Tommaso halted his stab in midair, the expression on his face perplexed.
My head whipped in the direction of the woman. It was a redheaded gal who looked to be in her early twenties. Though she was sweaty as hell, I could see she was beautiful with kind eyes.
“That’s right,” she said, “put the knife down.”
“Why are you here, Emma?” he asked.
She approached cautiously. “Because I knew you were in trouble. And I bribed Cimil to tell me where you might be.”
“What the fuck do you want, woman?” he asked. “To die on this altar like her? Because I bet your heart would make me even more powerful.”
I looked back at her and noticed her eyes were full of tears. “No, Tommaso. I came to tell you the truth.”
“Emma!” boomed another deep voice somewhere inside the jungle. Suddenly an enormous man with huge muscles and long black hair emerged. “Emma! Step away from him!”
Emma scowled. “No!” She pointed at the man. “You had no business coming here.”
“Like hell,” growled the large man. “I’m your husband. You’re the mother of our son. Everything you do is my business.”
She blinked at him and then a sad, sad look washed over her face. “I didn’t want you to have to hear this, but I guess you’re going to.” She looked back at Tommaso, who still held the knife above me, like he was in suspended animation, trying to work something out. “Tommaso, do you remember that day you captured me and handed me over to be sacrificed? Do you remember how guilty you felt after everything was over and I had you cured of the Maaskab’s poison? Well, think of what’s going to happen if you kill her. Because there will be no second chances for you. The gods will kill you, Tommaso. And I love you. I don’t want to see you die.”
“You-you-you love me?” he stuttered.
She nodded. “You’re a friend and a brother and an ex-crush all rolled into one.”
“What the fuck, woman?” the large man snarled.
“I love you, too, Guy,” Emma said. “And I chose you. I married you. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have feelings for him.” She pointed at Tommaso.
“You-you lied to me?” Guy looked like he’d been shot in the stomach.
“Yes. Because I knew you wouldn’t understand and that you couldn’t handle the truth. But I can’t keep it a secret anymore. I don’t want to see him destroy his life when he still has a chance at happiness.” She turned her attention back to Tommaso. “I’m sorry, Tommaso. I’m sorry for loving Guy more. I’m sorry for lying or hurting you by hiding the truth. But more than anything, I’m sorry for not settling this sooner. I think if I had, you would’ve seen your life differently somehow. That you would’ve seen you’re worth loving and risking everything for. Just like I am doing now.”
He dropped the knife to the ground and buckled at the knees. I watched as he covered his face and the air filled with the sound of his groans. Emma ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m so sorry, Tommaso,” she said, crying and petting the back of his head. “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck.
“That’s right,” she muttered softly. “I’m here. I’m here for you and always will be.”
I felt my heart sink into the abyss. He loved this woman. He loved her so much that she’d been able to break whatever evil spell had wrapped around his heart.
My eyes teared with sadness, knowing that I was not her. I couldn’t save him. He didn’t want a future with me. It was always her.
I looked over at the towering man, Guy, who just stood there watching his wife hold another man. The look on his face was devastation, as if he’d just watched his entire life die.
I felt the same way, frankly. I’d somehow become emotionally attached to Tommaso in a way I couldn’t understand. And that was what hurt the most. Realizing that I wanted him so much, but didn’t have a chance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Three weeks later.
“Charlotte, I am not asking. I’m telling you.”
I swiveled in Uncle Chuck’s direction. Now that I’d been spending time with him, I’d begun to notice how handsome he was for an older gentleman. He had a full head of dark gray hair and a hypnotic laugh. Both made me wonder if they were part of his bag of tricks to lure in the ladies.
“Sorry. You’re not my dad, and if you were, I’d still say no.” I went back to loading the dishwasher while everyone finished digesting the enchilada meal I’d made. Turned out, incubi ate people food. Along with people. It was all still pretty weird.
“Don’t be a brat. You’re going!” Sadie said, who sat beside her father, petting Bitch Pants. She happened to be my cat’s one and only favorite “person.”
Leave it to my satanic cat to love a demon.
“I happen to agree.” Andrus, who was helping bring the dishes from the table, set down a pile of plates in the sink and then crossed his meaty arms over his chest. As if showing me his giant biceps would intimidate me and get me to do what he said. “And if you don’t go, I will personally spank you.”
“How was it that the Universe thought to mate us?” I scoffed. I mean, yeah, he was really good looking, but his serrated edges and lack of understanding of how to treat a woman—or people in general—left something to be desired. Sadie, with her flowing auburn hair and intense dark eyes, was definitely the right woman for him. She didn’t take crap from anyone. Case in point…
“You’ll touch my cousin over my dead body!” Sadie barked, her eyes glowing succubus orange.
“It was just a threat, honey,” Andrus said sheepishly. “You know I would never spank anyone but you.”
I covered my face and groaned. It was great having family back in my life again. Truly. But I still had a long way to go to understand them and their nonhuman ways, including their humor.
“Now, see what you did?” Sadie scolded Andrus. “Poor Charlotte is going to run and hide in the closet again.”
