Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) (25 page)

Her eyes
narrowed on him. “Who bit you?”

“Shower.”

“I could just
have Logan come in here and get the answers for me. He’s pretty
effective.”

“Lady, I’ve
got another shitty night on the horizon and death in a few days.
You do whatever you want. Threats have little worth in me these
days.” Inside, Kane was sweating bullets. He had to set some limits
with the woman, though.

Ayden stared
silent for a moment, seemed to be analyzing him. “Fine. I’ll let
you shower.”

“And walk
around.”

“Why would I
do that?” She jerked her chin to the side. “So you can take off and
alert all your wolfy friends? I don’t think so.”

“I told you, I
have no intentions of becoming one of them.”

“And I’m
supposed to believe you?” A sneer flavored her words.

“Yes.”

Something of a
growl rumbled in her chest. “Fine. You’re confined to the house,
though. And God help you if you run into Logan.”

“Deal. I
shower first and then we’ll talk.”

She reached
for the key in her pocket, bent forward and unlocked his wrist, all
the while staring at his hand.

He rubbed his
wrist and slid from the bed to stand. Calix’s briefs still
suffocated his lower half. His legs felt strong—so strong in fact,
they itched to run. With his back to Ayden, he hiked up his knee
and began to stretch. The strength and energy in his muscles was
incredible. He turned in time to see Ayden, mouth open, gaze
fixated on him.

As though his
pause had snapped her from the reverie, she blinked and cleared her
throat. “I’ll get you another pair of briefs.”

“Any chance
the guy wears boxers?” He tugged the waistband. “These are getting
constricting.”

***

Ayden left the
room, heading toward Calix’s, with visions of Kane’s toned legs
dancing through her head.
What the hell was that, Ayden? You act
as if you’ve never seen muscles on a man before.

She had, but
never had a man’s change been so dramatic. Two nights before, the
halfling lay small and weak in Zeke’s arms. What she’d just seen
could probably rival the demon. Even if Zeke could still break the
halfling into two pieces, he’d at least
look
like a worthy
opponent.

Holy hell.
What’s wrong with me? Lycans are murdering bastards. Murdering
bastards, Ayden.

She knocked on
Calix’s door. Silence. With a timid twist of the knob, she opened
the door softly, in case he’d fallen asleep. One thing she’d
learned living with demons was how absolutely unpredictable they
could be. A female sneaking up on a sleeping male could be trouble,
particularly one half Incubus and half Wrath.

He lay on the
bed, arms crossed behind his head, staring up at the dark
ceiling.

She
approached, quiet and cautious. “Calix?”

He glanced at
her then back to the ceiling. “Hey,” he said, sadness in his
voice.

“What’s
up?”

His eyes
closed, fingertips lodged in his black hair, palms resting against
his forehead. “Ava. I went to see her brother last night.”

Ayden had
never seen him in such disarray. “By yourself?”

“No. Logan
went with me.”

“I thought you
guys took down a pack of wolves last night.”

“That was
after.” He began to rub his hands up and down across his scalp.
“Logan, apparently, didn’t meet his ass-kicking quota for the
night.”

“So you
roughed Ryke up, I take it?” Ayden sat beside him on the bed.

His hands
stilled and his gaze trailed down to hers, rife with apathy.
“That’s an understatement. Logan’s a fucking monster when he’s
pissed.”

“And Ava
didn’t care much for you beating the crap out of her brother.”

“She says she
wants nothing to do with me. Which is a lie. Ryke’s a dick to her.
I know he’s punishing her for this.” His hands balled into fists at
his forehead. “And now Logan has a bounty hunter on his ass because
of me.”

“Demons have
bounty hunters?”

Calix glanced
over but remained silent.

“She won’t
talk to you at all?” Ayden asked.

He shook his
head. “I’m banished, forbidden to return to her village.”

“A village? In
the middle of Detroit? Where is this place?”

“It doesn’t
matter,”—Calix crossed his arms over his chest—“because I won’t be
going back to it.”

“What is it
about this woman? You could have any woman you want, Calix?”

“I don’t want
any other woman.”

“You guys
baffle me.” A smile edged slowly across her face. “Any other man
would kill to be one of you guys with all your women. And all of
you just want one?” She tipped her head. “Well except for Zeke, who
wants many, and Logan, who could care less. Ava must be pretty
exceptional.”

