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Ashe
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TOBIAS TAPPED ON THE microphone in order to gain the crowd’s attention. It took a few minutes for the crowd to shush.
“Everyone,” Tobias laced his fingers with Ashe’s, “this beautiful woman has agreed to be my bride.”
Ashe grinned and waggled her finger at the crowd, showing off her flashy engagement ring. The guests erupted into cheers, their happiness reflected on their faces and in the noise they made.
Seraphine raised her arms and clapped her hands, while she wore a knowing grin.
“As you all already noticed, and I wouldn’t confirm who put it there,” Ashe turned so her mating mark was visible and she pointed to the symbol, “but I wear his mating mark.”
“Who is jealous of me?” Her mate asked.
The guys erupted into catcalls and whistles.
“To the ladies jealous of me, can you make more noise than the men,” Ashe stared at her man as she spoke the words into the mic.
As she’d predicted the women screamed and yelled, deafening the men.
Ashe grinned at him and he winked at her.
“So...” she said as the audience quieted down. “I’m a security specialist. Most of you know me by my working name, Asherah Stone.” Murmurs surfaced among the crowd and a few side glances came her way. “There are safety flaws in Black Hollow and I aim to protect the residents and town. On my dime because it’s my gift to all of you for accepting me so eagerly. I’ll be meeting with each of the business owners in the coming weeks to go over the changes I’ll implement. If any of you have any concerns, please come to me because I want to work with you. We will make Black Hollow safe for all its residents. If I haven’t met you yet, please come say hello.”
They rejoined the party and were drawn away from one another by the happy guests. It wasn’t long before Hitchcock and a sinfully attractive man approached her.
Hitchcock held the stranger’s hand and said, “Ashe, this is King, my mate.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She shook his hand. That his grip wasn’t hot confused her because she’d pegged him as a demon, but that species put off fiery heat.
“Hitchcock told me wild stories about you and I thought he was creating outlandish stories until you confirmed your identity just now.” King smiled.
“Naughty boy telling family secrets.” She sent Hitchcock a teasing wink. “How long have you two been mated?”
“We just celebrated two years.” Hitchcock peered at King, his love for the other man evident in his lovey-dovey gaze. “Best two years of my life. It’s why I understand the way Tobias feels about you. Why I accepted you so easily after what you did.”
She hugged her soon-to-be brother-in-law. “I swear he’s the safest man alive now.”
Hitchcock squeezed her tight. “Thank you for taking on the job of Tobias, it won’t be easy, but you’re what he needed in his life.”
Ashe pulled away and smiled at him. “I’ll remind you of those words when he’s bitching to you about something I’ve done that’s driving him nuts.”
King laughed. “It’s more likely that living with the stubborn Drakki men will have you running to me bitching about them.”
Ashe laughed. “We should get together so you can tell me all about these crazy men.”
“I own Hell’s Brew.” He put his arm around Hitchcock’s waist. “Stop by anytime and we’ll gossip about our family.”
Oh, he’d be seeing her soon, very soon since he was ground zero for the first of the security changes.
Hitchcock rolled his eyes. “King likes to pretend we’re difficult, but he’s the real pain in the ass.”
“Maybe I need to get the scoop from you before King and I gossip.” She looked between them, trying to ferret out small details about the demon. “That way I have the full story going forward.”
King chuckled. “I’m the King of Hell. I don’t lie because I don’t need to. That means anything I tell you is the honest truth.”
That surprised her. Also meant, he was a fallen angel and not a demon. That was why he wasn’t burning hot to the touch.
She knew all about the four kings. She’d met Micah and Elias years ago before Micah worked his current mojo and crafted a wife for himself.
I’ll keep an eye on you. “Which one of the four kings are you?”
His dark eyebrows flashed upward. “You think you know something about the Kings of Hell?”
“A little.” She inclined her head to the side.
“Told you that you couldn’t pull the wool over her eyes.” Hitchcock grinned.
“I worked with Micah and Elias a while back.” The double-crossing, smooth-talking motherfuckers made that incubus Aramayis look like a fairytale.
“If you worked with them, then you aren’t as smart as I believed you to be,” he shot back.
“I was young and stupid. Learned my lesson.” A very valuable lesson. King would have to earn her trust. “Which one of the kings are you?
“Raguel.” King held her eyes, but he’d been forthcoming about his name which surprised her. Using the real Biblical name of a king of hell invited power over them. That he gave her his name so quickly implied he offered his trust. He finished with, “But everyone in Black Hollow just calls me King. Here I’m simply the Java King.”
“Glad to have you in our community.” Seraphine interrupted them and hugged Ashe’s neck. “The moment I saw you I knew you were his mate.”
