“Okay, I’ll try to explain in the simplest of terms for my benefit as much as yours.”

“I’m listening.”

“Freddie stabbed you right through the amulet, and you died. I’m sure of that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have seen Calista. You saw her last time you died.”

“When you killed me.”

He rolled his eyes. I was never going to let him forget that for as long as we lived.

“Yes, all right, when I killed you, but you saw her then too, and I think when you died today, the ‘hit,’ if we can call it that, was nullified. As far as it was concerned, the deed had been done. You died, and that’s why everyone disappeared.”

“But why did I come back?”

“Because as Calista said, it wasn’t your time. She sent you back, and here’s where it gets weird. I think you’re immortal now, and that’s why there’s no mark.”

“Don’t even think about killing me again to check out that theory.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, but I think it’s true.”

Where did I even begin unpacking that little nugget? But dying had taken it out of me, and right now, I was falling asleep sitting here on the toilet.

“Come on, get into bed and sleep. You need to recuperate, and I’ve got some things to take care of.”

“Can’t you stay with me?”

“You know I can’t. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can move on. I’m sorry because he was your friend, but he killed you.”

I climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers. “Don’t be long.”

“Fuck. I forgot about the bond. I can’t go without causing us both pain.”

“It’s complete.”

“How do you know?”

“I can feel it inside me, here.” I pointed to the angel mark, now perfectly entwined with the horns of the devil. “I feel it beneath here, and I know it’s done. We are one now. I thought it would take days, weeks, or months, but I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe it was such a strong bond it didn’t need as long because it was written and came to pass.”

“So it’s you and me against the world. I do feel calmer, although when you walked away from me, the urge to raze every one of those motherfuckers to the ground was strong.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“It was meant to happen the way it happened. I firmly believe you were meant to die, and now it’s over.”

“So, your days of death and destruction are done?”

“Let’s not be too hasty. I’m still the devil after all. Killing is in my nature, and if anyone threatens you again, I will burn the world to save you. Never doubt that, Austin.”

With a lingering kiss on my lips, he stood. I grabbed his hand.

“Our love will grow, I’m sure of it. I can’t believe we’ve known each other less than a week, but I know this is right.”

“As do I. Now, get some sleep. I need you fighting fit. The bond may be complete, but I still have a few urges I need fulfilling.”

Finally, feeling content for the longest time, I watched him walk away from me. No pain hit me, just an exhilarating feeling of belonging in my chest, and I fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face.

Chapter twenty-one

Dante

Ihadn’t told Austin how enraged I was the moment he walked away from me, but just as I was about to set the world on fire, Calista had appeared to me.

“Let him go, Dante. It’s part of the prophecy. I never told him that part for fear he wouldn’t go through with it. His self-sacrifice is what makes the bond complete.”

“He’s going to die.”

“He is, yes,” she said softly, “But don’t worry. All will be well.”

“I’ll lose him.”

“Trust in him and yourself, but go to him now. He’s going to need you.”

And he had needed me, and I him, but as I walked down to the basement, I knew that killing Freddie would be the right decision.

I pushed open the door. Freddie sat tied once again to a chair, only this time, he was the sole occupant of the room.

“You should have killed me before,” he said defiantly. Gone was meek and mild Freddie, replaced with this cocky son of a bitch.

“You’re probably right. I should have done, but I didn’t, and now here we are.”

“Nothing you can do to me will be worse than the pain I felt when you killed Joel.”

“Again, you’re probably right. I should make your torture last for as long as I can. Drag it out for weeks, months, or years, but I promised Austin I’d make it quick, although I didn’t say anything about it being not necessarily painless.”

“You’ve brainwashed him.”

“I don’t have to answer to you. Austin knows his own mind.”

The temptation to prolong the punishment and keep Freddie here was definitely alluring, but I’d promised.

I stalked towards him, letting my horns grow, and released my inner devil. Something I hadn’t done for some time.

The distinct smell of shit and piss hit me, but I ignored it.

