Chapter 70

Julia

“That man is the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” Evie muttered angrily without looking over at Rainer. “I can’t believe he’s here. He did this on purpose.”

“Gryph didn’t even know you’d be here when he invited Rainer,” Trevor argued.

“That doesn’t mean Rainer didn’t know I’d be here,” she insisted.

I glared at Rainer Vigil, angry with him for upsetting Evie. I didn’t know what he’d done, but it must have been pretty bad if Evie was this worked up.

“It seems unlikely he could have figured out you were going to be here,” Mel pointed out.

“He has his ways,” Evie insisted.

“Go have a drink with the boys,” Mel told Trevor.

He raised an eyebrow at her command, to which she glared at him.

It was always amusing watching my brother with Melina. He was generally a very good-natured person. Mel could be more than a little bitchy with everyone. My brother seemed to find her bitchy ways endearing. His lips twitched as he failed in his attempt to glare back at her.

“Fine, I’ll leave you to talk to Evie alone,” he relented as he made his way to the bar.

“This has gone on far too long,” Mel began. “I need to know what you did with that warlock.”

If Mel was playing bad cop, it seemed I had the role of good cop. “What did he do? Do we need to get some shovels and a tarp?”

My question earned me a weak laugh from Evie. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to kill one of Lucifer’s right-hand men.”

“Are his closest minions really all men?” I asked. “I know that’s a weird question, but I’ve never heard of him having women working in his inner-circle.”

“They’re all men,” Mel answered for her. “It’s the craziest thing. Lucifer is such an old school sexist that his daughter dresses like she attends Catholic school.”

“Not always,” I argued. “I’ve seen her dressed like a British governess.”

“Did Lucifer really come to you looking for help finding a date?” Evie asked.

“We might not want to talk about this in public,” I cautioned. “I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate this getting around.”

“You should fix Lucifer up with your receptionist,” Mel joked. “That would be hilarious.”

“Why?” Evie asked.

“Her name is Persephone,” I explained.

“As in the Persephone who was dragged down to the underworld by Hades?” Evie asked.

“That didn’t really happen,” Mel argued.

“I know it’s just a story the ancient Greeks made up,” Evie assured her.

“You can still see why that would be weird,” I added. “There’s also the fact that she was a homeschooled witch who led a very sheltered life. I’m not sure she could handle Lucifer.”

“I’m not sure Lucifer could handle Persephone,” Mel added. “That girl is sweet, but she is as curious as cat. Every time I go to Bliss, she has a million questions for me. I’m worried she’ll end up getting herself in trouble.”

“I wouldn’t worry that much,” I told her. “Her parents taught her plenty of defensive spells. Persephone can take care of herself, and I’ve seen her interact with our more dangerous clients. She knows when to tone things down.”

“Let’s get back to talking about the demon lord who’s been eye-fucking you all night,” Mel told Evie.

“There has been no eye-fucking, Melina Blackwood,” Evie argued.

“I’m with Mel,” I added. “He has been looking at you like he wants to strip you naked so he can lick you from head to toe and then back again.”

Evie closed her eyes and let out a small moan before replying. “Please, don’t put images of Rainer’s tongue in my mind.”

“Has Rainer Vigil licked every inch of your body?” Mel asked.

“If I tell you what happened, you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Mom,” Evie began. “Seriously, this is so big, it can’t get out.”

“Just how big is it?” Mel asked with a wicked grin.

“Very funny,” Evie told her. “I was not talking about his dick. Although, his dick is huge. It should be illegal to carry a weapon that size.”

“How would my innocent older sister know how big Rainer Vigil’s dick is?” Mel asked in mock horror.

Evie grabbed both our arms and guided us to a table away from the crowd. Once we were all seated, she leaned in and spoke in a near whisper. “I’m bonded to Rainer.”

I waited for the punch line. With my ability, I should have been able to tell if they were bonded. Not to mention, you needed to get a witch with that skill and training to perform the ceremony. It wasn’t exactly easy for a witch to just run off and get bonded to a warlock without people finding out. On the rare occasion it happened, it didn’t stay a secret long, certainly not for more than a decade.

“You’re joking, right?” Mel finally asked.

“No,” Evie replied with a sigh. “This is such a mess. I was young and stupid and before I knew it, there was some demon bonding thing going on.”

That explained why I hadn’t picked up on it. “I didn’t know demons had any sort of bonding ritual,” I remarked.

“Some do,” Mel replied for Evie. “In this case, it would technically be a fallen angel bonding.”

“Rainer Vigil is a fallen angel?” I gasped.

“His mother is, so he has angel blood,” Evie explained.

“I know, but most children with only one fallen angel parent are demons,” I pointed out.

“Not Rainer,” Evie muttered. “He’s got the pretty black wings to prove it. I think it’s part of the reason I’ve always been so drawn to him. Angels are naturally beautiful.”

“Rainer isn’t beautiful,” Mel said with a laugh. “He’s not even really handsome. Can I be honest without you smacking me?”

“Probably not,” Evie replied. “You’re kind of a bitch.”

“I’ll take my chances, knowing I can always get even with you later,” Mel began. “I think you don’t want to admit it, but Rainer is your warlock. He’s the one you’re meant to be with. I’m not sure how this bonding with his angel side happened, but I can only assume Rainer recognizes you belong together.”

Evie was glaring at Mel, and I suspected she wanted to smack her sister.

“How did you meet him?” I asked.

“I met Rainer when he spoke at one of my college classes,” Evie began. “When he asked me out, I was excited. Back then, I still had that hopeless romantic streak.”

“Evie was my only sister who tried to tell me those stupid princess stories,” Mel added.

“They were not stupid!” Evie argued. “Those were great stories for little girls.”

“Those were stories about women who needed to be rescued,” Mel complained. “I’m not about to sit around and wait for any man to rescue me.”

Evie regarded her sister with a fond smile. “No, you aren’t.”

“No woman should,” I added. “Maybe we need new stories for little girls where the princess rescues the prince. Let’s finish discussing Evie’s prince first.”

“Rainer is no prince. Goddess, I was so young and stupid, I actually thought of him that way,” she admitted. “Fast forward three months into dating him, and he was telling me I had to move to the demon realm. He was against my plan to work with werewolves, claiming it was too dangerous for someone like me. What does that even mean? Why am I too weak to work with werewolves?”

“That was pretty messed up,” I agreed before glaring at Rainer. “How dare he tell you what to do? What right did he have?”

“I’d say he thought the demon bond thing gave him the right,” Mel added.

“Exactly,” Evie agreed. “Now, you also know why I don’t date. I’m bound to Rainer.”

“Why did you agree?” Mel asked. “I get the part about you being young and a hopeless romantic, but that is a huge step. Don’t you dare tell me it was his huge cock that made you agree. No dick is that magical.”

Evie shrugged, a sad smile playing on her lips when she answered. “I love him. I’m an even bigger fool for loving a man who’s incapable of respecting me.”

“Maybe you should give him another chance,” I suggested.

Evie quickly shook her head. “There is no way I can live with someone that domineering.”

“He might have changed,” I pointed out.

“While he may look young, he’s actually incredibly old,” Evie told me. “If he hasn’t changed by now, he’s not going to.”

Our conversation ended when the men approached our table. After that, Rainer was much more subdued. He did his best to avoid looking at Evie. Even after hearing Evie’s story, I still felt bad for them both. Rainer clearly had strong feelings for Evie. Too bad he was also a jerk.