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Tobias
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TOBIAS SAT AT THE HEAD of the dinner table waiting for Asherah to join them. With yesterday behind them, the new dawn hadn’t settled Keg or Dom. Both men wanted to strangle her damn neck. Despite Josiah’s bruised eyes and swollen nose, he had collected himself enough to remain rational where the assassin was concerned. Hitchcock had grown quiet and withdrawn after the confrontation, bruised by the information that rumors suggested they’d killed their parents.
They all agreed to establish who put the hit on Tobias first before deciding on how to handle Asherah Stone. Keg, Josiah and Dom voted for death, Hitchcock shrugged, offering no opinion, even though Tobias rejected the idea outright. When he’d outright asked Hitchcock what his mate, King, thought of the predicament, his twin had shrugged.
It would’ve been nice had King given his opinion since he held wisdom beyond what other creatures could discern. He’d stopped by Hell’s Brew earlier to get King’s input, but King hadn’t been available.
Still frustrated by his indecision toward the siren, he ruminated over his earlier conversations.
In the morning meeting Dom had stared Tobias straight in the eyes and asked, “You willing to risk the chance she’ll return to finish the job? Or murder someone we love? She has to die Tobias.”
Hitchcock had watched him like he read the truth of Tobias’s misgivings. But even Tobias couldn’t fathom why the idea of hurting Asherah bothered him.
“Is my vibe right, Tobias?” Hitchcock had asked? His twin seemed more worried than alarmed.
“What vibe?” Josiah demanded.
“Doesn’t matter.” Tobias had glanced at his cell, pretending he had an important message. “This concerns me not anyone else.”
“It concerns the entire Drakki family, not just you.” Like always Josiah wouldn’t let it go. “We have to protect Victoria.”
Vic was Josiah’s sister and Tobias’s cousin. She’d been an infant when she joined their household. He thought of her as a sister rather than a cousin. Scoffing at any danger to Vic, Tobias said, “Victoria isn’t in any danger.”
“She might be if you let the assassin go,” Dom said cool as ice.
Agitated that his family decided to distrust him now when he’d given them no reason to doubt him, Tobias had snarled, “You motherfuckers follow my orders and have no shit to say about it. You feel me?”
“Sure. Whatever the fuck you say, boss.” Dom had shoved his hands in his pockets and muttered, “Why should I give a godsdamn if you live or die?”
Even though he understood Dom’s agitation, Tobias took his insubordination as a threat against Asherah and had gotten in Dom’s face, chest to chest, ready to tear him apart for the misconceived slight.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Hitchcock demanded, shoving them apart.
Keg and Josiah had gaped at the escalation of their quarrel. It wasn’t like Tobias for his rage to be so volatile, but the siren had him twisted in knots.
“Dom wants what’s best for you like all of us.” His twin had pulled him away from the group and spoke low, “Is my suspicion about Asherah accurate?”
Instead of responding, Tobias had snatched out of his brother’s gentle grasp and snarled, “I don’t have time for this bullshit. I’ve a meeting in town.”
That’d been this morning. Because of that, the dining room was twitchy with their earlier quarrel. No one made direct eye contact and all were seated in silence. King noticeably absent.
“Where’s King?” Tobias asked.
Hitchcock halted with his goblet of whiskey halfway to his mouth. “With his brothers.”
“Ah...” Being a King of Hell meant King often had other duties outside of Black Hollow to attend.
Tobias downed his scotch. Since discovering the assassin he’d been unable to shove her from his mind. He easily recalled how she moved, with grace, speed and skill. Her rounded figure, great tits, and a face that had the potential to launch fights.
Like the one Dom and I had this morning.
Was that the way the siren song worked?
That made more sense than any other reason he’d formulated. It relieved him a little to think she could be causing their disagreement.
He could still recall the way she felt aligned with his body when he pinned her to the door to stop her escape. Her scent was a mix of salt, coconuts and seaweed, turning his cock hard in an instant. He’d wanted to bury his face in her neck and fuck her in front of his men.
Tobias couldn’t recall the last time he’d been so turned on by a woman. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d fantasized in the last twelve hours about shoving her against the wall and fucking her so hard she’d feel him afterward.
