Demons Undone: The Sons of Gulielmus Series (90 page)

He was a powerful witch, but a broken man.

Her clicks were slow, and with her back in the way of the screen, he didn’t know what she was looking at. Maybe that was for the best. He listened to the sound of the keys and trackpad, assessing their timing. She studied some things longer than others. Lowered her head for closer examination of some, and hurried through others.

Probably those pictures from John’s bachelor party. The photos made the scene look much worse than the celebration actually was. Once incubi got settled down, they actually didn’t party all that hard. It had been John’s construction worker buddies making most of the mess.

He closed his eyes once more and tuned out the clicks.

What must’ve Scott and Ben been up to? Had they sniffed out a lead on Ross? Before he’d started hanging out with his brothers, Claude was used to working on his own. Teamwork wasn’t an item in his repertoire, and he’d certainly never had to outsource his sensitive investigations.

Being with Gail had taught him that sometimes he had to give up control on some things in order to reap future rewards.

He gave up a little control of his magic every time she drew on it, but that had boosted her confidence in her gifts. She’d needed that confidence badly. He gave up a little control every time they left Clarissa’s house on some small mission, because he knew it wasn’t only up to him to protect her. He had to give her a chance to take care of herself, but he also had family and friends who’d unflinchingly put themselves in harm’s way to guard her. They’d all earned her valuable trust because of that, and it’d been trust she’d been hesitant to give after being so thoroughly fucked over by Shaun.

Claude may have been an old dog, but he was constantly learning things from her.

Gail shifted on the bed, and he opened his eyes again when her hair tickled his face.

She lay beside him and turned onto her side so they were eye to eye. At first she didn’t talk. She just looked at him with a furrowed brow. After what seemed like ten minutes, she said, “I think part of the reason I married Shaun was because I wouldn’t have to compete with him the way witches sometimes do within families. I didn’t want to be the lesser witch of a pair.”

“You’d never be the lesser of anyone. You’re unparalleled.”

“That’s flattering. You’re always flattering me, but you know what I mean.”

“I do.”

“I don’t really want to talk about Shaun.”

“Don’t, then. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, but of course, I’d prefer if you didn’t bear your burdens alone. I did that for too long, and it … eats away at a person.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She tossed her leg over his and snuggled her face against his chest. “Claude?”

“Hmm?”

“The incubus thing. I … I don’t feel it anymore. Why is that?”

“Do you miss it?”

He felt her lips twitch against his chest, perhaps in a grin.

“No, I just worry it’ll come back with a vengeance.”

“It won’t come back,
ma reine
. I believe it was my fault it ignited the way it did. I came on to you strong, and then I gave you all my magic that day you were away from me. It made the incubus part of me flare, and with us being linked by the ring, you were excessively affected by it.”

“Why’d it stop?”

He chuckled and rubbed her back. “Your own defensive magic, I’d guess. Like I told you before, you don’t know what gifts you have until you’re forced to use them. You let that wild magic out, girl.”

“I’m so getting disowned. Probably Ellery, too.”

“Pity if it happens, but we’d take care of you both.”

“I know. Claude?”

“Hmm?”

“W-what does your mother think of me?”

Of all the things she could ask, she was worried about
that
? “Why do you care?”

“Because I can’t stand the idea of yet another person thinking I’m not in control of my faculties and that I’m weak. She probably wanted better for you.”

If that wasn’t a bag of worms to be opening, he didn’t know what was. Sighing, he chafed her back in small, gentle circles. “I don’t know what my mother thinks of you personally or even what she thought of Laurette. Maman was like my father. She played the supernatural chess game and sometimes, relationships were just things she needed to further her agenda. Now I know she couldn’t help it. That’s just the way she was wired.”

“I imagine you have to get your compassion from someone. If not your father, then from whom?”

“I’m not sure that’s an inheritable thing.”

“Of course it is. Everything is, at least according to Ellery. She blames everything on genetics. Nature instead of nurture.”

