Soul Enslaved (Sons of Wrath Book 3) (36 page)

He tipped his head, watching their chests rise and fall out of sync with one another. So peaceful.

Janie shifted, and Gavin’s muscles tensed, ready to catch her, at the same time that Sabelle’s arm twitched and, without waking, nudged her little girl back up onto her body.

Amazing creatures, mothers. From what little Gavin could remember of his own, she seemed to wield the same magic of always knowing, even when she didn’t seem to pay attention, and always seeing, even when her back was turned.

“I see you, Gavius.” His mother stood at the wooden table, the sound of the pestle beating against the mortar in perfect intervals, as she ground herbs.

“But, how? I was hiding.”

“Mothers … they have a sense of these things. I could feel your presence in the room.”

“Feel? I don’t understand.”

Never breaking her pace, she twisted a little, soft blue eyes wide, and smiled. Even at a young age, Gavius could appreciate her unrivaled beauty among even the fresh maidens. “Mothers are magic.” The wink she shot him forced a smile.

Gavin tugged a small afghan out of a leather box beside the couch that Anna’d stashed in case Gavin ever got cold. No businessman in the world stored afghans in his office—except for the ones with motherly housekeepers who insisted that they never be more than temperate at any time during the day. He spread the never-before-used blanket over the three of them, feeling some satisfaction as they snuggled into the warmth.

Sabelle’s eyes fluttered then opened and went wide with horror.

Gavin placed a finger to his lips. He ambled toward his desk, kicked his feet up and rested his chin on his fingers, watching her as she watched him back.

Their eyes remained locked in quiet stares, until at last, Sabelle tipped her head to rest against TJ’s and drifted back to sleep.

CHAPTER 15

Groaning filled the mansion hallway, as Sabelle exited Gavin’s room. She followed the sound to a closed door, but hesitated a moment. The trick in a house full of sexually charged demons was to determine if the moans were pain or pleasure. Or both. They sounded painful, but for some of the brothers, that could still be reason to stay away.

Exactly what she planned to do.

Sabelle stepped away, but halted when an outcry tensed her muscles. Raising a hand, she paused.
Should I?
Ordinarily, she’d mind her own business, but the sound of that cry’d seemed a bit tortured. As if in pain. Battling her conscience, she knocked.

Only more groans and grunts responded, followed by, “Oh, gods, please! Fuck!” The plea ended on a growl—not an angry growl, but a frustrated one.

She couldn’t just ignore it. Even at the risk of opening the door to some obscene sexual act, she felt compelled to make sure.

With a slow turn of the knob, Sabelle pushed the door open to the darkness of a bedroom.

No feminine sounds. No creaking mattresses. Another outcry left her flinching at the tortured nature and ensuing curses. “Hello?”

Still no response, and Sabelle tiptoed across the room to the large mound piled on the bed. She held her breath, trying not to make a sound, in case she had to make a speedy escape. Oh, gods, the embarrassment.

As she drew closer, the mound shifted, and the signature blond hair strewn across the pillow in a mess confirmed whose room she’d stumbled into. Zeke. She focused through the darkness, taking in his mutilated features, profiled as he lay toward her on his side—sleeping, she presumed, by his lack of reaction to her approach. A patch covered his eye, but the soft glow of white gashes down his cheek and across his throat seemed to be healing. A limb had been sewn back on, judging the stitching in his flesh where the elbow met his forearm.

Flipping onto his back, he cried out, and Sabelle took a step back, stifling the gasp caught in her throat. His right eye flipped open, exposing a creamy milky color to his iris.

“Help me,” he begged. “I can’t stand the pain in my skull.”

His agony spurred her into motion, and, instincts kicking in, Sabelle rushed to the adjacent bathroom. The pain must’ve been the nerves regenerating, reattaching his eyeballs. That would explain the odd color of one and the patch on the other. She’d read about regeneration. Very painful, particularly the organs attached to nerves. She bit her lip for a moment while her mind tried conjuring a fix.

She eyed the candles lining the tub. Lurching forward, she rifled through the cupboards and found a lighter and lube, before rushing back into the bedroom, nabbing a dagger along the way.

Zeke continued to scream, likely what drew the attention of Anna, as the old woman pushed through the door as Sabelle reached the bed.

“Oh, my! Master Zeke! Why didn’t you push the button for help?” She hobbled toward the nightstand. “I’ll call the doctor.”

