Ink & Dagger (Sins of Eden #1)

21. Chapter XXI

Chapter XXI

Jaxon

L etting Emily walk out that door was harder than I imagined it would be.

With the taste of her still on my tongue and the raging hard on I was sporting, all I wanted to do was pull her onto my lap and fuck her until she forgot her own name, but I would get my chance with her soon enough. If she thought this was temporary then she was sorely mistaken. I wasn’t going anywhere.

“What the fuck do you mean it just happened? ” Her friend whisper-shouted from the other side of the door making me chuckle.

“You don’t just trip and fall and end up with a man between your legs. And a Demon nonetheless, what in the name of the Mother were you thinking?” She scolded.

“His promises to rain Hell’s Fire down make a lot more sense now. Erik has no idea what he’s up against. Also, I thought you said he was just coming over to talk about his brother? That did not look like you were just talking, Witch.”

Hearing that prick's name come from Charlie’s mouth set me on edge and again I itched to hunt him down and rip his spinal column through his throat for daring to lay a hand on my Witch.

I’d done my research on Erik Jones. Apparently, the pup came from nothing and was practically a no one until one day he mysteriously came into a shit ton of money and became leader of one of the strongest packs in the tri-state. Him and Emily were together for close to three years, but separated after he’d put her in the hospital the first time.

My Sweet Witch’s hushed voice from the other side of the door brought me out of those dark thoughts and I focused on listening to her response.

“Shit, Charlie, take a breath and keep it down. He’ll hear you. Besides, you're making a big deal out of this. It’s nothing, okay?” I heard my girl say.

Ohhh baby, if only you knew just how fucking much it was everything.

“Lies, bitch. Lies. Do I at least get to meet your mystery Demon? Or are you going to keep him locked in your bedroom all night?” Charlie asked.

To be honest, I didn’t hate that plan. The pause in Emily’s answer from the hall made me smile. Sounded like she didn’t either.

“Go on downstairs and we’ll be down in a minute. Don’t make it weird though,” she begged before opening the door and slipping back into the room.

“You hungry? Charlie brought pizza,” she asked quickly, nervously threading her fingers together in front of her.

“Oh baby, I’m starving,” I grinned, licking my lips as I thought about going for round two.

The beautiful blush that crept across her cheeks as she shuddered made me smile as I slowly stood from the bed and crossed the room to her. Her stomach growled loudly and her eyes grew wide in embarrassment.

“Sorry, the hospital food was shit,” she winced.

“We’ll continue this later. Let’s go get you fed, Little Witch,” I told her, with a kiss to her temple.

I put my glamor back into place and turned in search of my clothes. As I followed her down the stairs, I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly her house fit her aesthetic and personality.

Everything from the blood red velvet damask wallpaper to the crimson and black throw cushions on her loveseats screamed Emily and I couldn’t help but fall even harder for this creature. As much as I’d wanted to keep her out of my world to protect her, I could tell that she’d fit in perfectly at home.

“Charlie, this is Jaxon. Jax, this is my best friend Charlie,” she announced, introducing me to her friend.

Charlie was stunning in her own right. With her fair skin, hazel green eyes, and vibrant red hair I was sure she could knock any man or Demon to their knees, but she didn’t hold a candle to my raven-haired beauty.

“Charlie. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I told her, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

She looked up into my amber eyes before her eyes traveled higher to where my horns hid behind my glamor, and I held back a smile as her cheeks turned a scarlet blush. She tilted her head to my Sweet Witch, mouthing a wide eyed “wow.”

Emily shook her head and made a face at her as I dropped her hand. I coughed to disguise my chuckle.

“Jax, can you get the plates down for us? They’re right above the sink,” Emily asked, grabbing Charlie’s sleeve and tugging her closer.

I could hear their whispered conversation as my Sweet Witch reminded her to keep her cool and I hid my smile while I gathered the plates.

“Sooo, Jaxon. Emily said that your brother is missing?” Charlie asked, not meeting my eyes as she took a seat at the island.

“Yes, for two years now. Emily is graciously going to help me locate him,” I answered, bringing our plates over and opening the pizza box to serve dinner.

Charlie squirmed uncomfortably on her stool and stared down at her hands. What the Hell was that about? Something about the way that she refused to meet my eyes instantly had my nostrils flaring in suspicion.

