Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe Read online

  “Runa said she’d bring him home tomorrow. We have all night.”

  “That’s what I love to hear.”

  He scooped her up as if she weighed no more than a pint of cider and carried her through the house. He nuzzled her neck as he strode toward the bedroom, his fangs scraping her jugular possessively. Oh, she couldn’t wait to feel them sink deep.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as he set her down next to the bed.

  “For what?”

  “For giving me a distraction.”

  He pulled back and looked down her, puzzled. “A distraction?”

  “From worrying about Stewie.” She kicked off her shoes. “I’ve been really freaked out about telling him the truth about his birth.”

  “You worry too much. And it should be me thanking you.” His warm hands slid beneath her top and began a slow, torturous slide upward. His touch, gentle but commanding, was a sensual weapon that he wielded like a master. He could get her to do anything, and she would never complain about that.

  She sighed as his fingers breached the fabric of her bra. “Mmm...for what?”

  Dipping his head, he brushed his lips along the curve of her ear, his hot breath fanning her skin and making her shiver. “For being such a great mother to my son.”

  She froze, unsure how to take that. Maybe she was being too sensitive, but something about the way he’d said that struck a nerve, and she jerked out of his grip.

  “Excuse me? Stewie is my son too.”

  “I know,” Wraith said, reaching for her again. “Now, if we can just get horizontal...”

  For some reason, that just pissed her off. No, not for “some reason.” She knew exactly what had done it. He was dismissing her concerns, prioritizing sex over them. Sure, he was a sex demon, and he’d die without it, but she also knew when he was in desperate need and when he wasn’t.

  Right now...he wasn’t.

  “Wait.” She backed up, not ready to give in yet. This was too important and she was way too stressed about it. “Why did you say I’m a great mother to your son?”

  He frowned. “You just said you were worried about how he’d react to the fact that you didn’t give birth to him.”

  “But is that what you really think? That I’m just taking care of him because he’s yours and I’m mated to you?”

  Outside the house, a truck rumbled by, filling the awkward silence until finally Wraith said, “It’s not that. It’s just that I noticed how much time you’ve spent with Cara. I thought maybe it’s because you can’t have a baby of your own.”

  “Floofing excuse me?” she repeated, her temper hitting the flashpoint. “I’m spending time with Cara because she’s my friend. I don’t need to hang out with a pregnant lady because I have feelings of inadequacy or some shit.” She jammed her feet into her shoes. “I need to take a walk.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’ll be at Cara’s. You know, wishing I could be pregnant.”

  “I didn’t mean it, Serena.”

  She paused and blew out a long, calming breath. “I know.” She did. And she knew she was being irrational. And maybe, just maybe, he was on to something and she didn’t want to admit it. She wasn’t sure, but what she was sure of was that she needed a little time to think, and she couldn’t do it around him. “I just need some time alone. I’ll be fine. See you later.”

  Before she could reconsider, she snagged her purse and got the hell out of there.

  * * * *

  Serena hadn’t come home last night.

  Wraith had been forced to dose himself with the sexual suppressant drug that Eidolon had developed a while back, and then he’d prowled around the house for hours. Just as he was about to head to Ares’s island to bring her back, she’d texted.

  I know you’re probably pacing around the house like a caged tiger, but I promise I’m fine. I’m not mad at you. I just needed to step back and think about things a little. Cara helped me get my head on straight. I’m going to return the favor and help her out today, but I’ll be home this evening. I can bring something home for dinner.

  Tonight? Floof that. He wasn’t waiting until tonight to see her. He’d spent the early morning thinking about why she’d been so angry, and only when he put himself in her shoes—personal growth, floof, yeah had he realized why she might be so touchy about Wraith’s shit-poor choice of words. She was already worried about how Stewie would react to the truth of his birth, but then to have her fears of rejection reinforced by Wraith’s idiotic phrasing...yeah, he could see why she’d been hurt.

  Usually when he floofed up, he made it better with charm and sex. But when he thought back to the bedroom and how it all started, it seemed like he might need to pull a new trick out of his bag of forgive me tactics.