I dropped my hands and looked over at her. “That happened one time.” I held up my finger. “One! And it was because you were getting that weird look on your face and I’ve never seen anyone turn into a sex-slurping demon.”
“Sex-slurping.” She snorted. “You’re so funny.”
“Shut up. All of you,” said my uncle and then looked right at me. “Charlotte, you can’t not go to the party. You are the guest of honor, and the gods will see it as an insult of the gravest sort.”
I shrugged.
He shook his head. “Do you truly want to get on Cimil’s bad side? Because I’ve been there and let me tell you, she has a special kind of torture she inflicts upon people she doesn’t like. Ask the clowns.” He scratched his chin. “Of course, the same can be said for those she likes. Just ask the cast of The Love Boat.”
“Huh?” I frowned.
“Never mind,” said my uncle. “The point is that it’s a few hours of your time. You go, you sip a few drinks, accept your award, and then you leave.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t do anything,” I said.
“You took down the most powerful, dangerous Maaskab ever to walk the earth, and while I know you don’t want to share what happened that day, I for one am proud to call you my niece. I would call you daughter, too, if you’d let me.” His golden eyes filled with sentiment.
My own father had left my mother before I was born. I never knew him, never learned his name, and I never cared to.
“Since I am…” Uncle Chuckie added.
I blinked at him. “What?”
“What?” Sadie gasped.
“What?” Andrus barked.
Uncle Chuckie raised his chin. “Yes. It’s true. I met your mother first, Charlotte. She was very special to me, enough so that I was able to resist the urge to kill her. But then,” he turned to Sadie, “I met your mother, and I knew that she was my intended mate.
“I couldn’t help but want to try to make a life with Clai
re, but in the end, when I told her what I was, that Charlotte was my first daughter, she couldn’t handle it. She called me a monster and left. Luckily, I met your stepmother, who is truly my partner and best friend.”
Sadie’s eyes began trickling. “You mean…you mean…Charlotte is really my half sister?”
“Yes.” He nodded his head. “And Nell, too, but she doesn’t know either.”
Sadie covered her mouth, and I did the same. People always said that we looked like twins, but I equated it to the fact that our mothers were identical. In truth, however, it was that plus the fact we had the same father.
Oh wow. Now it all made so much sense. My mother moving to Palm Springs by herself, away from her sister. Her distance from my aunt. Her hate for Uncle Chuck and fear of him. It was all one giant traumatic mess for her and the likely reason she never told me the truth about my father.
Had she also feared that I would end up like my dad? She had been obsessed, especially as I got older, with all that crazy supernatural stuff.
“Ohmygod,” I whispered. “It’s like all of the missing pieces of my life just fell out of the sky.”
Sadie got up from the table and rushed toward me, throwing her arms around my neck. “You’re my sister!”
I was speechless. Absolutely speechless.
I pushed her back gently and then looked at my uncle—I mean father. “Does this mean that I’m a…” I couldn’t say the word. I just couldn’t.
He shook his head no. “While you have my blood, you’re not like us.”
“How is that possible?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Like Nell, your human side is too strong perhaps. I don’t really know. But if you haven’t shown any signs of being a succubus by now, then you never will—although, I’m sure your recessive traits do add to your sex appeal.”
Was this why men continually hit on me? Dear gods. “Wow. I’m…I’m…I’m speechless.”
My father rose from the table and came over to wrap his arms around me. “And I’m an evil demonic bastard for not coming to you sooner. But I thought it would be best to leave you alone until I knew if you had my traits. You never showed any, but I still couldn’t let you go. And yet, I didn’t know how to approach you, knowing how your mother was.” He began to tear up, and it instantly reminded me of Tommaso. How he was so strong and indestructible, but had that little piece of him hidden inside that was plagued with regret and sorrow. “I’m so sorry, honey, that I wasn’t there when you needed me.”
I immediately understood what he meant. The day I was attacked by the Maaskab.
“But you were there. You fought them off,” I realized. He’d been the creature with the orange eyes and defended my mother. And I already knew that he’d watched over me these past years, too. He’d been the “monster” I sensed lurking in the shadows.
“I didn’t do enough,” he said. “They hurt you.”
I didn’t know what to say. I felt bad that he felt bad, but I’d moved on. He needed to as well.
I shrugged. “As Cimil once said, it was the Maaskab’s fault. Not yours or mine. The one who attacked me decided his own path.”
“Right you are,” my dad said, wiping his tears with his sleeve. “And now it’s time for you to decide what comes next in your life. You should go to the party.”
Back to this again? I really didn’t want to go because Tommaso might be there—or worse, be there with Emma—and I just couldn’t handle confronting the whole thing just yet. Which was also why I hadn’t answered any of Tommaso’s calls. What could he possibly say that I wanted to hear? Besides, he stopped calling after the first week, so clearly he’d moved on.
“I’ve been through a lot,” I said. “And now I have one more huge piece of my life to try to digest.”
My father continued, “There’ll be plenty of time for digesting later. You should meet the immortal community—get to know them and what it means to be immortal.”
I looked at him and didn’t quite follow. “Sorry?”
“All right, you got me there,” he said. “You’re not immortal, but you do have my blood. You will live a very, very long time.”