One by one, I broke every bone in his body, starting at his toes and working my way up to his fingers. His cries bounced off the soundproofed walls, but I didn’t blink. He wasn’t worthy.

Finally, I snapped his neck and left him in the dark room. Conrad would know what to do.

I stepped into the side room and cleaned myself up, washing the dirt and grime from my hands.

I took a deep breath, feeling oddly satisfied and at ease.

It was time to put this behind me and return to the man in my bed.

Austin was still sleeping. I undressed, climbed in next to him, and pulled him close.

We had an eternity to spend together.

I lay and listened to his steady breathing.

I’d always thought I was unworthy of love, that I’d never find it. Who could love a devil? Who would love the devil?

But it just went to show that the right person was out there for everyone, no matter how evil or bad you were.

Love definitely conquered everything.

Epilogue

One Month Later

Austin

We stood outside the shop, which looked exactly like the first time I’d seen it, with the glossy red door and sparkling windows.

“I don’t understand this place. Every time I walked past before, the door was boarded up, the windows grimy.”

I looked over at Dante, who regarded me with a twinkle in his orange eyes.

“It appears to you when you need it and not before. The first time you came here, you needed the protection of the chip from me more than anything. You no longer need that, and now the chip needs to come home.”

“He said I’d pay once the time was right. I still don’t know when that is.”

“Then let’s go inside. See what he has to say.”

I pushed open the door. Nothing had changed, not the interior nor the man standing behind the counter, a huge smile on his face.

“Ah, you’re back, and I see you have a friend with you. An old friend of mine, actually. Dante, how are you?”

“I’m good. Really good.”

I looked between them. “Did everyone know he existed except me?”

The Magic Shop owner threw his head back and laughed.

“You didn’t need me before. Now, what can I do for you, gentlemen?”

I took the broken pieces of the chip out of my pocket and laid them on the counter.

“I’m sorry. It broke.”

“It did its job, and that’s what you had it for. It gave you the confidence to walk into the casino, then protection from this man, and finally, it saved your life. The moment you left the shop, I knew who you were and the role you had to play. I’m pleased it all turned out well.”

“You mean it might not have done?” I slapped my hand over my mouth. It could have all gone wrong.

“Eh, it was never a guarantee, but you navigated your way through it with the help of Dante.”

“Don’t tease him.” Dante placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “It was written, and therefore, it happened how it was supposed to.”

Well, that was a relief.

“Last time I came in, you said something about how I’d pay when the time was right. Is it the right time now?”

“You already paid.” He picked up the chip, and miraculously, it reformed. Whole once more.

“I don’t understand.”

“You paid with your life. You gave it to help and save others. That was the cost. Oh, and your mortality, but I guess you know about that now.”

Dante had eventually explained my momma’s appearance to him and her words about my life, how I was now immortal and couldn’t die.

A blessing, seeing how I was bonded to the devil, and who knew how long he’d live?

The bond had settled, and we could now go about our everyday lives. The urge to have sex all the time, however, had not faded, and every chance we got, we went at it like our lives depended on it.

I’d never experienced a lover like him. He knew when I wanted him to be gentle or when I needed it hot and heavy. Nothing was off the table, and I’d enjoyed experimenting with him. My favourite by far was when he choked me. I’d come so hard I’d often black out. Knowing now that I couldn’t die, we took it a little too far sometimes. Not that I was complaining.

Dante had aeons of experience, and I had a lifetime to learn.

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t tell me all this. Would have saved a lot of heartache, and I might have been able to save my friends.”

“You could never have saved them. Your story was written by the angels. Everything that happened was for a reason. Your momma dying, your dad leaving, the death of your friends. Nothing could have been changed. No matter what you did, your path would always lead you here. Or to him, whichever way you want to look at it.”

I turned to Dante. “Did you know all this?”

“I knew nothing of the prophecy until I met you. Why, though, I have no clue. I thought I knew all there was to know. Seems this small detail had been well hidden.”