That daydream frustrated him. Blue balls was a horrible thing to endure. He would’ve attempted to find companionship last night, but he hadn’t wanted to leave Asherah’s proximity.
Would she slit his throat or tear his heart out with her bare hands if he attempted to get physical with her?
She is here to kill me.
That reminder should cool his desire, but knowing she’d join them for dinner and would sit near, already gave him a semi-erection.
“Meeting go well?” Josiah asked, drawing Tobias’s gaze.
Recalling that he’d used that as an excuse to vacate the argument this morning, he replied, “Well enough.”
A light stride, echoed by a harder footfall sounded in the hallway and the air thickened as everyone turned toward the entrance. Ashe preceded Dom into the room. She wore a knee-length flowy skirt and tank top. Her shoulders were squared, with her head held high, she breezed into the dining room and took the chair next to Tobias. The fiery red of her hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head and stray strands fell about her face.
She was fire and ice and he wanted her in the worst way imaginable.
“That’s Dom’s seat,” Tobias said without thinking when she sat down next to him.
“He’ll manage in the other seat.” She unfolded the linen napkin and placed it over her legs.
Tobias glanced about the table at his men. Everyone gaped at her, except for Hitchcock who smirked, and looked as if he had to bite back a laugh.
No one spoke as the soup was served. Spoons clinked against the porcelain bowls, but Tobias noticed Ashe neglected hers. Instead she studied each man seated about the room while they ate.
“Something wrong with your soup?” Tobias asked.
She slowly slid her gaze from the men to meet his. “Sirens don’t require food the way lesser supernaturals do.”
A direct jab to his species. “We once had a taste for the raw flesh of mankind.” I have a taste for her bare flesh and my tongue on her quivering clit. “Be glad we’ve acquire a more refined taste.”
She snorted. “I’m terrified, baby dragon.”
The snark in her voice amused him as much as her infantile nickname for him did.
“You should be terrified.” Josiah glowered at her from across the table.
Setting the spoon in his bowl, Keg considered her while he tapped a finger on the table. “Josiah and Dom are arguing over who’s going to kill you.”
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Josiah snarled at her.
“You morons believe that threat will scare me?” She trailed her finger along the moisture of her stemware, a gesture that should’ve seemed casual but held a tinge of a threat to Tobias. A quick glance about indicated no one else perceived the implied warning in her movement.
“We’ll see who the moron is when you’re dead.” Josiah palmed his butter knife and slid the silver through his fingers.
A very not subtle threat. Asherah smirked and for the briefest of seconds Tobias worried for his cousin.
“Calm the fuck down.” Tobias made the decisions, and no one would overstep their place in this household. For fuck’s sake when had he lost control?
“Yeah,” mockery darkened her voice. “Calm the fuck down, Josiah.”
The word fuck spilling off her tongue left him clenching the arms on his chair. Reminding his dragon that it was not an invitation to fuck her was damned difficult.
“She tried to kill you.” Ever the hothead Josiah would be first in line to carve the first pound of her flesh if given the chance.
“Should we remind you she took money to kill you?” Keg fisted his hand on the table.
“Six million to be exact.” Asherah wasn’t helping the explosive situation.
“This isn’t up for debate.” Tobias glanced at Dom, a silent request to have his back.
Dom shook his head as if to say Tobias was on his own.
“I bet I could kill at least three of you before I got to you, Josiah.” She elevated an eyebrow, challenging them with the move.
“Christ, woman, would you shut up.” Tobias pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re not helping.”
“Oh! So sorry, let me get right on that. Helping you is my life goal.” He glanced at her just in time to catch her smirk.
Josiah pushed out of his chair. “Bitch, you wouldn’t kill even one of us before we took you out.”
“Sit down,” Tobias growled between clenched teeth, dragon claws bursting free and damaging the furniture.
Smiling, she created random designs on the table with her fingertip. “I’d save you for last, Josiah, just to gloat before I offed you.”
Josiah snorted. “You wouldn’t make it past Dom or Tobias to get to me.”
“Josiah,” Tobias snarled at his cousin’s taunt. “Either shut the fuck up or leave.”
“Challenge accepted,” she drawled in the sweetest tone that sounded sensual rather than threatening.
