“So how’s the new club going? I was hoping Laz might take me,” Eve said, grinning.
Chaya snorted. “Yeah, good luck with that. He handled it so well the last time you were at one of Brent’s dens of iniquity.”
“Honestly, after what Eve told me about her time in Chicago living above Havoc, I’m more than a little curious myself,” Mia added before popping another piece of chocolate in her mouth.
Chaya took Mia’s hand and looked her in the eyes. “You, sister dear, are bonkers if you think Zenon would ever, in a million years, let you put even one of your precious pinkie toes over the threshold.”
Eve chuckled. “She has a point there.”
“As if Lazarus is any better,” Mia said.
Eve sat back in her seat, nodding. “You know, mating’s only made them worse. I thought it would calm them down…you know, eventually, but boy was I wrong. Laz actually growled at some poor demi the other day for daring to touch my arm. The male was just getting my attention to ask about his training schedule.”
“I guess that’s what happens when you hitch your wagon to one of those non-human types,” Chaya said, trying not to let the jealousy steadily rising inside her show. “They don’t act human.”
“And thank God for that,” Eve said, going for the chocolate herself.
That depended on the male. Setting your sights on a sex demon certainly hadn’t been a barrel of laughs.
Painful memories flashed through her mind. Her first and only ill-fated attempt in the bedroom was with a demi she’d met at the compound, not long after her transition. They were fooling around in his room and she’d made a complete idiot of herself.
She’d been too rough, too aggressive, he’d said. Both things males didn’t like, apparently. But something had just…come over her. In the end, he’d told her to leave, that he wasn’t feeling it anymore. So she left, virginity still intact.
He’d made her feel abnormal, undesirable.
The humiliation of that night still burned.
And like her sister, Chaya had never dated human males, which meant their experience was limited. But knowing what was coming, that they had a demon side just waiting to be unleashed, they’d been cautious, afraid to form attachments or risk getting their hearts involved.
“So, Chay,” Mia said. “Has Brent hired anyone nice? Maybe some hot males working the bar? What about the bouncers or security?”
“They’re all nice,” Chaya said, being evasive.
Her sister rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean…a guy that you can—”
The door opened and Zenon walked in.
His brows dropped, a scowl covering his face. “What guy?”
As usual, his gaze went straight to Mia.
Chaya had noticed a big change in Zenon, but he still felt most comfortable around her sister or his brothers.
Mia stood and walked over to him, her sister instinctively knowing he needed her close. “I was just asking Chaya about the guys she’d met at the new club.”
His yellow gaze slid to Chaya and she forced herself not to jolt or look surprised by that direct stare.
“Who are they?” Zenon said, or more growled. “They touch you? Hurt you?” His fingers curled into tight fists. “Names, Chaya.”
Chaya knew her mouth had dropped open but she couldn’t do anything about it. “Um…”
Mia placed her hand on her mate’s chest. “No one’s hurt her. I was just asking if she’d met anyone nice, that’s all.”
His chin dropped, eyes going back to Mia. “And has she?”
“No. Well, I don’t think so.” Mia turned to her, brows raised in question.
Jesus. If she had met someone, she certainly wouldn’t own up to it now. It was like watching Animal Planet, and Mia was doing a good impersonation of David Attenborough. “Nope. Just me, myself, and I.”
“See,” Mia said. “No one for you to threaten or maim, not yet anyway.”
Zenon’s lips curled up on the side and Chaya again had to work at not showing her surprise. She’d only seen that small grin once before, and it only came out when he was with Mia, but it damn near knocked her out of her seat. Zenon was a different male to the one she’d met when she came here after her own transition. She’d avoided him, walked the other way if she saw him coming. She’d been afraid of him. Now she knew how badly she’d misjudged him.
The pain he’d been living in.
Zenon loved fiercely. He loved Mia more than Chaya thought it was possible to love another human being. He’d been prepared to give up his life to ensure her safety.
For that, Chaya loved him as well.
They were family, and going by his reaction now, he thought of her in the same way.
Chaya stood and lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay, put down the shotgun. I always wondered what it’d be like to have a brother, and it’s as annoying as I expected,” she said, smirking. “Dude, are you going to inspect every guy I have the hots for?”
Zenon’s gaze came back to her and he looked as surprised as she had a moment ago, and then he went and shocked her again. “Yeah, as a matter of fact. And I will feed them their own dicks if they step out of line.”