“Oh. Well, if that’s true, I don’t know who I get it from. I’m not much like either of my parents.”

“You sure?”

He opened his mouth to give her a quick yes, but something stopped him. No, he
wasn’t
sure. He didn’t know what Papa was like before he fell, and he hadn’t known his maternal grandparents all that well. Maybe Maman had been different at some point, too—before she’d mastered magic most mortal women had no business dabbling with.

“No. I guess I’m not sure.”

“Can I ask you something serious?”

Did she mean
more
serious? His gut clenched at what she’d possibly come up with. His worst fear was that she’d ask him to drive her home and to leave her there—that she’d tell him she was through. He’d laid all his cards on the table for her, told her he loved her, and while he hadn’t expected her to say it back, he still worried she’d had enough. He could force her to stay, but if he did, that meant she wasn’t meant to be his in the first place. “Anything you’d like.” He took a deep breath and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“If I hadn’t been … well,
Laurette
—if I’d been any other woman the Fates had tossed at you, would you want me as much?”

Was that all? “That’s an interesting question.”

“I hope the answer isn’t too interesting.”

“I’d like to say I’d want you just as much because you’re incredible, but I can’t say for sure. Part of my love for you is wrapped up in the knowledge that we’ve been going at it together for so long. Souls don’t stick it out like that unless they’re supposed to navigate this existence together. Knowing what I know, of course I’d want my partner back. That’s an amazing thing, having such a long bond with someone both in this world and out. I’m just lucky that you’re you.”

The answer seemed to placate her, because she tipped her head back and stretched for a kiss he happily gave.

He’d give her anything he had and would struggle for the rest of his life to give her more if she wanted it. He tried to put all those hopes and emotions into his kiss so she’d understand that she was well and truly treasured, and if this was going to be their last go at it, he wanted them to have their best odds.

She needed to know she was in possession of his unmitigated support and be confident enough to
fight
when the time came. She had to fight not just for them, but for her own life. Just because she wasn’t in mortal peril didn’t mean she wouldn’t be due for an irreparable upset to her life.

That’s what Shaun would have, if he could take her back. He’d turn her life upside down again so she was going through the motions of life without doing any actual living.

She moaned and ground her body more firmly against his. She laced her left hand through his hair and tugged as he nipped at her lips and traced the edges of her mouth with his tongue.

He inched her shirt up in the back and pressed his palms to her warm flesh, savoring that simple touch because it was comforting. Every touch reminded him that she was real, that she was here, and that she was
his
.

She fumbled with the fastener of his jeans, and he’d just inched back to give her hand more room to work when the phone in his front pocket rang.

“
Merde
.”

She sighed and rested her forehead against his chest. “You’d better answer that.”

“Probably not important.” He cupped her ass and she rocked her pelvis against his with a whimper. Then she pushed herself away.

“Answer it. It’s probably Scott or Ben.”

“Well, you make sure you remind me to congratulate them on their phenomenal timing if it is.”

Of course it was.

“You have news for me?” he said after checking the number on the display and accepting the call.

“Yep. Sure do,” Scott said. “See, amateurs like them don’t take too long to slip up when pitted against consummate professionals like me and Ben.”

More like professional
cons
, but Claude kept that thought to himself. Who was he to talk?

“What’d you see? Wait, hold on.” He put the phone on speaker for Gail, who sat up. Made sense to have second pair of ears catching the details. “Go ahead.”

“Right. We followed him up to his place, I guess. He’s got a house up near Roxboro?”

“Yes,” Gail said. “His whole family lives up there.”

“Makes sense, then. He pulled into his driveway, and Ben kept his distance, you know? Parked the car out on the road and walked the rest of the way in foot. It was a wooded area, so he shifted to his wolf form and crept around the edge of the property. He saw Shaun cutting up the convertible’s trunk liner, and then he pulled out a little bag that was underneath.”

“What do you think was in it?”