“Asherah—” Before Tobias could finish his sentence, much less react, she gripped her stemware, smashed it on the table, and created a jagged edge out of the glass stem.
She struck to the right, stabbing Dom in the neck. Blood spurted all over him and her, dotting the table while he choked on blood. Not slowing down, she vaulted across the table. Dishes rattled, and glasses tipped over, water, wine and soup drenched the tablecloth. Asherah kicked Josiah in the nose for shits and giggles or to keep him out of her reach before slamming into Hitchcock. The blow tipped his chair back and knocked them to the floor. She straddled his belly and lifted her arm to deliver a blow.
Tobias leapt to his feet. “Hurt him and I’ll—”
She stabbed Hitchcock in the shoulder, a minor injury, but Tobias could tell his brother was reluctant to injure her, which was fucking stupid since she attacked first.
Godsdamn. His inaction endangered his twin.
Rolling off his brother, Asherah was on her feet and running for Josiah before Keg could launch to his feet and yell, “Holy fuck!”
Keg took a butter knife to his gut after she flung it. Again, not a life threatening wound.
Josiah dodged, but she jumped on his back like a homicidal monkey. His cousin rammed her against the wall. She didn’t grunt from the impact, but instead she clung to him. When she jabbed the tip of the stemware against his neck, his cousin froze at the threat to lacerate his jugular.
“Told you, asshole.” Holding Tobias’s gaze, she bit her bottom lip unable to hide her smile. The bloodthirsty glint in her eyes let him know she loved the sport she’d just played. “If I wanted any of you dead, you’d be dead.”
That truth punched Tobias in the gut, and the way his cousin paled, verified he realized the threat she wielded as well. Every one of them had underestimated her.
“Godsdamn,” Dom muttered on a whisper, his hand holding a bloody napkin to his neck.
Asherah jumped off Josiah’s back and flung her make-shift weapon across the table. The remainder of the stem glassware lodged into the opposite wall. With a proud stroll, she walked around the table, lifted her chair from the floor, righted it, and retook her seat.
“For the record, I could’ve killed your boss first and ended all these games.” Wearing a serene smile, she reached across Dom to retrieve his water glass. When he flinched at her nearness, she sent him a cheeky grin, then proceeded to steal Dom’s drink. “I’ve worked up a thirst.”
His men gaped at her while she guzzled half the water.
Tobias was certain he couldn’t get any harder.
Hitchcock was the first to break the silence. “We should hire her as security.”
“Not interested.” She set the glass on the table. “I am interested in my last picture being deleted.”
Thanks to their two-shifter status as dragons they healed fast. On the surface the injuries she dished out looked significant, but none were noteworthy.
“I would never trust her to safeguard Vic.” At Josiah’s slur, she dragged her fingers along the moisture of her stolen glass and elevated her eyebrows at him.
A sweet smile merged with her syrupy voice, “I’ve no desire to protect your flea-bag dog anyway.”
“You bitch,” Josiah roared, “that’s my sister.”
“There’s a difference?” Confusion narrowed her eyes.
“Stand. Down,” Tobias clipped out.
If he hadn’t witnessed her violence firsthand, he’d never believe she had it in her. Tobias took his seat and leaned back in it to consider her.
“If you let her live, the only way we can guarantee your safety, Tobias, is to never delete the photo,” Dom suggested, and her head whipped around to look at him.
Tobias could make out the hardness of her jaw, guessing she clenched her teeth. The fingers of her left hand whitened about the glass, while the forefinger of her right hand caressed a broken piece of china.
“Enough,” Tobias snarled, dragon smoke belching from his nostrils.
Her glare remained on Dom and for the first time in Tobias’s life, he watched Dom wince in the face of another’s silent threat.
Tobias cleared his throat. “Asherah’s future isn’t up for discussion. I’ll make the final decision.”
She released her grip on the silverware and glass and turned her attention on Tobias. “Will you now?”
He looked her dead in the eye. “Yes.”
Too bad he didn’t feel the same confidence he struggled to send with his stare.
After a long moment, Asherah rose from her seat and stepped to the side of his chair. Her hand about his nape startled him, but not nearly as much as she did when she straddled his lap.