Octavian's Undoing (Sons of Judgment) (49 page)

Magnus and Gideon took lead. Octavian kept a full three steps behind them with Riley tucked behind him. Magnus opened the door and disappeared inside. Gideon followed. Octavian waited on the threshold until Magnus’ voice gave the all clear, and only then did he move aside to let Riley through.

The place was exactly how she’d left it with an added bonus of dust coating everything. It was eerily quiet despite the four people crammed inside. Riley pulled off her jacket and set it on the counter as she’d done a million times in the past. But it didn’t feel right. The whole place felt foreign, like she was trespassing through someone else’s home.

“What do you want to do, Riley?” Octavian asked, coming up behind her.

Her gaze went to the bedroom at the end of the hall and her gut sank. Her palms became clammy and she was certain she was about to be sick.

Maybe Octavian was right. Maybe she shouldn’t have come. How could she think it would be easier to face what she’d done? She wasn’t even through the hallway and…

“
Hey Riley!”
The phantom voice had everyone in the room jumping as though an electric surge had gone through the air, zapping them all. They whipped around in the direction of the source. Magnus and Octavian had their silver blades out, prepared to take on the cheerful, yet slightly tense voice coming from the kitchen.

Gideon looked up, one finger on the button of Riley’s answering machine. He blinked gray eyes in surprise of the blades aimed at him. “What? She had messages.”

Magnus punched him in the arm as Daphne’s voice poured through the apartment, each one becoming increasingly more agitated as the days went on.

“
Riley! I am seriously wigging out over here. Where are you? I swear if that boyfriend of yours killed you and buried your body… call me!”

“
Riley, if you don’t phone me back, I’m sending Daniel over there and he’ll kick the crap out of your boyfriend until he gets answers, so call me!”

“
Okay, seriously, how much room does your answering machine have ‘cause I’ve left like three hundred messages?”

“
Riley, this is your conscience calling, pick up the phone, Riley. I went to that wacked out Frankenstein’s castle place you sent me to and talked to some dude I think may have been Liam and asked him what was up. He said he’d take care of it, whatever
it
is. Oh and I met your lover boy. I got two words… o.m.g wow! Or is that four words? Anyway, you were right, the guy is seriously edible. I could like live off just looking at him. True, he’s not as sexy as Reggie, because that boy is just—”

Riley bolted across the kitchen and slapped the off button. She could feel all eyes on her, burning into her as her face enflamed.

“Your friend sounds interesting,” Gideon mused. “It’s that little carrot top isn’t it? The one that keeps coming to FJ looking for you?”

Slowly, Riley turned to face them. “Daphne. Yes.”

Gideon clicked his tongue. “Can’t say she has very good taste if she thinks Reggie’s sexy.”

“She’s very nice,” Riley defended, not sure why, but it seemed like the thing to do when Daphne was the only friend she had.

Gideon pushed away from the counter he was leaning against. “Nice doesn’t mean she has any taste. We all know I’m the better looking brother in this group.” With a smirk, he sauntered out of the kitchen, into the short hall and stopped in the living room.

Riley stared at the machine and the thirty missed calls winking back at her. She knew they would all be from Daphne. No one else had her number, except…

“What’s the date?” She turned to the two still standing behind her.

“The… second?” Octavian glanced at Magnus for confirmation. The other man nodded.

“Oh no!” She spun back to the phone, but the base was empty. Where was the phone?

Once frantic sweep of the room proved it wasn’t there. She stabbed the locator button and waited for the three consecutive beeps to fill the apartment.

“Riley?”

She put up a finger, stilling Octavian’s question as the low chirping led her into the living room and the sofa she’d hastily tossed the thing onto after calling Daphne all those weeks ago, so it was no surprise that when she found it, it was dead.

“What?” Gideon asked when she cursed and tossed the phone down.

“I have to call the landlord,” she said. “The rent was due on the first.”

“Are you staying here?” Gideon said, looking appalled.

“I don’t know,” she murmured honestly. “Not sure where else I can go.”

“With us,” Gideon said as thought it made all the sense in the world. “Back to Final Judgment.”

Unease closed around her gut like a cold fist. “What will your parents think?”

Octavian’s brows creased in genuine puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“Well, they’re old fashioned, aren’t they? Girls don’t just up and move in with their boyfriends. Not decent ones at least. They’ll think—”

“Nothing,” he cut in. “You are my mate, Riley. By our laws and definition, you are my wife. That is the rules my parents were raised with. Humans started the tradition of white dresses and marriage certificates. In my world, I am yours and you are mine. My parent’s will only see that I’m bringing my wife home.”

She dropped her gaze to the worn carpet beneath their feet. The thing was hideous, but she’d bought it from a garage sale for five dollars years ago. It was definitely a far cry from the priceless Persian rugs that adorned his floors.

“I wasn’t raised by a mother and I never had a mother figure in my life, but I do have standards.” She raised her eyes to his face. “It may be said and done in your world, but it isn’t in mine.” Her gaze went to the hallway, her mind calculating how to handle the situation.