“You mean you missed out on a matchmaking opportunity, Seraphine?” King teased her.
“I’m betting you knew who I was the moment you met me.” The woman responded with a smile and Ashe said, “When I come by your store for our security meeting, I want to know your story.”
“This one doesn’t know my story.” Seraphine motioned to King.
“Yeah, she’s tightlipped,” the fallen angel grumbled. “I know everything about everyone in this town. There are perks of being a King of Hell. Only Seraphine’s story alludes me.”
“Is that so?” She eyed him. “You just told me you didn’t believe Hitchcock’s stories about me until now when you saw me. Why can’t you tell as much about her as you did me? I thought angels held special powers.”
“When I look you into your eyes, I can tell truth from lies and that your intentions for Black Hollow are pure. When I look into Seraphine’s eyes, I see nothing but black only broken up by the stars.”
She peered at Seraphine, who simply smiled at her. Could Seraphine be one of the gods? Or was she a mere oracle like she’d originally guessed? Even as she spoke to King, she contemplated Seraphine. “I don’t like knowing you can look inside me like that.”
King gave her a mock punch to her jaw. “Don’t worry, I’ve looked no further than the surface to gain that information. I have to protect my town and the people I love. I think you can understand that need.”
“Yeah and considering who you are I’m disappointed you suck at security. That surprises me, King. There are flaws everywhere. Victoria was almost kidnapped, and Tobias almost killed.” She stared King straight in the eyes. “We’re going to do something about that. You hear me, fallen?”
“I look forward to shaping up this town with you.” He returned her stare without blinking.
Seraphine’s soft voice held a laugh in it, “The town is about to change drastically, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
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AFTER THE LAST GUEST departed, Ashe found Tobias on the balcony staring at the full moon. She snuggled against his spine and wrapped her arms around his waist. Ashe rested her cheek between his shoulder blades as his hand fell to hers and laced with her fingers.
“What are you going to do with Rich?” Earlier the Drakki men had decided to lock Rich up and deal with him later because they didn’t want the town to get wind of the family drama. The appearance of safety was important, and Ashe understood that.
“I don’t know. For now, he remains in our makeshift prison.” The weariness in Tobias’s voice made her heart ache for him. “I want to kill him and so does Hitchcock, but that’s not an option because of Chelsea’s innocence.”
“It’s admirable she’s willing to die to protect the family.” Ashe respected her readiness to make that sacrifice.
“It’s probably why she’s one of my favorite cousins.”
“I met King.”
A moment of tense silence. “Yeah?”
“I have my eye on him, but he and Hitchcock make a cute couple.”
Tobias chuckled and turned around to draw her into his embrace. “Did he tell you his brothers don’t know about Black Hollow?”
“He might’ve muttered some bullshit about that. Trust me when I say they’re not a good breed, but I’ll give King the benefit of the doubt for now.” She inhaled his scent. “Doesn’t mean I won’t keep my eye on him though.”
He combed his fingers through her hair and she snuggled closer to him. “In the beginning Hitchcock was torn about their pairing. He didn’t consider himself gay or bi, but a straight man. The gods are never wrong and I’m glad he gave in to temptation. He’s been happy since finding King.”
“But fallen angels don’t have mates. So how does that work between them?”
Tobias shrugged and kissed her forehead. “No idea. I just know King bears Hitchcock’s mating mark. The mating wouldn’t have taken if they weren’t meant for one another.”
“Hmm... Guess so.” Didn’t make sense to her when the fallen kings ascribed to one god instead of all the other gods that interfered with the rest of the paranormal creatures’ lives. But whatever. She didn’t want to think of any of that, not now, later she’d give that topic more contemplation. Ashe rubbed her cheek against Tobias’s chest. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Tobias. My sensible side argues it’s too early, but the devil on my shoulder tells the angel to fuck off.”
His fingers tightened in her hair and he cupped the back of her head. “There’s nothing sensible or logical about mating. I’m in love with you too. Even though my brain says it’s too soon to love, or trust you, my heart speaks differently.”
“We make an odd pair,” she mused. “The unrivaled king of diamonds and the legendary ghoul of death.”
“Nah...” He kissed her and muttered against her lips. “We’re perfect for one another. You’re everything I’ve been waiting for and everything I didn’t know I needed.”
“I left the island to find my fire. Fire is what sirens call our purpose in life. Most believe it’s our children and continuing our bloodline.” She trailed her fingers along his jaw, the dark scruff prickling the pads of her fingertips. “I thought I’d found mine instilling fear, only to discover I was meant to find my fire in a fire breather.”
“Finding her fire.” He smooched her again, deep and long. “I like the sound of that. I’ll only ever burn for you, Asherah.”