He sat up on
the bed, his black sheets wrinkling with his movement, and pulled
his knees up into his chest. “Yeah, well I fucked up.”

“Maybe you
could send her a note. A card or something. Write down your
thoughts. Openly. Supposedly human women like poems and stuff.”

“Something
tells me I’m not going to find a card that says ‘sorry for beating
the shit out of your brother’.”

Ayden stifled
a chuckle and patted his hand. “If she likes you that much, I’m
sure she’ll forgive you with time.”

“Yeah. Sure.”
He looked up at her. “Ayden, can I ask you something?”

“Of
course.”

His eyes
diverted toward his fidgeting fingers. “Why do you deny my
brother?”

Anything
but this.
“It’s complicated, Calix.”

“You know
you’re the only woman he’s ever considered worthy of a mate? In
centuries
. That’s a long fucking time.”

“I have no
doubt he’ll feel that again. I think he’s as confused as I am.”

“It’s none of
my business.” Calix shrugged. “I’ve just always been curious.
Whatever happens between the two of you, just know I’ve still got
your back.”

Ayden smiled.
“Thanks, Cal.” She glanced away from him. “Can I ask you a
favor?”

“What’s
up?”

Her gaze
darted back. “Can I borrow a pair of your boxers?”

***

Ayden slipped
the black silk boxers into her jacket.
Leave it to Calix to have
silk boxers.
He’d also given her a shirt for Kane.

As she padded
down the hallway, a quick glance out of the large window revealed
the gloom of midday.

The dull hum
of the shower hit her ears when she entered the room. Steam curled
through the crack in the door. Ayden pulled the boxers out of her
jacket and set them on the nightstand. She caught sight of Kane’s
trousers on the floor and knelt down, ears perked for a moment,
before pulling out his wallet. Slipping the driver’s license out of
its sheath, she examined his picture and the goofy smile on his
face.
Royal Oak.
Nice area but not too fancy. Behind the
drivers license was a badge for the hospital. Director of
Children’s Cancer Institute.

She continued
to pull apart the contents: credit cards, a blood donor card and a
picture of a little girl. Ayden examined her closely. She had the
same green eyes as Kane and wore a bright yellow dress with a
matching yellow bow in her hair. A flip of the picture revealed
‘Maria’ written on the back.

Christ, you
weren’t kidding about being a goody-two-shoes, were you?

She replaced
all of the wallet’s contents and shoved it back into his slacks. As
she sat crouched, her eyes trailed in the direction of the
bathroom. She stood up and edged toward the door. Through the
crack, she had a clear shot of the shower stall. In the thick plume
of steam, Kane stood with his head tipped back while the water
sprayed all around him, his back arched, and sopping black hair he
slicked back with his hands.

The mere sight
of him felt like a guilty pleasure—like stealing a drag off a
cigarette.

The enemy.

The water
trickling down his muscles, though, reminded her of sweat. She
licked her lips, imagining the salty taste on her tongue.

“Miss
Ayden?”

A shrill
scream ripped from her throat as Ayden turned to see Annabelle
standing behind her with a tray. She grabbed her chest. “You scared
me, Anna. I’m sorry.”

Annabelle
smiled. “Just bringing the master his evening supper.”

“Master?”
Ayden curled her lip. “He didn’t tell you to call him that, did he?
Because he’s no master.”

“No, just
being polite to guests of the manor.” Anna hummed as she set the
tray and all its contents out on display.

“What did you
make for him, anyway?”

“Waffles,
eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes and a Danish.”

“Holy sh—” She
caught herself. “Jeez, Annabelle. You didn’t need to do all that,”
Ayden grabbed a strip of bacon from the plate. “Death row inmates
get less for their last meal.”

Anna stopped,
holding the creamer in midair. “Pardon, miss?”

Dammit.
Ayden quickly grabbed the creamer from her. “I’ve got it,
Annabelle.” Sooner or later Anna would learn of Kane’s fate, if
only because of Ayden’s big mouth. “Thank you, you’re too
kind.”

Suspicion
swirled in Anna’s eyes. “Can I get you anything. dear?”