Unlike Emily, she was part of the Dark Hearts. Adrian and I would have to take a closer look into her background when we got the chance, but from our quick research, all I knew was that she was an orphan raised by the High Priestess of the Dark Hearts .

“I have an idea, but I’m not sure if it will work,” Emily spoke up as she attempted to climb the barstool at the island.

Without thinking, I rounded the counter, gently gripped her by her hips to place her in her seat, and returned to the pizza box to finish loading our plates. As I turned back around, Charlie and Emily were staring at one another having a silent conversation, so I cleared my throat to draw their attention back to Emily’s thoughts.

“Idea?” I asked.

“What? Oh, um. Yeah, I’ve never done it before, but my mother once mentioned a locator spell. Keep in mind, it was mostly for objects and it was before I came into my full powers, but I still have her grimoire. I could give that a go,” she told me, while loading her pizza with hot sauce.

“Perfect. If you can look into that while I’m away then we can get started on it when I get back,” I said before taking a bite of my own food.

“Away?” She asked, setting down her slice of pizza and turning to look at me.

Fuck, I hated to see that look of rejection on her face.

“I’ve been called back to Hell. I don’t plan to be gone long, but time works a bit different here than it does down there. A few hours in Hell could be a few days on Earth,” I admitted.

I’d received notice from one of my father’s minions about an hour before getting to Emily’s house, but with the way time worked here and my father’s busy schedule, my presence wouldn’t be required for at least another day.

“Oh,” she said after sucking in a sharp breath. “Well, I’ll do everything I can on my end to figure it out so that we can be ready when you get back,” she said, looking away to focus on her food.

I hated that she thought I was leaving her after tonight, but no one turned down a summons from Satan. If father was calling me back home, then either some major shit was going down and he needed me in charge of it or I was in a world of fucking trouble.

I was betting on the latter. Father had eyes and ears everywhere here on Earth. If he’d found out about me disobeying him, then I would have a lot to answer for.

“I see what you think of me,” a voice hissed from the corner, breaking the silence.

“Ghost! Mother, Maiden, and Crone, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried about you,” Emily shouted as she clumsily got down from her stool to meet him in the doorway.

“Clearly. You didn’t even check on me. No need to fuss. You’re the one who’s seen better days,” he chastised.

He paused and turned his head in my direction after tasting the air and stared at me for a moment.

“Demon. I see you’re back. Don’t forget what I told you, I’ve already got one male on my “kill list,” would hate to make it another,” he hissed, slinking closer.

“Believe me, I won't. Nothing will happen to her as long as I’m around,” I promised.

Emily glanced curiously between the two of us with a raised eyebrow as she listened to our conversation.

“You can understand him? That’s never happened before, not even Charlie can hear him,” she said. Her friend shook her head in agreement beside Emily.

I’d never spoken with a Witch’s Familiar before, so I hadn’t thought about it, but I’d had no problem understanding him since the moment we met.

I made a mental note to look into Demons and Familiars, but I couldn’t help but watch Emily and Charlie as we ate. The way they wordlessly spoke to one another and the bond they shared. I’d never met two Witches more in sync or as strong as them.

My Sweet Witch looked so at ease in her home. Ghost rested on her shoulders beneath her long black hair and a soft smile graced her lips as Charlie told her all about a new book she’d started reading.

“Alright you two,” Charlie said with a yawn as she slid from her stool and dropped her plate in the sink. “Cerys and I are headed to bed. Jaxon, it was nice to finally meet you,” she smiled.

She hugged Emily goodnight and scooped her Familiar up before walking out of the room. Emily gently pushed her own plate away and chewed on her bottom lip, like she had something to say, but was too afraid to speak.

I stood and shifted her stool so that she was facing me, before running the back of my fingers along Ghost's dark scales.

“Will I see you again before you leave?” She asked softly, glancing up at me from beneath her long black lashes.

Scratching beneath Ghost’s chin, I smiled in response. “If you’d like to. I can come back in the morning for a bit,” I told her.

“I would like that very much,” she admitted.

I braced my hands on the arm rests of her stool and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

“As you wish, my Sweet Witch,” I whispered as I pulled back.

I kissed her lips, savoring the tender flesh against my own, before blinking back to my temporary home.