The Magic Shop owner nodded. “Some things had to be hidden in order for them to pass. What would you have done if you knew about its existence?”

“I would likely have tried to stop it. What would I need with an unbreakable bond?” Dante shrugged.

“Hey.” I lightly punched him, even though we’d gone through this many times. We both agreed it was the best thing that could have happened, especially after another round of passionate sex.

Images of earlier in the day sprung to mind. I, once again on my knees, worshipping his cock, giving it the adulation it so needed.

I’d spend an eternity there if he asked me to. But then, there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him.

“Everything that was meant to pass did, and now here you are on the other side of things.”

“One more thing, though.” Something had bothered me since both he and Dante had mentioned it.

“Why are you so lucky?” The Magic Shop owner placed the chip back into the box and closed it again.

“How did you…? Never mind. I shouldn’t be surprised these days.”

“If you hadn’t been so lucky, there’s a one hundred per cent chance that you wouldn’t have thought about cheating Dante and the other casinos out of money. It was part of the picture. It contributed to the greater good.”

“Am I still lucky?” I asked, more myself than him. I’d not tested it since, didn’t need to do so.

“You make your own luck.” That made no sense at all.

He opened his jacket and took out a familiar card deck.

“How about another reading?”

He shuffled them, cut them, and fanned them out in front of me.

“Choose wisely.”

My hand hovered, as it had before, waiting for a sign or for one card to call to me more than the other.

Closing my eyes, I selected a card and, instead of holding it close, threw it down for us all to see.

Well, wouldn’t you know it?

The Devil card, but this time, it was upside down.

“Ah, a reversed Devil card.”

“Is that bad?” Oh God, it was going to shit again.

“Not at all. Whereas the upright Devil card tells of addiction and entrapment, the reversed card shows an awareness of your surroundings and what’s happening to you. You’re free from the problems you harboured before, and I think you’ve realised what you need to do to make yourself happy. These things are all good. Stay on the right track, and all will be well.”

This was the most he’d said in the two times I’d met him.

I looked up into Dante’s face. What did he think?

“So does that mean…” Once again, the store was empty. The Magic Shop owner had disappeared.

The front door opened, letting in an icy blast. It was time to leave.

“I wish he wouldn’t do that.” I walked into the snow-covered street, my hand firmly in Dante’s. I didn’t want him to disappear as well.

“He has places to be, people to see. Others need his help. You no longer do.”

“I have you, and that’s all that matters. Together, we’re unstoppable. The devil and the half angel.”

Two months ago, I’d never envisaged my life being what it was now. I’d still be working at the bar, pulling off some minor job here and there to earn a bit of extra cash.

Grandpa certainly wouldn’t be living in one of the best care homes in the area. Another fall and a hospital stay had convinced him it was better and safer for him to be there.

I’d protested, saying I could look after him. After all, I didn’t need money. I didn’t need to work.

He’d been adamant, though.

“You have your life to live with Dante. I don’t want to hold you back, and an old man like me would be a burden you don’t need.”

“Don’t you say that, Grandpa. You’ve never been, nor will you ever be, a burden.” My eyes had filled at the suggestion. How could he think like that?

“I want to be with people of my own age. People I can talk to about the old times, to reminisce with. You need to go out and live your life to the fullest. Your momma would want that too.”

After much deliberating, I’d agreed, and I had to say he was the happiest I’d ever seen him. The old sparkle had come back, and I was ecstatic for him.

But it meant I no longer had to worry about him falling again, and a weight had been lifted. Don’t get me wrong. I’d have done whatever it took, but he’d found his place, and I’d found mine.

The house we’d lived in was on the market. I’d moved in with Dante, not just because of the bond but because it was the right thing to do.

We couldn’t bear to be apart, which was strange considering we’d only known each other for a matter of months.

Neither of us was in any doubt that this was right.

As we walked back to the casino, I shivered against the cold, but I was infinitely happier than I’d ever been.

