Page 40 of My Demon Mate

After I wipe his tears, I nod and turn to Jack, that smug look still etched across his face. He has been waiting for the day to drop this bomb on Everest to grind him down to dust. I am glad I was here to make sure he gets what coming to him.

Everest will be hurting, and I will have to pick up the pieces, but I do not mind. I will take care of him and give him everything he needs to get better. Starting with Jack’s head on a fucking platter.

Anger pumps through my viens at Jack’s callousness. His words are more harmful than his fists. This mental wound will hurt Everest more than any physical one Jack could inflict upon Everest.

I let my frustration bleed through me and take a step in his direction. Jack stumbles back quicker than I thought his alcohol addled body could, falling into his recliner. His eyes are wide with terror as he stares at me, his face turning a ruddy shade of red. “What the fuck? What are you?” he breathes, holding onto his chest as he pants.

Looking over at the mirror mounted on the wall, I see that half of my face is in my demon form, my horns prominent upon my head.

I smile as I turn to him, taking a step closer. His body odor is an affront to my senses, but I ignore that and admire the raw fear etched on his face as I come to a stop in front of him. “I am Everest’s demon, and I am going to kill you.”

I grab him by his filthy hair and haul him to his feet. Jack kicks and thrashes, trying to dislodge my hand. “Demon? That’s not real. You’re not real. Let me go. Everest! Son! Help me!”

“You do not get to speak to him,” I tell Jack, shaking him hard enough to make his teeth clatter. “He is no son of yours.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Jack cries, his shoulders heaving. “I didn’t mean none of it.”

“Fuck you,” Everest shouts from behind me. “You killed my mother. Now you die.”

Everest’s voice rings in my head, the sweet command reverberating in my skull. “Rip his heart out, Raven.”

Moving my hand from his hair to his neck, I thrust Jack into the air. He scratches at my hand, kicking his feet at me. His face turns purple and his eyes bulge, spit dripping down his chin as he sputters.

I shake him for good measure, sloshing his brain in his skull. “If we accepted souls in my dimension of hell,” I tell him, looking him in the eye, “I would make you serve Everest until the end of time. But he does not want to see you again, and I will make sure of that.”

Before Jack can pass out, I punch up with force and plunge my hand into his chest cavity, pushing past his ribcage. When my hand locks on his heart, I twist it from the veins and arteries that hold it in place. With a satisfied growl, I pull the organ from his chest.

I drop the lump of muscle onto the ground and Jack’s body follows, his chest still heaving, even though he no longer has a heart to pump blood to his organs. With a roar, I lift my foot and slam onto his head, crushing the bone and splashing blood and brain matter everywhere. Jack convulses once, then he goes still.

Rolling my neck, I blow out a triumphant roar before looking at Everest. His eyes are locked on the body of his father, whose face is still under my boot. I lift my foot, shaking off the contents. I snap my fingers and a cloth appears. Quickly, I clean my soiled hand and step slowly in his direction. When I hold my arms out to him, Everest comes willingly, collapsing into them as sobs wrack his body.

“He killed my mother. Oh god,” Everest cries, tears soaking my shoulder as I lower us to the ground. I would rather not sit Everest in this filth, but I doubt he has the strength to move elsewhere. “I thought she left me. But he took her away from me.” He holds tight to me, his hands gripping my back for dear life. “She tried to take me with her. She tried—” Everest cannot speak anymore, overtaken with grief as he is.

If I could kill that motherfucker again, I would. Jack knew exactly what he was doing when he told Everest that. He knew it would gut Everest. What a sorry excuse for a father, a sorry excuse for a man.

While it is a relief that Everest finally knows what happened to his mother, that she did not abandon him, it was fucked up for Jack to tell him as he did. Even more fucked up that he did the deed in the first place. Everest deserved more than he was given, and his mother tried to take him away from the abuse. She was doing what a mother should do, and she was killed because of it.

I am not sure how long Everest cries, his small body releasing pent up tears from years of abuse and the fresh knowledge of knowing his mother is no longer alive. His emotional state is a mess, clouded with grief and heartbreak that threatens to tear me asunder. His anguish is so palpable, I have to shy away from our connection, pulling back slightly so I am not pulled under with him. I need to stay strong for him.

After untold minutes, Everest’s heavy sobs turn into hiccups. He twists on my lap, wrapping his arms around my neck. I kiss his cheek, wiping his tears as best I can.

“Thank you,” he mutters against my throat. “Thank you for being here with me. And for doing that.” He inclines his head to Jack’s prone, mutilated body.

Rubbing my hand through his hair, I ask, “Do you want me to retrieve your mother’s body? So you may say goodbye?”

Everest nods. “Yes. I won’t believe it until I see her for myself. He could be lying.” But he does not sound convinced. His father was not lying. He killed Everest’s mother and buried her in the backyard so he could continue to abuse Everest, keeping him under his thumb for as long as possible. He wanted Everest to have no escape. What he did not count on was me coming to my mate’s rescue.

“Go pack,” I tell him, kissing his cheek softly. “I will recover her remains for you.”

At the word remains, Everest breaks down again, lying his head on my shoulder as he sobs hard enough to making his body tremble. I rub his back, rocking him to sooth him. I do not care how long we must stay here—forever would not be long enough if Everest is not okay.

When the hard sobs have shifted to silent tears, he gets to his feet and walks slowly to his room, head down and his shoulders lightly quaking. I want to take him away from here, from this place that has caused him so much pain, but it will mean more if he sees his mother again and says goodbye to her.

When I go outside, I summon a shovel and go to the spot in the backyard where the grass does not grow. I could have lifted the soil with magic, but I want to do this for Everest. I want to use my body for him to give him closure.

I make quick work of the plot, heaving dirt over my shoulder and sinking lower and lower until the end of my shovel hits something hard. Tossing the shovel out of the makeshift grave, I get down on my knees and swipe the dirt away from what appears to be a yellow suitcase. I move further up, brushing soil from a blue and white flower patterned dress. Higher and higher I move until I see the off-white color of a skull.

Snapping my fingers, I summon a sweeper and brush the dirt away from the skeletal remains of Everest’s mother.

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