Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

Parents Just Don’t Understand

The ridiculously formal dude at the top of the stairs finally gets to the twins and me, calling our names out loudly enough to stop the milling crowd in the vast ballroom. I feel all the eyes on me, making my trained Guardian instincts go wild. My face is set in a bored expression I see on rich people all the time, so no one has a clue that I’m letting my magic flit through the air to suss out the vibes of the onlookers.

Angelo turns to kiss my jaw, then Damon mirrors him as people gasp in shock. I know they sense my little cheatery, but that’s something we can discuss later. Like when four hundred demons and hybrids aren’t gaping at me like I’m that human actress who married a prince.

It’s like I’m a fucking zoo animal; no wonder she wanted to fuck off to America.

The boys pull back and thread their arms through mine, guiding me to the stairs between them. We walk down them slowly, cameras flashing and whispers echoing through the quiet room. The music doesn’t start again until our feet hit the bottom to walk through the short receiving line. It comprises a few demons I don’t recognize, including a creepy man with longer white blond hair pulled into a ponytail and a sharply tailored suit. His eyes are dark and bad vibes practically smack me in the face as Damon greets him with a handshake.

“Ah, Lucian. Good to see you again,” Damon says as they shake. I notice Angelo is much less enamored of the man and his hand tightens on my arm. “I didn’t know Luca invited old friends from below.”

“Well, he and I have business to discuss later on. The party gives us a quorum, as you know, so we’ll meet and bring new things to the table.” The man he calls Lucian smiles in his creepy way as he looks towards the elder Gemini at the end of the line. “Will we see you and your brother there?”

“You absolutely will not ,” Angelo cuts in. “Damon and I are not interested in his deals with our old… neighbors. We only attend to affairs above ground. That’s why we avoided your shitty university, Darkstar.”

I blink as he growls. Angelo’s the more aggressive of the twins, but this is more than just his alpha male shit. This is true disdain; he’d throttle this douche if he could get away with it. Damon looks embarrassed because he doesn’t share the dislike, so I step in before people notice. My smile is fake, but broad and bright. “Hello, Mr. Darkstar. I’m Rogue. How do you know the twins? We grew up together.”

He arches a brow. “Ahhh. You became friends when they moved to California. I knew them from their old home.”

“New York?” I chirp, pretending not to get his reference. It’s better if this idiot thinks I’m stupid rather than wonders if I’ll be a problem. He’s trouble and we’ve got enough of that without some pissy demon faction from Hell coming after us. Angelo knows better.

Lucian smirks. “You could say that, in a roundabout way.”

That makes zero sense. I’m a little concerned this fucker is an educator, even in Hell.

“Cool. Well, we should get moving. There are more people in the line and these bad boys promised me drinks and dancing.” I bat my lashes, using the Bambi-effect to get the imperious tool to back away.

“You should keep your promises to this girl, gentleman. She seems like a keeper,” he says as his eyes rake over me.

My skin crawls at his gaze, but I squeeze Angelo’s hand against my side as we walk away. Muttering low, I ask, “What the fuck was that, guys?”

“Angelo overreacting,” Damon grumbles. “He just hates Lucian.”

“Uh, wrong-o, bro,” Angelo growls softly and shakes his head. “I don’t like any of Luca’s cronies from below, and I trust them even less. I don’t care if they work at the university. Demons don’t play both sides of the Mouth unless they’re up to something.”

I squint at him curiously. “Doesn’t that mean your dad is up to something?”

“Fuck yes he is. Demons are damn near immortal, Princess. Luca moved us up here not long after we were born—in demon years, of course. He’s not here for the scenery, but D and I could never suss it out.” Sighing, he pats my arm. “The mob stuff is fine, but I want nothing to do with his underworld treachery. That’s buying trouble we don’t need.”

“Have you considered avoiding those meetings is why you never figured anything out?” I tilt my head as we approach the man himself. “Food for thought, Ang.”

Luca Gemini is over seven feet tall with curling black ram’s horns that shine like patent leather. He’s in a half-shift, his skin obsidian with scarlet freckling that somehow accents his high cheekbones and Roman nose. His dark red eyes roam over me as he stands stiffly in the black pinstripe three-piece suit. A quick glance shows he’s sporting hooves rather than shoes, but he’s paired spats that have sparkling diamond buttons on them.

Everything about him screams power, wealth, and danger.

So, as usual, I smirk like I know a secret about the demon Don. “Good evening, Mr. Gemini. It’s been a long time.”

His smile is slow and predatory as he takes me in. “Ah, little Rogue Kelly, all grown up. You turned out well, young lady. I’m happy to see you escorting my segniores pueri ? 1 . ” The demon shows sharp, sparkling white teeth as he smiles wider. “Boys, you look particularly sharp this evening, as do your friends. The old arachnid deserves a bonus for his efforts.”

“Taken care of, Father,” Damon murmurs. His body is tense and I have to fight off the frown as the feelings of insecurity and doubt radiate through our bond. Luca Gemini makes him tiny, and the man knows it—he enjoys reducing his son to a quivering mess inside.

Luca nods, cutting his gaze to Angelo without replying to D. “Good job. Your mother will want to re-acquaint herself with your date before you move on. I would appreciate you attending the quorum later in the evening; it’s time for you two to step up. Men with serious girlfriends need serious business connections.”

