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Chapter Ten
Sebastian
I wake up in the foulest of moods.
All night my thoughts had been spinning. As a demon I don’t require sleep as much as other beings, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. Lying nude in my bed, letting everything empty out of my head.
But not last night. Last night my thoughts whirled like a hurricane. My brother had arrived late in the evening, and getting him settled in proved as exhausting as I knew it would. Everything about Caspian is a festering bog of conflict. How I can hate someone so much and yet reserve all my loyalty for them is beyond my comprehension. In the brief moments of sleep I’d snatched, I’d dreamed of our past, which is unsettling in and of itself. I never dream.
My dreams took me down memory lane, back half a millennium to our early days. We’d once had a dozen siblings, but now it’s just me and Caspian. As is tradition in our demon lineage, once Caspian had come of age he’d challenged our parents to take over rule of the family. And he’d won, leaving them a pile of bloody limbs that we later burned, along with several of our brothers and sisters.
That particular scene played on repeat in my dreams for what seemed an eternity.
Over the centuries the others died one-by-one, either attempting to challenge him or defending him in his constant wars with other demon families. Each death increased my hatred of him, as well as tightening our bond. Because now he is all I have—the last family member. If I’m not loyal to my family, then what should I be loyal to?
And today the war begins all over again.
With a groan, I fling back the satin sheets and trudge to the shower. I turn on the water hot enough to scald a human and step under the showerhead. This whole shuffle of power within the Night Guild is déjà vu of the worst kind. But Caspian never seems to tire of it as I do. He always just wants more power. More, more, more…
But he hadn’t been the only thing to spin on repeat in my head last night.
Luciana ran through my thoughts, too. Just like she said she would. Her act of defiance in the garden had been the biggest aphrodisiac. No one ever says no to me. Most especially not women. Realizing she’s part demon, along with the fact that she’s hiding something, makes her course through my veins like the sweetest poison. So delicious and so deadly.
Today I’ll fuck her and then I’ll be able to focus again. That’s how this always works. Then I can figure out who she’s working for.
I get out of the shower, get dressed (black suit today), and am pouring some coffee when there’s a knock on the front door. My security system sends a pic to my watch, and I can see that it’s Violet. I press the side of my watch to unlock the door remotely and a few moments later I hear her heels on the marble floor outside the kitchen.
Along with two other sets of steps.
“Good morning,” she says with a smile as she steps into view. “I brought you some entertainment. Since you didn’t partake last night.”
Violet waves a hand over her shoulder at the two women standing behind her, a luscious red-head and a brunette. They’re both wearing trendy gray trench coats which they strip off to reveal skimpy lingerie underneath. They smile at me and then begin to touch each other.
“Not now.”
I take a sip of my coffee and point for the door to dismiss them. With pouty looks on their faces, they saunter back the way they came.
Violet frowns. “Sir? Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine.” Another sip of coffee. “I have too much on my mind with Caspian and the other demons arriving today.”
“That’s exactly why I thought you’d like a release… before things get too hectic.” Her blue eyes bore into mine.
“Perhaps,” I say. I stroll to the window and look out across the rolling hills of my estate to the row of little cottages near the winery. “But I don’t think I’ll need your assistance.”
Violet is still standing there frowning.
“But if I do, I’ll certainly let you know.” I cut my eyes to her so she knows she’s been dismissed. “And go make sure Aza hasn’t burned the hotel down,” I add.
“Of course.” She has another smile pasted on her lips, but her voices holds a slight sullen tone. She nods and strides off.
A few minutes later after I’ve finished my coffee, I head outside and begin the walk to the winery. I have a golf cart I sometimes take if I’m feeling lazy, but the cold morning air is just what I need now to clear my head. As much as I can clear it. Fog snakes across the vineyard and around the oaks dotted across the property. My house looks out across Napa Valley, resting at the peak of one of the highest hills in the area. This is my favorite spot in all the world.
When I reach the winery, I head to my office to handle a few things before my peaceful abode turns into a warzone. If Aza’s little stunt yesterday is any indication, this summit is going to be brutal.
I get maybe an hour before Violet calls me. My brother is up and about and wanting to see me.
With a sigh, I close my laptop and jog downstairs. When I reach the courtyard, I see him and his entourage of a dozen demons and witches moving toward me. I stride across the stone until I reach him. Caspian slaps me on the back in greeting, too hard as usual.
