Page 41 of Demons and Debts
Sie puts his head in his hands. ‘I didn't mean…’
‘I know,’ I murmur. ‘Fuck. I know. If it hadn't been you, it would have been Korban. At least we aren’t looking for a place to stash her body tonight.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Sie asks.
‘The only thing I can do now. Get her under contract.’
Sie looks surprised. ‘I don't think she's the type.’
I let out a mirthless chuckle. ‘Oh, I know she's not the type, but it’s either that or kill her and that’s just a fucking waste. Lucky for you there's a reason besides who my father is that I'm the President of this MC. I’ll speak to Paris later tonight and have him contact his guy,’ I say. ‘By tomorrow, I’ll have a file on her. And, who knows? Maybe having a new girl will help you.’
Sie doesn't give anything away and I roll my eyes. ‘I know how close you are. You’re probably a couple weeks away from losing yourself. Maybe this girl will take the edge off until we can figure something out.’
Sie stands up. ‘If she doesn't help … if I get worse, I want you to do it.’
I nod. ‘Don't worry. It’ll be me,’ I say grimly.
The thought of shooting my first lieutenant and best friend in the head after he's gone insane makes my stomach roil. ‘We've been through a lot together, huh?’
‘Yeah.’
I come around the desk. There's not much difference between us in height. He's just broad as fuck. We hug each other tight, and I hope that the interest that I've seen Sie give this girl means something.
‘It's different with her,’ he mutters as if he can read my thoughts.
‘Good,’ I say, ‘but wait until she's under contract before you go near her again.’
Sie’s lips fold into a thin line and I know he’ll try his damndest not to go near her again at all.
He leaves my study without another word, and I sit back behind my desk with a sigh. I put on the glasses that Theo made me start wearing last year for screen work and I think about how I'm gonna get that weird human girl to sign a contract, giving her body to the Iron I’s for three years. Maybe the money will sway her, but I don't think it will. And there are other things to consider too. There’s no way she was in the bathroom for however many hours today. There's something about her that'soffand I feel like she's hiding something big. We need to know what it is in case it blows up in our faces.
But once she's under contract, not much is going to matter. The rules are murky and if she reads the fine print, she'll know that she's basically signing all her rights as a human away. Neither the supe courts nor the human ones will touch a contract like that with a ten-foot pole. She becomes ours. Our plaything for three years.
I reach down and adjust myself. Ever since I saw her in the bar a few days ago, I've wanted her. I just didn't think I'd get the chance, so I didn’t seriously consider having her. But this time tomorrow, she'll be ours and I can't fucking wait.
I work for a while and when it's time, I suit up and grab my bike. It'll take an hour to get to the warehouse a couple towns over. Kor and the others probably left a while ago. Even Theo is probably gone by now even though I made him take care of the girl. I heard him in the kitchen making something for her to eat a while ago, but it’s been quiet ever since then.
I start my bike up. For the first time in a while, things are looking up for Sie. If this girl can help him even a little, then I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she gets the chance to. I go slow until I get to the main street three miles down, and then I punch it, taking the long, straight roads as fast as I can and letting my full power out just because no one’s here to know it for what it is. I never feel so relaxed and free as I do when I'm riding like this at night, the light isn’t even on because my eyes can see. I let the demon in me out, stretching my neck and I go faster still, breathing everything in.
When I get to the first traffic light, the beginning of civilization, I switch on the headlight, and I put the demon back in the box. Life is good, I concede, but there's something in the back of my mind, a nagging feeling that everything's about to change and I don't like it. I don't know what or how. I just hope we can survive it.
9
PARIS
The mob’s already wild and it’s not even time for the main event yet. I crane my neck to see what’s happening, but it’s only some shifter supe getting his ass kicked by another one. Already bored, I scan the warehouse floor as I assess the numbers. It’s massive, so it doesn’t look that busy until closer to the ring itself. There, the crowd’s about ten bodies deep and, counting the rest in the bleachers that are set out like an ancient amphitheater, I’d guess there’s at least three-hundred people here. Decent turn-out. We’ll make some good money tonight so long as Kor wins, which he shouldn’t have a problem doing. He hates Callaghan and that’ll make him fight extra dirty.
I can’t fucking wait to watch that shifter fucker get his ass handed to him either.
I see a mix of shifters here tonight, a few rich-looking and very shady fae, and even one or two humans. Finding Sie in the bar that’s been set up for us to view from, I get a beer and sit with him.
Kor isn’t even here yet and he probably won’t arrive until the last second. He doesn’t like being near this many people and I don’t blame him, but I love the atmosphere. It makes me want to jump in the ring myself and throw some punches.
I glance down at my watch. Vic will get here soon too. He always makes an appearance well in advance. Thinks it looks bad on us if he misses anything. As I glance at the other supe leaders around the bar, I suppose he's probably right.
My gaze doesn't linger at any of the other tables though. I don’t need to inadvertently issue some kind of challenge. Korban is meant to be the one fighting tonight, not me. I watch Sie while not making it obvious that that's what I'm doing.
He looks like hell. I heard Vic and him talking in the study this afternoon. I wasn’t trying to listen, of course. It's not my business. But I got the gist.
