Hell on Wheels (Faetal Attraction #1)

Suck It

The flood of women sent to Damon and me by our loving mother has been nothing short of an insult. We made it clear to her that we weren’t interested, but she and my father headed to their meeting with the other, plotting ‘rebels’ with a dismissive wave. I know Luca wanted my twin and me to attend, but Lola made sure we were so inundated with potential ‘wives’ that we couldn’t pry ourselves away even if we wanted to.

Demon women, even hybrids, get vicious when they feel threatened.

Rogue would have held her own without a doubt. But there’s nothing on this planet or in the Underworld that matters to me as much as my mate’s safety. While she could take on the glut of smoldering females, the punishment she’d face for using her powers offensively would be severe. There’s no doubt in my mind everyone in this room outside of our family would swear on a stack of skulls she started fights rather than finishing them. It would be a fucking mess we’d be fighting for months.

“Angelo! Mi cara ,” a husky voice coos in my ear.

Whirling around, I glare at the succubi pressing herself against my back. “Cheshmak, get the fuck off of me.”

My irritated growl draws attention from our girl and the rest of my crew. Rogue’s eyes narrow dangerously as she stalks over to me purposefully. I recognize that gleam in her gaze; she’s going to decimate the golden skinned demoness. “Princess…”

Her hand comes up, stopping my words as a smirk curls her lips. “Don’t worry, Ang. I can take care of myself—especially when it’s telling some Cadbury demon to back the hell off.”

Cheshmak growls, pulling away from me to square off with the angry Fae. “You’re going to let this puttana , this Fae trash… talk to me like that? Angelo Gemini, your father would be ashamed of you.”

Bringing Luca into it was the wrong move—which shows how little this bitch knows about Damon and I.

“Slut shaming is so pre-2000s,” Rogue says with an eye roll. “Tearing down other women out of jealousy is the mark of a self-esteem issue. Do better—you’re a demon, for fuck’s sake. You have power, beauty, and lust powers; why would you need to attack my sexuality?”

Damon chuckles under his breath, giving me an amused look. I doubt Cheshmak gets how ironic her choice of insult is, but our girl will not go low just because her target did. Rogue’s not the type to fight her battles with hypocrisy.

“What the hell are you talking about? Fine demon men like the Gemini don’t belong with trampy Fae with no value to our world,” Cheshmak sneers.

“Oh, she really doesn’t get it,” Archie mutters under his breath. “This is going to be bad.”

Rogue stands taller, lifting her chin as her wings flutter freely behind her. She’s not a damn bit ashamed of being part Dark Fae, despite the rumors and innuendo about them. Because of her role as a Guardian, she has to be oh-so-careful, but the confidence Mina damaged when she betrayed her is coming back. I can feel the derision in her through our bond as she gives the Cubi a hard look.

“Slut shaming and speciesism? Wow,” she breathes out, her voice full of disgust. “You’re a piece of work, Chessmaster.” The demoness shrieks in indignation as our girl purposefully mangles her name—an insult demons take seriously. Names hold power and Rogue just made her sound like a fool. “I don’t owe you a damn thing, but you should learn to identify people better before you toss out insults.”

Hissing like a serpent, the succubus loses some of her glamor, showing the darker form of her demon in a slow flicker. “My name isssss…. Chessssshmak. I am over a thousssssand yearsss old. Men fear even a whissssper of my name in the sssshadowssss, little girl.”

Rogue snorts, tossing her head arrogantly. “I don’t give a shit who you are, Keymaster. I’m neither a male nor fully a Dark Fae. If you had half a brain in your head, you’d know I’m more kin to you than the boys are. And I don’t need my inherited powers to control anyone. They want me without being manipulated magically.”

The argument finally piques Reb’s attention and when he hears his step-sister defending herself to the shining demon, he gives me a pointed look. We knew this would be a mess, but D and I didn’t expect our mother deciding to thumb her nose at our autonomy quite so publicly. Damon nods at me and I suck in a breath. If we want this to end and not get repeated, it’s time, even if my parents aren’t in the room.