Eve and Mia started chuckling.
“You’re not serious?” Chaya said, because she had no damn idea. Did Zenon even make jokes?
He shrugged. “That’s what brothers do, right?” He turned away and she was sure she saw him grin. Maybe.
Chaya was both touched and alarmed at the same time. “Ha ha. Good one.”
He said nothing more, kissed Mia, and headed for the door.
“You’re joking, right?” she called after him. Chaya spun to Mia. “Tell me he’s joking?”
Then Zenon was gone.
Chaya stared at her sister. “Mia?”
Mia finally turned to her and winced. “Um…yes?”
“The lack of conviction behind that answer is not exactly filling me with confidence.”
Mia gave her a sympathetic look. “He’s still a little protective. And you’re family so someone to be protected.”
How could Chaya be pissed at that? “Best I keep my love life to myself, then,” she said.
Mia pointed at her. “Ha! So you have met someone!”
Chaya picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Well, I’m not likely to tell you now, am I?”
Eve and Mia grinned then couldn’t hold in their laughter.
“Seriously?” Chaya said.
Eve wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, but the look on your face when Zenon threatened to feed whoever you date their own dicks. That was priceless.”
“Awesome,” Chaya said. “You’re both jerks, by the way.”
They laughed harder, and then Chaya couldn’t help it and ended up laughing as well.
She left not long after that, and after avoiding more questions about Brent from Eve, who had insisted on walking her to the elevators, she headed to the ground floor. But not to leave the compound, not yet.
James, a demi-demon as well, could usually be found down there. He lived there full time and helped train the new demi the knights brought in, freshly transitioned and desperate for help controlling their powers. And she was right. He was coming out of one of the training rooms when she exited the elevator.
“Just the man I’m looking for,” she said.
A warm smile lit up his face. “Hey, Chay. Good to see you. I heard you were back.”
“You heard right. Will we be seeing you at the club anytime soon?”
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “I had thought about stopping by.”
“You totally should.”
“So what’s up?” he said, seeing through her completely.
Chaya motioned to the small room he sometimes used as an office. “A quick word, if you’ve got a little time?”
He dipped his chin. “I’ve got fifteen before my next training session, if that’ll work.”
“Absolutely.”
She followed him in and shut the door behind them.
“What’s going on, Chaya?”
She leaned against the door and took a steadying breath. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?”
He shifted from one foot to the other, but his expression didn’t change. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“The demi that have joined the war. You’re one of them.”
He started to shake his head.
“The knights, they don’t know you’re involved.” That much was obvious.
His jaw tightened.
“Look, I’m not here to blow your cover. I won’t tell anyone your secret, not ever. I think what you’re doing is amazing.”
“So why are you here, Chay?”
She noticed he still hadn’t confirmed or denied his involvement. But as soon as she’d heard about the group of renegades, she’d known without a doubt that James would be one of them. The male saw more, knew more about what they faced than most. His position here, his job with the knights made sure of that. And she’d witnessed his frustration over what was happening, over how vulnerable the demi were, at feeling powerless.
“I want to help. I want to join the fight,” she said.
He stared at her for the longest time, like he was trying to read her mind, and for all she knew he could. She had no idea what the guy’s power was.
When he still hadn’t answered her, she said, “Look, my power may not be earth shattering, but I know I can help, I know it. I want to.”
“If Zenon found out—”
“He won’t, not from me. I promise you that.” She hoped he saw the sincerity on her face and could hear it in her voice.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “I need you to know why I’m involved in this.”
“You don’t need to explain.”
“I see them, Chaya, every damn day,” he said, an intensity on his face she’d never seen before. “Battle weary and battered from the fight. Those males, they can’t remember a time when they weren’t fighting. It’s all they know. They’re my friends, my family, and I just…I want to help them.”
She moved in, touched his arm. “I never thought, not for one moment that you were betraying them, James. And I promise, no one will ever know about your involvement from me.”
The muscle in his jaw jumped. “Thank you.” He let out a rough breath. “Okay, I can organize for you to talk to someone. But I can’t make any promises, yeah?”
Excitement filled her. “That’s all I want.” She smiled at him. “You won’t regret it.”
He didn’t look convinced. But that was understandable given who she was now related to. She would prove herself, though.
To all of them.