Page 67 of The Devil's Embrace

Admittedly, Calix had been more than a little disappointed by the thought of never getting to fuck the other guy again, so when Aodhan had sent him an invitation to stop by his house for lunch before his flight, he couldn’t resist and had accepted.

Even though this wasn’t going anywhere, he thought maybe he could still convince the doctor to carve a more permanent A into his flesh. Like a fucked-up memento to take with him. Once he was gone, there’d be no reason to ever return to Emergence, and as far as souvenirs went, Cal wouldn’t complain if he got that one.

Typically, this was where his brain whispered how disgusting he was for wanting something like that, but ever since their last time in the hotel room and his talk with Titus after shooting Rhett, those voices had gone quiet.

Ironic that all he’d had to do was face the things he’d always hated about himself to finally accept them. Though Aodhan and Titus had been a big part of that.

The doctor lived in a secluded area just on the outskirts of the city, only a twenty-minute drive from the hospital. It was a two-story brick home with an attached two-car garage, surrounded by lush trees and plenty of privacy.

Calix parked in the driveway and got out, sending a quick text to Aodhan to let him know he’d arrived before heading to the porch. He noticed the front door was slightly ajar by the time he reached it, and even though it was possible the doctor had left it open knowing he was coming, Cal couldn’t shake the bad feeling.

His hand instinctively reached for his gun, which he’d yet to return. Technically, he was still a registered detective for another forty-two hours.

“Aodhan?” he called out once he’d reached the door, pushing it lightly so it swung inward. “Are you here?”

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, but then a loud bang resounded from down the hallway, followed by a shout.

“Detective!” Aodhan called out to him, sounding panicked, and Cal burst into the house, racing down the longhallway that led straight from the entrance to the back of the home.

It was a fairly large house, too, with a back exit and two large openings on either side of the wall. He swiveled to the left when he made it to the end, certain that’s where he’d heard both noises.

He expected Aodhan, but instead, another familiar face greeted him.

Amory was standing in the center of the kitchen, and for a brief second, the two of them merely stared at one another. Then suddenly she snatched a large knife off the island and moved toward him with clear intent.

Calix reacted, dropping the blaster low and pulling the trigger.

The bullet ripped through the meat of her thigh, and she cried out and dropped to the ground.

“Oh dear,” a cool voice drawled from behind him, close enough to send a shiver racing down Calix’s spine. “It seems you missed.”

The barrel of a gun appeared next to Cal’s head, and before he could even think to do something, it went off.

He gasped when another bullet hit Amory clean in the center of her chest, killing her instantly.

The knife she’d been gripping clattered to the floor.

“What…” His mind reeling, Cal stumbled away from the man at his back, forced to enter the kitchen in order to do so. He gave Amory’s body a wide berth, glaring accusatorily at the other man with a gun. “Titus, what the hell did you just do?!”

Titus Mercer tipped his head. “You should tell the truth now.”

“What?” Calix shook his head. Did he mean about the incident in high school? “I thought you promised to stay quiet.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, little monster.”

Cal blinked at him, but then strong arms captured him from behind, pinning his hands down at his side so he couldn’t lift the blaster to defend himself.

Not that he’d been doing that anyway. Like an idiot, he realized too late that he should have been. That he should have been pointing it at Titus. But everything had happened so quickly, and Amory was a wanted criminal, so he’d just assumed—

“Hey, baby.” Warm breath fanned across his neck.

“Aodhan?” He shouldn’t be so surprised. This was the guy's house after all. But still. He looked at Titus. “What’s going on?”

Titus sighed and used the end of the blaster to adjust his glasses. “You really shouldn’t have mentioned leaving. There was no way I was going to be able to stop him after that.”

“Stop…him?” Was he talking about Aodhan? Cal wiggled his arms, but the doctor squeezed him tighter.

“Should we recreate it, Mercy?” Aodhan’s voice sounded…off, and it wasn’t just because he had his face buried against the crook of Calix’s neck.

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