“What’s it like in hell?” I asked as we neared the sliding doors.

“You’ll never find out. It’s not the place for you.” Dante slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

I nestled into him, fitting snugly under his arm as if I were meant to be there. According to the prophecy, I was.

“Is it as hot as they say? It’s bloody freezing today. I can’t wait to get back to the apartment. There’s a big mug of hot chocolate with my name on it.”

“You know there are better ways of staying warm, and I can definitely recommend them.” Dante placed a kiss on my temple. It was all the encouragement I needed. I sped up, dragging him by the hand to the lift.

The doors had barely closed before I pounced on him. Wrapping my arms and legs around him. I ground my aching cock against him, the urgency of my kiss letting him know exactly what I wanted.

He gripped my arse and plundered my open mouth with his tongue, tangling with mine.

I ran my hands through his hair, messing up the perfect style. I loved seeing him dishevelled, watching him fall apart as we made love.

His horns were growing. I’d noticed they did that when Dante was annoyed or full of lust. His thick cock swelling against me told me what his mood was now.

God, I couldn’t get enough of him.

Our breaths sounded loud in the confines of the metal lift, which shook as he slammed me against the fragile wall.

“I’m gonna fuck you right here.” He fumbled with my coat, trying to get to the zip on my trousers.

“Yes, I want that. Please, Dante.” I moaned against his neck as he delved into my underwear and gripped my erection in his hand.

I thrust upwards, the swollen head between us, rubbing against the fabric of his coat.

The doors opened with a swish, and a loud cough broke through our lust-induced daze. An embarrassed Conrad stood in the hallway.

He’d seen us in worse positions. Dante lowered me gently, turning me so my back was to his second in command. I tucked myself away, then stepped out of the lift.

“You have visitors.”

Finally decent, we walked into the apartment, where a tall, dark stranger stood by the window, a smaller man by his side.

“Mal, good to see you.” Dante rushed to him, hand outstretched.

Ah, so this was the infamous Mal I’d heard so much about, and I assumed the other man was his mate, Jason.

“We were in the area, thought we’d stop by and say hello.” He shook Dante’s hand firmly.

“You mean you wanted to see what all the fuss had been about? This is Austin.” Dante looked at me fondly, took my hand, and kissed it.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if you hadn’t told me. I didn’t think any half angels existed anymore.”

“Well, here I am in the flesh.”

“I’m surprised you’re both still clothed.” Mal laughed, a rich sound, and Jason squirmed at his side.

“They weren’t a few minutes ago,” Conrad said. I’d almost forgotten he was there.

“It’s new. You’ll be fucking like rabbits for a good while yet. I know with Jason and me—”

“They don’t need to know that, Mal.” Jason smiled at me. “Living with a demon takes a lot of getting used to. You have an advantage over me. I had no idea of their existence until I met Mal.”

“I didn’t know I was a half angel until a few months ago. I think we’re in the same boat, but I get what you mean. They’re so needy, don’t you think, though?”

“Hey.” Both demon and devil objected in unison.

It was nice to meet someone who’d been through the same as I had.

“How’s Zeke doing?” Dante asked. He and Mal stepped out of earshot, leaving me with Jason.

“You really didn’t know you were an angel?”

“Half angel, and no, but I’m getting used to it.” I led Jason to the kitchen, where I made the hot chocolate I’d been craving and handed him a mug.

“What about you and Mal? How did you find out?”

“Oh, you know. I approached his brother, Zeke, to bring back my dead husband. The usual.”

I spat out my drink. “What the fuck? They can do that?”

“Zeke’s no longer in the business, but others might. We just bury the bodies and reap the souls.”

“Catchy. You should use that on your website.” I knew Mal and Jason ran a funeral parlour down south.

“We try not to draw attention to ourselves anymore.”

I looked over at Mal. Big and brooding. “Good luck with that.”

Jason laughed. “He’s getting better with the humans.”