I reach out, grasping Rogue’s arm gently. “Let’s leave this relic to stew in her own pheromones, Princess. We have something to do.”

D grins broadly at the others, his smugness practically emanating from his body as they all roll their eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this all night.”

“If anyone so much as touches a hair on her head…” Rebel warns in a soft growl.

Rogue sighs as he finishes his sentence, “… you’ll hold every one of them accountable, blah, blah, blah. Damn it, Reb, I’m a big girl and a Guardian. Stop acting like I’m a fucking damsel.”

“You’ll never be a damsel, Princess. He’s just a stubborn asshole who can’t bear to think of you in the state we found you in last week. Give him a little leeway,” I reply as I lead her through the thick crowd of demons milling around the room. They’re all busy making connections and deals with one another—that’s part and parcel of a Gemini party.

But we need their attention now because I only want to say this shit once.

Once Damon and I are on the stage with the musicians, I signal for them to cut the sound and tap the mic once. I shouldn’t need to do more than that; I’m the goddamn heir to the Gemini Mafia. My smile widens when everyone freezes, turning to face the stage where my twin and I flank our new mate. The looks they give us range from fear to curiosity, but no one says a word as I hold the room. Power is being able to command silence and sit in it comfortably, so I continue doing so for a few moments to show that I can.

“Good evening, my brethren,” I begin with a charming grin. “Tonight is a special night indeed. For many years, the future of the Gemini twins has been a topic of much discussion. As the children of the leader of our organization, Damon and I represent the future.”

There are soft murmurs and people look around, probably hoping to see Luca and Lola emerge from their clandestine meeting. That’s not going to happen, but I don’t blame them for checking. Demons always have to know who’s the most powerful dick in the room; it’s part of our culture.

Damon clears his throat, and the room goes quiet again. “We’re here to quell the rumors and re-assure you that you will be in competent, stable hands when the time draws near. Between the two of us, all aspects of our business will be run so smoothly that everyone will continue to swim in their wealth for millennia to come.”

“It is my greatest honor and pleasure, my fellow top world dwellers, to introduce our newly bonded mate—Rogue Kelly.”

That’s when the room goes absolutely bonkers.

“ That is enough! ”

Luca’s booming voice echoes through the room loudly enough to rattle the windowpanes. Neither Damon nor I react—it’s better if we don’t. Our father values strength and appearances above damn near anything else. If we want him to accept our relationship, we have to present a united front he respects, which includes Rogue. A quick glance at our girl almost makes me break character; she looks so bored with the entire situation that she might as well be doing someone’s taxes.

Fucking perfect.

“Father,” I say as he strides through the crowd as it parts like the Red Sea in legends. “How lovely of you to take time out of your busy schedule to give your approval of our bond.”

The rest of the room can’t see the fury in his expression as he approaches the stage, leaping onto it with the lithe grace of a level ten demon. Luca Gemini didn’t rise to the place he holds in the echelons of demon hierarchy without massive power and a reputation to match it. His eyes smolder at my twin and me as he continues to stand with his back to the room.

That’s another enormous power move—having enough influence to give a crowd of people your back without fear of being stabbed in it.

His voice is cloaked so only the three of us can hear it as he snarls, “What the fuck are you doing ?”

Rogue gives him a look as if he’s an absolute fool before she snarks, “Obviously we’re announcing our mating to your guest before I gut one of the nasty bitches your wife has been sending to feel up your sons. Was that not obvious?”

“Holy fuck,” Damon mutters in disbelief.

I don’t blame him. No one talks to Luca like that, not even us. Hell, I don’t know if anyone’s ever spoken to him with such utter disdain and disrespect then remained breathing. But before I can cut in to smooth over her faux pas, something truly miraculous happens.