“One moment, Anna. Let me try something.” The look on Anna’s face told Sabelle she wasn’t sure at first. “Something I learned.”

“All right. But if it doesn’t work, I’m calling the physician.”

Sabelle squeezed lube along the blade, flipped on the lighter, and passed the dagger through it. Peeling back Zeke’s shorts revealed his right thigh, and he kicked beneath her with his writhing. “Shhh. Calm down. I’m going to make it better.”

She jabbed the dagger in his thigh, and he roared a curse as she quickly sliced downward.

“My heavens, woman, what are you doing?” Anna rushed forward, placing a hand on Sabelle’s forearm. “That doesn’t seem to be making anything better!”

“Get her the fuck away from me!”

The gash bled out, and the glisten of the lube coated the inner part of the wound, keeping it from sealing right away.

“Just a moment.” Sabelle touched Anna’s fingers. “I know this looks horrible. But hold on.”

After a minute of thrashing, Zeke slowed, settling down, and took long breaths.

“The lube slows the healing. Ordinarily the gash would seal together rather quickly. It’ll seal, but much slower. It also seals the heat of the burn. The intensity of the nerve pain of his eyeballs is lessened as his body’s defenses rush to heal the wound at his thigh. Your other wounds have mostly healed and scarred, it’s why you’re feeling so much pain in your sockets right now.”

“Oh, we’ve been giving him Abyzz all this time.”

“Abyzz is okay, but I’ve known some demons to become addicted to it. Some journals say you can end up in a fixed state of hallucinations, if you take it too much. Plus, it also slows down healing throughout his body. Meaning his eye is slower to heal.”

“Yes, his brother seems quite fond of the drug.”

“This isn’t a permanent fix, by any means. It should take a few days for his wound to close, and he won’t suffer any scars from it. Should heal nice and clean.”

“Thank you,” Zeke rasped.

Anna patted Sabelle on the back. “It’s quite nice having you around, Miss. You have a gift! Ever thought of becoming a physician?”

Hell, no. True, she could probably make a hell of a lot more money, but that would mean time away from her kids, and long hours trapped in a hospital full of the sick and dying. Obsidius almost sounded more inviting. “I actually don’t know that much. My sister is a bit of a daredevil. Always getting hurt when we were kids, and my mom just didn’t have the money to take her to a doc when she needed something mended or reset. So I learned. No desire to make a career of it, though.”

“Shame. You are quite skilled.” She turned her attention back to Zeke. “Anything else I can get you, Master?”

“No.” His voice was much calmer. “I’m okay now.”

Anna puttered out of the room.

With one more examination of the wound, Sabelle placed her hands on her hips. “You should be good for a while. Just try not to kick so much while the wound is sealing, ‘kay?” A hand gripped her arm as she turned away, and Sabelle twisted to Zeke, staring up, eyes pleading.

“Stay. For one moment. Please.”

“Okay.” She cleared her throat at the uncertainty lacing her tone.

“Sit. Please.”

As if ending everything in ‘please’ had her obeying, she did as asked, lowering herself to the bed beside him.

“I’m sorry … for before. What happened in the casino. Getting you fired.” His words were broken by hiccups of breath and a raspy voice.

“It’s … it’s okay, Zeke.” Her fingers came together as she fidgeted beside him. Apologies had always made Sabelle uncomfortable. Not like she’d grown up hearing them much as a kid. “I’m beyond it now.”

“No, it’s not okay. I made it hard on your family. Your kids.”

“We’re fine. Getting by fine.”

“I want you to know … when I’m better. When I’m up and … out of this bed, I’m going to make it up to you. Hear me? I’m going to … make things right.”

“You don’t have to do that.” She rubbed her forehead and forced a smile. “Really, we’re fine.”

“Nope. No.” He shook his head. “I’ll do whatever … I can to help you out.”

His offer was actually kind of sweet. Very non-Zeke.

“How ‘bout you start by getting better first?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He placed his hand on hers. “So … you and Gavin fucked yet?”

Sabelle rolled her eyes at the roar of gravelly laughter that filled the room, and pushed to stand.

His grip tightened.

“I’m just fuckin’ with ya. Sit. Sit. Just kidding.”

“I’m happy to stab your other thigh.”

His grin stretched across his face. “Seriously, you like … my brother?”

