Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) (12 page)

With one step
toward the bathroom, she halted.

Kane smiled at
her from the bed.

She scowled.
What the hell is he smiling about?

“So this is
your room, huh? I’m lying in
your
bed?” He cocked his head
back. “And that’s where you normally shower, right?”

Her face
contorted to a grimace. The very idea of showering in there after
him suddenly made her lip curl in disgust. “Asshole.”

She left the
room and walked down and into another guest bedroom beyond Zeke’s
room. Themed in Aphrodite, it had all the accommodations of her
room. A mural stained the ceiling, painted much like the one of
Dionysus, with Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Ares. Gavin loved to read
passages from Greek mythology after sex, so Ayden had become quite
familiar with the stories.

Not that she’d
stuck around much afterward. The stories generally turned him on to
more sex.

She slipped
into the bathroom, nearly identical to the one in her own room and
showered.

About a half
hour later, she stepped back out, fully clothed. She sheathed her
dagger, gun and whip, then exited the bedroom and headed toward
Gavin’s office.

Sexed,
showered, dressed, he looked good enough to eat in his gray
pinstripe suit and electric blue button-down shirt beneath it. He
was adjusting his cuff links when Ayden entered the office.

She whistled.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” A deep inhale filled her nose
with the intoxicating infusion of mouthwatering bergamot, musk and
a woodsy undertone – the signature cologne he always wore that
could’ve been his own brand. “You smell damn good, too.” Truth be
told, Gavin was a torment she enjoyed. Knowing how much he wanted
her gave Ayden a sense of power.

A lady killing
smile lit his face. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your
presence, fine lady?”

“I’m coming
with you.”

“To the
casino? What for?”

“For one, it
keeps me off the streets, and since I’m exceptionally younger than
you,”—she forced a cough—“by centuries, it is your civic duty to
ensure my well-being.”

Gavin raised
an eyebrow. “And second?”

“I can’t stand
the idea of staying here all day with that lycan. He gets on my
nerves.”

Gavin
chuckled, still fidgeting with his link. “And what will you do at
the casino all day? Corrupt my staff?”

“I’ll hang
out. Watch some TV or something. I’ll stay in Logan’s office. He’s
off today, right?”

He rolled his
eyes. “Logan is always off.”

“Okay, so I’ll
stay back. You won’t even know I’m there.”

“Knowing
you’re there doesn’t trouble me in the least.” He cocked a brow.
“I’ll be returning my female first.”

The thought
sunk from her brain to her stomach.

She’d have to
ride in Gavin’s car with the bimbo damn near sitting on her lap.
Still, a far better prospect than hanging with the lycan cuffed to
her bed. “When do we leave?”

“I’ll have
Bennett fetch her. She’s rather
exhausted
.” His wicked grin
stretched across his face.

Ayden sighed
inwardly. Good God, she’d have to hook up with some poor sap soon
or risk breaking the terms of the contract with Gavin. Worse yet,
the
lycan
had looked good to her not even an hour
before.

The two of
them waited by the front door while Bennett led a brunette down the
myriad of marble stairs. She wore a sexy black dress with a
plunging V-neck, showing off breasts too pert to be real pressed
against the fabric as if hoisted by a crane lift. Gripping the
railing as she descended, her legs trembled in her Louboutin
stilettos.

“At least
you’re finding them with clothes on these days,” Ayden whispered to
Gavin, referring to the night Gavin’s bouncer, Britus, had refused
Ayden entry into Sanctuary.

He’d forced
her to strip and hand over all of her weapons.

Fortunately
for Ayden, Britus’s breed of demon couldn’t’ve cared less about
sex. All business and violence. She could’ve strutted naked in
front of the male and he’d have looked at her no differently to if
she’d worn a sweater sewn by her grandmother and a pair of boring
khakis.

Not Gavin.

He’d just so
happened to stumble upon her as she was replacing her jacket,
nothing more than a gauze-thin T-shirt and her tiny black panties
to taunt his eyes. Later that evening, he’d suckered her into his
bed.

Gavin chuckled
beside her. “I’m afraid my luck is running dry these days.”

“She’s
pretty.”