Luca blinks, then throws his head back in laughter. He damn near howls in the magical bubble he created to keep our conversation private, and our girl simply smirks as she watches. When he’s finally done, my father shakes his head and lets out a long, winded sigh. “Little girl, I haven’t been so amused in a very long time.”

She shrugs, looking unimpressed. “Happy to help.”

The tone goes back to serious as he looks at all of us intently. “If I assume correctly, the little crush you two had on this girl recently resurfaced when she was injured. I’d wager her renewed presence in your lives led to… a discovery, yes?”

Damon nods, looking at Luca earnestly. “You are exactly correct. We brought Rogue home while she healed because we believe the Stuhlls backed the team that went after her. She wasn’t safe alone and well…”

I roll my eyes at my flushing brother. He’s such an introvert, and he wants so badly for our father to approve of him. “One thing led to another, and we realized she’s our mate—as well as the others.”

No use hiding that shit from him, only to have him go on the warpath later.

“A hybrid Guardian is the fated mate of five varied supe species… It’s like a myth.” Luca looks shocked for a brief second, then recovers quickly. “This includes that punky little stepbrother, I assume? Oh, to be a fly on the wall when that odious Graciella finds out…”

Rogue snorts, giving my asshole father a knowing look. “It’ll be a bloodbath of Karen-ism, I agree.”

He barks a short laugh again. “I may not believe you are good enough for my boys, little girl, but I like your courage and spunk. You’re not afraid of anyone—even when you should be. Hopefully, that won’t get you killed before you give Lola and I extremely powerful grand demons.”

“Dad!” Damon and I hiss simultaneously. Rogue’s eyes are like saucers and for a moment, she looks ready to run. “Don’t be a dick.”

“What?” Luca asks innocently. “Of course, all of your mates’ families will expect you to carry on their family lines, Rogue. You can’t possibly believe that phoenix or the lion won’t get the same questions. Samara and her pride might be your easiest group to inform, but they will want litters.”

My father, the eternal cockblock, is going to ruin our sex life for weeks while she panics.

“My body and my decisions do not belong to any of your families,” our mate says with a firm tone. “You can all put on capes and get super fucked if you think you have the right to demand anything of my lady bits. Is that clear?”

Damon shrinks back a little, waiting for our father to finally show his true colors, but it doesn’t happen. Luca just studies Rogue with a dark smirk, and I hate to imagine what the hell plans he’s got rolling through his head.

We might need to up security and add a taster to the staff at the house.

He won’t kill her because it would destroy D and me in ways he could never repair. Emotions aside, the effect of a mate’s death on our magic and capabilities would not be worth it. But I can absolutely see him doing something just as nefarious that would force the outcome he desires. Demons have so many ways to manipulate reality and use magic non-demons would never sense. I shoot a glance at Damon, letting him know he needs to do research on shoring up our defenses against our parents' known tricks.

“Don’t look so worried, son.” Luca winks at me and I have to grit my jaw to keep from responding. “Your mate is safe from me. I’m not so old school that I don’t believe she has every right to choose her reproductive schedule with her mates.”

“Gee, thanks,” Rogue mutters.

I reach down, taking her hand to squeeze it. None of us would force her to do anything, and I want her to believe that. “You should probably release the crowd, Luca.”

He blinks as if he totally forgot a hundred people are stuck in time behind us, waiting for him to bestow his approval. His expression flickers with annoyance, but he does as I asked, turning to face his people with a proud smile. The tension in the room cools several degrees as he looks at them, pulling the same trick I did earlier.

Finally, he speaks. “Fellow demons, hybrids, and family… I am indescribably proud to give my blessing to my sons—nay, my successors— mating bonds. Fated mates are a gift from the Fates and indeed, the Universe, to all species. Rogue Kelly is now a member of my family and should be accorded the respect, protection, and devotion expected from my people. Her pain is your pain, her vengeance is your revenge, and her fury is your retribution.”

That son of a bitch. He just inducted Rogue into our family caliphate without actually performing the whole ceremony—-without her permission.

She’s going to fucking kill us.