“No, thanks.
I’ll just grab a sandwich or something.”

Anna sighed.
“I’m going to miss Master Kane when he leaves.”

“Why is that?”
Ayden asked, frowning.

“He makes me
feel useful.” A smile lit up Anna’s face. “And he enjoys a good
chat. He’s a very kind soul.”

Kind
soul.
Ayden sneered inwardly.
More like asshole.
“I
thought demons hated lycans.”

Anna pursed
her lips. “Pardon my tone, but you have much to learn about demons,
Miss Ayden. There was a time lycans and demons were of the same
thread.
Humans
changed the landscape of their
relations.”

“Demons and
lycans used to get along with one another? When the hell was
that?”

“Ages ago.
Humans forced the rift between them. Lycans have been and always
will be wild, as wolves these days, but as you know, they can take
any animal form.”

“I know a
little about that.” Ayden sat down on Kane’s bed

“And as long
as there are humans to hunt, they will. Demons, on the other hand,
were forced to make a choice. Run with their wild lycan brothers
and hunt, or learn to live amongst the humans. We’re a more evolved
species, I suppose. The most civilized of the savages. Over time,
this evolution created a distinction of class.” Anna straightened
her aprons and clasped her fingers together in front of her.
“Civilized, or not, we can be a rather haughty group.”

Ayden glanced
toward the bathroom door and back. “Well, it’s not as if they’ve
earned any more of the demons’ respect. Wolves kill for pleasure.
Demons, at least, kill out of necessity.”

Anna tipped
her head. “Do they?” She sat beside Ayden on the bed. “Most animals
kill for one of two reasons, Ayden. For food, or to defend
themselves. Now, being part human, the lycans have greater
intuition than some mindless beast.” Her eyes bored into Ayden’s.
“Dominate or be dominated. They’ve learned how to survive as a
species.”

“So you’re
saying
humans
made the wolves the way they are?” The
incredulity in Ayden’s voice carried on the air.

Anna smiled.
“You’ve always been the forbidden fruit. But demons have much more
control over their urges and desires. We’ve always known where we
sit on the food chain.”

“Not all
demons have control,” Ayden mumbled.

“Yes, Master
Zeke could use a lesson.” Her gaze trailed off for a moment, like a
mother contemplating how to deal with an unruly son, then snapped
back to Ayden, full of fervor. “I would love to see humans, lycans
and demons live in harmony one day. Did you know trolls and Gambis
Demons have always been natural enemies? Well, with us being
thieves
. We tend to trespass where we’re not welcome.” She
chuckled. “And yet, here Bennett and I live peacefully as if our
kinds had never been at odds with one another.”

“That sounds
peachy, Annabelle,” Ayden said in a flat tone. “But if you’re
waiting on me to patch relations between demons and lycans, you’ve
got the wrong girl. Forgive me for being so undiplomatic but it was
a lycan that chewed my spine out and left me for dead.”

Empathy
claimed her eyes. “You’ve had a very tough life. No doubt about
that and I can understand your anger. But at some point, for
yourself, love, you need to decide if your past is worth more than
your future.”

Ayden nodded
while furiously shaking her head inside.

After brushing
her finger against Ayden’s cheek, Annabelle stood from the bed and
left the room.

Ten minutes
passed before Kane finally emerged, a white towel wrapped around
his waist. His hand ruffled his damp hair, as he reached down for
the boxers on the nightstand.

Ayden diverted
her attention away from him as he slipped back into the bathroom
and emerged again wearing the shorts.
Damn
. No wonder Calix
opted for black silk.

“Better.” Kane
looked down, examining his lower half. “But it’s still not right. I
won’t blame the guy for burning these when I’m gone. I would.”

“You’re
hilarious,” Ayden said, without a shred of humor. “Aren’t you the
least bit worried about what’s to come of you?”

“A little, I
guess.” He shrugged. “But what can I do? This is what it is. Would
it make you feel better if I sat and cried all day until then?”

“Yes,
actually. I get a sense you’re not taking me seriously. Like you
think I won’t do it.”

His gaze
turned serious. “I don’t think that at all. I think you do pretty
much anything you set your mind to, Ayden.”

She nibbled on
the inside of her mouth, pushing up from the bed. “Weird.”