“You’re
prettier,” he whispered.

A smug smile
danced across her face.

The woman gave
Ayden a once over while Gavin wrapped a black rabbit fur coat
around her shoulders.

“I wonder how
many rabbits were slaughtered to keep your ass warm,” Ayden said to
her as she slipped into a black leather coat offered by
Bennett.

Her eyes
narrowed. “I’m guessing damn near the same number of cattle as
yours.”

“Mine is made
from human skin.” Ayden grinned at the woman’s widening eyes.
“Kidding,” She said, her voice carrying the high trill of
mocking.

Gavin led the
woman out of the house but twisted back toward Ayden. “Tone it
down, killer.”

The three of
them stepped outside, and Ayden smirked when the car appeared in
the driveway and she caught a glimpse of the woman’s face.

“All of us are
fitting into this?”

“We’ll make
room.” Gavin opened the passenger door of the McLaren before
walking around to the other side.

Ayden held out
her hand, urging the woman to climb inside. “I like the
window.”

“Most dogs
do.”

Oh, the level
of restraint it took Ayden not to boot the woman in the ass as she
bent over to peek inside.

“Baby, are you
sure about this?” The woman’s voice carried a hint of disbelief, as
though waiting for the punch line to the joke.

What had she
expected? Every idiot knew the car would have only one set of
bucket seats that offered a delight of discomfort.

“Absolutely,”
Gavin said.

Still half in
and out of the car, the female’s back sagged and she slipped into
the seat, moving over until her legs straddled the console with the
gear shift peeping between her knees.

Ayden slid in
after her, and with some effort, slammed the gull-wing door shut.
Only part of the woman’s thigh rested on her leg as if she
struggled to cling as close to Gavin as possible. It must’ve been
an absolute strain to keep herself hoisted. Ayden chuckled.

“You guys
don’t have, like, an SUV or a van, or something? Anything with a
back seat that
she
can ride in?” The woman didn’t even
bother to look at Ayden as she pointed to her.

“Sure. But I
like to drive this one.” Gavin turned the key and revved the
engine. He reached across and pulled a black scarf from the glove
box. “Ready?”

“She doesn’t
have to wear one?” The way the woman’s lip snarled as she spoke
nearly forced a burst of laughter from Ayden.

“Ayden has
been around for quite some time. Please.” Gavin held the fabric up
to her face.

Ayden tapped
her foot, waiting for the woman to just put the damn thing on,
while the woman bit her lip as if deliberating.
As if you have a
choice.

Turning her
head, the woman faced Ayden, so careful not to make any sort of
contact as she allowed Gavin to tie the blindfold over her
eyes.

“What is she?
One of your employees?” she asked.

“Actually,”—Ayden smiled—“I’m
his
boss.”

Gavin cleared
his throat, the dimple in his cheek exposing his stifled laugh as
he gripped the steering wheel and sped the car around the driveway
toward the gates.

“You’re
hilarious,” the woman said. “He answers to no one.” Her lips
twisted. “Especially street trash.”

“Oh, he
answers all right. Unlike most of the tramps he brings home, I get
to call the shots.”

Gavin rubbed
his hand down his face, concealing the grin that deepened the
dimples in his cheek.

“Baby, please
tell me you haven’t slept with her.” An obviously fake shiver
fluttered the woman’s shoulders. “I’m not sure I can get an
appointment for disease testing this week.”

“Truth?” Ayden
ignored the tickle in her throat begging a laugh. “I have taken him
in so many delicious positions we could write our very own Kama
sutra.” She leaned toward the woman and whispered in her ear, “Tell
me something, did he come for
you
?”

“Alright,
ladies, that’s enough of that.” Gavin’s tone, though flat, carried
a warning.

In truth,
demons like Gavin didn’t ejaculate with just any woman, including
Ayden. Only Ayden knew the reason why.

The pursing of
the woman’s lips indicated Ayden had needled the tender spot. No
doubt, any woman would feel inadequate at first with a Wrath Demon
and the many body-rocking ‘O’s they incited as if their appendages
were some kind of tuning fork—none of which
could
be
reciprocated.

Ayden smiled
with satisfaction.

