“Once Acyn comes, we’ll head to the house,” Cole muttered. The groaning and unsexy noises grew louder. “Finish your drink, she’s about to use her power to drain his balls.”
Cole pulled out his phone, smiling at whatever flashed across his screen before he pushed it back into his pocket. He pulled out a fat cigar, cutting off the end before he lit it. The sickly sweet scent of tobacco filled the bar. I turned my attention to the embers at the end of it. Exhaling, he puffed a cloud of smoke into the air, forcing my eyes to his lips as he licked them slowly. My eyes moved to his reflection in the mirror behind the bar, watching galaxies move in his eyes as he grinned.
“Or we can find a room here, and you can show me how those pouty lips of yours look around my cock, Remington.”
I lifted my drink, downing it as I felt the alcohol catching up to me. Cole smiled before taking another puff of the thick cigar. “Chicken. I bet you shocked the shit out of Rhys when he woke up with your pretty lips wrapped around him. Rhys seems whole, Remington. But he isn’t. He doesn’t allow anyone to get past the shields he erected over his heart after what Roslyn did to us. She fucked us harder than anyone else ever had. The moment he fucks you, his interest will wane, and you’ll be another broken-hearted female he’ll add to his long list. Of all of us that Roslyn toyed with, she fucked Rhys the hardest. He was the loyal knight who jumped when she called, doing what she asked without question. Rhys loved her. He thought she wanted to marry him and make a life and give him children.”
“But not you?” I asked softly, watching the darkness pooling in his gaze.
“I knew she was a monster. I was okay with that. I was okay with her fucking my brothers and her obsession to conquer the entire Van Helsing male population with her loose cunt. Rhys, though, he loved that evil bitch even though I don’t think he realized it until after she’d died. When she helped her father murder our mother, Rhys was the one she used to lure Mother to them, and then she made it known to the world that our mom died because Rhys Van Helsing was weak and unable to deny her anything. I hated him for it, but not because of Roslyn.” Cole swallowed, lifting his drink before he took another drag from the cigar.
“Our mother was gentle and everything beautiful. Rhys thinks I hate him because he was her knight, but I never wanted to be a knight. I wanted to be a monster, and in that aspect, I got my wish. I hated him because he couldn’t see who that evil whore was, not even after I proved it by fucking her in front of him and bringing women and men for her to use while she made him watch without joining. Don’t get me wrong, Sunshine. We’re all fucked up, and we enjoy what we’ve become. Rhys took it as a punishment and has refused to allow his other half out to play. He was always the better man, the knight who needed to save the world. Roslyn just exploited it and him until he faced the truth. Rhys will fuck you, and when he’s finished, he’ll walk away because he’s Rhys Van Helsing, and to punish himself, he won’t let anyone love him again. I, on the other hand, will be waiting to catch you after you fall, Silversmith. I’m always the second choice, and I’ve learned to live with it.”
“You should never be anyone’s second choice, Cole. Nobody should ever settle for second place, because you are someone’s first choice. You just have to find her.” I studied the way his eyes tightened, and he shook his head.
“Just don’t fall in love with him. He isn’t interested in more than a one-night stand. I don’t want to see you fall and end up hurt, little one. And those who fall for Rhys, they always fall the hardest.”
Chapter Seventeen
We piled into the stretch limo, and I leaned my head against Nyx’s as the car lurched forward in the direction of the estate. Cole spoke to Acyn in a hushed tone, and I ignored them. What Cole said earlier ran through my head and worried me.
I didn’t assume I’d end up falling for Rhys. But then, people didn’t ever plan to do anything so stupid. If I were being honest, I wouldn’t admit to wanting him if asked. The thing was, I only wanted him for a one-night stand, and if Cole had been trying to sway me from that course, he hadn’t.
My eyes closed as the car moved down the highway toward a housing development still in the midst of being built. I’d actually considered buying one of the condos for when I came to visit my mother, but quickly squashed the idea when I saw the hefty price tag that came with the yearly maintenance fees.
A light caught my eye as a whistling noise filled the night. I sat up, watching as it sailed toward us. My eyes rounded, and my mouth opened to scream out a warning, but it was too late. The car was struck, and began flipping non-stop until it finally came to a rest, upside-down.
My ears rang as screaming sounded. The muffled noises reached my brain as I watched Cole and Acyn, righting their large frames in the car. Cole withdrew his phone, punching in a code before shoving it back into his pocket. Hands grabbed me and pulled me out of the bent, twisted metal. The scent of fire singed my nose, and I gasped as everything went silent. Acyn set a dazed Nyx beside me, reaching into the car, ripping the seats apart as he produced blades.
“Remington, are you alright?” Cole asked, studying my face between his large hands. “Answer me, woman! Dammit!” he snapped. Peering down at his glowing pocket, Cole withdrew the phone, staring up at Acyn, who watched the direction from where the missile had come. “She’s alive, asshole. Hurt, but alive. Yeah, I fucking know it isn’t good. Send a fucking team and get us the fuck out of here now.” Cole hung up the phone and touched the side of my head, causing me to wince.
Shouting started from nearby, and Cole growled, leaning into the burning car, withdrawing a pair of wicked looking blades. What the hell? We’d been sitting on an arsenal of weapons without knowing it!
“Do not move, do you understand me?” Cole warned, his eyes sliding to the side of my head, where I could feel a throb and wetness. “Bloody hell, that looks bad.”
“They’re not going anywhere, but we’re about to be fucking surrounded, Nikolas. Let’s release some steam, brother,” Acyn chuckled. The sound of the wickedness in his tone sent a shiver racing up my spine.
The moment the brothers were out of sight, I turned, finding Nyx glaring at me. Her tawny head shook as she looked in the direction the men had gone. She frowned, moving her attention from my eyes to the side of my head that dripped blood.
“You’re going to make me run, aren’t you?” she asked, and I nodded, wincing at the pain. “He has a really nice cock, Remi. It’s a shame to abandon it. It’s tough to find a decent looking guy, who actually knows how to use his nice cock.”
“We have to go now,” I grunted, crawling to my knees to watch as the men engaged the creatures swarming them. “They’re outnumbered. If they fall, we’re toast.”
“Can you feel any silver?” she asked, frowning as I shook my head. “Fine, let’s go.”
She moved to me, helping me to my feet as we turned, staring at the vacant condos that were little more than wood structures. Nyx didn’t let go of me, moving into the shadows of the night, slipping behind one of the large buildings to take a breath. Her eyes zeroed in on my head, and her hand lifted, touching the wound.