How could she not answer a man who lay mutilated in the bed? Sabelle puffed her cheeks and blew out a conceding breath. “Honestly? Yeah. Gavin’s … pretty amazing.”

White teeth glowed in the dark room. “Ain’t that some shit? Gavin’s got himself a woman.”

She scratched the back of her neck. “I’m … I didn’t say I was his woman.”

“How long you been here?”

“Two days.”

“Where you … been sleeping?” Only Zeke could get away with asking a bold question without it sounding offensive.

“In Gavin’s bed.”

“You’re his … woman. My man … doesn’t fuck around, and he sure as … shit doesn’t keep a woman for two days … in his bed. You’re something special.” A cough ripped from Zeke’s chest.

“Thanks.” Her shoulders slumped. “Glad to know I rate a day higher than the other women who’ve stayed in his bed. Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with the fact that I enslaved him, and he doesn’t have much choice, would it?”

“It’s more than that. He brought those kids in … to meet me yesterday. Beautiful kids … from what I could see. Even half blind, though, I could tell … he had a sense of pride about him. As if they were his own.”

Sabelle cleared her throat. “I don’t get the impression Gavin wants children of his own.”

“Gavin’s afraid to … have children. He’s afraid to let people … down, and especially kids. He ever tell you … about his brother?”

“Yeah. He died?”

“Gavin was supposed to be … watching him. His brother was flayed … in front of him, by rebels who invaded their village … when he was a boy. They were looking for Gavin.”

She lifted a hand to her mouth, expelling a sharp breath into her palms. The knowledge pierced Sabelle’s heart, leaving behind a cold chill in her bones. “Oh, my gods.” The very thought of witnessing such a thing, as an adult, was bad enough. But a child?

“Yeah. I guess it fucked with … his head for a long time.” Zeke’s shoulders rolled back before he settled against the bed again. “You won’t find anyone … more committed, or more loyal, than my brother. Gavin isn’t the type … to give up on those he loves.”

She cast her gaze away from Zeke, for fear he’d see through her with that blind eye. See that she’d come to appreciate Gavin in ways she never imagined she would. “I’d have to say that’s what I admire most about him. He was willing to enslave himself to me, to save his brother’s life.”

“I don’t think that was a bad decision, though.”

The comment brought a smile to her face. “Me, either.”

***

Gavin slid out of view and glanced behind to see that Anna still waited in the hallway. “Anna, I’d like you to help Sabelle find something nice to wear this evening. Let her get on Jayce’s website and see if she likes anything—ask her to pick out a few items, but particularly something formal for this evening. Have it delivered this afternoon.”

Of all the department stores in the city, Jayce’s featured a premier line of trendy women’s clothes, and the owner happened to be a friend of Gavin’s. Having it delivered wouldn’t be a problem.

“Yes, Master.” An air of whimsy clung to her words.

He continued on down the hallway, toward his office, where he’d been headed before he heard voices from Zeke’s room. His phone buzzed, and Gavin removed it from his pocket. “Yes,” he answered, “thank you for returning my call. I need you to do me a favor. I need a private table for this evening. For two.”

***

Sabelle sat on Gavin’s bed, folding clothes Anna had washed after the children had played outside in them, before tucking them in the drawers of the armoire that Gavin had set aside for her.

Anna peeked into the room. “Miss Sabelle?” She wheeled a wooden cart carrying a silver laptop. “Master Gavin asked that I assist in finding you appropriate attire for the evening.”

“Excuse me?” She frowned. “What’s going on this evening?”

“I can’t say, Miss.” The demoness gave a purse-lipped smile. “He just asked that you select some items from the Jayce website.”

“Jayce? Oh, I don’t know about that, Anna. I wouldn’t feel right. One dress in that place is, like, three month’s mortgage.”

“Oh, he’ll pitch a fit if I don’t help you with this! If you’d be so kind as to humor me, I’d be grateful.”

“Who are you kidding?” Sabelle chuckled. “Gavin adores you.”

She sighed. “Perhaps. Now, here’s the site. He’s asked that you pick out whatever you’d like, but … particularly something for this evening. Formal, I believe.”

She twisted the laptop screen to face Sabelle, and holy hell, the price tags popped off the screen. Shirts, dresses, skirts, capris, jeans, everything a girl could possibly dream of wearing in summer was listed on the site. So many cute outfits.