Dante and Mal shook hands again. What were they up to?

“Nice to meet you, Austin. Jason, it’s time for us to leave.”

“You’ll not stay for dinner?” Seemed they’d come an awful long way just for a quick five-minute meeting.

“I feel you’ll be busy very soon. A demon knows these things.” He winked at me, took Jason by the arm, and guided him to the door.

Dante glanced over at me, a feral look in his eye. A look I knew very well.

“Lovely to meet you.” I put my mug on the counter and was undressed before the door closed behind them.

I dashed to the bedroom, tackled from behind by an equally naked Dante, and pinned to the floor.

“About that fucking I promised you,” he growled in my ear, and my dick hardened.

He nestled between my legs and placed a scorching kiss on my lips. Setting me on fire.

I opened for him, and he entered me, pushing home, stealing my breath before breathing life back into me.

This was no gentle lovemaking. This was Dante—commanding and domineering, and I would never get enough of him.

We shuddered through our orgasms. We hadn’t even made it to the bed, but we lay there on the floor, sated and glowing.

Well, I glowed. After all that was my thing.

I was the boy with the light in his heart, and he was the prince of darkness, and together, we would burn the world.

The End

Want to know more about Mal and Jason?

Download here: mybook.to/DemonUndertaker

Then you’ll want to know more about Zeke.

Download here: mybook.to/DemonBodyguard

What's Next?

books2read.com/Camelotstower

Will
For the last 23 years, I’ve had nothing but bad luck. Why? I’m the last living descendant of Merlin, sorcerer and adviser to King Arthur, and our family broke a blood oath to the king of legends.

Now, it's my job to wake him up, save him from his curse, and hopefully, rid myself of mine, while ignoring the fact that medieval times—and somehow tie-dye—looks a little too good on the boy who would be king.

Arthur
For the last 1,500 years, I’ve waited to be freed, stuck inside a tomb of stone. With every passing year, I've been forced to watch through the eyes of others as the world I knew changed time and time again.

Now I'm back, thrust into a new and confusing world. My knights, my kingdom, my people . . . All lost to the sands of time. All because I lost myself and my purpose. But when those despairing thoughts creep in, there’s one light that keeps my hope from snuffing out, and he has bright, blue eyes, raven-black hair, and a snarky mouth that I have finally met in the flesh and who might get me to believe love can conquer all.

Tales from the Tarot

Grab the 22-book series at mybook.to/talesfromthetarot

Where Fools Have Tread by Jennifer Cody

The Magician's Heart by J.P. Jackson

Cleric of Desire by Amanda Meuwissen

The Nephilim's Touch by Morgan Lysand

King of Hollywood by Fae Quin

My Minotaur Daddy by Laura Lascarso

Across Space & Time by Kit Barrie

Chariot of Souls by Morgan Mason

By Rude Strength by K.L. Hiers

Found in Obscurity by A.M. Rose

Twisted Fates by Adam J. Ridley

No Justice for the Damned by Hellie Heat

The Angel's Kiss by Nicholas Bella

Death Song by B. Ripley

Arcanum by Ashlyn Drewek

The Devil's Dilemma by Alex J. Adams

Camelot's Tower by Brooke Matthews

A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star by Chloe Archer

Trust in the Moon by Delaney Rain

Raising the Sun by Eryn Hawk

Zero Judgment by Kota Quinn

The End of the World by Drake LaMarque

About the Author

Alex is a disaster movie loving, tea drinking Brit that loves to travel, read, pet all the dogs, oh, and she writes some angsty MM romance to boot!

It’s often dark, always gritty and definitely realistic. She covers difficult topics with sensitivity, but there will always be a HEA.

She’s married and lives in the NW of England with her three grown boys and two fluffy dogs.

Dark With Heart – MM Romance Author

Also By

Alex J. Adams

Nava Dance Studios
MM Contemporary Romance Series

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Dark MM Romance Series

The Demon Undertaker
MM Paranormal Romance

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