What the hell? “How long?”
He shrugged. “A thousand years, perhaps?”
“Oh, crap.” I couldn’t begin to comprehend the full meaning of that. “How old are you?”
“I lost count. Ten. Fifteen thousand. I don’t recall.”
Wow.
“So will you go to the party?” he asked. “You will need friends in your life who understand you and what you will go through as you age differently from humans. And perhaps you’ll meet a nice immortal man to share all of those years with.”
Ah. Now I understood why he felt so strongly about my going. He was hoping I might meet someone to help me get over Tommaso. But I wasn’t ready to face what happened, and… “I’m not ready to face Tommaso yet. The memories are too fresh. And I’m definitely not ready to think about dating.”
My father—gods, it was so surreal to say or think that—my father squeezed my hand. “The sooner you confront your demons, the sooner you can move on, Charlotte. Don’t waste another day of your life hiding from the things you fear.”
I blinked at him and smiled, pushing back a little tear. He was so, so right. I’d wasted enough time avoiding life, keeping the world at arm’s length—or a putter’s length—because I was afraid. I didn’t need to be afraid anymore.
I bobbed my head. “Yeah, I’ll go. But one condition.”
My father smiled. “I’d be delighted to go with you.”
“Not that. I mean—yes, I’d love for you to come with me, but I was going to say: Andrus has to spank me. A promise is a promise.”
I looked over at Sadie, waiting for her reaction. Big mistake.
As her eyes turned a glowing orange, I stuck out my hands. “Just kidding! Ohmygod! Kidding!”
She smiled. “Me too!” And then began cracking up.
For the first time in my life, I finally felt like I belonged. And most importantly, I was no longer frightened of anything. Because I was part monster.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Just after eight o’clock, I pulled up to the Shangri La Hotel in Santa Monica in my red Jeep, feeling a bit out of place among the expensive-looking sports cars, limos, and other very pricy vehicles. The valets, however, were quick to attend to me just the same.
Wearing a long, spaghetti-strap red satin dress—compliments of Cimil, who’d sent it to my house, along with a note that said “Booya!”and nothing more—I felt like I was going to my immortal coming-out party.
As I rode the elevator up to the rooftop bar where the party was being held, I couldn’t help feeling all fluttery and nervous. I prayed Tommaso was not there. I prayed I wouldn’t have to see him or Emma. Luckily, Andrus and Sadie said they’d be here later, so I’d at least know a few friendly faces, and my dad said he’d make an appearance after he took care of some business downtown. Sadly, he’d be flying back to Cleveland to be with his wife—who I supposed was now my stepmother—and his other daughter—who was now my other half sister. He explained that he needed to talk to them both and come clean before introducing me.
I tried to imagine how that conversation might go, him telling his wife slash best friend that he had another daughter but never told her or anyone. If it were me, I’d be upset about the lie, not about the daughter. Why did people go to such lengths to hide things that no one really cared about? If anything, life’s little dramas only made us more interesting.
The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Loud music and laughter immediately flooded my ears.
I stepped out, taking a moment to let my eyes adjust to the dark space that was lit with red lighting, giving the room a velvety lounge-type feel. Oh wow. The bar was crowded with people in tuxes and gowns. There were so many faces, so many beautiful people, and everyone was so godsdamned tall.
Okay, I straightened my spine, pasted on a smile, and headed for the bar.
Champagne was a great place to start.
A waiter passed by with a tray full of shots, the crowd plucking them off quickly as he went by.
Okay, tequila works, too. I grabbed a small glass and threw it back.
“Charlotte, you’ve arrived,” I heard a female voice say.
I turned and saw a medium height woman with dark creamy skin, dark curly hair, and the most loving smile I’d ever seen. She held out her hand. “I’m Ashli. And I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to you earlier.”
I shook her hand and instantly felt…well…super good. “Sorry?”
“I’m Ashli, the Goddess of Love? Zac said you needed my help? I would’ve come sooner, but I was taking some time off to be with my baby and husband. I just got in this afternoon, and then, of course, I heard you were the guest of honor, so here I am.”
What in the world was she talking about? “I’m sorry, uh…Goddess—do I call you ‘Goddess’?”
“Ashli. Just Ashli.”
I nodded. “Okay, Ashli. I don’t mean to be rude, especially because you seem like the nicest person I’ve ever met and I suddenly have the urge to go around hugging everyone, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
She crinkled her brow. “No. I don’t think so. You’re the Charlotte who was supposed to be mated to Andrus, right?”
“Errr…yeah, but—”
“Well, don’t you worry,” she said, giving my arm a little squeeze. “I know Tommaso was anxious to speed up your falling in love with him, for obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean you two aren’t meant to be.”
Tommaso asked this woman to make me fall in love with him? I was at a loss for words.
Ashli must’ve picked up on my confusion. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
“Ashli, you finally made it,” said a deep silky voice.
Standing there was an impressively tall man, probably around seven feet, with a shaggy mane of black hair, startling blue eyes—or turquoise or green or something like that—too dark to tell—and a surreally sculpted face hiding beneath a thick growth of stubble.