“Oh, I ain’t got to speculate on that. You see, Shaun has this sunroom on the side of the house and he went in there and dropped the bag onto the table. Phone must have rang or something, because he walked away and left it there. Ben shifted back, and went to the door with his toolbox and rang the bell. He told him he was from the cable company and that they were in the area updating all the lines and wanted to see if Shaun wanted him to swap out his cords for free. That cheap-ass motherfucker said yes, then he did the dumb-as-rocks thing and left Benny in the sunroom with the TV and the bag so he could get back to his phone. They looked like little charms. He took a picture of the stuff in it. I’ll send it to you.”

“Anything else?”

“Told you I’d get it all. Shit. Just wait.”

Gail rolled her eyes.

“Guess who was on the phone?”

“His mommy?”

“Nope. Ross. Shaun said he had the bag, and I guess Ross said he was on his way over.”

“I’d better take a look at what’s in that bag, then.”

“Please do and let me know what it was because I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.”

“Did Ben see Ross?” Gail asked. “Did he stick around?”

“Just long enough to see that Ross teleported in unassisted, and that Shaun started acting real fuckin’ weird after he grabbed one of those charms.”

“In what way?” Claude asked.

“Just … different. It was like a second personality of his came online. Ben said the energy changed all of a sudden. It was so nasty, he couldn’t stand there any longer.”

“Fuck. I don’t even have to see them. I know what they are.” Who the hell even made those things anymore? He’d had a rare client or two who’d asked if he could make them charms to aid in the summoning of demons, and he’d said hell no, and not just because he was half-demon. That was dark shit, and he didn’t dabble in that.

“I’m guessin’ by your tone that news ain’t good.”

“Just trust me when I tell you that you should prefer your demon pals to be entirely corporeal. Those charms aren’t so picky about who gets called. Thanks for all you did. I’ll be in touch soon and let you know what’s happening.”

“No problem. We like helping. Nobody ever asks the wolves for help. Hurts our feelings. Anyway, we’re gonna head back to the mountains and keep an eye on Sweetie. Let us know if you need anything else.”

“I will.”

“All right. Oh, and by the way, Claude?”

“What?”

“Ben wants to know if y’all boys got sisters other than Julia.”

Claude ended the call without responding.

Claude leaned onto the table across from Papa and narrowed his eyes. “Just answer the question. How weak are you right now?”

Papa tented his fingers and worked his jaw side to side before answering. “The better question would be whether or not I’m still in possession of my full arsenal of powers.”

“Are you or aren’t you?” Charles asked. He leaned against the baker’s rack Clarissa used to store her stand mixer and other odds and ends. Dark shadows marred the area beneath his eyes and his long hair looked tangled; matted, even. Claude would bet the lucky rabbit’s foot in his Jeep that his brother had been kept up all night. As to whether it was Marion’s fault or teething Ruby, he didn’t want to speculate.

“No,” Papa said.

Agatha, who’d been wresting Gail’s thick hair into a braid, scoffed. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.”

“No worries. I can still take
you
. Keep running your mouth and I’ll show you what happens when annoying breezes harass demons one too many times.”

“Please do try. I don’t make it to the gym much lately, and I could use some cardio.”

Taking a page out of Claude’s book, Clarissa stuck two fingers into her mouth and blew out a whistle that had everyone except Papa, Mark, and Agatha covering their ears. “Enough,” she said. “Claude, explain in simple terms what Shaun had in that bag and why we should be worried about it.”

“Simple terms, okay.” He raked his hands through his hair and rocked the chair back. There was really no simple way to explain it, but he’d try. “Rule of thumb, demons and gods don’t particularly like being summoned.”

Papa and Agatha grunted in chorus.

“Shaun had in his possession certain rare charms that can be used in summoning. They’re exhaustible and not easy to replace. My mother used to make them. That’s how she summoned this one whenever she needed to.” He indicated his father, who very pointedly avoided his gaze. “Even if you summon them, they’re not guaranteed to come. There has to be something to attract the demon, something they can’t resist.”

“What is it that you couldn’t resist, Pop?” Charles asked.

Papa didn’t answer, and just grinded his teeth some more.