  Weird. He’d always thought sex could fix everything.

  Son of a bitch, he was growing as a person, wasn’t he? And Shade said it would never happen. Asshole.

  Shoving his personal revelations aside to revisit...never, he checked with Runa to make sure she could keep Stewie for a couple more hours, and then he headed to the neighborhood Harrowgate. Few knew about Ares and Cara’s Greek island, and even fewer could access it, but the Horseman had given his most trusted friends and allies the key to the island’s lone Harrowgate.

  Wraith stepped out into the mid-afternoon sunshine, but before he even got to the main cobblestoned path leading to the mansion, Ares intercepted him, decked out in cargo shorts and a cheery green shirt that didn’t fool anyone into thinking he was an easygoing dude.

  The guy’s Horseman name was War, and fittingly, he was built like a tank. His face was as hard as one as well, and Wraith knew that from experience.

  “I wouldn’t.” Ares’s voice rumbled like the waves in the distance.

  “Wouldn’t what?”

  “Bother Serena.”

  “Bother her?”

  “You know what I mean, demon.” The sea breeze stirred Ares’s short, reddish-brown hair as he stopped in front of Wraith. “Our females are strong and independent. They come home when they want to.”

  “Big words, man. But you know if the situation were reversed, you’d throw Cara over your shoulder and haul her back home.”

  One massive shoulder rolled in a shrug. “I’d think about it,” he admitted. “And then I’d remember that every hellhound in existence would bite me if she told them to.” He sighed. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m guessing you floofed up big time. Right?”

  “Maybe.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I said something that implied Serena was basically nothing but a babysitter for my kid.”

  Ares winced. “Dude.”

  Wraith swore he could actually feel Ares’s pity. The old Wraith would have gotten defensive and sarcastic and called him a horse’s ass. Personal Growth Wraith was going to listen to the ancient warrior and merely keep the sarcasm on deck in case of emergencies.

  For a long moment, Ares stood there, his gaze turned inward. “I said something similar to my first wife, except she did give birth to our children. But I was an arrogant hardass and it was a different time, when a mother’s influence on boys was considered to contribute to softness.” He shook his head. “I was such a fool.”

  Ares’s entire family had been killed by demons, and his sorrow radiated off him in waves, even though it had happened thousands of years ago. Wraith hadn’t believed pain could last that long, but now that he had a mate and son of his own, he no longer doubted.

  “What did you do to make it up to her?”

  Shame cast shadows in Ares’s eyes. “Nothing. So here’s what you do. Learn from my stupidity. Plan something nice for Serena. Something she won’t expect, that’s outside your comfort zone. Show her that without her, you wouldn’t have a family.” Wraith must have had a skeptical look on his face, because the Horseman snorted. “You kidding me, demon? I know you. She’d be fine without you, but without her? You’d be dead. I’m willing
to bet that she’s the glue that holds all of you together, right?”

  Wraith had never really thought about it like that before, but the horse’s ass had a point. Without her he wouldn’t be who he was...assuming he would even be alive. Either way, Shade and Runa would be raising his son. Serena was absolutely the reason Stewie was a stable, happy kid and the reason Wraith had a family at all.

  “You’re right,” Wraith admitted with a shrug. “Had to happen sooner or later.”

  Ares snorted again. “I’m always right.”

  “I have a feeling Cara would disagree.”

  “No,” Ares said, “she wouldn’t. Because we’re not going to tell her I said that.”

  Wraith laughed. He’d known the Horsemen for years now, and it cracked him up that these warriors of legend and prophecy could take down entire armies...but they could be felled by a solitary female. No mystical armor was a defense against the love of a mate and the draw of family life.

  The reminder was a welcome one for Personal Growth Wraith, and Ares’s advice was even more welcome.

  Now it was time to turn that advice into action. Action Serena would never see coming, because while very little existed outside Wraith’s comfort zone, there was one thing he didn’t do. Ever.

  He was going to cook.