Fuck fuck fuckitty fuck… I think the crooked asshole knows.

But neither of the twins react—they simply nod and shake his hand before leading me into the distance to the most intimidating moment of the night: meeting their goddamn mom again.

The matriarch of the Gemini family doesn’t look a day over thirty, much like Luca looks forty at best. They’re both much older, I assume, because according to the tiny bits of demon lore the Society gives us, they’d need to be centuries old to have the wealth and power to come topside.

I wonder if the twins have siblings underground I don’t know about.—seems likely.

“Mother, you remember Rogue Kelly,” Angelo says before he lets go of me to lean in and air kiss with the red-headed bombshell. Her expression doesn’t change; she looks haughty and arrogant with a soupcon of fury hiding underneath. “You look stunning, as always.”

She does, though the floor length black satin with a peek of blood red lining in the slit isn’t nearly as well designed as our outfits. The twins were right about Guillermo punishing Lola for insulting his expertise—it’s subtle, but obvious if you’re looking. “Angelo, mio caro ragazzo ? 2 , you look magnifico e forte ? 3 .”

A throat clears and Damon steps forward with a soft smile. Lola’s expression finally thaws a little as he comes up to hug her; he’s obviously the favorite. “ Buonasera, mamma . Sono così felice di vederti così radioso ? 4 .”

No one’s spoken to me yet and I’m certain that’s on purpose.

“Can the Italian, guys,” Angelo says with an eye roll. “Rogue will feel left out.”

I arch a brow, giving him a smug look before I respond, “ Lo sarebbe se non fossi uscito con una sirena italiana prima di Winnie ? 5 .” All three of them look at me in surprise and I shrug. “I’m also a Guardian, and we’re pretty well trained to work all over the world. I’m fluent in nine languages and can get by in six more. But no one’s ever asked, so…”

Damon’s eyes widen. “And Reb…?”

“Six. He’s passable at eleven, but he really hates learning them. I had to spoon feed him the last couple by refusing to speak in English at home until he got it down.” Winking at my new mates, I turn back to their snooty mother with an innocent look. “I hope that’s acceptable, Signora Gemini.”

The demoness pulls back from her son, straightening so she’s looking at me more closely. “The Society educates its soldiers well, I see. Is there a reason you chose not to pursue a higher level? Income, perhaps?”

Oh, please. As if I care that we’re not loaded like the Geminis.

“I could have, I suppose. My grades were excellent and my references solid. But my passion is the derby and my duties to my future charge. I didn’t feel it was necessary to get a piece of paper to prove I’d learned shit. Seemed like a waste of money to me.” I lean back a little, lengthening my neck until I’m mirroring the weird stance she’s in. I don’t know if it means something to demons, but being a Guardian’s taught me that physical poses often convey specific meanings to other supes.

“Hmmph,” Lola scoffs dismissively. “Well, breeding always tells its own story.”

“ Mother. ” Angelo’s eyes flash and I reach out to take his arm again before he loses his shit. I knew he’d forget his own advice about her when she got salty.

“Not to worry, Angelo. It’s hard for those who had their futures planned by their parents with little to no input on the outcome of their lives to understand generations who are not beholden to such constricting practices.”

Take that, you old bat.

The silence hangs for a moment, then the matriarch of their court laughs softly. “Yes, the ignorance of youth is always a cause for amusement. Go enjoy your evening with your friend , boys. I’ll send the potential candidates over after cocktail hour.”

My eyes narrow and I have to clench my fist at my side so I don’t let loose. Her arrow found its mark and I don’t know if she realizes we’re mated or she just wanted to stoke jealousy. Either way, promising to send ‘acceptable women’ over to the twins for inspection makes my magic want to burst free with a roar of fury. I can’t do that, though, or she’ll know she’s won. This dance of attrition is a test and I have to pass with flying colors before the guys make their announcement.

“I don’t think that will be necessary, Lola.” Her eyes flash at the familiarity, but I simply smile sweetly. “Angelo and Damon will be plenty entertained in my company with no outside interference. After all, you wouldn’t want it to appear that you were mistreating a guest of your family in your home, would you?”

The guys watch as we stare at one another, each waiting for the other to fold. I refuse, and since Reb was an idiot who loved to play the staring game as kids, I’m not going to lose. It’s because I permanently spelled my damn eyes with Fae magic, but this bitch doesn’t need to know that. Lola Gemini needs to think it’s because I’m a much bigger badass than she realizes, so we don’t have to fend off slutty demons looking for husbands tonight.

And so I don’t get dragged off by security when I bash their damn heads in.

“As you wish, Rogue Kelly. However, don’t assume that my generosity tonight extends to you forever.” She smiles at the twins, blowing another kiss at them. “Have fun, my sons, and watch your back. You never know who will show up at a Gemini party.”

Once she walks away, I turn to them and whisper, “Did your mother just threaten you?”

Angelo shrugs. “Not the first time and won’t be the last. Mercurial is an understatement with Ma.”

“Don’t be dramatic,” Damon says as he rolls his eyes. “Ma likes to test us, but it's to make sure we can run the family someday.”

“I disagree, little D.” My eyes track the ginger woman as she floats through the crowd, smacking random hot guys’ asses with her tail. “She’s concerned with image, status, and money. If you’re not giving her one of those, you lose value and she’ll cut you loose.”

The question with that kind of person is when… not ‘if.’