Twenty minutes
passed before they arrived at a high-rise apartment building. The
car came to a stop out in front, and a doorman opened the passenger
door.

Ayden sat
perfectly still in the seat with no intentions of moving.

The woman
groaned as she climbed across Ayden’s lap to get out. “Bitch,” she
muttered before the slamming of her door coincided with Gavin’s
exit.

Laughing to
herself, Ayden watched as Gavin removed the blindfold, stuffing it
into his pocket, and walked his female to the door. The woman
pressed herself up against him, grabbing the lapels of his jacket,
but Gavin’s hands remained deep in his pocket. They spoke to one
another, voices silenced by traffic and Ayden’s enclosure. The
woman’s carnal expression saddened, and releasing his jacket, she
stepped away, reaching into her obnoxious purse.

Poor girl.
Always the same routine.

After she’d
jotted down what Ayden presumed to be her number, Gavin moved in
and hovered at her lips.

Bullshit
buzz.

Perhaps there
was a more technical term for the pheromones Wrath Demons released
that could make a female do just about anything. It seemed to
soften the blow– when the woman was about to be reminded that
nothing more would develop between them—a temporary salve for the
wounds. At least the demons were up front about themselves. None of
the brothers, to Ayden’s knowledge, had ever made false commitments
to a female. Such a thing would be considered an act of
douche-baggery to them, as well as potentially dangerous, depending
on the female.

A smile crept
across Ayden’s face, remembering their first night together when
he’d used the pheromones on her. Pissed her right off the next
morning. Not the fact that she’d been gently ditched, the idea that
she’d been temporarily vulnerable to something. She would have damn
well stayed away from him after that, if he hadn’t sought her out
again on his own. Why he never used the pheromones to convince her
to be his mate was a question she feared to explore.

Gavin grabbed
the woman’s chin and kissed her.

Frowning,
Ayden averted her eyes. Ticklishness swirled in the pit of her
stomach seeing their lips touch. She could have walked in on them
screwing up against a wall and not felt the level of discomfort she
did in that moment.

The driver’s
side door swung open and Gavin plopped in the seat. He forced a
breath and started the car. “I gotta quit this shit. Think I’m
going soft or something.”

“Why is
that?”

“I promised
her dinner next week.” He shook his head. “I never do them
twice.”

“You did me
more than once.” She pursed her lips to stifle a teasing smile.

“You’re not
them.” The wink he shot her was pure gold; no doubt the same one
he’d probably used to land the woman he’d just dropped off.
“Ready?”

“Strapped
tight.”

He let out a
playful groan. “Don’t I wish.”

The wheels
squealed and the car took off down the street. One of the best
things about Detroit was that not a lot of cops patrolled the main
drag. Not that any of them would dare give Gavin a ticket. Damn
near every cop in the city knew him. Most liked him, aside from the
newbies who hadn’t yet been schooled on the Wrath Brothers.

As the
surroundings gradually morphed into dilapidated buildings and
scattered mounds of cardboard where the homeless slept, the car
veered off onto a skinny side road that met with a dark tunnel. At
one time, it had been part of the railway, an underground passage
for trains, before being demoted into nothing more than an ominous
hole into the earth. Naturally, drug addicts lined the entrance of
it, like undead guards with their glassy eyes and vacant
expressions, and Ayden’s face scrunched in disgust as they
passed.

An eerie
blackness swallowed the car as it sped through the first mile. The
tunnel, wide enough for coming and going traffic, went on like an
endless stretch of midnight as Gavin flirted with a comfy one fifty
on the speedometer. Only the Wrath Brothers ever used the private
road, though—a secret entrance to the casino, ensuring no one would
follow them home.

The passage
finally opened up into an empty underground parking lot, lit like a
football arena, reserved strictly for the Brothers and full of
character, crafted in the same theme as the rest of Sanctuary.
Gavin parked close to the elevator. The blood red door with etched
iron crosses looked like something on a nineteenth century church.
Behind that door, a velvet bench stood upon plush carpeting. Glass
made up the back wall to expose the concrete in between floors.

Gavin pressed
the button and lights flickered around inside of it like flames
catching.