  * * * *

  Butterflies stirred in Serena’s belly as she opened the front door.

  But the moment she stepped into the house, the nervous butterflies turned ravenous as she was overcome by the incredible mingled aromas of chocolate and buttery seafood.

  “Whatever you’re doing in the kitchen,” she called out, “it smells amazing. You must have picked up dinner at the Bits & Bites down the street.”

  “Nope,” Wraith said, poking his head around the kitchen corner. “I cooked. No shit.”

  Whoa. He never cooked. He could barely make a bowl of Top Ramen. “You...cooked.” She spoke as she walked down the hall. “All by yourself? No way.”

  She rounded the corner and nearly fell when her foot slipped on flour on the floor. Actually, there was flour everywhere. And splatters of...well, she wasn’t sure what the reddish brown stuff was on the cabinets and counters. She did recognize the linguini noodles stuck to the wall, though.

  She wasn’t going to ask.

  Wraith, looking unexpectedly sexy in jeans, no shirt, and an apron, turned away from a pot of boiling water to toss a fork into the pile of pots and pans in the sink. He must have used every dish in the house.

  “Way. And this morning I learned to tie my shoes.”

  She laughed, relieved to find that their little spat hadn’t made things weird. Maybe talking about it would be easier than she’d even hoped for.

  “Both feats are impressive,” she teased. “Now if you can master peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Stew I’d be really impressed.”

  “Peanut butter sticks to the bread and rips it apart. It’s stupid. I need to introduce Stewie to bologna sandwiches. Those things kept me alive for a year once. No joke.”

  He shot her one of his patented you-gotta-love-me smiles and pulled a baking dish out of the oven. She moved closer to see what was in the dish and was shocked to see oysters swimming in butter. She loved them, but Wraith wasn’t a fan...something about how they looked like they’d come from out of a harpies’ nose.

  And yet, he ate Spam.

  “Speaking of Stewie, where is he?”

  He dumped the boiling pot into a strainer in the sink, and linguini plopped out. Explained the noodles on the wall. Sort of. “He’s in bed.”

  “Did you feed him dinner first?”

  “You ask me that a lot.”

  “Because of the time you forgot to feed him.”

  “Ah, that. Well, he can talk now. He doesn’t let me forget.” He smiled at her, his lips softening as he went from flirty amusement to genuine happiness. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I am too.” She nodded at the stove, where a covered pot seemed on the verge of boiling over. “Do you need some help?”

  “Nope. It’s done. If you want to pour the wine, we can eat.”

  “You got it.” While she poured the merlot he’d opened and set out to breathe, he finished up and loaded the table with food.

  “I made grilled oysters,” he said, a little sheepishly, “but I made them too early and had to put them in the oven to stay warm.” He shrugged. “I’d say I might have ruined them, but they’re floofing oysters. How the hell would you know they’re ruined?”

  She punched him lightly in the shoulder, and he grinned. “What? They’re nasty. But they’re supposed to be aphrodisiacs, and I figured that after my bullshit, I needed all the help I could get with you tonight. I even got the recipes from one of Suzanne’s romance-themed shows. See?” He gestured with a serving spoon at the laptop on the counter, which was streaming an episode of Angel in the Kitchen. “She showed me how to make Seafood Linguini.”

  The amount of effort he’d gone to made her heart clench. Wraith showed her all the time how much he loved her, but he’d always done it in ways that were unique to him and in ways he excelled. He definitely didn’t excel at cooking, so seeing him go to this kind of effort filled her with both joy and guilt.

  “Oh, Wraith, I’m so sorry I freaked out like that. I think I took what you said the wrong way because I was the one who was afraid you felt that way. I’ve been feeling kind of insecure lately.”

  “Why?”

  She sank down in the chair and waited for Wraith to do the same.

  “I’m really freaking about how Stew will react when we tell him the truth about his birth. We have to do it soon. He’s far from stupid. He figured out on his own that Mace was his brother—it’s only a matter of time before he learns that vampires can’t give birth.”