It was unclear what was stopping her. She knew Octavian was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. She knew there would never be another for her. They shared a room every night with him covered from head to toe in case he accidently brushed against her in the night. She knew…
knew
with everything inside her that he would do anything for her, would sacrifice anything. So what was stopping her? Was it his family? But no, they weren’t just his family, they were hers and she loved all of them. Was it what he did for a living? Yes, it bothered her, but she knew he was protecting so many innocent lives and his job was as important as any police officer or firefighter. So what was it?

“I think I know what it is.” His ability to read her should no longer surprise her, but he still managed to catch her off guard when he picked words out of her head.

“You do? What?”

Rather than answer her, he reached over and took her chin between his thumb and index. “I’ll take care of it.” He took a step back, letting his hand drop away. “Get what you need for a few more nights. I’ll smooth things over with your landlord and we’ll talk about this again in the next few days.”

She had no idea what he was planning. It all sounded so cryptic. “What do you mean smooth things over with my landlord?”

“I’ll take care of this month—”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’ll take care of my own bills. I have a little saved—”

“Riley, they’re not just your bills—”

“No!” she said again more forcefully. “I’m not taking your money, Octavian. Geez. I’m not… I don’t…”

He put up both hands, palms out. “Okay, I’m sorry. I only wanted to help.” And she knew that.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at accepting help. I’m used to doing things on my own for myself.”

His smile was understanding, which made her feel all the worse. “I know. I’ll let you handle it then. But!” he added before she could say anything else. “On the condition that you pack a bag or two or ten and come stay with me. Give me a few days and then we’ll come back to this.”

Riley frowned. “What’s in a few days?”

He just grinned. “Go pack.”

She did as he asked with him or one of his brothers hovering in the doorway as though expecting her to leap out the window or something. But she didn’t miss the way they kept darting glances around the room as though expecting the ceiling and walls to cave at any moment. No one ever said it, but she knew they were keeping an eye out for demons.

By the time she finished packing her clothes and toiletries, it was everything she owned in a single suitcase. Her room was officially empty, minus the few school books she tossed into a duffle. She stared at the two pieces of baggage and her heart sank. Her entire world fit in two bags. There was something incredibly sad about that, and with her father gone, there was absolutely no reason at all to ever come back. Just standing there, staring at her empty walls and shelves, she no longer felt like that place was home. It felt alien, like it had belonged to someone else. Maybe Octavian was right. Maybe she did need to move on. There was nothing waiting for her at the apartment anymore.

“Riley?” Gideon poked his head into the doorway. “All right?”

Feeling oddly out of place, Riley nodded. She wiped her hands on her jeans as she turned to him. “I’m done.”

Eyeing her, Gideon stepped into the room and glanced down at the two bags at her feet. He said nothing as he bent down and scooped them up as though they weighed nothing.

Without a word, they filed out and returned to the car.

At the bottom of the steps, she paused and glanced back at the squat building with its faded red bricks and grimy windows. It wasn’t much, but it had been home for most of her life. True, nothing within held very good memories, but it had been safe, or so she thought.

“Okay?” Magnus asked as he paused at the backdoor.

Riley nodded, not sure how to explain that it felt as though this would be the last time she ever returned.

1.
Make up w/dad

2.
Tell Octavian I love him

3.
Hang out w/Daphne

4. Thank Liam & Kyaerin for hiring me (a nice card)

5.
Make sure all bills get paid

6.
Get dad a job

7.
Find someone to care for him

8.
Find Mom
(maybe)

9. Write a farewell letter

Riley stared at her newly revised bucket list and frowned. It had shrunk considerably since she’d written it, which, yes, made it easier to accomplish, but at the same time, it felt as though that if she finished the list, she’d just drop dead. Like somehow, her life was tied to that list. It was probably why she hadn’t told Octavian how she felt or gone to talk to Liam and Kyaerin. She still wasn’t even sure she wanted to visit her mom. The woman had abandoned her and left her essentially to die. Not one phone call in thirteen years, never mind a birthday card. Now she was off somewhere else with a new family, having a new daughter.

“
The child won’t live.”
Septimus’ words replayed like a horror soundtrack in her mind. It sent chills down her spine.

Good!
She wanted to say. What right did her mother have to be happy when Riley had seen nothing but pain and misery her entire life? Why should she get a second chance when Riley was going to die and never even see her twentieth birthday?

But it wasn’t true.

Yes, her life seriously sucked, but she had gotten a second chance. She found Octavian. She had his family. She found love and, yeah, it had only been four months, but some people didn’t even get that. Even her mother.

Gingerly, she closed the notepad and slipped it back into its hiding place inside her suitcase where she’d smuggled the thing the minute none of the boys had been looking, certain that if they saw it, she’d never hear the end of it. Plus, she really didn’t want to explain to them she still had doubts that she would live much longer. It had been a little over a month since Septimus’ visit and the mark on her arm hadn’t changed, so she was pretty certain her death would come one of two ways, Baron would finally get her, or the Angels would. Either way, she was going to be killed by something supernatural. It was just a matter of time.