  “That’s not entirely true...”

  She gave him a get serious look. “Your circumstances were unique.” And bizarre. Sometimes she was amazed that there weren’t more bats in Wraith’s belfry.

  “He’ll be fine,” Wraith said as he presented her with an oyster in a cute little leaf dish. “He knows all about our species. He knows how we reproduce. Most Sems are killed at birth or have shitty mothers, ‘cause, you know, demons. We never even meet our fathers. It won’t matter to Stewie that you didn’t give birth to him. You are his mother. It’ll be okay.”

  She wanted to believe that. She was desperate to believe that. “But what if it’s not? Most Sems are raised in Sheoul. They grow up among demons. But you’ve got humans in the mix now, and this will be the first generation of Sems who are growing up in truly a human society, with human family traditions and customs. I mean, he even goes by Stewie instead of his given name.” Her hand trembled as she picked up the oyster dish. “We need to tell him the truth, Wraith,” she whispered. “But I’m afraid.”

  “Mama?”

  Startled, Serena dropped her oyster and they both whipped around in their seats. Stewie stood at the entrance to the kitchen, his favorite blanket wrapped around his shoulders, his Spiderman pajamas hanging loosely on his little body.

  “Stewie,” she gasped. “Honey, what are you doing?”

  He tugged the blanket more tightly around him. “I wanted a drink of water and I heard you talking.”

  Oh, no.

  “Hey, buddy.” Wraith stood. “Let’s get you some water and get you back to bed.”

  “But Mama’s afraid.”

  Her heart cracked right down the middle. “Oh, baby, I’m perfectly safe. We all are.”

  He looked down at his bare feet. “You’re afraid of telling me the truth. I heard you.”

  Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard, trying to keep tears from forming.

  “We can talk about this later,” Wraith said.

  “But I wanna make Mommy feel better.”

  Serena threw her arms wide. “Give me a hug. That’ll make it all better.”

  Stewie ran over and threw himself into her lap. He smelled like bubblegum soap and blue
raspberry shampoo. Wraith had even remembered to make him take a bath.

  “I know vampires can’t have babies,” he said, his big brown eyes locking onto hers, wise beyond their years. She’d always told Wraith that he had an ancient soul, and times like these confirmed it.

  “So you know...” She didn’t know how to say it. She’d been preparing for this moment for seven years, and she still wasn’t ready.

  “I know I was in someone else’s belly.” Stewie yawned and rubbed his lids. “Am I like Mace? Is someone like Aunt Tayla my secret other mother?”

  Serena hugged Stewie close. “No, sweetheart.” She pressed a kiss into his silky hair. “Is that why you’ve been angry lately? You thought your birth mother was part of your life and we didn’t tell you?”

  He nodded and looked over at Wraith. “Who was she? My other mother.”

  Wraith paled. For all his assurances that Stewie would be fine with the information, he was worried, too. “This is something we’ll talk about when you’re older, kiddo. All you need to know right now is that we love you and that your mother, your real mother, is the one who has been there for you since the day you were born.”

  “I know.” Stewie looked up at Serena. “You will always be my mama. I’m glad it was you.”

  Her heart swelled until it felt like it might burst. “I’m glad it was me too. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

  Stewie smiled and then sniffed the air. “What are you eating?”

  She glanced over at Wraith. “We were enjoying a romantic dinner.”

  Wraith nodded, a mutual understanding building between them. “But you know what, buddy? Let’s make it a family dinner. There’s nothing more important than that.” Wraith lowered his voice to a conspiratorial stage whisper. “Besides, you know you want to stick around to try my grilled harpy boog—”

  “Wraith!”

  * * * *

  Wraith watched as Stewie and Serena finished the last of the Red Devil’s Food Cake. Stew had managed to get frosting all over his face, but it was adorable. Serena hadn’t gotten even a smudge on her lips, but Wraith had set aside a little frosting for...later. Oh, yeah, she was going to get frosting all over, and he planned to get it all over his face when he licked it off of her.